The All-Star Kitchen Items Everyone Needs
The Last Kitchen Things You’ll Ever Need.
Ever visited your folks to find the same kitchen wares of your childhood still in full use? Second-half downsizing of a kitchen can stir up a craving to fill it with those same types of lasting heroes—the ones we might never replace. Sure, you may need to shell out a bit more for some of these kitchen all-stars, but we recommend using a “cost per use” measure rather than obsessing about the overall price. Of course, 2020’s home-cook mentality proved quite the test for our contenders—and we’re happy to say they all passed.
That heavy metal ladle, the one with the hook on the end? The one that tips over your utensil holder, every.damn.time? It’s not doing you any favors. And it never does quite get the last of your soup or stew, does it? This silicone version will not set you back much, and watch in astonishment as you get everything out of your pot—without that awkward flip and scrape.
We’ve repeatedly professed our love for the Le Creuset Dutch oven—we recommend it because we easily use it almost every day (It even bakes bread to perfection!). Staub also makes a similarly sturdy version, and one of us swears by the Lodge. The Le Creuset was on sale on the reg in 2020, so with a little patience, you can bring down the price a bit—and we guarantee you will get a great return on your investment.
Cut to the ace.
Anthony Bourdain (rest his soul) was frequently asked if he could only have one knife, what would it be? His answer propelled us to procure this Global Knife, and we do concur. In fact, it’s one of the first things we pack—seriously—when we head to a vacation rental. Who has time for dull knives? Since we know it will be in frequent use, we also recommend keeping it sharp with this water sharpener.
Since our brown sugar needs are here and there, storage was always an issue. We tried virtually every method to soften it, mostly greeted by a giant dry lump at the bottom of the bag. Then we discovered this genius container with a small, terracotta disc that keeps everything soft. Having been burned before, we were hesitant at first to reopen the container, but happily found brown sugar as soft as the day we bought it. Sweet indeed.
A fellow foodie once gifted us a set of wonderful Unicorn salt and pepper grinders that you could operate with one hand, making it easy to season while stirring. For reasons unknown, they have stopped making them—so we were peppered with joy to find these alternative shakers, now a gifting go-to.
Tired of burning our fingers when we employed our hands to more gingerly coax an egg or piece of fish to flip, we ourselves jumped when a favorite publication recommended this instead. Since purchasing it, it’s in the rotation so much more. It honestly feels like an extension of your hand—sans the scalding.
One day, you grow up and realize you should stop guessing at things that are knowable—and one of those things is when your meat is actually done. Let’s face it: Food safety is nothing to toy with. This handy thermometer turns on when you unfold the needle and easily, accurately displays the digital temperature. It works just as well in liquid, if you, too, fear killing your yeast with overly heated water. Don’t be fooled by the fakes on Amazon—in this case, you actually want the real deal. We promise the certainty and confidence it conveys is well worth the price.
