Basic Kitchen Equipment

All the basic gear, cookware, knives, and tools you need to properly stock a kitchen, none of the junk you don't.
a spider strainer being used to deposit sliced plantains into hot oil
This Spider Strainer Drains, Scoops, and Skims With Ease—It’s One of My Most-Used Kitchen Utensils
Numerous reusable grocery bags, with onions, a lime, and bananas spilling out of one.
I Tested 11 Reusable Grocery Bags—My Favorites Made Hauling Groceries Less of a Chore
A person slicing an orange on the OXO plastic cutting board.
We've Recommended OXO's Plastic Cutting Boards for 5 Years—and They're Still Indispensable in Our Kitchens
water bottles laying on a green surface
Leakproof and Lovely: We Tested 12 Water Bottles to Find the Best Ones for Staying Hydrated
A charcuterie board with cheeses, sliced salami, and grapes on it.
I Tested 11 Charcuterie Boards to Find the Best Ones for Meats, Cheeses, and Spreads of All Sorts
The Breville Barista Express Impress on a white marble countertop
17 Incredibly Great Kitchen Items I’ve Bought After Working at Serious Eats for Two-Plus Years
the peugeot pepper mill on a blue surface with white tile backdrop
This Pepper Mill Grinds Fantastically Well—and Is Permanently on Display in My Kitchen
three hexclad skillets in different sizes with lids on a gray surface
HexClad Pans Are Everywhere—But Are They Worth the Steep Price Tag?
a variety of bamboo steamers in front of each other
To Find the Best Bamboo Steamers, I Cooked a Bunch of Broccoli and Dumplings
Amazon Prime Day Zeppoli Classic Towels
Our Favorite Kitchen Towels Boast a 141% Absorbency Rate
mops leaning against a white tile wall
I Soaked, Wrung, and Scrubbed for Days to Find the Best Mops for Cleaning up Kitchen Messes
a water faucet filter filtering water
We Tested 4 Faucet Water Filters—Two Produced Fresh, Clean Water
A fine mesh strainer straining strawberry sauce
A Fine-Mesh Strainer Is Incredibly Useful—and Our Favorite Can't Be Beat
a hand pulling a knife out of a cork-lined drawer insert
Stop Storing Knives Loose in Your Drawer—This $48 Cork-Lined Box Keeps Mine Nice and Sharp
A person searing meat in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop
19 Buy-It-For-Life Pieces of Kitchen Gear That'll Stand the Test of Time
three wooden cutting boards on a marble surface
Why Bamboo Cutting Boards Are Terrible for Your Knives
Staub Cast Iron 5.5-Quart Round Cocotte
Your Kitchen Needs a Dutch Oven—Here’s Why
a variety of cookware on a stovetop
What Does Non-Toxic Cookware Even Mean?
Cookware on a glass stovetop, including a stainless steel skillet, nonstick skillet, saute pan, rondeau, and stockpot.
Cooking on a Glass Stovetop? We Rounded Up the Best Cookware for the Task
A roast chicken sitting in the center of a wooden carving board
The Best Cutting Boards, According to Our Very Detailed Testings
a hand taking a loaf of bread out of the oven in a pink loaf pan
We Tested 10 Loaf Pans by Baking Dozens of Loaves and Recommend Half Of Them
three cast iron skillets on a kitchen countertop
Should You Buy a Cast Iron or an Enameled Cast Iron Skillet? Here’s a Comparison
Best Swedish Dishcloths
We Tested 8 Swedish Dishcloths—These Are Our Favorites
a chicken cutlet being lowered in cooking oil in a saute pan
I Tested 9 Sauté Pans and Three (Shallow) Fried The Competition
Numerous kitchen towels on a kitchen countertop.
I Tested 17 Kitchen Towels to Find the Best All-Purpose Ones
Three stand mixers on a kitchen countertop.
We Tested 12 Stand Mixers—Four Stood Out Above the Rest
A Thermapen one taking the temperature of a sous vide water bath set to 134 degrees
The Best Gear from Our Equipment Reviews, According to Serious Eats Staffers
hand putting water in a measuring glass into the microwave
Everything (Important) You Need to Know About Microwaves
tojiro bread knife on marble counter
Our Longtime Favorite Bread Knife Is Only $37—and It Slices Like No Other
mini mortar and pestles
We Tested 10 Mini Mortar and Pestles—Three Crushed the Competition
Two knife blocks and one magnetic knife strip set on a marble countertop and white wall.
The 4 Best Knife Sets, According to Our Sharpest Tests
Le Creuset and Staub dutch ovens collaged against patterned yellow background
Le Creuset vs. Staub Dutch Ovens: The Battle of the Best
a handful of cleaning products (oven cleaner, dish cloths) on a blue background
The Best Kitchen Cleaning Products, According to Serious Eats Staffers
wiping mineral oil over a wood board
Do You Really Need an Expensive Wooden Cutting Board?
Pastry cream being strained through a fine mesh strainer into a stainless steel bowl
Kitchen Gear and Tools We Think You Should Have Two (Or More) Of
a HydroFlask and a Yeti water bottle side-by-side on a marble surface
Hydro Flask vs. Yeti Water Bottles: Which One Should You Buy?
Minced carrots in a food processor bowl
Food Processor vs. Blender: What's the Difference?
A person using an offset spatula to frost a cake on a cake stand
Why an Offset Spatula Is the Tool I Can’t Bake Without
7 squeeze bottles lined up in front of white tiles.
We Tested 7 Squeeze Bottles to Find the Three Best for Cooking, Sauces, and More
An assortment of olive oil dispensers on a marble counter
We Tested 9 Olive Oil Dispensers and Found 2 Favorites for Storing and Pouring
lineup of carbon steel skillets on a white surface
The Best Carbon Steel Pans Can Sear As Well As Cast Iron, but Are Way Lighter
eight different miniature whisks on a marble background
We Tested 8 Mini Whisks and Came Away with Three Favorites
four Anyday cookware dishes of varying sizes on a blue countertop
We Reviewed Anyday Cookware: Are the Microwavable Dishes Worthwhile?
A group of vegetable peelers on a grey surface
We Tested 14 Vegetable Peelers to Find the Best Ones for Potatoes, Squash, and More
A person walking across a stripped anti-fatigue mat on a kitchen floor
We Tested 7 Anti-Fatigue Mats—Here Are the Best Ones for Your Kitchen
baked cookies on a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.
Sheet Pans Aren't Cookie Sheets: A Baking Sheet Explainer
the hopper of a garlic press with two cloves inside of it
We Tested 12 Garlic Presses—Two Crushed the Competition
best steamer baskets horizontal lead
We Tested 10 Steamer Baskets—Here Are the Best Ones
nonstick sheet pans stacked on each other on a marble countertop
We Tested 11 Nonstick Sheet Pans to Find the Best Ones
A stack of carving boards on a marble surface
We Tested 8 Carving Boards—Here Are the Best Ones for Roasts, Turkeys, and More
a variety of kitchen tools and utensils on a blue surface
The Best Utensil Set Is No Utensil Set
pie pans stacked together on a blue countertop with black backdrop
I Baked Dozens of Pie Crusts (and Whole Pies) to Find the Three Best Pie Pans
An uncooked roast surrounded by potatoes and fennel and situated in a roasting pan
The Misen Roasting Pan Is Unconventional—But Truly Awesome
a variety of Japanese style chefs knives
What's the Difference Between Western and Japanese Chef's Knives?
Several food storage containers displayed on a marble counter
We Tested 11 Food Storage Containers—These Are Our Favorites
the lineup of water filter pitchers on a blue countertop
I Tested 12 Water Filter Pitchers and Dispensers and Found Four Smooth Operators
Best Vitamix Deals Tout
The Best Prime Day Vitamix Deals (Including the Blender We’ve Recommended for a Decade)
bowl scraper lineup on a marble countertop
We Tested 10 Bowl Scrapers to Find the Best Ones