Kitchen Gear and Tools We Think You Should Have Two (Or More) Of

The Best Strainers

Rösle Kitchen Strainer

$56 at Amazon $80 at Walmart $56 at Sur La Table

OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Double Rod Strainer

$22 at Amazon $19 at Sur La Table View on Webstaurantstore.com

RSVP International Colander

$28 at Amazon $37 at Walmart View on Hsn.com

If you're going to have one strainer, it should be a fine-mesh strainer, capable of so much more than just straining pasta and other things we rinse or boil in water. But strainers are one of those items that can't really be substituted for anything else—at least not well or comfortably. We've all—or maybe this is just me—tried to strain pasta water out of a pot by holding the lid and carefully pouring out the water, only to a) have lots of pasta water still leftover in the pot or b) splash yourself with hot starchy water. Simple tasks can become unnecessarily cumbersome if your only strainer is out of commission for any reason (i.e., running merrily through the dishwasher, as we mentioned before). 

Along with my pair of fine-mesh strainers, I also have a colander with larger holes, which isn't quite as much of a workhorse, but can handle larger batches of pasta and strain large pieces out of stock. I also have a small mesh strainer perfect for double-straining cocktails and tea drinks, along with straining out oil and water solutions for things like olives and pickles.

The Best Sheet Pans

Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum Quarter Sheet

$21 at Amazon $22 $15 at Walmart $11 at Target

Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet

$32 $28 at Amazon $13 at Walmart $14 at Target

Quarter-sheet pans are my go-to for dry-brining meat. As you can probably guess, they're half the size of half-sheet pans. 

Half-sheet pans are great for cooking and roasting, but I find quarter-sheet plans ideal for prep work and storage. I've gotten a little creative with my quarter-sheet pans (I have three), using them instead of half-sheet pans when I can, mostly because quarter-sheet pans fit in the toaster oven, which cooks food quicker for meals when I’m just feeding myself or one other person. But I also use quarter-sheet pans to wrap up leftovers I know are destined to be thrown in the oven (I'll cover the top with reusable beeswax covers or, in a pinch, aluminum foil).

The Best Measuring Spoons and Cups

Le Creuset Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons

$24 at Amazon $42 at Williams-Sonoma View on Lecreuset.com

Norpro Stainless Steel Measuring Cups

$24 $23 at Amazon $46 $36 at Walmart $50 $35 at Target

Oxo Good Grips 3-Piece Angled Measuring Cup Set

$24 at Amazon $24 at Williams-Sonoma $24 at Home Depot

It is quite annoying to be going through a recipe and realize the measuring spoon you need is, say, slick with oil and not suitable for measuring spices until it's washed. It's worth having at least two (maybe three!) sets of measuring spoons. The same can be said for dry and liquid measuring cups. Having multiples around will save you a whole lot of time when prepping.

OXO Mini Angled Measuring Cup

$12 at Amazon View on Webstaurantstore.com $7 at Oxo

Ok, maybe not 100, but I have at least 10 of these small measuring cups by OXO. Having multiple measuring cups makes recipe prep a breeze: you don't have to wash out your measuring cups as you set up ingredients, which can be particularly annoying if you measure out something liquid or viscous, like olive oil, and then realize you need the measuring cup or spoon for dried spices. 

I like the OXO mini measuring cups, which hold about 1/4 cup of liquid; the cups also display measurements in milliliters, ounces, and tablespoons, so you can use them to measure almost anything. They have a flat bottom and can serve as vessels for your prepped ingredients.

The Best Cutting Boards

The Boardsmith Maple End-Grain Cutting Board

$360 at Amazon View on Theboardsmith.com

OXO Good Grips Carving and Cutting Board

$33 at Amazon $27 at Walmart $19 at Sur La Table

OXO Cutting Board Set

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

For cutting boards, you need at least one large wooden one, one large plastic one, and one small plastic one. No arguments! After that, a very large wooden one is nice to have as well, as it can also act as a serving board. Having multiple cutting boards is great for keeping food prep safe, e.g. cutting meats on one board and saving vegetables for another to avoid cross-contamination.

The Best Tongs

OXO Good Grips 12-Inch Tongs

$16 $14 at Amazon $25 at Walmart $15 at Sur La Table

OXO 12-Inch Silicone Tongs

$18 at Amazon $17 at Oxo

How many pairs of tongs do I have? Don't ask. I have no idea, but it's more than two. Tongs can stir, scatter, and mix. Tongs can also pick stuff up and flip it, like a giant, dry-aged porterhouse steak. I've found myself in situations where I've used two tongs to flip over particularly large items, using the second set of tongs almost like a lever.

The Best Sauce Spoon

JB Prince Sauce Spoon

$25 at Amazon

Mercer Culinary Spoon with Solid Bow

$20 at Amazon

This is actually a pick from senior culinary director Daniel Gritzer: "I own one long-handled serving spoon, but I often find it annoying, since with home cooking I rarely need a metal spoon with such a long handle given the smaller pot size. It's nice to have one on occasion and for the table, but that's about it. Otherwise, sauce spoons that restaurant cooks use, both regular and slotted/perforated, are the way to go. They're less clunky thanks to their shorter handles and make an easier transition between kitchen and dining table since they can be used in both places. And given how much use one gets out of this kind of spoon both in the kitchen and on the table, having a couple of each, or at least a couple of the solid (non-slotted) ones is very useful."

The Best Silicone Spatulas

Tovolo Flex-Core All Silicone Spatula Turner

$12 at Amazon $12 at Walmart $12 at Kohls.com

GIR Ultimate Spatula

$13 at Amazon View on Walmart View on Gir.co

I used to think silicone spatulas were only useful for baking—and I was wrong. Now silicone spatulas are what I'll use to scrape clean any plate, bowl, or dish. Why have just one!? Why have just two!?

The Best Microplanes

Microplane Classic Series Zester

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

Microplane Zester

$11 $9 at Amazon View on Microplane.com

Microplanes can be challenging to clean, so I have two. One I use for things like garlic, ginger, and citrus. The second I use for cheese, mostly to prevent cross-contamination with the items listed above, which get stuck easily in a microplane. Cheese is also something I might just grate a small amount from a larger block, so I try to keep anything that’s touched strongly scented or flavored things away from them. How you categorize your Microplanes is up to you: if you bake a lot, you might want one for whole spices like nutmeg, for example. 

The Best Vegetable Peeler

Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler, Pack of 2

$12 $10 at Amazon

Our favorite super-affordable vegetable peelers are well worth having a few stashed in your drawer. Maybe you're peeling two different things, maybe you want to enlist a peeling partner, or maybe you're a fan of different colors! Don't even ask about swivel peelers—Y-peelers are way better.

The Best Whisks

OXO Good Grips Balloon Whisk

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

Kuhn Rikon 6-Inch Balloon Wire Whisk

$15 $12 at Amazon $24 at Walmart

"I replaced my old (like, family heirloom old) whisk with a new one from OXO, and the only thing I regret it not buying two," says commerce editor Grace Kelly. "I frequently find myself reaching for it to whisk up a salad dressing or somesuch, only to discover that it's in the dishwasher...which is running—sad! The same goes for mini whisks, though I was smart enough to buy a few to have kicking around my drawers."

The Best Wooden Spoon

FAAY Teak Cooking Spoon

$12 at Amazon

You probably already have more than one wooden spoon, but if you don't get on it! They can be used for scrapping, stirring, and scooping—all things helpful. Plus, if you care for them (i.e. hand wash-only), they'll last a very long time. We have a few wooden spoons we recommend here.

The Best Stainless Steel Prep Bowls

Vollrath Economy Mixing Bowl Set

$13 at Amazon $25 at Walmart

This doesn't need a lot of explanation: you need a ton of prep bowls. We like stainless steel ones. You can get a set like the one above or just go to a restaurant supply store (if you go the latter route, we recommend getting a lot of small ones).

The Best Cake Pans

Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Round Layer Cake Pan

$18 $12 at Amazon

"Although I don't often (okay, I rarely) bake layer cakes, I still feel good about having multiple cake pans in my kitchen," says commerce editor Rochelle Bilow. "I have two each of round and square pans, which are helpful for batch-baking. At the very least, I suggest having one round and one square—the options give you some versatility!"

The Best Pepper Mills

Peugeot Paris Pepper Mill

$48 $38 at Amazon $69 at Williams-Sonoma $62 at Walmart

If we're getting really granular, having two pepper mills on hand is a very nice thing—one for black and one for white pepper.

The Best Ice Cream Scoops

Winco Ice Cream Disher with Plastic Handle

$12 at Amazon $19 at Walmart $49 $14 at Target

Zeroll Original Ice Cream Scoop

$25 $20 at Amazon $25 at Williams-Sonoma View on Webstaurantstore.com

For portioning out cookies, cupcakes, and muffins and scooping ice cream, it's helpful to have a few of these portion scoops (or an ice cream scoop!) on hand. You can also just go to a restaurant supply store to get these, but, either way, they shouldn't cost you a lot.

The Best Casserole Dishes

Staub Stoneware Rectangular Baker

$150 at Williams-Sonoma

OXO Glass Baking Dish

$23 at Amazon $23 at Wayfair $23 at Macy's

"After testing casserole dishes, I kept two 1. because I knew I needed one and 2. the other one was too pretty to give away," Grace says. "But though this felt excessive at the time, this was actually a moment of foresight. I frequently host dinner parties, and two of my go-to, indulgent recipes to serve guests are bechamel-based mac and cheese and leche flan for dessert (sidenote: check out our leche flan recipe, it'll change your life). Both these recipes require casserole dishes, so I pat myself on the back for being a sucker for a good kitchen product and holding on to two of them."

The Best Bench Scrapers

OXO Bench Scraper

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

For transferring ingredients to prep bowls, clearing off countertops and cutting boards, cutting and portioning soft doughs (of the biscuit and gnocchi variety), and even lifting delicate cookie dough cutouts, you'll want a bench scraper. And because it's so dang helpful, having a couple of bench scrapers on hand (so you don't have to pause, wash, and dry one) is a great idea. After testing eight of them, our favorite model is from OXO.

The Best Stainless Steel Skillets

Made In Skillet

$129 at Amazon $119 at Madeincookware.com

Tramontina 12-Inch Stainless Steel Skillet

$70 $36 at Amazon $36 at Home Depot $35 at Wayfair

"The difference between a 10- and 12-inch stainless steel skillet may not seem like a lot, but I love having both sizes handy when I'm cooking," Rochelle says. "I usually save the larger size for searing and sautéing proteins, while the smaller one gets put to work toasting nuts or spices, simmering a sauce, or cooking vegetables. Plus, they nest on top of each other when not in use, so they don't take up an inordinate amount of space in storage."