The 13 Best Kitchen Utensils That Are Essential to Every Cook
Updated: Feb. 23, 2024
A good artist never blames their tools, but the right tools can certainly make a good artist (at least in the kitchen). Take your culinary skills to the next level with these best kitchen utensils.
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Silicone Spatula
Silicone kitchen utensils are renowned for being heat-resistant and easy to clean. This spatula is a fan favorite for its quality and versatility, from breaking up ground meat to whipping up a quick sauté or scraping batter out of a bowl. It’s one of our favorite kitchen essentials for home cooks because of its endless versatility.
Stainless Steel Turner
This stainless steel turner is a reliable kitchen companion from breakfast to dinner. It flips pancakes, drains cooking fat and dishes out meals. While you can get spatulas in a set, we’re a fan of mixing and matching to find what works best for your cooking needs and styles. Don’t forget to keep your kitchen tidy with these utensil organizers.
Chef’s Knife
This 8-inch stainless steel chef’s knife is an essential kitchen tool. Quality chef’s knives don’t come cheap, but this knife delivers exceptional quality without slipping into the higher price range. Designed in Japan, it’s ergonomic and lightweight, and makes cutting anything as smooth as slicing through butter.
Vegetable Peeler
Quickly and effortlessly prep fruits and veggies with this peeler, which has earned a loyal following for its comfortable grip and a swiveling head. It includes a blemish remover, which is especially helpful when cooking potatoes. We might have to add it to our list of editor-loved kitchen gadgets.
Whisk
Putting together the best kitchen utensil set demands a whisk that whips up breakfast in a flash or prepares a gourmet dressing. This one’s on the narrower side, which is ideal for smaller bowls, and it’s designed to be more comfortable to hold and to ensures less food gets trapped in the wires. Bonus: It’s dishwasher safe.
Wooden Spoon
One of the best kitchen products? The essentials. Wooden kitchen utensils, like this spoon, are beloved by chefs for their durability—they handle high heat and frequent use. It’s made from teak and has an oval shape to make it easier to scoop up food. Keep it looking as good as new by cleaning it the right way.
Tongs
Don’t underestimate the importance of a good pair of tongs (they’re invaluable for one-pan dinners). This pair makes it easy to grab, flip and move around a variety of ingredients, and the nylon heads won’t scratch pots and pans.
Zester Grater
Sometimes all a dish needs to become extraordinary is a little zest. This zester grater lives up to its name, letting you zest citrus and grate ginger, spices and more. It’s easy to use (and, if we’re being honest, a fun kitchen tool), and helps add a gourmet twist to sweet and savory recipes.
Ladle
With a great value, this heavy-duty ladle is useful for soups, stews and stocks, and can be repurposed for big-batch cocktails when the time calls for it. Its plastic handle keeps hands safe from the heat.
Slotted Spoon
A worthy set of kitchen utensils always demands a few spoons. This slotted spoon drains food while preparing meals, and its stainless steel appearance is classic enough to keep it out when serving guests.
Can Opener
An automatic can opener is one of those kitchen gadgets you won’t believe are real—it’s that good. This automatic can opener saves time and energy, so you can concentrate on the rest of the recipe—all you have to do is push a button!
Pastry Cutter
There are few things better than freshly baked goods, and this five-blade pastry cutter is an Amazon kitchen favorite for a reason. It requires no effort to distribute butter throughout your dough for the flakiest crust (it handles other duties, like prepping salsa and chopping nuts, too). The rubber grip is sturdy (no spinning!) and easy to hold while you work.
Herb Shears
Dare we say that these make cooking even more fun? These five-blade herb shears neatly chop up all of your fresh herbs. Welcome to the world of the perfect garnish!
Originally Published: April 17, 2023
