The Kitchen Gadgets I Can’t Live Without
I am an unabashed creature of habit. So when I find products I like, I live and die by them, be it moisturizer, a classic white tee, or a favorite kitchen tool. And as it turns out, I have many tried and true gadgets that are now essentials in my home kitchen and even in a professional one. Since I’ve been using most of these in a restaurant kitchen, I can’t go back to using any other certain tools to get the job done. I may add to this list because, well, I am now always buying kitchen things.
FYI - I get literally no commission from recommending these because I am (surprise) not an influencer. I just LOVE these things and hope they make you a better cook!
When I say this is the only peeler you need, I mean it. I bought this Y-shaped one on a whim several years ago at my cute local kitchen and restaurant supply store, aptly named Kitchening. Its simple Swiss design makes it lightweight to maneuver around carrots, potatoes, and even lemon peels. The best part is that it’s only $5 for a carbon steel blade, no less. It’s also the only peeler we use at the restaurant.
Not trying to make this all about Kuhn Rikon products, I swear this is the last one. But this can opener? Wow. It’s different because it cuts the lid off at the actual lip where it meets the can, so you’re left with no sharp edges and can replace the lid perfectly on top. Great for when you don’t need to use the full can of chipotles in adobo, because who really uses all of that in one go? Apparently, it doesn’t open every kind of can, but nine times out of ten it has worked for me.
I love when things just make good sense, like these measuring cups that stay together when you need them to and separate when you need them to. Then you only have to wash however many cups you need instead of all four every time. Score. And yes, they also sell a set of magnetic measuring spoons.
There are a LOT of cutting boards out there now, made of many different materials. I stick with durable plastic ones and tend to stay away from wood ones. The latter can warp over time, unless you buy quality wood and harbor bacteria, unless you routinely sanitize and oil them. (More on that from Serious Eats here.) The OXO board is ideal for any cutting situation–one side is flat and smooth for veggies/fruits and the other has grooved edges to catch meat drippings and pour from the corners. Plus, non-slip rubber sides and dishwasher-safe. Love to see it.
5. FISH SPATULA
A fish spatula always seemed like a one-trick pony to me, but when I started using this one from Mercer Culinary included in my school kit, I realized it was versatile enough to handle other delicate tasks besides flipping a filet. Hoist crisp fried eggs out of a pan or shovel freshly baked cookies off a sheet tray.
When I was in culinary school, mostly everything we learned was of course based in French culinary tradition, including those archaic guillotine-looking mandolines. Those things are true weapons–never again. Japanese mandolines are much simpler to navigate and don’t look nearly as scary. The Benriner mandoline is now the gold standard, which we also used at school. It’s got one knob on the back that you tighten or loosen to achieve a thinner or thicker cut, respectively. I use it every day at the restaurant for thinly sliced salad onions—I will die on the hill that it is what will make your salads look and eat better—but I also whip it out at home for evenly sliced potatoes.
Another OXO doo-dad, I know. Quite simply, I love this because the pepper opening is on the top versus the bottom and you can easily adjust the grind. Yay for cleaner counters!
Full and half sheet trays have become such an essential, but I think we overlook the quarter sheet. As a very single person who mostly cooks for herself, it is the ideal size for an effortless meal of roasted veggies and sausage or toasting nuts for salad. For a pro move, use it as a catch-all station on the counter for your salt, pepper, everyday cooking oils, and other essential pantry ingredients.
This is one of those tools that I always saw people use, but thought “I don’t really need that.” This is partly because I’m not much of a baker, since it’s primarily used for cutting dough and scraping bench flour.
Then I started prepping at a restaurant, cutting 12 quarts of mirepoix every day and realized I couldn’t work without it by efficiently transporting the cut veg to a Cambro. Not everyone is dicing quarts of veg, but when you inevitably need to dice an onion or two and mince a few garlic cloves, this’ll make scraping your finished product off the cutting board that much quicker. (For the love of God–never scrape the edge of your knife on your cutting board! That’ll only dull it over time.)