Equipment

Tools and Gadgets

From garlic presses (yes, you should own one) to less-controversial tools like measuring cups, here are our favorite gadgets to fill up those kitchen drawers.
a group of meat pounders on a marble countertop
We Tested 9 Meat Pounders—Two Smashed It
best steamer baskets horizontal lead
We Tested 10 Steamer Baskets—Here Are the Best Ones
Two cocktail smokers with a cocktail under a glass cloche
We Tested 6 Cocktail Smokers to Find the Best Ones for Drinks, Ice, and More
Vitamix Food Processor on the A3500 blender base
Is the Vitamix Food Processor Attachment Worth It?
a variety of kitchen tools and utensils on a blue surface
The Best Utensil Set Is No Utensil Set
A collection of ten bread lames, which are handles and rods that support a razor blade for scoring bread dough.
We Tested 10 Bread Lames—Two Scored the Top Spot
three electric deep fryers on a marble surface
Should You Buy an Electric Deep Fryer?
Six electric corkscrews on a blue countertop
We Opened Dozens of Bottles of Wine to Find the Best Electric Corkscrews
the winners of our siphon testing on a pale green marble countertop
We Tested 8 Whipping Siphons—Our Favorites Made Perfect Whipped Cream
three handheld grinders are arranged on a counter in front of a kettle and electric grinder
We Tested 11 Handheld Coffee Grinders—These Were Our Favorites
a number of muddlers oriented vertically on a marble countertop
We Tested 9 Muddlers to See Which Ones Were Best for Making Cocktails
A loaf of bread with a round bread lame beside it
Why A Circular Bread Lame Can Offer More Control for Scoring Loaves
Pouring coffee into pourover maker sent on the Acacia Pearl scale
We Tested 8 Coffee Scales—Here Are The Best Ones for Accurate Brewing
multiple vacuum sealers on a marble surface
We Tested 10 Vacuum Sealers—Here Are the Best Ones
12 ballon whisks laid out in a semi circle on a piece of grey slate
We Tested 10 Balloon Whisks—Two Whisked Their Way to Victory
our two favorite temperature control mugs on a countertop
We Tested 7 Temperature Control Mugs to Find the Best Ones (And to Figure Out If They’re Worth It)
a variety of rasp-style graters on a wooden countertop
We Tested 10 Microplanes (Rasp-Style Graters)–Here Are the Best Ones
a bunch of instant-read thermometers on a marble countertop
We Tested 18 Instant-Read Thermometers–Here Are Our Favorite Models
a group of potato mashers against a white background
We Tested 10 Potato Mashers—Here Are The Best Ones
Cast iron and carbon steel cookware, plus enameled cast iron Dutch ovens
The Best Kitchen Gear We Bought in 2021
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The Best Torches for Wok Hei
Breville Hand Mixer
We Tested 7 Hand Mixers—Here Are Our Favorites
a group of meat grinders on a wooden butcher block surface
We Tested 8 Meat Grinders to Find the Best Ones
Rulers for your kitchen
The Best Kitchen Rulers To Have On Hand
Bowl scraper and dough
Every Kitchen Needs a Bowl Scraper
Beef roast browning in pan under a metal cooking weight
Why You Need a Chef's Press in Your Kitchen
Using a mortar and pestle to grind chiles and shallots.
We Tested A Variety of Mortars and Pestles—Here Are Our Favorites
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The Budget-Friendly Instant-Read Thermometer That's Worth Buying
A chicken roasting inside an oven with a probe thermometer panel on the outside of the oven
The Best Thermometers for Deep Frying, Candy-Making, and Roasting Meats
Three mandolines on a white background
The Best Inexpensive Mandoline Slicers, According to Our Tests
food-mill-vs-ricer
Should You Buy a Food Mill or a Ricer? (It Depends.)
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The Best Cooking Chopsticks Are Cheap, Durable, and Wildly Versatile
Why Every Kitchen Needs a Salt Pig (or Two)
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We Tested 7 Plastic Cutting Boards—Here Are Our Favorites
A small plastic 15-degree angle guide is rubber banded to the end of a whetstone
This Tiny Tool Makes Knife Sharpening Way Easier
the lineup of spatulas on a wooden cutting board
We Tested 11 Spatulas (Turners) for Nonstick Pans—Here Are Our Favorites
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After Testing 12 Olive Oil Pourers, We Discovered The Best Are Also the Cheapest
the OXO measuring spoons
We Tested 14 Sets of Measuring Spoons to Find the Best Ones
fish spatulas on a marble countertop
We Tested 12 Fish Spatulas to Find the Best for Flipping Fish, Burgers, and More
Hand holding black-handled poultry shears
We Tested 12 Poultry Shears—Here Are the Best Ones
Pair of tongues picking up a piece of meat from cast iron skillet
We Tested 33 Sets of Kitchen Tongs—Here Are the 4 Best Models
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We Tested 12 Pairs of Kitchen Shears to Find the Best Ones
Managing Editor Niki Achitoff-Gray mugging for the camera while using a very inefficient corn stripper
Take It All Off: Are Corn Strippers Worth It?
The Mandoline Isn't a Fancy Chef's Tool—It's a Kitchen Staple
peppers, mushrooms, scallions, and chicken on skewers on a grill
The Best Skewers, for Whatever You Want to Skewer
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Our Favorite Cooking and Baking Tools Under $50
Assorted can openers
We Tested 28 Can Openers—Here Are The Best Ones
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The Right Way to Use a Meat Thermometer
A Zeroll ice cream scoop
We Tested 17 Ice Cream Scoops—Here's The Best One
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Looking for a Pizza Peel? We Tested 5 to Find the Best
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We Tested 24 Liquid Measuring Cups to Find the Best Ones
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How to Season and Maintain a Wooden Cutting Board
Peeling an apple with a Y-peeler
Why a Y-Peeler Is the Best Vegetable Peeler
7 Great Uses for a Fine-Mesh Strainer (Besides Straining)
A utensil crock full of wooden and nylon spoons and spatulas
Wooden Spoons Are Incredibly Versatile—Here's One of Our Favorite Models
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What To Know When Choosing A Whisk
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Why You Should Own a Pair of Good Kitchen Shears
four different styles of citrus juicers on a white surface
We Juiced Hundreds of Lemons and Limes to Find the Best Manual Citrus Juicers and Reamers
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The Best Way to Clean Your Filthy Microplane, Zester, or Grater
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Yes, You Need a Pair of Kitchen Tweezers. Here's Why.
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The Best Inexpensive Digital Thermometers, According to Our Tests
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Equipment: Cake Testers Aren't Just For Cakes!