Here Are 19 of Our Favorite Kitchen Gear Upgrades (And They're All Under $40)

Often, the kitchen gear we get the most excited by is something *flashy* and *expensive,* like an outdoor pizza oven, an espresso machine, or a do-it-all air fryer toaster oven. 

However, great things can come cheaply. And it’s nice to reflect on the inexpensive (sub-$40) kitchen gear and tools from our equipment reviews that we think make for significant upgrades. Whether you own a similar piece of gear already and feel your current model is just kind of “eh” or you don’t have one at all, you’re in for a treat.

The Best Inexpensive Thermometer

Thermoworks ThermoPop 2

View on Thermoworks.com View on Outdoorhome.com

If you don’t already own an instant-read thermometer (or, gasp, you have one that’s inaccurate!), let us convince you to get one. Our favorite, inexpensive thermometer is the ThermoWorks ThermoPop 2. It’s about $35 and has a blisteringly fast response time, a large, rotating screen, and a backlight, amongst other features.

A Really Great Peeler

Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler, Pack of 2

$12 $10 at Amazon

Our favorite vegetable peeler costs just $8, is nimble and effective, and easily curves around apples, potatoes, squash—you name it. It has a carbon steel blade that starts out and stays sharp, too. And if you’ve yet to try a y-peeler, it’s “categorically superior” to a swivel peeler, or so we say.

Our Favorite Mid-Priced Chef’s Knife

Mercer Culinary 8-Inch Genesis Chef's Knife

$60 $40 at Amazon $40 at Walmart View on Webstaurantstore.com

While this isn’t the cheapest of the cheap chef’s knives we recommend, it did well in all of our tests and is just $40 (not bad in the slightest for a knife you’ll use every day). It has a grippy handle, too, and is available in a range of blade lengths. We recommend the 8-inch one for most cooks.

The Best Bread Knife (That’s Also the Cheapest)

Tojiro F-737 Bread Slicer

$36 at Amazon View on Walmart

If your bread knife stinks, you'll know it: cutting bread requires ample sawing, slices are jagged, tomatoes are torn—you get the gist. Our favorite bread knife from Tojiro is wicked sharp, incredibly nimble, and just $25. Everyone who gets one loves it. It’s a fact.

An Excellent, Inexpensive Paring Knife

Victorinox 3.25-Inch Paring Knife

$17 at Amazon View on Webstaurantstore.com

You shouldn’t spend a lot on a paring knife (it’s important, but not nearly as versatile or splurge-worthy as a chef’s knife), but that also means you can get a really great one for not a lot of cash. Take our favorite from Victorinox: it’s $15, has a grippy, textured handle, and is incredibly sharp.

A Very Effective Citrus Juicer

Chef'n FreshForce Citrus Juicer

$27 at Amazon $35 $30 at Walmart View on Webstaurantstore.com

A lot of citrus juicers work poorly or are just a pain to use—they send juice splattering all over your countertops and hands. Our favorite citrus juicer of many years is this model from Chef’n. It features a dual-gear design and a bowl-shaped stainless steel press that really squeezes the living daylights out of citrus. It has centralized perforations that effectively direct juice downwards, too.

A Scraping and Cutting Helper

OXO Bench Scraper

$12 at Amazon $12 at Target View on Webstaurantstore.com

Our favorite bench scraper from OXO is the kind of thing you’ll buy and subsequently use every time you cook. It begs the question: why don’t you already have one? Its wide, stainless steel rectangular blade easily transfers ingredients from a cutting board to a prep bowl, clears off surfaces, and cuts and portions doughs (biscuit, gnocchi, etc.).

A Cast Iron Skillet That Costs as Much as a Few Lattes

Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

$41 $30 at Amazon $15 at Williams-Sonoma $27 $20 at Walmart

We strongly believe you can cook most skillet recipes in a cast iron or stainless steel pan, which means getting a good one is quite a significant upgrade. And our favorite model from Lodge (after testing 22 of ‘em) costs just $20. It performs exceptionally well and will literally last forever. Just read up a little on how to season and maintain it.

An Easy Salt Storage Solution

Zero Japan Bee House Salt Box

$25 at Amazon

Rare is it to cook something and not add at least a pinch of salt. This makes a good salt bin an essential, easy, and fairly inexpensive (sub-$30) upgrade. This one from ZEROJAPAN has a hinged lid made from Hinoki wood and can hold a lot of salt. It also has a large opening (so you can really stick your fingers/hand in there) and a looped handle.

An Actually Accurate Kitchen Scale

Escali Primo Digital Food Scale

$27 at Amazon $27 at Target $33 at Sur La Table

A real bummer is that not every kitchen scale is accurate. But, you might be thinking, isn’t that their one job? And you’d be correct! An accurate kitchen scale is mighty helpful for baking, portioning, and making sure you have the right coffee-to-water ratio. While our favorite kitchen scale from OXO is more than $50 (over the price cap for this article), our budget-friendly recommendation from Escali is under $30 and even comes in some fun colors, like Tarragon Green.

Excellent Plastic Cutting Boards

OXO 2-Piece Cutting Board Set

$24 at Amazon $24 at Home Depot View on Webstaurantstore.com

Did you know plastic cutting boards can be tough on knives, causing them to prematurely dull? ‘Tis true! A great plastic cutting board is durable but still soft enough not to destroy your blades. Our favorite boards from OXO fit the bill—and they even have non-slip feet. You can get two boards (the small and medium) for under $25, while the larger board is a smidge more at about $33.

Vollrath 5 Piece Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set

$26 at Webstaurantstore.com

For cooks who’ve used exclusively glass mixing bowls, metal ones are a bit of a revelation. They’re lightweight, shatter-proof, and stackable. Our favorites are this $26 set from Vollrath, which includes five bowls. They're great for mixing up vinaigrettes, whisking dry ingredients, and even tossing salads.

A Travel Mug for On-the-go Sips

Zojirushi SM-SC48HM Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Mug

$29 at Amazon

If you frequently drink coffee or tea on the go, you need a great travel mug that actually keeps things hot, doesn’t spill, and fits in a car’s cup holder or backpack’s drink compartment. This one from Zojirushi fits the bill: it’s vacuum-insulated, keeping liquids far hotter for far longer than you’ll need, and also has a lock on its lid and a slim body.

A Pie Pan for Crisp Crusts

Norpro Stainless Steel Pie Pan

$11 at Amazon

Do you experience too-pale pies? Well, you might be using the wrong pie pan. For consistently golden, browned crusts, opt for a cheap, metal plate like our favorite from Norpro. For less than $30, you can even buy two and easily stack them for storage.

Squeeze Bottles for Sauces, Oil, and More

Tablecraft Clear Heavy Duty Squeeze Bottle - 12 oz

$7 $6 at Amazon $10 at Walmart View on Webstaurantstore.com

Squeeze bottles are ubiquitous in restaurants and you won’t regret adding some to your kitchen. They’re excellent for storing oils and sauces, frosting, and adding a squirt of oil to the surface of a skillet or the bottom and sides of a wok.

An All-Purpose Whisk

OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Balloon Whisk

$12 $11 at Amazon $12 at Target View on Webstaurantstore.com

A good balloon whisk with plenty of wires and a grippy handle will make it easier to whisk together sauces, emulsify oil and vinegar for salad dressing, bring together pastry cream, aerate whipped cream, and more. And one of our favorite balloon whisks, from OXO, is a mere $12.

A New Rasp-Style Grater

Microplane Premium Classic Series Zester/Grater

$18 at Amazon $16 at Williams-Sonoma $18 $16 at Walmart

Did you know graters can go dull? It’s true! This means if you haven’t replaced yours in some years, you’re probably due for a new one. Behold its new, super-sharp serrations that tackle whole garlic cloves, ginger, fresh nutmeg, and hard cheeses! Our favorite model from Microplane also features a soft-grip handle that comes in various colors, including floral patterns (fun!).

A Garlic Press for Smashing Cloves

OXO Good Grips Garlic Press

$18 at Amazon $26 $19 at Jcpenney.com

While some unitaskers are duds (lookin' at you, avocado slicer), a garlic press is one we can get behind. It quickly and efficiently smashes cloves into bits, making prep easy if you're making a recipe that calls for a lot of garlic,

A Sharp, Effective Stand-Up Electric Can Opener

Hamilton Beach Classic Chrome Heavyweight Electric Automatic Can Opener

$25 at Amazon $35 at Walmart View on Boscovs.com

Opening a can of beans, tomatoes, or what-have-you can be surprisingly troublesome, especially if you have a crappy can opener. We've all been there when the cutting mechanism hitches on a dent or you can't for the life of you get it to even cut through the metal. But the good news is we reviewed can openers and found affordable options that work well and will free you of your can-opening struggles. Take our winning stand-up style can opener from Hamilton Beach, which is fast and powerful and cuts all kinds of tins (tuna, beans, olives) cleanly and efficiently.

FAQs

What’s the most popular kitchen gear right now?

Well, we can’t speak super broadly, but we can tell you what the most popular gear from our reviews is. In fact, we have a whole article devoted to it, featuring an air fryer, sous vide machine, coffee grinder, vacuum sealer, and more.

What are essential pieces of kitchen gear?

The answer to this question depends on what you’re looking to buy! We have guides to general essentials (a real starter kit, if you will), essential cookware, and essential baking tools, and the best gear from our equipment reviews.

Why We're the Experts

• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the senior commerce editor for Serious Eats. She's worked for the site since 2021.
• We review products year-round, so we know something about what to buy (and what not to).