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The Essential Kitchen Equipment We Wish We’d Bought Sooner

A look at 18 of our favorite purchases we just really love using.

By
The Serious Eats Team
The Serious Eats Team
At Serious Eats, we’re a team of self-proclaimed food nerds who are ever-curious about the “why” behind cooking. The staff has worked in restaurants, test kitchens, bakeries, and other notable publications, bringing extensive culinary and editorial expertise to the table.
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Updated April 12, 2024
adding oil to pesto in a mortar and pestle
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik.

When you work at a food site, it usually goes without saying that you don't just like to eat great food—you like to make it, too. The latter is obviously true of our recipe developers and editors, but virtually every member of our team is passionate about getting their hands dirty in the kitchen. So, when we recently started recounting our lists of shame: those kitchen items we always knew we should own but waited an embarrassingly long time to acquire. It's safe to say we all surprised one another with the gaps in our respective arsenals. Here's a look at the cooking equipment we love using and wish we'd bought a long time ago. May it serve you well.

The Best Kitchen Equipment

An Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

I lasted many years without an enameled cast iron Dutch oven. They were years full of desire and longing, but I was a poorly paid line cook, and Le Creuset, one of the most respected manufacturers, ain't cheap. I had workarounds—sometimes I'd borrow my sister's and not return it for months on end—but that only got me so far. I eventually splurged (then bought another on sale, in a smaller size), and I've never looked back. My Le Creusets are workhorses in my kitchen, constantly used for sauces, stews, braises, and more. Other than my hot-water kettle, these enameled Dutch ovens are also the only cookware with a permanent home on my stovetop; they're almost never out of rotation long enough to see the inside of a cabinet. I cannot imagine functioning without them. —Daniel Gritzer, editorial director

Growing up in a Jamaican household, nothing announced a good time fixing to happen like the clangor and scrape of the big Dutch pot being exhumed for stovetop duty. The unspoken promise of a whole heap of food and fun company to share it all with was nearly always kept. My nine-quart Staub cocotte, with its color scheme, enamel, and stainless steel pig for a lid knob is as different as can be from the round-bellied, unadorned piece of my childhood. It makes (and keeps) the same promise, though: whatever ingredients enter its vastness—the upper torso of a Thanksgiving turkey, hand-crushed tomatoes for red sauce sorcery, marinated chicken thighs, or twice-dredged eggplant slices—always comes out perfectly delicious. It’s to a point now where my partner comes running when she thinks she hears the particular sound constellation of “piggy pot” landing on the stovetop or oven rack, curious as to what magic will ensue. Never mind if your only company is you; you above all people deserve a good time, and a large-capacity Dutch oven will ensure you many. —George Stern, contributor 

two hands with oven mitts on removing a Dutch oven from an oven

Serious Eats / Will Dickey

A Super-Accurate Instant-Read Thermometer

I used to wonder if a $100 thermometer was really worth it as I poked and prodded roasted meats, baked goods, and fry oil with a super-cheap thermometer I got from Amazon. Turns out, that inexpensive thermometer was totally inaccurate—and the answer is absolutely. Our favorite instant-read thermometer is, truly, the best. It gives you readings at lightning speed, is incredibly accurate, and comes in a lot of colors. It can even be recalibrated! It'll last forever! Nothing will be ever under- or over-cooked again (sans user error)! Hooray! — Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, senior commerce editor

A Thermapen one taking the temperature of a sous vide water bath set to 134 degrees

Serious Eats / Irvin Lin

A Coffee Grinder (Burr, of Course)

I'm embarrassed to say that I used a blade (spice) grinder for my coffee beans up until, uh, 2020. The shame! But, really, I can really taste the difference in coffee quality now that I've switched over to a burr grinder. I got our recommended grinder from OXO and I like how simple it is to use (you just twist the top to adjust the grind setting) and the fact it has just one button: start/stop. — Riddley

A hand turning the time dial of the OXO burr grinder

Serious Eats / Russell Kilgore

Our Favorite Mortar and Pestle

The mortar and pestle falls squarely into the category of "you don't know what you're missing" tools. If you are like I was a few years back and don't own one (preferably one of the large, granite Thai varieties), let me tell you something: you don't know what you're missing. I sure didn't. See, a mortar and pestle is the best tool for drawing out the flavors of aromatics and spices destined for curry pastes, marinades, sauces, dressings, pestos, salsas, guacamole, and anything that you might currently be making in the food processor. While a food processor shears between plant cells, a mortar and pestle crushes them, releasing more flavor into your food. Not only that, but the easy cleanup (a quick rinse is all you need) and the ability to work in small batches makes it faster than a food processor or spice grinder for most of your day-to-day projects. Now that I have one, my food has never been tastier. It's also great for the soul: the opportunity to pound out your frustrations only makes dinner taste that much better. —J. Kenji López-Alt, culinary consultant

Thai red curry paste ingredients being ground with a mortar and pestle

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Really Great Kitchen Shears

I got a Wusthof knife set when I was younger, and just assumed every knife in the block was the best version of that style. I was proven wrong when Riddley sent me the Tojiro serrated knife as a welcome-aboard gift, and that also made me realize I was hacking away at whole chickens and tearing parchment paper with dull kitchen shears for years. I finally bought our winner from Shun, and have been spatchcocking with ease ever since. — Jesse Raub, commerce writer

A pair of kitchen shears taking out the backbone of a chicken

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Pre-Cut Parchment Paper That’ll Make Your Life Easier

​​It took me an embarrassingly long time to buy myself some 16x24-inch full-sheet, flat parchment paper. Oh, the profanities I've hurled while wrestling rolls of parchment paper that refuse to lay flat and immediately—all-too-enthusiastically!—curl up under themselves. Pristine, perfectly cut large parchment paper is one of those things you take for granted in a commercial kitchen. At home, I use parchment paper for cookie baking, for fish en papillote easy dinners, for cutting out rounds to line my cake pans and to make stencils for decorating (to name just a few of MANY uses!). There are pop-up versions of parchment paper that are definitely an improvement on the rolls, but they never give you that full-sheet pan length, and the folds make certain tasks, like making a piping bag, annoyingly difficult. I got my 16x24 sheets from the local restaurant supply store, but something similar is available online; use it for big tasks, or easily cut it in half to fit a standard half-sheet tray. — Katie Leaird, contributor

a hand placing a pre-cut parchment paper round into a cake pan

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

The Best Bench Scraper (You Need One!)

Okay, I'll admit it: I always doubted the merits of a bench scraper. Throughout the years, I've heard many sing their praises like an annoying choir of heavenly kitchen hosts, but I'd always thought, are they really that great? What's so special about a square, kinda dull blade with a handle? But then, as fate and kitchen gods would have it, one day I found myself with our winning scraper in hand, using it to clean my countertop after a messy dough sesh. It was like waking up from a dream, the reality of its utility hitting hard: I was wrong about bench scrapers. Since then, I've used it on a daily basis to transfer chopped ingredients and clean my cutting board and countertop. I've even used it to ensure a clean swipe of spackle—okay just kidding. But if you too nurture a healthy skepticism of bench scrapers, just know that I too was once a doubter, and now I've seen the light. — Grace Kelly, commerce editor

Using the OXO bench scraper to scrape up gnocchi dough on a floured marble countertop

Serious Eats / Eric King

Our Favorite Colander That’s Exceptionally Good

I was already fairly mortified about my straining situation before my mother caught me attempting to strain pasta manually (see: with the lid...of a pasta pot) a few years back. She pointed me in this direction (which, wouldn't you know it, is a SE-approved pick) and my life has been infinitely better and more pasta-filled since. Yikes! Yay! — Tess Koman, senior editorial director

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

Serious Eats / Madeline Muzzi

A Plushy, Pretty Standing Mat

I've been a horseback rider and runner nearly all of my life and hundreds of falls and many injuries later, my knees and back feel it! When I'm testing gear (or even cooking dinner), I want a little extra support and our favorite anti-fatigue mat has been a game-changer. It's so comfortable to stand on for prolonged periods of time and comes in lots of sizes and fun patterns, so it looks pretty, too. I even bought a second one to go at the foot of my oven range. — Riddley

A person walking across a stripped anti-fatigue mat on a kitchen floor

Serious Eats / Fred Hardy

A Multi-Function Pot Insert

With a kitchen already bursting at the seams with equipment, I'm always looking for space-saving tools. This silicone pot insert can be used as a colander, but also doubles as a steamer—and because it's collapsible, I don't have to spend 15 minutes reshuffling everything in my cabinet to make it fit! — Genevieve Yam, culinary editor

A Balloon Whisk With an Exceedingly Nice Handle

Throughout my adult years, I've used a hand-me-down, heirloom whisk: the whole thing is made of metal (including the handle) and it's burnished to a nice shade of rust after years (decades?) of use. Maybe it was nostalgia that kept me reaching for it, or maybe it was some sort of strange brand of laziness (who wants to buy a whisk?). But finally, around a month ago, one of the wire loops fell out of the handle, and the time had come. I read our review and said yes to the OXO Good Grips Balloon whisk. Once I opened the package, gripped the rubbery handle in my palm, and whisked up some vinaigrette, I wondered why I hadn't upgraded sooner. My old whisk now is in its rightful place as a cottage-core decoration, while my new whisk awaits every task I can throw at it. — Grace 

The OXO balloon whisk on a slate gray surface

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

A Stellar Citrus Squeezer

I never saw the appeal of a citrus squeezer when you can just...squeeze a lemon with your hands. But once I started cooking more of my meals during the pandemic, I found myself juicing a lot more lemons (though none for lemonade, unfortunately), and I got tired of fishing out the seeds that inevitably fell into whatever I was making. I reluctantly purchased a citrus squeezer, and I haven’t even thought about squeezing a lemon with my bare hands since. — Yasmine Maggio, associate editor 

Juice being squeeze from a lemon into a small metal measuring cup.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

A Squeezable Measuring Cup

I've been putting up with annoying measuring cup drips for years, but recently, after some piping-hot chicken stock trickled down my arm while I was making risotto, I decided I'd had enough. I bought this flexible measuring cup and have found it a godsend for both sweet and savory projects. The textured pattern on the surface means it won't get slick or slippery when wet, and the thickness is enough to provide a temperature buffer if you're working with hot liquids. It's great for adding the milk to my vanilla butter cake, or for pouring cold ice cream base into the machine. It's such a ridiculously simple thing, but I wish I'd given up on my glass measuring cups long ago. — Stella Parks, editor emeritus

Sheet Pan Lids for Our Favorite Sheet Pans

I’d dismissed sheet pan lids as unnecessary gimmicks, but my mind has changed recently, especially since I’ve been making so much bread at home The translucent lids snap snugly onto half and quarter sheet pans, essentially converting them from pans into containers. This is particularly useful for cold-fermenting balls of pizza or pita dough or bagels in the fridge, or when proofing low-profile breads like rolls, pretzels, or focaccia. They are also great for covering sheet pans in the freezer while you are freezing things like berries in a single layer before transferring them to zipper-lock bags. And if you have more than one, they are stackable. One thing to keep in mind: not all sheet pans are exactly the same size, even if they stack together snugly. The lids I purchased only snap onto certain pans, so I recommend buying the lids as part of a set, so you can be sure that you have matching pairs. — Andrew Janjigian, contributor

A Colander (Spoon)

More of a handheld colander than a slotted spoon, this tool is perfect for efficiently removing pasta shapes from boiling water to transfer into your saucepan. I make a lot of fresh pasta shapes (like cavatelli), and trying to set up a strainer in the sink with a catch cup so I can reserve pasta water was always precarious. Now I can strain my pasta by hand within 30 seconds—crucial so it doesn't overcook—while still having a pot of pasta water at the ready for finishing my sauce. — Jesse

Our Very Favorite Tongs

Between tossing salads and finishing pasta with sauce and pasta water, I use my pair of kitchen tongs almost daily. I find it makes these two tasks much easier than any other utensil would, but it's also good for a number of other uses. Flipping a steak? Done. Turning shrimp as they cook? Yup. Pulling a hot pan closer to you before taking it out of the oven? Your tongs will be there for you! — Yasmine

Tongs turning a steak that's cooking in a cast iron skillet

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

An Infrared Thermometer You’ll Use Way More Than You Think

Since my culinary school toolkit came with a candy thermometer, I never thought twice about buying another type of thermometer for years...despite how terrifically sticky, gloopy, and occasionally dangerous it was to clean an above-boiling wad of sugar off a candy thermometer. It wasn't until I started working at a restaurant equipped with multiple infrared thermometers that I realized how simple and delightful they are to use. No mess, no crusty bits, and no cleaning required— not to mention, no need to squint at the red bar and potentially misread the temperature. These are really affordable to buy and work for everything from temperature-checking your sugar and gelatin-based mousses to checking my oil temperature for frying. I use it constantly! — Jenny Dorsey, contributor

The reviewer uses an infrared thermometer to measure heat on the surface of a cast iron skillet over a moderate flame.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Swedish Dishcloths 

Not only do these paper-based dishcloths come in fun colors and prints, but they’re also reusable. They're made of cellulose and are highly absorbent (way more than regular paper towels) and they've allowed me to cut down on using paper towels significantly. When they're dirty, I wash them in my dishwasher along with my dishes, dry them, and then reuse them. — Nik Sharma, contributor

A Swedish dishcloth underneath a running faucet

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

A Great Coffee Maker

We drink drip coffee every morning, so a good automatic brewer is essential. The Breville was our office coffee maker for many years and I've loved how customizable it is and its programmable setting for early mornings. —Riddley

Breville Precision Brewer Thermal Coffee Maker displayed on kitchen counter next to mugs

Serious Eats / Will Dickey

A Fool-Proof Rice Cooker

I used to be anti-small appliances because they take up valuable kitchen real estate. I never thought I'd get a rice cooker, but after using the KitchenAid Grain and Rice Cooker for a couple of months, I'm kicking myself for not getting one sooner. There's a built-in scale that weighs the rice and adds the perfect amount of water—you literally can't mess it up. —Rochelle Bilow, commerce editor

Spoon and cooked rice inside Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker & Warmer

Serious Eats / Elizabeth Theriot

A Sharp Mandoline

I recently got a new mandoline that I love. Never having to slice garlic is great, and making chips and gratin is way faster. —Kelli Solomon, senior social media editor

OXO Good Grips Adjustable HandHeld Mandoline Slicer
Courtesy of Amazon.com.

An Excellent Salad Spinner

I never thought a salad spinner was essential until I owned one, and I can't believe I lived so many years without having one at home. —Leah Colins, senior culinary editor

OXO glass salad spinner on a wooden countertop

Serious Eats / Madeline Muzzi

FAQs

Which kitchen utensils are essential? 

While the answer to this question depends on the cooking you do, we did round up a list of utensils we consider to be essential here. This includes tongs, a fish spatula, a silicone spatula, a wooden spoon, and a balloon whisk. 

What cookware is essential?

Another tough question! We have a list of the pots and pans we think are essential here, including a Dutch oven, cast iron skillet, nonstick skillet, saucier, wok, stockpot, and more. But you may find that unitask items, like a butter warmer, may be essential to your kitchen.

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