5 Useful Kitchen Gadgets You Can 3D Print

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With the improvement of technology and increasing educational content on the matter, 3D printing has become increasingly more accessible, even to those on a budget. Because of this, ordinary people can now 3D print objects from the comforts of their own home. 

While 3D printing can help you save money, it can also be a good way to get access to unique objects that are customized to both your needs and preferences. These days, there's no shortage of ways you can use your 3D printer to make things for your house, whether it's mounting tools, specialized parts for repairing tech, or even toys. In fact, we've mentioned before that 3D printing can be a great way to upgrade your garage, especially when it comes to creating custom organization tools. However, one part of your home that many people don't realize would benefit a lot from 3D printing is your kitchen.

To know about what cool things you can print at home, we've scoured the best websites for 3D print files and rounded up some useful gadgets that can uniquely upgrade your kitchen. With this, you have the option to jazz up everything from the cooking process to how you consume your daily meals. But take note, you will need to be extra mindful about what filament you use when working with products that come into contact with food. In general, it's recommended to invest in food-safe filament and coatings to avoid any unnecessary complications.

For those who love making pasta, getting the right amount of spaghetti is an art form. After all, it comes hand in hand with concerns about having enough sauce and filling the bellies of your guests. When you do get it wrong, this can lead to not having a satisfying meal by having either too much or not enough sauce for the amount of pasta cooked, or worse, food wastage. Because of this, it's no wonder pasta measuring tools are some of the trendiest kitchen gadgets that you can add to your home. While we've mentioned the likes of the highly-rated $6.99 Orblue Spaghetti Pasta Measure in the past, you can also design one that is perfect for your household's average pasta consumption or 3D print a readily available file.

On Thingiverse, you can download a popular spaghetti measure that lets you get pasta for one to four people. Additionally, you do have the option to customize it by adding not just bigger holes but also names. But of course, these are all estimations, and you might want something more specific if you're following a recipe. Alternatively, if you prefer to estimate your pasta needs via weight, you can buy a pasta meter that lets you estimate in terms of 100, 150, 200, 250, 350, and 500 grams. While you are at it, you can also 3D print pasta strainers that fit different-sized pots. Just make sure you invest in a heat-resistant filament to avoid unnecessary warping.

There are a few things that you can find in almost every kitchen, and spice shakers are usually some of the most common. While there are a ton of kitchen tools out there, we've mentioned before that electric salt and pepper shakers are gadgets that we think are a waste of money. However, this doesn't mean you can't find some joy with your table shakers entirely. This is especially true since there are several cool designs you can 3D print in the comfort of your home.

If you want something you can easily bring on the go during your dinners out, there are mini spice shakers. They are about the size of an SD card, which means they'll fit right into your little handbags. For people with children, there's also no shortage of unique spice shakers inspired by popular characters, like Peppa Pig, Baby Groot from "Guardians of the Galaxy", or Elsa from "Frozen." 

For people who love superheroes, you can do one that looks like Batman that you can print in different colors to differentiate your spices. But if you prefer villains, there are also ones that look like Star Wars' Darth Vader and Stormtrooper. And if you need a home for all your shakers, there are many cool ways you can organize it. Apart from your typical pull-out racks, there are also shelves and screwless wall-mounted ones as well.

Although some people aren't convinced that smart toasters are worth the money, there are other things you can do to make your mornings more entertaining, such as toast stamps. With toast stamps, all you have to do is press it firmly on your bread until the lines become visible.

If you want to make your kids smile in the morning, you can 3D print their favorite animals or vehicles on their morning toast. For example, there are plenty of press tools for kiwis or trains. On the other hand, there are also Star Wars-inspired toast stamps, like those that look like stormtroopers. When it's approaching October, there's a Halloween toast press set with ghouls, pumpkins, and skulls that you can use to add some spookiness to your routine. And for the romantics out there, there are also toast stamps for conversations like "love you" or "hug me". And of course, it comes with a Sketchup file, so you can customize your messages.

But before you can begin stamping, you may encounter the age-old problem of struggling to take your toast out from the toaster. To keep this from happening, you can also 3D print a dedicated toast extractor, which can save you from burnt hands or accidental electric shocks. Afterwards, when you're busy stamping, you can also 3D print a toast rack and tongs to stay organized.

Almost every household has a bottle opener in the kitchen. In some cases, like Harbor Freight's $3 bottle opener, you can even get some interesting uses out of them, like being a backup wrench. Not to mention, there are plenty of Swiss Army knives that have it ready for action. For those whose hands need a little bit of help, there are several assistive 3D-printed bottle opener designs that may be perfect for people with mobility issues, like the smart one-handed bottle opener. 

Depending on your preferred design, there are options to bring 3D models that use magnets or coins to do the job. Alternatively, there's a similar one-handed bottle opener 3D design that doesn't need a coin and uses a hexagonal-style. On the other hand, if you don't mind drilling things into walls, 3D printing a wall-mountable bottle opener is another way to crack open a cold one with one hand.

That said, there's also nothing wrong if you want to print quirky bottle openers that can make you smile every time you have a drink. If you don't think the viral bat Halloween bottle opener is right for you, you can opt for ones that look like a pizza or a bald eagle instead. And if you want to take it to the next level, there are even designs for 3D-printed bottle openers that let you shoot caps at the same time.

When it comes to hosting, the devil is in the details, and one unique way to make your party memorable is to have personalized touches. This can be done by having unique ice cubes for your refreshments or themed chocolates. With 3D printing technology, the world is your oyster when it comes to making trays and molds. However, if you're not at that point yet wherein you can design things yourself, there are plenty of tray molds that you can download already.

Should you want to make your brunches feel more glamorous, diamond-shaped ice could be a great way to add some sparkle to your mocktails or cocktails. Alternatively, there are also some common shapes like beehives and ice stars. If we're talking holidays, there are heart-shaped molds for Valentine's, bunny molds for Easter, skull molds for Halloween, and reindeer molds for Christmas.

Old-school gamers may love the idea of having Pacman-themed ice cubes, which you can do with a 3D print of a tray that has Pac-Man plus its ghosts. For Star Wars fans, a Death Star ice mold can be a talking point at your annual marathons with friends. Although a few users did mention that it wasn't snug enough and needed some minor adjustments. If you ever find yourself hosting a Gotham-themed party, you can 3D-print an ice tray with a Batman logo. For Doctor Who fans, there's a Tardis chocolate mold.