Setting up a new kitchen? Trying to pare down cabinets overflowing with gadgets? Here are the kitchen essentials you really need, according to Taste of Home editors and Test Kitchen pros.
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When it comes to kitchen gadgets, they tend to pile up fast. Fun tools like avocado peelers, strawberry hullers or a teensy-tiny wooden spoon are tempting impulse buys. Unfortunately, not all kitchen gadgets are necessary. So what takes them from a simple tool to one of your kitchen essentials?
According to our friends in the Test Kitchen, the best kitchen essentials come from sturdy, BPA-free materials like wood, metal or silicone. It’s always best to ensure that the material you choose won’t scratch or otherwise mar anything it will regularly come into contact with. Also opt for well-known brands for essentials you’ll use everyday, especially those which offer a generous warranty on their items. While they cost more than their inexpensive counterparts, it’s worth the investment when you weigh the cost of replacing your tools every few years.
With all these considerations, finding good kitchen utensils can be a bit of a slog. To help you determine the gear worth buying (and what to skip), we rounded up the best kitchen essentials you’ll use time and time again. Using input from the Test Kitchen and our Shopping Editorial team, we put together this list of all of our favorites, from knives to juicers and everything in between.
Craving dumplings? Now you can make them at home. This kit from Urban Natural has all the tools you need: a stainless steel dough cutter, a dumpling press and four pairs of chopsticks. When not in use, store it all in a box that looks like a cookbook and place it on a shelf.
Shopping Editor Emily Way says, “This is a must-have set for dumpling lovers! From dough to stove to mouth, it covers each step of the dumpling making (and eating) process.”
While electric corkscrews can make opening a bottle of wine easier, it means having to remember to charge yet another device. That’s why a vertical lever corkscrew like this one from OXO is so great. It’s got a removable foil cutter that stores right back onto the corkscrew, which fits over the wine bottle neck with a no-slip grip. All it takes is a pump of the lever to pull out the cork.
Taste of Home contributor Barbara Bellesi Zito has been using this foolproof corkscrew for the past two years. “Admittedly, I’ve never been great with a manual corkscrew, but this one is simple to use. I’m always recommending it to family and friends!” she says.
If you’ve ever felt like you were fighting with the dough instead of rolling it out, you’ll want this tapered wooden rolling pin from Earlywood. It might be simple in its design, but it’s a hit with us because it offers much better control than a traditional rolling pin.
Deputy Editor Katie Bandurski calls it “an absolute must for home bakers” and has been using it in her own kitchen for several years. “It’s my go-to for rolling out a variety of doughs for pie, pizza and cookies,” she says.
Spoon rests are useful, but they also take up precious counterspace. Although we wouldn’t mind making room for this adorable crab spoon rest, you can actually place Red the Crab on the lid handle to rest your spoon instead. You can also use him to grip a hot pot handle to release steam.
Katie loves animals, so it wasn’t hard for her to fall in love with this handy gadget that doubles as adorable kitchen decor. “Red the Crab adds a whimsical touch to my kitchen while being incredibly practical. I love that he firmly grips utensils of any size and is so easy to wash,” she says.
Do you know what separates light and fluffy mashed potatoes from the lumpy, gluey ones? A potato ricer. Katie recommends this one from PriorityChef for perfectly creamy potatoes every time. It’s also good for carrots, turnips and yams, plus it works well as a baby food masher.
Hate being stuck with garlic fingers after mincing a single clove? This garlic press can take on multiple cloves and mince them to perfection. Then, just flip the handle over, and the built-in cleaner removes the leftover skin. It’s dishwasher safe, so cleanup is even easier.
“Normally, I’m not a fan of ‘one-hit wonder’ kitchen gadgets that are only good for a single purpose,” says Barbara. “But this garlic press is extremely good at mincing garlic, plus it cleans up so nicely in the dishwasher. Totally worth making room for it in my kitchen drawer!”
If you’ve ever tried to scrape the rest of the peanut butter or Nutella out of the jar with a butter knife, you know the struggle is real. That’s why Katie recommends this fun yet super functional jar spatula, aptly named the Splatypus.
Yes, we’ve got several other handy spatulas on our list, but this one is the only platypus-shaped one! Silliness aside, this thing works. The slender design is perfect for getting every last bit from jars, so there’s no waste.
A grape cutter by its very name would seem to have a single purpose—and it does indeed cut grapes well!—but it has other talents in the kitchen that make it worth having on hand.
Shopping editor and product tester Mary Henn uses the grape cutter just about every day for her toddler. “It makes cutting grapes and other small, round fruits (blueberries, cherry tomatoes, etc.) a breeze. It’s a must-have for toddler snack time and helps prevent choking hazards!” she says.
A silicone spatula is crucial for swirling frosting onto cakes, folding egg whites into batter, scraping out the food processor and so much more. Make sure your spatula is silicone and not rubber, or else it may risk melting under high heat. This affordable pick withstands temperatures up to 550 degrees. And bonus points: It’s dishwasher safe.
“These are the best spatulas” says Content Director, Nicole Doster. “The Test Kitchen also loves these. The best part is that since it’s all rubber, no gunk gets stuck in the crevices of the tool.”
A sturdy strainer scoop is one of those kitchen essentials that goes a long way when washing fruits, veggies and draining boiled foods. Opt for one that’s large and in-charge—like the OXO scoop—to plate an entire meal without going back and forth between the bowl and the burner.
“I was on the hunt for months to find a better pasta spoon—and here it is,” says Nicole. “This scoop is big enough to catch a big plate full of noodles in one go, making it perfect for short and long pastas alike. It’s also a pretty good strainer for veggies, too.”
This microplane is one of our go-to kitchen essentials for when we want our dishes to feel gourmet. It’s a fine grater that’s perfect for adding thin sprinkles of parmesan over a pasta dish or adding lemon zest to a flaky fish. Discover more smart ways to use a microplane. Nicole calls this Test Kitchen-approved pick a must-have for zesting citrus or grating parm.
“You could reach for a plain ol’ utensil. Or, you could find one that sparks silly joy,” Katie says of these fun kitchen essentials. “Anyone who enters my kitchen can tell pretty quickly that I’m obsessed with OTOTO products, like this adorable Nessie ladle. It’s whimsical, yes, but also incredibly sturdy, serving up even the heartiest soups with ease.”
“I have limited outlets in my kitchen, so I love finding cordless gear,” says Katie. “This KitchenAid cordless hand mixer has just as much power as the plugged version but is so much more convenient. I reach for it during weekly meal prep, but it’s especially useful during the holidays. I can whip cream, mix cookie dough or mash potatoes from anywhere!”
“As a shopping editor, tools come and go in my kitchen pretty frequently. But I’ve had these Earlywood spatulas for over five years—and they’re not going anywhere,” says Katie of these kitchen essentials. “I use my set every single day for scrambling eggs, sauteing veggies, mixing together pastas—they’re incredibly handy. Plus, even after years of use they’re still in good shape, no cracks in sight!”
Some may argue your hands work just fine, but we’re firm believers an electric juicer really helps get every last drop out of citrus fruits. Especially when working with a not-so-ripe lemon or lime. Plus, they catch the seeds so you don’t have to pick them out. It’s one of the many five-star kitchen essentials on Amazon that are totally worth it. This version from Proctor Silex isn’t just effective—each purchase donates to Alex’s Lemonade Stand charity, so it’s also for a good cause! I use mine regularly, and I’ll never switch back to a manual juicer again.
Of course, if you only juice a lemon or lime on occasion, you might not want to pull out an electric citrus juicer to do it. That’s why Katie recommends this manual citrus press from KitchenAid.
The hopper is designed so that the juice stays in the press until you pour it out through the integrated spout. And unlike other citrus pressers, this one has a flat bottom so you can place it on the counter for leverage as you squeeze every last bit of juice from the lemon or lime. It’s dishwasher safe for easy cleanup.
Transferring chopped ingredients to a saute pan? What about cutting dough? This multi-purpose stainless steel (and dishwasher-safe!) food scraper assists in all your cooking and baking needs. Opt for one with a ruler—it’ll come in handy when precise measuring is needed. Then file this under affordable kitchen essentials you never knew you needed.
Senior Food Editor, Peggy Woodward, says this kitchen essential is great for cutting dough, especially bread dough. She also uses it to scrape her counter to lift stubborn bits of caked-on flour. Plus, the ruler comes in handy when cutting perfect portions.
While a big spatula is best for heavy doughs, there’s still plenty of use for a small version, especially when it’s this offset spatula set. These kitchen essentials are inexpensive and come with three different sizes, offering plenty of places to put them to work.
“I use these for so many things,” says Peggy. “Of course for frosting cakes and cupcakes, but also for loosening muffins and other baked goods from pans, lifting delicate cutout cookie dough off the counter and getting small bar cookies out of pans.”
Not only does an adjustable measuring cup save storage space, it’s a game-changer for sticky or liquid ingredients like peanut butter. Just slide the outer sleeve to your measurement of choice, pop in the ingredients and transfer them to a bowl. No scooping or fumbling around the cup involved.
“The star of this baking tool is hands down the adjustable outer sleeve,” writes Product Reviews Home Editor, Madi Koetting, in her review of the cup. “Measuring up to 2 cups at a time, this tool easily twists side-to-side and up and down to find your exact measurement. The measurements are so exact, I hardly have to level dry ingredients too.”
There’s a better way to store leftover fruits and veggies, and the secret is food huggers. Instead of throwing a half-cut tomato or apple in a plastic bag, these food huggers create an airtight seal around food to keep it fresh for days longer compared to a container where it’s exposed to the elements.
“I always find myself with a leftover, half-cut onion after meal prep and I despised wasting an entire glass storage container for it,” says Madi. “That was until I discovered these nifty covers. They always come in handy whether I’m saving an onion or covering up an opened can of coconut milk.” Genius!
This cheese grater shreds a whole block of cheese in just seconds, but it’s one of those kitchen must-haves with many more uses. Slice, cut or grind up potatoes, veggies, nuts, chocolate and more. Madi loves using it to shred zucchini for healthy muffins or to quickly soften butter. The budget-friendly buy is easy to operate, and you can choose from seven fun colors to suit any decor style.
No knife? No problem. You can still mince nuts, veggies, herbs—you name it. “I used to be a culinary teacher and this vegetable chopper was amazing to have for my special needs students,” says Ellie. “It allowed them chop ingredients without the risk of cutting themselves on a knife.”
For serious bakers trying to follow recipes that list ingredients by weight, a kitchen scale is an indispensable tool. It allows for precise measurements rather than cups and tablespoons, which can vary depending on the tool you use.
“This is the exact one we use [in the Test Kitchen],” says Ellie. “We measure majority of our ingredients by weight vs. volume. It provides a very precise and accurate measurement every single time.”
There’s no need to second guess if red meat is cooked through thanks to the Thermapen. Not only is it ideal for achieving moist, tender meat (it works for chicken and turkey, too!), it’s also a safety precaution. Here’s more on why you need an instant-read thermometer.
“If you’ve been a Taste of Home reader for a while, you’ve likely gotten the hint that our Test Kitchen loves Thermapen products for cooking up *chef’s kiss* perfect cuts of protein. But if we had to choose just one essential kitchen gadget from the line, it’s the Thermapen One,” says Barbara in her review of the pen.
Culinary Producer Sarah Tramonte offers a recommendation that might not immediately spring to mind: chopsticks. Apart from using them as eating utensils, a good pair of cooking chopsticks makes stir frying, blanching and pan cooking so much simpler. Opt for a long wooden pair that won’t scratch pans, like this set from Earlywood.
“I cook a lot with chopsticks,” Sarah says. “I find they are perfect for flipping or stirring certain things when sauteing.”
