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The Kitchen Starter Kit: Essential Tools for Every Cook

We’ve tested every product we recommend.

By
Genevieve Yam
Headshot of Genevieve Yam
Genevieve Yam
Culinary Editor
After graduating from the International Culinary Center, Genevieve cooked at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Per Se. Prior to joining Serious Eats, she was an editor at Epicurious. She grew up between Toronto and Hong Kong and is a graduate of the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She currently lives in New York with her husband and two cats.
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Updated September 25, 2024
A chef's knife on a cutting board surrounded by butternut squash pieces

Serious Eats / Dera Burreson

Whether you’ve just moved into a new home or you’re interested in cooking more, thinking about the kitchen equipment you need can be overwhelming. Is a Dutch oven necessary? What’s the best knife to use? And is it worth getting a stand mixer? With the help of my fellow Serious Eats staffers, I’ve compiled a list of the essential tools every cook needs, including the best knives, cutting boards, skillets, and more. I’ve included two options for many of the tools below—one that’s more affordable, the other an “upgrade” pick—so you can shop according to your budget. (And others that you might earmark for later as a great beginner's cooking gift to yourself!) Every tool and utensil included has been tested and vetted by our team; there’s nothing here that we wouldn’t use ourselves, and we guarantee they’re tools you’ll reach for over and over again.

Knives

A Sharp Chef’s Knife

Upgrade Pick (Western-Style)

Wüsthof Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

Wüsthof Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife in Purple Yam
PHOTO: Amazon
$170 at Amazon

Upgrade Pick (Japanese-Style)

Misono UX10 8.2-Inch Gyutou

Misono UX10 8.2-Inch Gyutou
PHOTO: Amazon
$205 $163 at Amazon

With a great chef’s knife, you can do just about anything in the kitchen: chop vegetables, butcher a chicken, and even carve your Thanksgiving turkey. It’s worth investing in a good knife, as it’s likely the tool you’ll use the most. To find the very best chef’s knives, we tested 34 different blades, including Japanese- and Western-style knives. Western-style knives tend to have a heftier weight, and Japanese knives are prized for their thin, lightweight blades. Regardless of which route you go, we recommend looking for a well-constructed knife with a good handle and full tang, which means the knife is constructed from one piece of metal that runs straight through the handle. The Mercer Millennia knife is an ideal knife for novice cooks to practice with. Once you gain confidence, the Wüsthof Classic Chef’s Knife is a fantastic pick. (It’s been one of our favorite Western-style knives for over six years, and our associate editorial director of commerce, Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, says it’s the “best knife” she owns.)  Western-style Japanese knives like the Misono UX10 Gyutou typically have an asymmetrical edge, which can be more difficult to sharpen. But if you’re a seasoned cook who’s willing to put in the work, there’s no better knife out there—it’s been my ride-or-die knife for eight years.

Hands slicing a tomato with a Misono UX10 8.2-Inch Gyutou

Serious Eats / Nick Simpson

A Sturdy Serrated Knife

Serrated blades are excellent for sawing through hearty loaves of bread, but they’re also great for slicing tomatoes, carving meat, and portioning bars and other baked goods. Because serrated knives are so difficult to sharpen at home, you’ll have to send them out to get professionally sharpened—and even if you do, it can be expensive and challenging to find someone who can do it. The other option is to replace them every few years, and for that reason, we don’t recommend spending too much money on a serrated knife. 

Both knives above are pretty affordable. The Dexter-Russell is slightly cheaper and is a durable knife that’s tough enough to cut through bread and winter squash skin. The Tojiro Bread Slicer, on the other hand, is lighter and more flexible, but still well-built enough to slice through rustic, hearty loaves. After 10 years of testing, it continues to be our winning bread knife.

A serrated knife cuts through a butternut squash.

Serious Eats / Ashlee Redger

A Practical Petty Knife

One of Our Favorite Grippy-Handled Knives

Victorinox 6-Inch Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife

Amazon Victorinox 6-Inch Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife
PHOTO: Amazon
$47 $23 at Amazon

Is a petty knife really necessary? If you have a good chef’s knife, paring knife, and serrated knife, maybe not. But the petty knife—also known as a utility knife—is an extremely practical multipurpose knife, especially if you like to cook or entertain. They usually have blades that are 5.5 to six inches long, making them just big enough to dice an onion, but also small enough to thinly slice fruit for a cocktail or dessert. The Victorinox isn’t flashy, but the grippy handle is comfy to hold and it’s nimble enough to handle most tasks.

Four petty knives on a marble counter

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

A Petite Paring Knife

Paring knives are small but mighty: Their petite size makes them handy for coring tomatoes, mincing shallots, and cutting fruit, among many other everyday kitchen tasks. Though some people choose to replace cheap paring knives instead of maintaining them, I take care to sharpen mine on my whetstone—and I still reach for the very same Victorinox paring knife I used in culinary school.

A small paring knife slicing a shallot.

Serious Eats / Taylor Murray

Basic Tools

A Spacious Cutting Board


A knife would be useless without its companion, the cutting board. I prefer wood cutting boards, as they’re sturdy and keep my knives sharper for longer, but they require slightly more care and maintenance. Unlike plastic cutting boards, which you can easily chuck into a dishwasher, a wooden cutting board requires hand-washing, drying, and wiping down with mineral oil to prevent it from warping. Which board you choose to purchase ultimately comes down to personal preference. All of the picks above are winners from our review of the best cutting boards. The Ironwood board is a good budget-friendly pick, but for a board that will last decades (and beyond), our staff can't say enough good things about the Boardsmith.

A wooden cutting board on a marble counter

Serious Eats / Taylor Murray

An Everyday Wooden Spoon

Budget Pick

FAAY Teak Cooking Spoon

FAAY Teak Cooking Spoon
PHOTO: Amazon
$12 at Amazon

Upgrade Pick

Jonathan’s Spoons Spootle

Jonathan's Spoons Spootle
PHOTO: Jonathan's Spoons
View on Woodspoon.com

For stirring soups, sauces, risotto, and more, you’ll want to reach for a wooden spoon. The unassuming utensil is a workhorse in the kitchen, and one I rely on constantly when cooking. I recommend keeping several on hand, just in case you have several pots going at the same time and need more than one spoon. This workhorse is just over $10, and this "spootle" can handle stirring and serving.

a wooden spoon with an angled head on a white marble backdrop

Serious Eats / Jesse Raub

A Slotted Spoon or Spider for Straining and More

Sure, you could use a colander. But if you’re meal prepping and blanching batches of vegetables—which I do once a week for salads and grain bowls—having this Joseph Joseph colander spoon and/or a spider allow you to remove your food without pouring all that precious blanching water down the sink. Plus, it’s super versatile, and you can use it to scoop up dumplings, pasta, doughnuts, and more.

closeup image of the basket of a spider strainer holding fried plantain pieces over a Dutch oven

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

A Heat-Proof Silicone Spatula

My silicone spatula is my best friend, and though most people think of it as a baking tool, it’s incredibly versatile and can be handy for other kitchen tasks. I often use my silicone spatula interchangeably with wooden spoons; unlike a wooden spoon or turner, however, I can use my silicone spatula to gently fold batters together and get into the crevices of pots and pans. Use it to scramble eggs, clean out jars, or whip up a batch of brownies. The Tovolo Flex-Core Spatula has a strong nylon core that makes it sturdy enough to incorporate mix-ins into hefty doughs, and its 2.5-inch wide head efficiently folds batters.

A grey OXO silicone spatula on a marble surface

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

A Not-Just-for-Fish Fish Spatula

Fish spatulas are more flexible than a traditional turner, and while, yes, they are excellent for flipping fish, they’re also my preferred tool for maneuvering pancakes, burgers, and other unwieldy pieces of food. The Wusthof Fish Spatula has a comfortable handle and a flexible, ultra-thin blade that gives you just the right amount of control for handling delicate foods. This Winco spatula is loads cheaper, and has an angled edge for sliding under even the most delicate foods.

using a fish spatula to flip a fried egg in a cast iron skillet

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

A Pair of Snappy Tongs

When I was in culinary school, I had an instructor who was firmly against tongs. I am unapologetically a fan of my tongs, which allow me to flip, toss, and pick up food quickly without the risk of burning myself. These OXO tongs are grippy and comfortable to hold, and the silicone tips mean you can use them in a nonstick skillet if necessary. You can also close and lock them, making them easy and neat to put away.

the oxo 16-inch kitchen tongs on a pink and white marble surface

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

A Colander for Straining

Love noodles? You need a colander. It’s also great for straining stocks, draining cooked vegetables, or placing your produce in when you want to give it a quick rinse. The RSVP colander is lightweight, with small holes to prevent vegetables and legumes from escaping. Its handles stay cool even after you’ve used it to drain hot food, minimizing the risk of burns.

a closeup look at the RSVP colander sitting on a wooden surface

Serious Eats / Madeline Muzzi

A Pepper Grinder for Fresh Flavor

One of the simplest ways to add flavor to your cooking is to swap out pre-ground peppercorns for freshly ground black pepper. As SE contributor Caitlin Penzeymoog wrote in her guide to pepper varieties, “black pepper makes foods bolder versions of themselves.” Though pre-ground pepper is convenient, its flavor and aroma don’t compare to the freshly ground stuff. The Kuhn Rikon Mini Pepper Grinder is small, affordable, and does the trick, but our winning pepper mill from Peugeot is worth the upgrade. It looks sharp, and won't leave your wrist aching after making cacio e pepe.

the peugeot pepper mill on a blue surface with tile backdrop

Serious Eats / Abigail Clarkin

An Accurate Instant Read Thermometer

As a Serious Eats editor, I spend a lot of time developing and testing recipes, and this pocket-sized tool helps me check the temperature of whatever I’m frying, baking, or roasting. Though the Thermoworks Thermapen ONE is nice (it is consistently the speediest thermometer in our tests) you don’t need a fancy one—just an accurate one.

A red Thermapen ONE thermometer with its probe pulled out.

Serious Eats / Irvin Lin

An Oven Thermometer for Better Results

The easiest way to prevent over- or under-cooking food in your oven is to get an oven thermometer. Though your oven might be set to 350ºF or 175ºC, there’s a chance it might be running hot. A cheap oven thermometer will do the trick, but if you cook plenty, I recommend investing in a probe thermometer, which will give you a minute-by-minute read on your oven temperature. (Plus: You can plug it into the thickest part of your chicken and watch its internal temperature climb as it roasts. Say goodbye to overcooked meat forever!)

Hand inserting a probe into a piece of chicken connecting it to the ThermoWorks ChefAlarm

Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore

Cookware

A Have-Forever Dutch Oven

An enamel-coated cast iron Dutch oven is the pot that does it all. Our commerce editor Grace Kelly calls it “the Toyota Prius of pots: It’s low-maintenance, gets great mileage, and can last forever.” Dutch ovens are wonderful for making soups, stews, sauces, and even baking a loaf of bread. We especially love their ability to retain heat, which makes them excellent vessels for low and slow cooking. Dutch ovens can be pricey, but you don’t have to spend tons on one: Here’s a look at why some brands cost so much.

le creuset dutch oven on a stove

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

An Indestructible Cast Iron Skillet

If the Dutch oven is the pot that does it all, the cast iron skillet is the pan that does it all. They’re beloved by both professional chefs and home cooks because they’re extremely versatile, affordable, and durable. You can use a cast iron skillet to roast a chicken, fry food, bake a pie, or cook over an open fire. Though caring for a cast iron skillet can feel daunting, it’s nothing tedious or scary. (Contrary to popular belief, you can 100% wash a cast iron skillet with soap and water.) Once you get the hang of it, maintaining it will feel like second nature—and it’s worth it because a well-cared-for cast iron skillet can last generations. The Lodge cast iron skillet has been a longtime editor favorite at Serious Eats. It’s affordable, comes pre-seasoned, and has two handles that make it easy to move in and out of the oven. If you can spend a bit more, check out one of our other winning pans from Lancaster. It's lightweight (relatively speaking, anyway), and is beautifully seasoned straight out of the box.

A cast iron skillet on a cluttered counter

Serious Eats / Joy Kim

An Undersung Hero: The Carbon Steel Skillet

Cast iron skillets get all the love, but there is just as much to love about carbon steel pans. Made from carbon and iron, they’re durable, versatile, and much lighter and thinner than their cast iron cousins. And with proper seasoning and maintenance, they acquire what our editorial director Daniel Gritzer describes as “near nonstick qualities,” making them great for pancakes, crepes, and eggs. And like cast iron, once carbon steel becomes hot, it stays hot. The material is excellent for searing pork chops, steaks, or chicken thighs. Though I love my cast iron skillet, the carbon steel pan is undoubtedly my favorite child in the kitchen, and my go-to for everyday cooking.

fried eggs in a carbon steel skillet on a marble countertop

Serious Eats / Taylor Murray

A No-Fuss Nonstick Skillet

There’s only really one dish I make that really, truly requires a nonstick skillet: a French omelette. As Riddley noted in our review of nonstick skillets, we seldom recommend the pan. However, it’s undeniable that nonstick skillets are excellent for making eggs, pancakes, and crepes. Even with the best care, nonstick pans deteriorate quickly and require replacing every few years. With that in mind, we don’t advise splurging on a nonstick pan. The Tramontina pan has a silicone handle with a comfortable grip, is oven-safe up to 400ºF (205ºC), and is one of our top picks.

a stack of nonstick skillets sitting on a white countertop

Serious Eats / Donna Currie

Baking and Beyond

A Rimmed Baking Sheet for Cookies and More

Peep into my oven, and you’ll see a tall stack of rimmed baking sheets ready to go. As an avid baker, I own baking sheets in multiple sizes: half sheets (18 by 13 inches), quarter sheets (nine by 13 inches), and even eighth sheets (10 by seven inches). I use them when dry brining meat, and when I’m cooking, they make organizing my ingredients super easy. Rimmed baking sheets are also essential for baking cookies, roasting vegetables, and making an assortment of sheet pan meals—the list goes on. I recommend getting at least one half sheet pan and one quarter sheet pan, but if you get multiple, I guarantee they will come in handy. P.S.: Sheet pans aren’t cookie sheets, but you can definitely use them to bake cookies.

Baked cookies displayed on the Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet

Serious Eats / Irvin Lin

A Wire Rack for Cooling and Crisping

Though wire racks are often associated with cooling cookies, cakes, and other baked goods, there are other good uses for them in the kitchen. They’re essential for making Kenji’s oven-fried chicken wings, allow excess oil or moisture to drip off of foods, and help increase air circulation when you’re dry brining meat. The best cooling racks fit snugly into rimmed baking sheets and won’t bend when weighed down with something hefty like a large cut of meat or sourdough loaf; Mrs. Anderson’s ticks those boxes, and it’s also oven-proof up to 500ºF (260ºC).

a closeup shot of the grid format of our favorite cooling rack

Serious Eats / Irvin Lin

Durable Metal Mixing Bowls

Mixing bowls are non-negotiable: You need them for whisking eggs, holding meal prep, and tossing vegetables in oil before roasting. They’re one of the most practical things you can own, and we recommend getting a set of metal mixing bowls; they won’t absorb odors like glass or plastic bowls, nor will they warp or break easily. We’re a fan of Vollrath’s set, which comes with five mixing bowls that are all easy to clean, stack, and put away.

set of vollrath mixing bowls on a black marble countertop

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

A Flexible Dough Scraper

To say I love my dough scraper is an understatement. I rely on it so much that there’s always one in my bag. The dough scraper is made for scraping down bowls and folding dough, but it’s also excellent for gathering chopped vegetables on your cutting board. I keep it in my bag for speedy cleanups on the go: As someone with a toddler, I’m constantly having to scoop cereal or fruit off the floor, and having a dough scraper with me at all times allows me to do that quickly and neatly.

With two different scrapers—a long, narrow one and a smaller heat-proof one—the KitchenAid Gourmet Bowl Scraper Set is the best of both worlds. Use it to scrape down your mixing bowl, portion dough, or organize your mise en place on the cutting board.

kitchenaid bench scraper duo on marlbe countertop

Serious Eats / Irvin Lin

A Versatile Fine-Mesh Strainer

A fine-mesh strainer is handy for both sweet and savory cooking: You can use it to dust cocoa powder or confectioners’ sugar on baked goods, strain a stock or sauce, and rinse rice. Our winning strainer is practically dent-proof and clocks in at about $56, but for most straining needs, our budget pick—which is about $22—will do the trick.

A person using a fine-mesh strainer to strain strawberry sauce into a measuring cup.

Serious Eats / Eric King

A Comfy Whisk

To minimize lumps in your sauces and batters, you’ll want a whisk. We recommend whisks with stainless steel tines, as they’re non-reactive and won’t impart off-flavors when you prepare something acidic. Though there are many kinds of whisks, the most versatile is the balloon whisk, which has a wide cage that’s easy to clean and great for stirring and whipping. The GIR Ultimate Whisk has a textured silicone handle, making it comfortable to hold for long periods.

the GIR balloon whisk on a slate gray surface

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

A Set of Measuring Spoons

Spoons That'll Fit Into Spice Jars

Sur La Table Spice Measuring Spoons

Sur La Table Spice Measuring Spoons
PHOTO: Sur La Table
$22 at Amazon $22 at Sur La Table

At Serious Eats, we almost always swear by weight measurements for accuracy. But sometimes all you need is a teaspoon or two of salt, sugar, or spices for a recipe. The Sur La Table Spice Measuring Spoons were the most accurate of the bunch in our testing, and their rectangular shape made it seamless to dip the spoons into spice jars.

a set of rectangular measuring spoons on a marble surface

Serious Eats / Eric King

Accurate Measuring Cups

I’ve met bakers who measure out their flour and sugar with their coffee mugs, and while that’s admirable, I really do not advise it. The least you can do—if you can’t be bothered to weigh your ingredients with a scale—is to reach for proper measuring cups. We tested both liquid and dry measuring cups, and two of the winners were from a consistently top-performing brand, OXO.

Scraping honey from OXO Stainless Steel Measuring Cups

Serious Eats / Taylor Murray

Prep Tools

A Swirly Salad Spinner

Behind every crisp, refreshing salad is an excellent salad spinner. There was a time in my life when I didn’t own one, and every salad I ate was limp and sad. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Treat yourself to a proper salad spinner like the OXO Good Grips Glass Salad Spinner, which dries greens quickly and doubles as a serving bowl.

The OXO steel salad spinner with dry greens inside and its lid off

Serious Eats / Madeline Muzzi

A Cheap-but-Good Y-Peeler

The Best Peeler for the Money

Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler, Pack of 3

Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler
PHOTO: Amazon
$14 at Amazon

A good peeler makes light work of peeling vegetables, and there’s no better peeler out there than the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler. Its carbon steel blade stays sharp for years, and the blade wiggles just enough to quickly maneuver on and around any bumps and edges.

A green y-peeler on a green cutting board surrounded by potato skins and a peeled potato to the side of it

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

A Manual Can Opener

When I moved into my first apartment, I ran into a serious pickle when it was time to make dinner and…I realized I had no can opener for my tin of tomatoes. Nowadays, many cans have a tab that makes it possible to open without a can opener. You will, however, want to have one in case you come across a can that does, indeed, require a can opener. 

A person using the OXO can opener to open a can.

Serious Eats / Irvin Lin

Sharp Kitchen Shears

The best shears are sharp and strong: They can help you with trimming fins off a fish, breaking down a chicken, and cutting through twine, parchment, and more. Equipped with a bottle opener, two screwdriver dips, and a nutcracker, Shun’s kitchen shears are truly multipurpose. But if you’re looking for something more affordable but still sturdy, I recommend the pair from Misen.

a hand using kitchen shears to cut the backbone out of a whole chicken

Serious Eats / Jesse Raub

Appliances

A Precise Kitchen Scale

My digital scale is one of my most-used kitchen tools, allowing me to be as accurate as possible when weighing ingredients. OXO’s scale has a pull-out, light-up display that makes it easy to read even if you have large bowls or sheet pans on top of it, but I’ll be honest: The budget pick—from Escali—is the one I own and use on a daily basis. It’s sturdy, and in the eight years I’ve owned it, I’ve only had to change the batteries twice.

the oxo kitchen scale underneath the escali kitchen scale

Serious Eats / Grace Kelly

A Powerful Food Processor

Though a food processor isn’t absolutely necessary, I highly recommend purchasing one if you plan on making dips, soups, and purées. I own and love the Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor, which is incredibly user-friendly, easy to clean, and sturdy. I use the grating attachment to shred potatoes for latkes and carrots for cake, and its blade makes wonderfully smooth hummus. Plus, it’s so quiet that I can use it without waking my baby when he naps—a big bonus if you’re a parent. If you plan on making the most out of your food processor, the Breville 16-Cup Sous Chef is worth a look: It has a battery of well-designed attachments, including an adjustable slicing blade.

A person chops parmesan cheese in the Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor

Serious Eats / Nick Simpson

A Space-Saving Immersion Blender

If you don’t want to invest in a food processor or blender but still want the option of blending, consider getting an immersion blender. It might not be powerful enough to make a dip, but is strong enough to purée soups and make mayonnaise. The All-Clad immersion blender is speedy and powerful and can transform chunky vegetables into a silky purée in just a few minutes. The much-cheaper Hamilton Beach immersion blender is still mighty powerful, and comes with a whisk and mini chopping attachment.

A person tucks an immersion blender inside a kitchen drawer

Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore

A Stand or Hand Mixer

Is an electric mixer absolutely necessary? No. But if you’re an avid baker, you’ll likely want one for cookie dough or cake batters. Stand mixers are expensive but worth it if you plan on doing a lot of baking. But if you’re a novice baker or cook, a hand mixer is more than adequate for creaming butter and sugar together, whipping cream, and whisking egg whites. Can’t decide which to buy? Here’s a breakdown of their pros and cons.

A person using a Breville hand mixer to mix cookie dough.

Serious Eats / Afton Cyrus

FAQs

What are the absolute cooking essentials?

A sharp knife and a cutting board are absolutely essential, along with a Dutch oven and a skillet of some kind—be it nonstick, cast iron, or carbon steel. And, of course, you need a wooden spoon for stirring and a fish spatula for flipping things.

What’s more useful: a food processor or a blender?

Though blenders are excellent for blitzing smoothies and soups, their narrow shapes can make it difficult to prepare thick dips and spreads like hummus or nut butter. The food processor’s wider bowl makes it a more versatile appliance that can prepare a wider variety of foods.

What are the essential baking tools?

A mixing bowl, a flexible spatula, a dough scraper, a whisk, and an oven thermometer are all you really need to get started.

Why We’re the Experts

  • Genevieve Yam is the culinary editor at Serious Eats.
  • Genevieve is a culinary school graduate, and a former cook at Blue Hill and Per Se. Before joining the Serious Eats Team, she worked at Epicurious.
  • Serious Eats rigorously tests kitchen equipment and regularly re-tests winners to make sure our recommendations stand the test of time.

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