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Depends on what you consider a gadget.

If you include anything that does small tasks, a multitool is the single best gadget on the planet. I picked up a victorinox multitool years ago. Damn thing is the Cadillac of multitools, but doesn't sacrifice durability to get the comfort and handling. It's a tank with heated leather seats lol.

If electronics are the limitation of gadget, I gotta go with a thermometer. A thermopro probe thermometer means you get perfectly cooked foods, every time. If you get one that's got an alarm on it that you leave in the food, it's even more dummy free.

But even an infrared thermometer helps a buttload in the kitchen. People rarely realize that pan temperature matters as much on the stovetop as it does in the oven, when it comes to reliable, predictable outcomes. That alone will reduce how often you ruin food as you learn how to cook. And once you do, it allows you to dial in exactly the results you want.