We’ve discussed kitchen tools everyone should have, and tools everyone on a budget should have, but if you’re willing to put a little money into your home cooking, here are some solid kitchen tools that may cost a little more than usual, but will pay you back in flavor, time saved, or just plain quality of life.
10. A Food Processor
It’s really tough to understate how much good a food processor in your kitchen can do. Sure, you could always just grab a knife and get to chopping, slicing, and julienning, but a food processor can do so much more than cut up vegetables. A solid one can mix dough, make deliciously smooth pesto or hummus, and emulsify salad dressing in a snap. Want to get adventurous? Try making pizza dough, home-ground burger patties, or even perfect whipped cream.
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You can get some inspiration for what to do with your own food processor—or some good reasons to consider buying one—in our Kitchen Tool School feature on them. Trust me, I only have a small, space-saving model, and I use it for hummus, pesto, and deviled eggs all the time, and couldn’t imagine not owning one.
9. A Slow Cooker
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a good slow cooker, but you don’t want to cheap out on them either. A solid midrange one that gets just hot enough and can maintain its heat over time will let you cook all sorts of amazing things, from whole chickens, delicious slow-cooked ribs, and even delicious dips, all with little to no effort at all. Want something sweet? That piece even has recipes for overnight oatmeal or cheesecake—all in a slow cooker.
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Best of all, you can make virtually any recipe a slow-cooker recipe with some simple tweaking, so you can have your delicious gourmet meal without the time standing over the stove or heating up your home using your oven. Besides, there’s nothing like coming home to a delicious, hot meal waiting for you—you’ll save time cooking, and save the money you’d spend ordering out after a long day.
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8. A Pressure Cooker
Pressure cookers are invaluable kitchen appliances, and they’ve come a long way from the old “careful it doesn’t explode” variety that our parents and grandparents had. They’re safer than ever, more functional than ever, and besides, who doesn’t love the idea of a super-simple fondue or cheese dip, a whole roast chicken, 30-minute chicken broth, or even delicious fresh bread, all without firing up the oven?
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Best of all, pressure cookers don’t have to be terribly expensive, and some of them can even pull double duty as slow cookers and rice cookers, like the ever-handy Instant Pot.
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7. An Immersion Circulator (aka, a Sous Vide)
Immersion circulators, or sous vide machines, can definitely be pricey. Some of our favorites are around $200, and while you don’t need a sous vide machine, and our Sous Vide 101 feature was all about me using a cooler to cook steaks, if you do decide to invest in one, you can get some huge benefits.
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Once you have one, the tastiest burgers you’ve ever had are just a few minutes away, as are deliciously perfect steaks, the eggs—soft or hard boiled—of your dreams, and even your very own marijuana edibles, made at home, where it’s legal of course. Lay down the entrance fee now, and you’ll be paid back a thousandfold in deliciousness, effortless cooking, and of course, some really ingenious recipes.
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6. A Good Thermometer
A cooking thermometer is a must in any kitchen, and will mean the difference between haphazardly poking meat thinking your fingers or your face can tell if they’re done (neither of which are universally accurate) and actually knowing that it’s the perfect temperature and texture. Heck, a good thermometer will even help you make perfect cocktails.
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I’m a big fan of Thermoworks’ Thermapen (as is the always-amazing Alton Brown,) as I’ve mentioned before, but if you don’t want to spend the money, there are other models that are equally sensitive for less money, like the Thermoworks ThermoPop.
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5. A Quality Blender
Most of us have a blender in our kitchens, but when you bought yours, what did you look for when you picked it up? The wattage of the motor maybe, or the size of the carafe? A good one will excel in both of those departments sure, with a strong motor and a large carafe that’s big enough for what you want to put into it, but there’s so much more to consider.
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While you don’t need to blow out your budget on a Blendtec or something extremely pricey, you should at least buy carefully, and spend a little on something that’ll do multiple jobs and last you a long time. Our friends at Kinja Co-Op have some suggestions here, along with some affordable options if their top tier gives you sticker shock. Go forth and smoothie, soup, and emulsify without fear.
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4. A Bench Scraper or Pastry Cutter
While a lot of the items we’ve mentioned so far can be expensive, the humble bench scraper doesn’t have to be—it’s just not nearly as common in home kitchens as it really, really should be.
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After all, at most a good one will set you back a mere ten bucks, with servicable options close to half that price, and once you have one, you’ll never beat up your knives trying to scrape the last bit of anything off of a cutting board again, you’ll never have trouble dividing dough or bread or ground meat for burgers again, you’ll never have trouble getting clean sides on a frosted cake again, and you’ll always have a tool to help you clean up countertops before, during, and after cooking. Seriously, get one of these, it’ll change your life.
3. A Mandoline
The mandoline is super useful, and can give you perfectly julienned vegetables in no time, easy vegetable noodles without having to buy and store a massive spiralizer, and more. In fact, in an interview with Mark Bittman, he told us that the mandoline was one of his favorite workhorse kitchen tools.
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Of course, a mandoline can definitely be a dangerous tool if you don’t know how to use one, but the basics are pretty simple: Go slow, and use the handguard.
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2. Good Cast Iron Pans
Ah, cast iron. Cast iron cookware is essential in any home kitchen, and once you get used to them and get your favorite one well seasoned, it’s possible you’ll never use anything but cast iron for just about anything you want to cook. They don’t have to be expensive, either—maybe you need a couple of cast iron skillets and buy them new, pre-seasoned. Maybe you get some hand-me-downs from a family member or a thrift store bargain that needs to be re-seasoned, and can last the test of time. That’s the beauty of cast iron—buy it once, and as long as you care for it, it’ll last you forever.
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Most people also assume cast iron pans are only good for steaks and meat—and while they’re absolutely great for those things, they’re also useful for a wide array of other amazing dishes, from pizza to queso fundido. Even if you don’t want to make skillet pizza, you can use your cast iron as a pizza stone. Not enough? Grill fish in minutes, roast a whole chicken, even roast your own coffee beans. Need we continue?
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1. A Good Chef’s Knife
Most of you likely already know that a good chef’s knife can make a huge difference in your cooking. A solid blade that you’re comfortable using can make cooking easier, and a lot more fun. What you may not know is that investing in a good knife makes a huge difference too—and we’re not talking about spending hundreds (although you could certainly do that), just a few more than whatever came in that knife set you really shouldn’t have bought when you moved out on your own.
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Even some affordable models are budget upgrades that will transform the way you cook, as long as you know what to look for. Think about how you cook, choose between carbon steel or stainless, learn to keep them sharp (because as you may have heard, dull knives are more dangerous in the kitchen) preferably with a water stone, and even an affordable chef’s knife will be an investment that lasts you years and years.
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Illustration by . Additional photos by Warren Layton, pseph, The Homesteading Hippy, Claire Lower, Chris Hunkeler, Mike McCune, Kevin Purdy, Bruce, and Erik Forsberg.
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