Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
You are reading

Editors’ Picks: 10 Essential Kitchen Tools

Search

Start typing to search...

Search
Editors' PicksIssue 8 — Salvaged and Scrappy

Editors’ Picks: 10 Essential Kitchen Tools

February 22, 2024

If there were a fire in the house, these are the kitchen tools we would take with us; 10 simple, low-tech implements for stirring, grinding, measuring, peeling, grating that we couldn’t live without.

julie&#8\2\17;s pick is a simple ceramic mortar & pestle with a pour sp 17
Above: Julie’s pick is a simple Ceramic Mortar & Pestle with a pour spout; the unglazed surfaced facilitates efficient grinding; $74.95 at Williams-Sonoma.
a small stainless steel egg whisk is part of jane&#8\2\17;s kitchen arsenal 18
Above: A small Stainless Steel Egg Whisk is part of Jane’s kitchen arsenal; it’s perfect for small kitchen mixing jobs; $7.95 at Sur la Table.
francesca&#8\2\17;s essential skillet lives on top of the stove. it&#8\ 19
Above: Francesca’s essential skillet lives on top of the stove. It’s the Finex Cast Iron Skilled with Lid; “the coil handle stays cool,” she notes. $160 at Las Cosas.
from fan: &#8\2\20;we have a cast iron pan that we love but it can be a pai 20
Above: From Fan: “We have a cast iron pan that we love but it can be a pain to clean. After a little research, my husband bought a scraper that has become indispensable. I use it to remove stuck-on food in the cast iron pan and have found that it works great on baking sheets and other pots and pans as well.” Wooden Pan Scrapers from Argent Goods are $8 each.
margot likes her set of simple stainless steel measuring cups and spoons: & 21
Above: Margot likes her set of simple Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons: “I like how unadorned and sturdy they are,” she says. The set is $44 at Sur la Table.
christine, who lives in london but spends the summer in the us, moves between i 22
Above: Christine, who lives in London but spends the summer in the US, moves between imperial and metric measurements often. The 14 Ounce Measuring Glass combines the most common kitchen measurements into one utensil; $11.50 at Lee Valley.
sarah swears by the microplane zester for adding a dash of citrus to almost any 23
Above: Sarah swears by the Microplane zester for adding a dash of citrus to almost any dish. The Microplane Black Sheep Grater Set of three is a weighty version of the classic zester in black stainless steel; $179.99 at Microplane.
simple flex core silicone spatulas are everything rubber spatulas of old weren& 24
Above: Simple Flex-Core Silicone Spatulas are everything rubber spatulas of old weren’t: they’re heat resistant, odor resistant, dishwasher safe, and feature comfortable round handles. We like the classic white (other colors are available); $14.95 each at Sur la Table.
janet&#8\2\17;s indispensable kitchen item is a pair of cuisipro locking to 25
Above: Janet’s indispensable kitchen item is a pair of Cuisipro Locking Tongs with a locking mechanism (they stay closed for storage, preventing utensils from tangling). The 9.5-inch-length is $11.44 on Amazon.
izabella finds a simple vegetable peeler indispensable. the morihata internatio 26
Above: Izabella finds a simple vegetable peeler indispensable. The Morihata International FD Style Peeler is $55 at Bespoke Post.
&#8\2\20;a mandolin is essential for me&#8\2\2\1; says francesca who pr 27
Above: “A mandolin is essential for me” says Francesca who prefers the Japanese Benriner Classic Mandolin Vegetable Slicer; $29.95 at Korin.

For more editors’ favorites, see our posts:

N.B.: This post was originally published on August 10, 2011. We have updated it with new and additional product selections and current pricing.

(Visited 10,130 times, 4 visits today)
You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.
Add to Collection
New Collection

Product summary  Item 6 154Item 7 155

ardent goods pan scraper mixed wood 1 376x282
Herbs & Spices

Pan Scraper

$8.00 USD from Ardent Goods

Explore Deeper Into These Areas

Previous Post

10 Easy Pieces: Latex-Free Paints

February 21, 2024
Next Post

Kitchens of the Week: 5 Retrouvius Designs Composed of Salvaged Parts

February 22, 2024

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation

Related Stories

Read all recent posts

join us on Editors Picks 10 Essential Kitchen Tools portrait 26 28

remodelista

Order our new book Remodelista: The Low-Impact Home ⬇️

Editors Picks 10 Essential Kitchen Tools portrait 26 29

v5.0

×
Join the Remodelista Family of Websites

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Member benefits include:

  • Access to all posts published in the past year
  • Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
  • Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
  • Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
  • Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
  • Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

Or Subscribe for Maximum Value!

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Sorry! As a registered member you get 10 free posts from our archive (posts more than a year old) every 30 days. You have reached your limit for this 30-day period. If you would like to access unlimited posts from the archive (ad free, too), become a subscriber today, and keep reading as many articles as you want.

Full Access Individual Subscription

Benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home sites
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay just 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99


×
Sorry! You have reached your limit of three (3) free posts from our archive every 30 days. You can increase this to 10 posts by joining as a free Member, or read unlimited posts with no ads by becoming a paid Subscriber.

Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Member benefits include:

  • Access to all posts published in the past year
  • Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
  • Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
  • Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
  • Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
  • Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

My Account

Your member profile is powered by memberstack