There are numerous reasons to improve your kitchen utensils and equipment. Perhaps you’re attempting to cook more or eat a better diet. Or perhaps you’re simply sick of cooking with the same warped frying pan you’ve owned since college.
Whatever the cause, the beginning of a new year is an excellent opportunity to replace your kitchenware. Finding the appropriate tools for you is the challenge, and that’s where we at Reviewed come in. We’ve put together a list of 10 of our top-rated things, all of which have been thoroughly tested by our kitchen and cooking specialists, and which you may pick and choose from according to your preferences.
We’ve got you covered, chef, from the time you start chopping onions until you box your casserole and keep it in the fridge, whether it’s some basic measuring spoons or a big-time stand mixer.
Of all the cutting boards we tested, the Totally Bamboo Kauai Cutting Board had the best feel and balance. It’s heavy enough to withstand our stability and balance tests, but light enough to clean and move. Furthermore, its 14.5 x 11.5-inch dimensions make it ideal for most cutting activities around the house.
Thanks to a two-tone bamboo color pattern, the Totally Bamboo board also looks great. Bamboo may appear to be wood, but it is not. It’s a tough grass that grows quickly, making it a renewable and sustainable resource. Some argue that bamboo is excessively hard and can dull your knives, but we found no evidence of this throughout our tests.
To make supper, you don’t need every knife in the block, but this set provides all you’ll need at a terrific price—especially since it includes eight excellent steak knives and a fantastic set of kitchen shears. The chef’s knife (which you’ll probably use the most) is light and simple to handle, as well as one of the sharper knives in our test group of the top knife sets. The serrated bread knife made short work of slicing crusty baguettes, and the paring knife fits nicely in our hands for off-the-cutting-board activities like peeling apples, earning the whole set an Editors’ Choice award.
We were ecstatic when the Cuisipro Stainless Steel Measuring Spoon Set came out as our best measuring cup and spoons set, as it was one of the least costly sets on our list. These dishwasher-safe stainless-steel spoons offer a sleek, tapered design with etched-on measurements that won’t fade over time. The handles are tapered, allowing each spoon to stand flat on the counter, which is a pleasant (but unfortunately rare) feature.
The elongated, oval-shaped spoons fit in most standard spice jars and are held together for storage by an easy-to-remove band. They’re available in all of the standard sizes, as well as the ultra-precise 1/8 teaspoon measurement.
The OXO Good Grips 5-Quart Stainless-Steel Colander performed admirably in all of our tests. This stainless steel colander has perfectly sized holes from rim to base, as well as an easy-to-grip rim and non-skid feet that kept put as we tossed food into it. It was well-designed to drain water via the perforated sides and was never clogged with pasta or grains. At just under $30, it was the most costly colander we examined, but it also aced all of our tests, making it our overall winner.
Unlike classic stamped-style models, the blades on this grater are chemically etched into the metal, resulting in razor-sharp edges. As a result, this grater performed better than average on all four sides. The fine holes produced wonderfully zested lemons and a mountain of airy, fluffy Parmesan, while the coarse holes produced long strands of mozzarella and potato shreds, resulting in the tastiest latkes in the group.
It wasn’t simply about putting on a show. It was the tiny details that elevated this model to new heights. The fine blade panel is removable for easy cleaning, and the grater’s wide shape makes the rest of it easy to clean as well. The feet stayed out of the way of the shreds, allowing them to pile up beneath the grater without clogging the machinery. All of the blades are also fabricated in the United States. When you add it all up, this grater was a shoo-in for our best overall pick.
The KD-8000 stands out among our smaller, sleeker scales thanks to its hefty, lab-style body. However, if you have the necessary counter space in your kitchen, this weighing machine will not let you down.
The KD-8000 was the most accurate of the bunch in our testing, indicating the exact weights even when we added and removed objects on its platform. The lighted screen, which displays a symbol when a measurement is steady, as well as the cover that protects buttons from stray flour, were both appealing to us. In addition to measuring in grams, kilograms, ounces, and pounds, the scale has a baker’s percentage mode, which allows you to simply weigh out a mixture that has two parts oats and one part sugar, for example.
There’s nothing to shatter or break with stainless steel bowls, so they’re both durable and long-lasting, and their lightweight profile makes them simple to use. While they shouldn’t be used in the microwave, the Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls with Lids can be used as a double boiler on the stovetop, and the small and medium-sized bowls worked nicely for melting butter and chocolate over a 2-quart pot. The bowls also come with air-tight plastic covers, allowing them to function as storage and transportation containers (which is very useful when preparing a large meal), making them our top pick for mixing bowls.
The KitchenAid KSB1575 Diamond blender is without a doubt the greatest budget blender we’ve tried. In our chopping and mixing tests, this five-speed model performed admirably. It dissolved fruit and yogurt into a wonderful smoothie, obliterated ice cubes into a fine slush, and produced velvety nut butter.
The easy-to-read and intuitive controls were a hit with our testers, and each button has enough resistance that you won’t accidentally engage in the wrong setting. It comes with a 60-oz. BPA-free jar is available in over 15 colors, including Boysenberry, Tangerine, Espresso, and the traditional Empire Red, and is dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.
If you don’t want to cut anything this year, use our best-selling food processor instead. For stuffing, cut onions, celery, and garlic, and slice potatoes or shred cheese with the supplied attachment. You can even use it to make your pie crust. The Cuisinart “Custom 14” food processor (model DFP14BCNY) is the best on the market, according to our tests. From chopping onions and slicing tomatoes as well as a razor-sharp chef’s knife to kneading pizza dough into a smooth elastic ball, it excels at practically every chore. As an extra bonus, the Cuisinart is so quiet when it’s on that it won’t drown out your kitchen conversation! Cuisinart is the only brand that actively encourages you to wash the parts in the dishwasher, making cleanup a breeze.
We enjoy how simple these pans are to use, and they came out on top in our cookware set reviews. The pans’ tri-ply structure improves heat conductivity while the aluminum core keeps them light and easy to handle. Two saucepans (1 1/2- and 3-quart), an 8-quart stockpot, a medium-sized 3.5-quart sauté pan, two skillets (8- and 10-inch), and a steamer insert are included in the set, all with comfortable handles and a design that creates a nice balance when holding the pan.