30 handy cooking tools we rely on in our own kitchens

An indoor tabletop garden for herbs and vegetables

AeroGarden Harvest with Gourmet Herb Seed Pod Kit

I have an older version of this and have used it for the past two years to grow fresh herbs and tomatoes. It’s a fun gadget to grow essential ingredients to supplement what I’d usually buy at the grocery store, and depending how often you buy herbs like basil and mint, and veggies like tomatoes, it may or may not pay for itself over time. It takes up less room than a microwave and has its own grow lights, so it’ll be fine in small, windowless spaces. — Jada Wong, senior editor

Read our review of the Aerogarden here

A compact indoor tabletop garden

The Smart Garden 3 from Click and Grow

Yes, I have two indoor tabletop gardens — they’re so fun and useful! I am using this one to grow basil while my Aerogarden is growing tomatoes. This looks a lot sleeker than my Aerogarden, but it’s also much smaller with only three spaces to grow instead of six. Nonetheless, it’s a welcome addition to my kitchen and the fresh basil is a delicious addition to my meals. — Jada Wong, senior editor

An air fryer

I’ve used this appliance way more than I expected because it basically acts as a speedy convection oven. I hate cranking up my oven just to re-crisp my leftovers or make a small side dish, and this air fryer is the perfect alternative. It’s easy to use and clean, and helps you make healthier versions of your favorite fried foods. — Connie Chen, senior reporter

An inexpensive cold brew maker

Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker

 

I prefer cold brew coffee all year round, so I use this inexpensive Takeya pitch around three times a week for a fresh and smooth brew at home. It’s super easy to use — dump ground coffee into the filter, screw it into the lid, fill up the pitcher with water, and let it chill in your fridge overnight. The result is a smooth and concentrated cold brew whenever you want, no need to wait on any lines. — Jada Wong, senior editor

Read our review of the Takeya cold brew maker here

A coffee grinder with consistent results

Baratza Encore Coffee Grinder

I love a fresh cup of coffee every morning and my preferred method of making it switches between French press and pour-over. For years I would manually grind coffee beans with the Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill and while it is a great entry-level coffee bean grinder, I eventually upgraded to the Baratza Encore Conical Coffee Grinder. Through my research, I found this to be the best value for money and relatively affordable compared to other electric coffee bean grinders on the market. The wide range of settings allows me to experiment between fine and coarse grounds and its ability to grind beans quickly and uniformly is essential in achieving a perfect cup of French press or pour-over coffee. — Alexa Bleustein, e-commerce analyst

Read our review of the Baratza Encore here

A juicer

Breville Juice Fountain Plus Juice Extractor

I don’t know if this counts as cooking, but it’s definitely an unexpected key player in my kitchen. It’s pretty big and bulky, but it’s relatively easy to clean and makes a flawless eight-ounce cup of juice in only five seconds. — Mara Leighton, senior reporter

Read our review of the juicer here

Whale Strainer

Fred Big Blue Whale Strainer

I prefer using a pot strainer to pour out the liquid while keeping the food in it, like fruit and vegetable, because it’s quicker than having to dump it into a colander. I like the Fred Big Blue Whale Strainer because it adds some whimsy. Note: When using with hot liquid, be extra careful not to tilt the strainer downward as it could accidentally flow down the handle and onto your hand. — Les Shu, senior editor 

A multi-use tool for avocados

OXO 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer

I love guacamole, but I hate removing avocado pits — I’m always afraid I’ll end up cutting my hand as I whack the knife into the pit to pull it out. OXO’s 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer is one of my favorite cooking tools of all time. It not only cuts the avocado open, but it also helps you safely remove the pit and cut the avocado into perfect slices. — Malarie Gokey, deputy editor 

Read our review of the 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer here

A sous vide tool

Sous vide cooking, which uses an immersion technique that involves putting food in sealed bags and cooking it in a water bath, used to be restricted to restaurants because of its expense, but Breville puts that power into the home chef’s hands with the Joule. This tool cooks meats and vegetables perfectly by bringing them up to a pre-set temperature and doesn’t let anything overcook. We also named the Joule the top pick in our sous vide buying guide. — Brandt Ranj, former reporter

Read our review of the Joule here

A manual milk frother

HIC Stainless Steel Milk Frother Pitcher with Handle and Lid

I love cappuccinos, but I’m too cheap to buy them. Years ago, I went on a quest to find the best milk frother, and to my surprise, this manual one was the winner. It’s basically just a stainless steel mug with a mesh plunger that you move up and down to aerate and froth the milk. Once it’s frothy, I let it settle, pour it into a Pyrex measuring cup and heat it up for a minute in the microwave, and voilà! I have perfect foamy milk for a cappuccino. — Malarie Gokey, deputy editor 

Read our review of the HIC Stainless Steel Milk Frother here

A sturdy cheese grater

OXO Etched Two-Fold Grater

I’ve had a bunch of different graters over the years, but this foldable one from OXO is the best I’ve tried. It has two different grating sides: coarse and medium. The grater folds up so it takes up almost no space in my cabinet. It’s also really sturdy, so when I’m grating cheese or other foods, I can comfortably hold it in place with the big handle and it doesn’t move around. — Malarie Gokey, deputy editor 

A silicone muffin pan

Silpat Silicone Muffin Pan

I was perfectly content using regular muffin pans until I had the opportunity to try Silpat’s. Now I’m ruined. What makes this pan so good is its non-stick material, which allows you to pop out the muffins without letting them cool first or using grease. — Brandt Ranj, former reporter

Seconded! Brandt and I are both obsessed with these muffin pans. I threw out my metal one immediately after trying this for the first time. — Sally Kaplan, senior editor

Read our review of the muffin pans here

A fish spatula

AdeptChef Stainless Steel Fish Spatula

I think I’ve told everyone I know about this fish spatula. I’m actually a vegetarian, so I don’t even use it for fish, but it’s designed precisely to be able to handle and flip delicate foods. So yes, it’s great for fish (probably) but it’s also great for literally anything else you cook in a pan. It’s flexible with a razor-thin edge so you can get underneath anything to flip it without dislodging that crispy crust or perfect sear you worked hard to achieve. Throw away your other spatulas and replace them with these — you won’t be sorry! — Sally Kaplan, senior editor

Read our review of the fish spatula here

A pepper mill

Peugeot Paris Salt & Pepper Mills, 7″ 

 

I tried to resist Peugeot’s expensive pepper mill as long as I could — I don’t like buying expensive things — but it was too good. I tried pepper mill after pepper mill, and they all failed. This one is truly the best. I’ve had mine for five years, and it’s as good as new. I love being able to select how coarse or fine I want to grind the peppercorns, and the smell and taste of fresh pepper is amazing. It’s really elevated my cooking. — Malarie Gokey, deputy editor 

Read our review of the Peugeot Paris Salt & Pepper Mills here

Stainless Steel Electric Tea Kettle

Krups Savoy Stainless Steel 1.8 Qt. Electric Tea Kettle

This electric kettle is my favorite appliance, and it’s the one I use most often. It has adjustable temperature settings so I can heat the water to the optimal temperature for brewing different kinds of tea, and it heats water up to boiling in a matter of minutes. It’s much faster than boiling water on the stove or in the microwave, so I also use it to boil water for pasta, oatmeal, and everything else that requires boiling water. I’ve had it for about three years now, and it’s still in perfect working order. — Malarie Gokey, deputy editor 

Read our review of the Krups Electric tea Kettle here

Silicone oven mitts

I tend to take things very literally, so to me, the “hand-iest” tool that I use in the kitchen has to be these silicone oven mitts from Honla. While there is nothing flashy about these mitts, they perform exactly as you would hope a pair of oven mitts should. They slip on and off easy, the silicone exterior provides a solid grip on whatever you may be pulling out of the oven, and they do not let any heat through to your hands. — Danny Bakst, senior content producer

A handheld citrus juicer

If you frequently cook with lemons or limes, or you just make a lot of guacamole, you need this $7 tool in your drawer. It stops seeds from falling into your food and ensures you get every last drop of juice. — Ellen Hoffman, executive editor

A foldable cutting board

If you do a lot of batch cooking or you tend to prepare meals that require lots of chopping, you need this cutting board. The handle makes it easy to hold and maneuver around the kitchen, and the foldable sides ensure that nothing falls off the board while you do so. — Remi Rosmarin, reporter

A hand mixer

Breville Hand Mixer

I don’t have the space for a KitchenAid stand mixer in my small New York City apartment, so I opted for a Breville hand mixer instead — and woah, I did not realize how effortless it could be to prepare cookie doughs and cake batters. I especially like this mixer’s easy-to-adjust speed control and built-in light. It comes with three different types of attachments and a see-through container to store both the attachments and the device itself. — Ellen Hoffman, executive editor

A splatter screen for frying pans

Williams-Sonoma Silicone Splatter Screen

Williams-Sonoma’s splatter screen has helped me crack down on kitchen grease big time. The screen’s small perforations let steam escape so that my food never gets soggy, but they keep in all the grease that would have otherwise ended up all over my stove and the areas that immediately surround it. — Ellen Hoffman, executive editor 

An indoor grill press

Upon learning that my meals mostly consisted of whatever I could boil, my father sent me this handy $40 George Foreman Grill to make cooking full meals — including protein — easier and therefore more appealing. It really has been a lifesaver. It makes a quick healthy meal of chicken and veggies in minutes, and it works as a panini press. The plates are removable and easy to clean, and it’s extremely versatile for how affordable it was. It also doesn’t hurt that the sloped surface drains about 42% of the fat. — Mara Leighton, senior reporter

A citrus zester and cheese grater

Whether you’re zesting lemons or grating Parmesan cheese or even fresh nutmeg, this is the best possible tool for the job. The top has a little rubber cover that keeps the grater stable on a cutting board, and the handle provides a comfortable grip. It’s dishwasher safe, very sharp, and extremely effective. I store mine on a hook for easier access and I also really appreciate that there’s a built-in loop for hanging. — Sally Kaplan, senior editor

A detachable grater

This clever tower grater from Chef’n is a new favorite for me. Each of the three sides, which have differently-sized grating holes, can be removed from the base and used on their own. If you keep the tower intact while you grate, your cheese or veggies will stay safely tucked inside. — Sally Kaplan, senior editor

A potato ricer

My time-saving hack for silky-smooth and creamy mashed potatoes is a potato ricer (you also need to add lots of butter and sour cream). You simply place boiled potatoes into the ricer and give it a squeeze, forcing the potatoes through the many tiny holes and into a bowl. It’s much less arm work than a regular masher, and the results are 1,000 times better. No lumps, no problems! — Ellen Hoffman, executive editor 

A miniature spiralizer

Get your laughs out now, everyone. I know the name of this gadget is not great, but it works really well for such a simple tool. Each end makes veggie noodles in a different size, and all you have to do is twist your zucchini, cucumber, carrot, or other long veggies around to create them. It takes up a lot less space than those huge spiralizers, but one thing to watch out for is that you don’t catch your finger on the blades inside when you get down to the last little bit of whatever you’re spiralizing. — Sally Kaplan, senior editor

A waffle maker

Krups Belgian Waffle Maker

A waffle maker is one of those single-use tools most people are unsure about, but Krups’ has earned its place in my kitchen. It turns out perfectly shaped diner-like waffles in about 10 minutes and has become a regular part of my weekend routine. Plus, its grates pop off, so you can easily clean it without risking any damage. — Brandt Ranj, former reporter

A smart speaker

Echo (2nd Generation) Smart Speaker

I’m an amateur cook, and one reason why I don’t do it often (and thereby don’t get any better) is that I hate having to continually refer back to a cookbook or a recipe on my phone. This lets me ask cooking questions to Alexa without taking my hands off the cutting board or having to pause my podcast or music — since I’m probably already using the Echo to listen. It also helps with the boredom I still feel whilst cooking. — Mara Leighton, senior reporter

A utensil holder

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Rotating Utensil Holder

If your kitchen drawer can’t easily open or close because it’s overstuffed, OXO’s utensil holder is the answer. It has three sections that hold everything from my spatula to my citrus press, and its rotating bottom makes it easy to get at whatever I need. — Brandt Ranj, former reporter

A set of just the essentials

The Fundamentals

If you’re a minimalist whose goal is to pare down, not add to the clutter of your kitchen, you’ll want to take a look at kitchen essentials brand Material. Its Fundamentals Set comprises two knives, a pair of tongs, a wooden spoon, a metal spoon, a slotted spatula, and a wooden base to hold it all together, but my favorite is the tongs. You can lock and unlock the tongs simply by squeezing and flipping with one hand, giving you the power to multitask and the feeling of a pro chef who knows exactly what they’re doing. — Connie Chen, senior reporter

Read our review of The Fundamentals here

Adhesive hooks

Fufcu Adhesive Wall Hooks (16-pack)

Another tool I use to clean up my drawer is this set of adhesive hooks, which line the wall behind my sink and counter. They’re the perfect size to hold awkwardly sized utensils, like a burger mold or measuring cups. — Brandt Ranj, former reporter