Cleaning

Scotch-Brite pads

Don't get the typical sponges and pads you find at stores, as they are ineffective and fall apart. Scotch-Brite is used in commercial kitchens because the pads effortlessly remove tough baked on food and stains, due to thousands of micro-fibers touching the surface at once and acting like non-destructive sand paper.

Baking Soda

Baking Soda is the mystery cleaner we've all been looking for. Rather than 20 minutes of aerobic exercise trying to get the crud out of a stainless or carbon steel pan, just sprinkle some baking soda, add some water and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes, and the crud will slide out of the pan. Better living through chemistry!

Mixing & Ingredient Bowls

• Glass bowls
• Aluminum bowls w/lids
• Small ingredient bowls

Blenders & Food Processors

• Spice Blender
• Immersion Blender
• Small Food Processor
• Whisk Mixer
• Power Blender

Thermometers & Timers

• Thermapen for quick checks
• Thermomaven for persistent temperature
• TimeStack multi-timer

Organization

Go Vertical, young man!

Utensil rack

I spent a decade of hunting through containers looking for my spatula. Now that I have a utensil rack, I'll never go back.

Utensil racks are dirt cheap, easy to install, and eliminate the need to hunt for the tool you need right now.

• Towers
• Recipe stands

Souper Cubes

Souper Cubes changed everything for me.

Ever open a freezer where everything is jumbled together and you have no idea what’s at the bottom or how long it’s been there? Souper Cubes are a great answer for this. Made from high-quality silicone that can go from oven to freezer, they will reorganize both your freezer and your life.

Label Maker

The best label maker is the one you happen to have when you need it.

There are expensive label makers and cheap ones, each with their own pros and cons. I've tried several and am not ready to endorse a particular brand yet, but I will say make sure the labels they produce are resilient, water-proof, and easy to remove without leaving glue behind.

I will endorse the fact that once you start labeling, you won't be able to stop.

Cooking Enhancements

Towels

"A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have."

— Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I've bought my fair share of oven gloves, and I keep some around for guest cooks who want them, but finally I have succumbed to the wisdom of line cooks everywhere, and now I just use towels. They should always be within arm's reach. Real cooks carry one draped over their shoulder.

Towels are perfect for picking up a hot skillet, or pulling a pan from the oven, or even cleaning up that little spill. A proper towel has burn marks and tomato stains, marks of its service. If there's no towel nearby, it's time to panic.

Dutch Ovens

My La Creuset Dutch Ovens are the workhorses of my kitchen, often used several times a day, or even multiple times within the same recipe.

They do almost everything — stovetop, oven, frying, braising, holding large amounts of soup. The brand I use is expensive, though the per-use cost is pennies or less, as these things also last forever, but you can no doubt find cheaper ones. I can't imagine cooking without at least one Dutch oven on hand.

Air Fryer

An air fryer is essentially a compact, high-powered convection oven, and that’s exactly why it earns a permanent place in my kitchen. It heats up quickly, uses less energy than a full oven, and is perfect for small or fast jobs where firing up the main oven would be overkill.

For many dishes it produces better results than a microwave or stovetop reheating. Leftover meats crisp up again, vegetables roast quickly, and frozen foods cook evenly without turning soggy. It also excels at tasks like crisping chicken skin, roasting small batches of vegetables, or finishing dishes that benefit from a blast of hot circulating air.

Unlike stove ovens that tend to heat slowly and have inaccurate temperatures due to their size, air fryers heat quickly and use precise temperatures, as well as allowing you to specify the cooking time.

Second oven

In the past, many stoves came with two or even three ovens. The designers understood that when cooking a large meal, one oven is rarely enough.

Today you can recreate that flexibility with a variety of countertop tools: air fryers, toaster ovens, or combination countertop ovens. Whatever form it takes, having a second oven available dramatically reduces friction in the kitchen, especially when multiple dishes need different temperatures or timing.

Sous Vide

A low-cost and indispensable tool for modern cooking, providing low-temperature precision heat that simply wasn’t possible in the past. Many of my recipes wouldn’t be possible — at at least as good — without it.

There are many options available and most are reasonably inexpensive. The main thing to look for is a unit that doesn’t require online connectivity to function. You should be able to turn it on, set the temperature and time, and let it do its thing.

My current preference is Anova, which includes an online component but works perfectly well if you ignore it.

Check out Sous Vide for complete coverage.

• Non-stick baking pans
• Tongs and tweezers
• Squeeze bottles