Slicing an avocado? There’s a gadget for that. Need to quickly cut and core pineapple? There’s a gadget for that too. Hulling tomatoes? Gadget. There are so many specialty gadgets out there it can be hard to sort the diamonds from the coal. That’s why the pros tend to stick with the basics to bring their food to life — whether or not you need that unitasker to complete your morning avo toast routine is really up to you (no judgment here).

But, today, we’re here to teach you how to turn your favorite kitchen stalwarts — your tongs, blenders, rubber spatulas and the like — into the gadget stars you always knew they could be. With some basic tools and a few pro moves up your sleeve, your dinner table will start to look a whole lot more like a chef’s table.