Personal and professional chefs say these kitchen products are *chef’s kiss* great.
There are thousands of kitchen gadgets out there. It’s really hard to know what’s worth the money and what isn’t. Luckily, there are people out there who use these gadgets like it’s their job (because it actually is).
That’s why we turned to personal and professional chefs to find out what kitchen gadgets they use in their own kitchens. Here are the gadgets they approve of.
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1. A peeler
Made specifically with a swiveling double blade, this peeler will make peeling tough-skinned fruits and veggies so easy you won’t have to give up on the recipe, or worse, hurt yourself while trying to do it with a knife.
Plus, it’s dishwasher safe!
Promising review: “I’ve been a chef for 20 years, and I have used these countless times. They’re totally reliable and useful for even the most amateur cook.” — Chef Chaz
2. A cast-iron skillet
Whip up a delicious dinner of anything from pasta, to steak, to even roasted veggies that will impress just about anyone. It’s designed to heat up quickly and retain the heat, meaning if anyone goes back for seconds, the food will still be just as good as when you served it the first time.
The skillet is not dishwasher-safe. It should be hand-washed before first use and dried immediately. After use, wash in hot soapy water with a sponge and liquid soap. After it’s dry, rub with a light coat of vegetable oil.
Promising review: “It’s not light; it’s cast iron. If you clean it properly, you can give it to your kids. My wife and I are professional chefs and use this every day. To clean, put it on the stove with salt. Then scratch with a ball of aluminum foil. Or, if fire alarms aren’t an issue, spin upside down and burn out before scratching with foil. Lightly season with salt and you are set. We use this for roasted vegetables, steaks, and any non-sauce-based reheats. Get it, love it, look after it, and give it to your kids when you don’t use it anymore.” — Brendan Lee
3. And a silicone skillet handle
With this, you can easily grab the handle of said cast-iron pan without fear that you’ll burn yourself, dropping your precious food in the process. Now that would be a tragedy.
Promising review: “As a retired chef, I appreciate how well this insulates my cast iron from making my heavy pans too difficult to handle. Also, it’s so well-made that it will work well for a long time.” — Gary Allen
4. Some Maldon sea salt flakes
One should never flake on flavor when it comes to cooking, and every chef knows that. This specific salt will add a delicious flavor (and crunch) to your food.
Promising review: “Excellent flavor and perfectly sized flakes for the final touches on culinary masterpieces! I am a highly experienced personal chef. I use these flake salts as a final mild condiment while plating foods that require just a hint more salt. The flakes add the slightest crunch to the eating experience and explode the food being eaten with a flavorful enhancement. Maldon has made an EXCELLENT flaked salt and I will continue to use the brand, having had a great experience with their product. My guests have also very positively commented on the flavoring. This is a clear 5-STAR rating for me and an honest and very hearty recommendation. Take your cooking presentation to the next level! Bon Appetit!”— Frank E. Trinkle
5. A vacuum sealer
This won’t suck the life out of your food. Instead, it will keep meat, produce and even prepared food fresher longer so you can actually enjoy all the food you buy and make without it going bad.
Not only does this come with the vacuum sealer and air suction hose, but you also get a wine stopper cork, five medium-sized vacuum bags, and one extra-long vacuum bag roll. Both sizes of the bags are reusable and washable.
Promising review: “This is now the second one I am ordering. I’m a chef and have bought this for home use. I was very impressed with how easy it was to use. The suction works very well at taken put all the air. It’s fast as well. It’s lightweight and easy to store. I now bought a second for the restaurant I’m the head chef at. There is no doubt in my mind this thing will do the jump. Awesome price as well.” — Joe
6. A pair of cut-resistant gloves
Wear these to prevent any future flesh wounds when you get a little too knife happy.
Promising review: “I’m a seasoned chef of 25 years and nobody is perfect. I recently picked up a Benriner Almond wide mandolin and was slicing frozen steak for an Asian dish I was prepping when my thumb slipped right into the brand new blade slicing the tip off. Now we all know that our hands are our main tools so I decided to pick these up due to the fact that in a kitchen we sometimes are multitasking and our minds are going a million miles. These gloves are perfect. I tested them out slicing frozen steak and purposely slipped and thank God, My thumb was saved. no more stitches. Thanks for a great product.”
7. A 5-in-1 countertop cooker
This is perfect for preparing burgers, salmon and even grilled veggies without an outdoor grill. Plus, you can use it as a panini press to craft the perfect grilled sandwich.
This combines a contact grill, panini press, full grill, full griddle, and half grill/half griddle into one counter-space-saving device. So yes, you can use it to grill burgers on Friday night *and* make pancakes Saturday morning.
Promising review: “I absolutely love it. It’s very high quality. I love it so much that I make everything in it. I can’t seem to make a soup or a tea workout yet… just kidding. I’m a chef, and I love spending time in the kitchen. This griddle just simply rocks. Hot sandwiches, meats, burgers, etc. Get it, and you will love it.” — Husband, Dad, and Entrepreneur
8. A kitchen scale
Stop guesstimating every recipe and wondering why it doesn’t turn out exactly right. Measuring your ingredients will make sure that the ratios are absolutely correct.
Promising review: “This is my second one of these scales, and I would definitely recommend it. I work as a pastry chef in a professional kitchen, and I use it all the time. It’s small and portable and doesn’t take up a lot of space. It’s very easy to clean since the top is all one smooth level. It’s great for weighing out recipes, but it does have an 11-lb capacity. I haven’t had any problems with the accuracy so far, and I’ve been using it for a while. It’s a fantastic price, and I love the colors!” — Rylee
9. A citrus zester and cheese grater
You’ll have a grate time using this because it will give the perfect final touch to your dish — no matter if that’s some Parmesan cheese or lemon zest (or maybe a bit of both, depending on the recipe).
Promising review: “As a sushi chef, I love this tool. It is so convenient for me every time to need to grate citrus on top of my dishes. Good grip, easy to clean, and nice cover to come with it.” — Hieu ho
10. A veggie chopper, slicer, and spiralizer
Cutting veggies for the recipe is, in fact, the worst part, and this device makes that SO easy. Now you won’t have to blame your tears on the onion, when in fact you’re really not enjoying cutting another pepper.
It comes with a small dice blade, large dice blade, spiral blade, and ribbon blade that are interchangeable and gives you the option to chop, slice, and julienne vegetables. Plus, you get a lid with a built-in chop and a storage container to hold the veggies.
Promising review: “I’m a chef, and I love to cook. And while slicing and dicing come with cooking, this made chopping onions, celery, almost anything as easy as one push. Highly recommend!” — Jerry Avenaim
11. An anti-fatigue kitchen mat
If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, this mat is made to relieve pain in feet, knees, backs, and shoulders so standing for hours at a time won’t end up hurting your body.
P.S. Reviewers also say this mat is great for anyone working from home with a standing desk!
Promising review:“I’m a personal chef, standing all day in kitchens, and this past year I have been suffering from plantar fasciitis and sore, painful feet. I bought this mat and another mat from another brand. This one is a godsend!!!! My feet sigh a breath of relief when I stand on the mat. Also, it’s soft enough that I can feel my ankles and feet working to balance, ever so slightly….which is good conditioning for them as well. These mats, along with physical therapy, are enabling me to heal and be pain-free again.” — Shelley A. Rahim
12. A pair of herb scissors
These scissors are specifically made with five blades to ensure that the herbs aren’t in too big of chunks.
Plus, not only do you get the scissors, but it also comes with two drawstring herb bags and a safety cover with a cleaning comb.
Promising review: “I’m a chef, and I’m not sure how I have lived without these!!! They are so incredibly easy to use and clean! They have already become a staple in my kitchen!” — southernce
13. A set of stainless-steel mixing bowls
Prepping your ingredients and cooking will be so simple with this set, because you’ll have a place to put all the different ingredients you need for the recipe. Plus, the biggest bowl is the perfect size to hold popcorn during your next movie night. We love the versatility.
Promising review: “I’ve been looking for a set of stainless steel mixing bowls for a while, but I’m always afraid to pull the trigger. Most store’s offerings were too small or flimsy. This set was more than I thought I wanted. I was only thinking about a set of three, but I have certainly used the other sizes too. For cooking, they are great to hold chopped items or as mixing bowls. They are light but very sturdy. As a chef and restaurant person, I was looking for the kind we use professionally, and these are the same weight and style. The biggest one is perfect for popcorn, and the smallest one about cereal bowl size for reference. Good stuff!” — abbshurz
14. An AeroGarden
You’ll truly feel like a chef when you add herbs (or even veggies) that you grew in your own home to your meals. Yes, that’s right, you don’t even need an outdoor space to have a garden thanks to this ingenious device.
The Aerogarden includes an herb seed kit with six pods, including basil, parsley, dill, thyme, basil, and mint and a bottle of natural plant nutrients that will last a full season of growth. Plus, it’s super easy to use as it will remind you when to add water and plant food. It automatically turns the lights on and off, so even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can grow herbs at home.
Promising review: “As a chef, I love having fresh herbs in my kitchen to cook with. I also love that it makes enough ambient light in the evening, that you don’t need additional lights on.” — Corey Wilsey
15. A set of color-coded mats and bamboo cutting board
This set is designed to prevent cross-contamination as you prep your food. No more worrying that you didn’t clean your cutting board after dicing up raw chicken when you have veggies to chop next. Each mat has a small icon in the bottom right, showing you what it should be used for.
The cutting mats are flexible and BPA-free. You can use them on their own or on the top of the cutting board. Plus, when you’re not using them, you can store them inside the cutting board.
Promising review: “I’m a chef, and I love having the different covers to use. It’s easy to store and is very sturdy.” — lou
16. An electric Aroma Housewares 3-in-1 Superpot grill
You can use this for slow cooking, steaming, and simmering, oh my!
Plus, the non-electric parts are dishwasher-safe.
Promising review: “I absolutely love, love, love this grill. I’ve made maple glazed chicken, regular grilled chicken, burgers, steaks, and roast in here so far and all of them turned out really good especially the chicken. You can taste the grill taste, and as a chef, I look for quality appliances. This is one. Definitely recommend and have to my family members.” — Dominique Harris.
17. A digital meat thermometer
The backlit display on this will easily show you what temperature your meat is so you know if it’s done or not. No need to cut through chicken five or more times making sure that it’s not pink at all!
This small but mighty device is powered by AAA batteries (that are included) and has an automatic shut-off after 10 minutes of inactivity. The backlit screen also ensures that you can see the temp even in low-light scenarios. Plus, there’s a magnet on the back so you can stick it to your fridge when you’re not using it!
Promising review: “I am Sous Chef at a local restaurant and am required to constantly test food for proper internal temperature. This is the best, easiest to read thermometer I have ever used.” — Johnny daHand
18. A fermentation lid set
Specifically designed to fit a variety of jars and let gas escape while keeping mold and bacteria out, these lids will help you make your own pickles, pickled vegetables or even kimchi at home easily. Your Bloody Mary game is about to be a 10/10 when you add all your homemade toppings.
The set not only includes the three lids, but also three fermenting weights, an extractor pump, a recipe book, and club access so you can get even more recipe ideas.
Promising review: “As a chef, I have had some great successes and spectacular failures in fermentation. The easy fermenter lives up to its name. It’s easy to use, easy to clean, consistently solid product, and weekly fermentation ideas and updates. Do yourself a favor and make pickles with this.” — Tim
19. An acrylic block and set of black knives
This set is not only super functional but stylish too. You’ll be chopping and cutting like the pros, you may even think that you’re competing in an episode of Chopped!
The clear acrylic block comes with 13 knives of different sizes and shapes, kitchen scissors, peeler, and a two-stage knife sharpener.
Promising review: “I love these knives. They are durable and definitely are worth the cost. I’m a chef, and I appreciate a good knife. I originally was only getting them for decoration in my kitchen, (which they look great there) but instead, I’ve also been using them.” — Carter
20. A burger press
Take your burger game to the next level with this gadget. That’s right. Now you can put cheese (and other ingredients) inside your burgers instead of on top. Talk about a game-changer. ?
And if stuffing burgers just isn’t your thing, you can also use this tool to help shape regular burgers and sliders.
Promising review: “I’m a professional chef, and I use mine all the time!! It works great and makes stuffing burgers sooo easy!! BUY ONE!!!” — culinguru
21. A Cuisinart stainless-steel cookware set
It’s time to retire your mish-mosh of pots and pans that have def seen better days. You’ll cook better when you have a professional-level cooking set, especially if it doesn’t come with a professional-level price tag.
The 12-piece set includes: 1-1/2- and 3-quart covered saucepans; 8- and 10-inch open skillets; 3-1/2-quart covered saute pan; 8-quart covered stockpot; and a steamer insert with lid. Everything included is dishwasher-safe, oven-safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and broiler-safe.
Promising review: “These are the best pans I have owned. Stock up on spray, you will need it. And then love your pans. Great for stovetop to oven with one pan. This review comes from a chef. Thought I would add that in. I would definitely buy them again. But from the looks of it almost over a years later and they still look like new. They heat evenly, and I can’t say enough good things about them.” — tj
22. Adjustable clip-on stands
This genius tool is made to hold bags upright so you can easily pour in leftovers instead of trying to do it yourself and having half of the food end up on the floor. We’ve all experienced that heartbreak, haven’t we?
Plus, you can also use the stand to help air dry bags after you’ve washed them.
Promising review: “I have one of these that I purchased on Groupon a few years ago. I’ve SO wanted another but didn’t know where to get one. SO glad to have found them again and have now ordered more. I’m a former professional chef and restaurant owner and, while I do love kitchen gadgets, they have to be WONDERFUL for me to give them room in my smaller home kitchen. THIS is one such gadget, so helpful for leftovers and for meal planning and freezing foods for later use.” — E. bay
23. A sushi-making kit
This will make creating your own sushi rolls at home a breeze, even if you’ve never tried it before. Watch out, Taco Tuesday might have some competition from Sushi Sunday as your favorite meal of the week. You’ve been warned.
The kit comes with two sushi rolling mats, five pairs of chopsticks, a paddle, a spreader, and a PDF of instructions, including recipes for six popular rolls.
Promising review: “This set is chef approved! I haven’t made sushi outside of work in a long time. My father is Korean, so I grew up eating a lot of Asian cultural dishes. I still remember the first time he showed me how to roll sushi. Now I get to do the same thing with my son’s with this set. We tried it out last weekend, and I enjoyed the quality of it. A few pieces of bamboo were starting to fray, but I just cleared them away with my knife. I loved the fact that chopsticks have the cute little fish on them, and a nice finish to them. Overall it’s a great quality set, and I look forward to using them more in the future.” — Carrie H Rios
24. A hand immersion blender
This will make your cooking smooth, real smooth, no matter if you’re making a smoothie, sauce or soup.
Promising review: “I am a chef and can honestly say this product is very well made. In fact, it’s a bit heavy for a single hand use compared to a KitchenAid, but what I love about this product is an extra ‘turbo’ feature. Overall, I am very satisfied with the purchase and use of this product in my kitchen.” — Amazon Customer
25. An extra-large bamboo cutting board
Designed with a groove around the outside, this cutting board will catch any juice before it makes its way to the counter, making your kitchen even more of a hassle to clean.
Promising review: “This is a solid cutting board. I’ve owned many cutting boards in my life as a chef, but this one takes the cake. Solid bamboo is the only way to go. The groove keeps juices from escaping when cutting foods and leaving a mess. One thing I do with all of my wooden cutting boards is rub them down with mineral oil, let it soak in for 24 hours, and it will keep your board from splitting and soaking up any unwanted smells. It’s well worth picking up some inexpensive mineral oil to protect your purchase. Thanks for such a great product!” — Micah L
26. A Bluetooth Anova sous vide
This will basically be the ~sous chef you didn’t know that you needed. Attach this to any pot, put the food in, and it will cook it to perfection using the built-in controls in the app. The future is now.
Promising Review:“I’m a catering chef of eight years, and I should have bought this earlier. When scheduled properly, this makes meals at home or events up to 20 quite easy. I fused vodka while cooking tenderloin. I just made cookies with the sous vide. But the winner is the meats. It changes my cast iron and broiler procedure, and you can make a perfect steak every time now. Hands down, I’ve used it every day for the last month. I also recommend a small cooler to sous vide in because of the thermal insulating properties, but that’s just me. BUY ONE.” — monica mcmasters
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