10 Kitchen Tools I Actually Use All the Time
There are the kitchen tools you buy because they look beautiful sitting on the counter, and then there are the ones you find yourself reaching for over and over again.
These are the second kind.
Some of them are admittedly a little random. A pickle picker? Absolutely. A tool specifically for sliding appliances around the counter? Also yes. But after using these things, I have found that the best kitchen gadgets are often the ones that solve a very specific little problem.
And once that problem is solved, you wonder how you ever put up with it.
I cook a lot of plant-forward meals, entertain regularly, and spend plenty of time in the kitchen. I don’t have much interest in filling drawers with gadgets that only do one thing unless that one thing is genuinely useful.
These are the kitchen tools that have earned their space.
The best kitchen tools aren’t necessarily the fanciest ones. They’re the ones you reach for without even thinking about it.
Why These Made the List
I chose these because they make cooking, prepping, or cleaning up a little easier.
Some save time. Some save mess. Some make a task that is surprisingly annoying much less annoying. And a few are the kind of oddly specific kitchen tools that seem unnecessary until you actually use one.
I also like that most of these don’t require a major investment. You don’t need to replace your kitchen or buy an entirely new set of cookware to make cooking easier. Sometimes a $10 or $20 tool can make a bigger difference than another expensive appliance.
These are practical purchases, not drawer fillers.
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The Well-Spent Picks
The little things that make cooking easier are often the things that make us enjoy our kitchens more.
What I Keep Within Easy Reach
Looking at this list, there is a definite theme.
I don’t want a kitchen full of gadgets just because they’re clever. I want tools that solve problems I actually have.
The lemon squeezer gets used because I cook with fresh citrus constantly. The olive oil dispenser makes everyday cooking easier. The herb scissors make adding fresh herbs almost effortless. The appliance sliders save me from wrestling with heavy appliances.
And then there are the wonderfully unnecessary-but-useful things, like the pickle picker.
I think those are sometimes the most fun purchases.
You don’t need them. You just eventually wonder how you lived without them.
That is what makes a kitchen tool Well-Spent to me. It doesn’t have to be expensive, beautiful, or multifunctional. It just needs to earn its place.
The Well-Spent Take
I have learned that a kitchen doesn’t become more functional because you buy more things for it.
It becomes more functional when you find the right things.
The right little tool can make cooking faster. The right gadget can make cleanup easier. The right organizer can eliminate an everyday annoyance you’ve simply learned to tolerate.
And because most of these are relatively inexpensive, they are easy ways to improve the way your kitchen works without turning it into a collection of gadgets you never use.
So if you’re going to add something new to the kitchen, my advice is simple:
Don’t buy something just because it looks clever.
Buy the thing that solves the problem that keeps annoying you.
That is usually the purchase you’ll appreciate long after the novelty wears off.
Explore More
If you enjoy finding useful things that earn their place in the kitchen, you might also enjoy:
- Countertop Appliances Worth Every Inch of Space
- The Well-Spent List: Home Favorites
- The Well-Spent List: Kitchen Essentials
- The Well-Spent Guide to Serving Pieces Worth Owning
- Favorite Plant-Based Cookbooks
- 10 Randomly Useful Things We Use Around Our Home
- Organization Favorites That Simplify Everyday Life