For some, cooking is a great way to nourish your body and express yourself through the culinary arts. For the rest of us, it’s a bit of hassle. But, whether you’re an aspiring Top Chef contestant or more at risk of being on Nailed It, one thing remains the same: Having the right tools makes all the difference.
We’ve gone ahead and rounded up 15 essentials every home chef needs. From knives to pressure cookers, you’re sure to find something that will improve your next cooking session. Read on for details:
Appropriately named, Spoon Buddy™ is bound to be your best friend in the kitchen. On top of providing your spoon with a convenient place to rest in between stirring, this tool can be used to grip jar lids for easy opening and can stick on plate bottoms via the suction cup to use them as frying pan covers. Seriously, even MacGyver would be impressed with what Spoon Buddy™ can do. You can get it here for $9.99.
Digital Wine Bottle Thermometer
Wine is great. End of story. But, serving it at the wrong temperature can really sour your sipping experience. This bottle thermometer easily attaches to any bottle and delivers a digital readout that measures the temperature in Fahrenheit so you’ll know when it’s ready to be served. Plus, the thermometer includes instructions suggesting the ideal serving temperatures for different varieties of wine. It’s only $9.99 here.
Chefman Carbon Fiber Electric Smokeless Indoor Grill
Winter is coming, and unless you live in sunny Florida, that means staying indoors and away from the freezing temperatures. But what if you want to grill up some burgers or steaks? The Chefman Carbon Fiber Electric Smokeless Indoor Grill lets you bring the grilling inside. This indoor grill heats up to 450°F in minutes and delivers even heat distribution with infrared heating technology. Throw some food on, and you’ll get the same grill marks and enticing flavor that comes from traditional grilling without ever igniting a flame. It’s just $109.99 here.
Martha Stewart 8-Qt 7-in-1 Digital Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker
Chances are you know someone with an Instant Pot, mainly because people can’t seem to stop talking about them. If you’re out of the loop, they’re handy pressure cookers that make cooking as simple as tossing ingredients into a pot and pushing a button. Now, Martha Stuart is throwing her hat into the pressure cooker game with this 8-quart one. It comes with 14 preset programs, like sauté, steam and warm, as well as an 8-quart capacity for prepping meals for the whole family. It’s only $79.99 here.
Calphalon Classic Self-Sharpening 6-Piece Knife Block Set
Do you know what’s more dangerous than a sharp knife? A dull one, that’s what. This is mainly because you need to apply more pressure to cut with a dull knife, increasing the chance of it slipping and cutting something other than what’s on the cutting board. Of course, not all of us have the patience to sharpen our knives before every meal, but thankfully with the Calphalon Classic Self-Sharpening 6-Piece Knife Block Set, you won’t have to. In addition to four high-quality knives and a pair of kitchen shears, this knife set features a knife block that sharpens your blades each time you pull them out. It’s only $69 here.
The Gemelli Twin Oven is billed as the first and only convection oven with a built-in pizza drawer and rotisserie. What does this mean? Basically, you can prep everything from casseroles and pizzas to entire rotisserie chickens with a single appliance. If you’re short on space in your kitchen, the Gemelli Twin Oven is a great way to keep your options open while cutting down on clutter. You can find it here for only $279.99.
D-Frost Wonder Quick Defrosting Tray
We’ve all been there. You get home from work, ready to cook those chicken breasts you asked your kids to take out of the freezer a few hours ago, only to discover that they’re still sitting exactly where you left them in the freezer. Made from a high quality thermal conductive material, the D-Frost Wonder Quick Defrosting Tray lets you defrost frozen food up to 10x faster than at room temperature, so there’s still a chance for you to defrost those birds rather than giving up and ordering takeout. It’s available for $12.99 here.
Some recipes call for some pretty vigorous stirring and mixing, and after a long day of running around, who has the energy for it? The StirMATE® Smart Pot Stirrer takes that burden off your hands and will keep stirring your food for up to 13 hours on a single charge. It’s designed with a bottom paddle that prevents food from sticking, burning and scorching, plus an upper paddle to stir everything. You can find it for under $50 here.
Chefman 1.7L Color-Changing Electric Kettle
Don’t underestimate the need for a kettle in the kitchen. In addition to rapidly heating up, this kettle easily lifts from its 360° swivel base for easy filling at the sink and graceful serving without the hassle of a power cord. But, what’s really remarkable about this device is how it changes color from black to red as it heats up, so you can easily see when it’s ready. You can find it for $37 here.
Yedi 9-in-1 Total Package Instant Programmable 6 QT Pressure Cooker
Compared to the Martha Stewart slow cooker, the Yedi is a bit more compact, making it a better choice for those of us with limited counter space. Plus, it comes with 15 preset cooking settings, rather than 14. It’s only $89 here.
Regardless of the pressure cooker you decide to get down the road, you’re going to want to grab the CrispLid as well. This innovative device converts your 6- or 8-Quart electric pressure cooker into an air fryer, broiler, or crisper, adding that much more versatility to an already versatile cooking appliance. This set also comes with an air frying basket, a 3″ raised trivet, silicone trivet, and stainless steel tongs. It’s only $49.95 here.
If you’re only going to get one thing from this list, these professional knives might be your best bet. Both the KUTT Shinobu Chef Knife and KUTT Hikari Chef Knife are made from German stainless steel, carbon, chrome, and vanadium for strength, sharpness, and durability. Plus, they both sport pakkawood handles that fit perfectly into your hand with an elegant wood-like texture that resists water damage and rough conditions. The Shinobu Chef Knife comes with a sharpener while the Hikari Chef Knife includes odor-removing soap and a finger guard. They’re both $37.99 apiece here.
Power Air Fryer 10-in-1 Pro Elite Oven (Refurbished)
If you want to take all of your kitchen appliances and replace them with just one compact device, this Power Air Fryer is the answer. This handy appliance can replace your deep fryer, rotisserie, toaster, pizza oven/grill, steamer and more with a six-quart capacity and 10 presets for quick and easy cooking. Plus, since this is a refurbished model, you’ll be getting it for far less than you’d pay for a new one. It’s only $84.99 here.
Kenwood BL705 – ThermoResist Blender
A blender that makes piping hot soups? That’s the Kenwood BL705 ThermoResist Blender for you. Engineered with powerful stainless steel blades and a thermal shock-resistant goblet, this blender prepares smoothies, slushies, and even hot soups with zero difficulty. You can get it here for only $94 today.
78oz FlexyPan™ 4-in-1 Multifunctional Baking Pan
Meet the last baking pan you’ll ever need. As the name suggests, the FlexyPan™ is a 4-in-1 baking pan that comes with handy dividers that let you adjust the size or even bake different dishes in different areas. Bake a casserole on one side and a cake on the other—we won’t judge you. It’s only $22 here.
Prices subject to change.