Most pepper mills (this model also grinds spices) take forever to grind just one tablespoon. This new design—which we developed with Kuhn Rikon—is easy to use and produces all the spice you can use quickly and easily. Its innovative back-and-forth ratchet action is easier than a twist-style mill, especially for those with hand issues. The precision ceramic grinder is effective and durable, and the front-loading hopper is far easier than top-loading grinders, where half the spices inevitably spill during filling. Perhaps our favorite feature is the removable bottom container, which makes it easy to measure and transport spices to a stovetop pot or mixing bowl.

Also known as a “wok shovel,” this broad, short spatula perfectly fits the radius of our wok and is an essential tool for the quick movements of stir frying and sautéing. It’ll also work well with most any stainless or cast-iron skillet, much less looks tidy enough for tableside serving.

The gritty texture of Skeppshult's hand-held grinder makes it easier to coarsely grind spices and is designed so ingredients stay in a concentrated area for efficient crushing. The softly radiused iron base fits the hand well, and the walnut-wood top provides a better grip and looks beautiful. Weighing just over two pounds, it feels great, looks great and is a pleasure to use.

Our Traverse Power Whisk has a revolutionary flat, coiled design, which works faster than a balloon whisk to whip up egg whites or heavy cream. It has more concentrated tines, which are in constant contact with liquid to incorporate more air. Also, it will reach all the way to the edges of your saucepans and containers, unlike that awkward balloon whisk. Use it back and forth, not in a circular fashion, and see how much time and energy you will save on whisking. The traverse whisk is also versatile enough to emulsify pan sauces or blend batters—it’s the only whisk you’ll need. Try it in our Tangy Maple Whipped Cream.

A mandoline vegetable slicer by Japanese company Benriner is standard equipment in most Japanese homes and restaurant kitchens around the world. We prefer this tool’s simplicity, durability and efficacy over other more complicated models. It comes with three interchangeable blades: The fixed straight blade—which is also removable and replaceable, ensuring long-term durability—creates slices ranging from .5 mm to 5 mm. Use the dial on the underside of the mandoline to fine-tune and adjust the thickness of your slices. You can also screw in one of other two blades, which allow you to julienne or finely shred your vegetables. We especially love that the finger guard, which extends across the width of the entire blade, is easy to handle and keeps a firm grip on ingredients while slicing. Additionally, a non-skid base, safety handle and notches in the mandoline will keep the device steady whether you lay it across a bowl or prop it against a countertop.

The uniquely designed, compact design of this razor-sharp peeler gives you greater control and agility. It’ll make quick work of prepping most any vegetable and is perfect for cutting ribbons of carrots or curls of Parmesan or chocolate.

Protect your nonstick pans with our silicone-edged flexible spatula. An essential item for all home cooks, the ultra-thin design easily slides beneath delicate fish or chicken fillets and your morning eggs. Its stainless steel blade is sturdy enough to handle bigger items like steaks or pork chops, while its heat-resistant silicone edge won’t damage your nonstick pans as you’re scraping. The handle of this spatula has an open design that makes it easy to hang, so you can always keep it nearby.

When Andrea Nguyen, author of The Pho Cookbook, visited Milk Street recently, she used this mesh spider/strainer to cook a small portion of noodles in the same pot she also was using to cook vegetables. This was new to us and we immediately fell in love with this inexpensive kitchen tool for cooking small portions of pasta, blanching vegetables and even deep frying. Made from stainless steel, it has a wooden handle and two hooks for hanging on the side of a large saucepan or stockpot. 

• Overall Size of Strainer - 16 x 5.5 x 5.5 Inches
• 6 Inch Strainer Basket
• Price is for one strainer

Protect your nonstick pans with our silicone-edged flexible spatula. The ultra-thin design easily slides beneath delicate fish or chicken fillets and your morning eggs.

Oregon-based Work Sharp’s newest electric knife sharpener is small enough to fit in a drawer and more economical than other systems, designed for home cooks who want the best for their knives without a learning curve. Using flexible abrasive disks that sharpen knives gently yet produce a fine edge, the E2 is excellent for everyday kitchen knives. Precisely angled guides and automated timing ensure complete and accurate sharpening with no guesswork—simply turn it on and run your knife through. Choose the upgraded model for an additional angle guide for pocket knives, two speed options, and an upgraded motor for thicker blades.

Homemade sauerkraut and kimchi are made safe and easy with this home fermentation kit. The set includes a three-liter glass fermenting jar—large enough to easily accommodate a large napa cabbage—as well as a silicone lid that seals more easily than twist-top metal lids. Simply slice vegetables, layer with spices and leave to soak in a brine solution. Kilner provides two ceramic stones that will keep your vegetables weighed down beneath the surface of the brine. Additionally, the airlock releases the carbon dioxide that results from fermentation without letting in any oxygen. We love to make homemade kimchi and we use it with our Pork and Kimchi Stew (Kimchi Jjigae) or Kimchi and Bacon Fried Rice; the pickled napa cabbage also serves as a spicy, crunchy key element of our Sesame Stir-Fried Pork with Shiitakes. Or make fresh sauerkraut, whose bright and clean flavor is far superior to store-bought canned and jarred varieties; it's perfect for dishes like our Paprika-Caraway Kielbasa Soup. And don't worry—the Kilner fermentation set is large enough that you will have plenty of homemade pickles for snacking even after you use them generously in recipes.

No more scrambling to find the right lid for your pot or pan: Kuhn Rikon's Smart Lid has a stepped edge that fits cookware between 9 and 11 inches in diameter, and the silicone material provides a tight seal. We especially love the ingenious steam valve built into the lid handle, which adapts to a number of cooking methods. You can set it to the off position to seal in moisture (such as for steaming) or set it to automatic, and the lid will release steam as needed—as opposed to the vents on other lids that stay open and might let out too much moisture. The lid’s convenient glass center allows you to keep an eye on cooking food, and the flower-shaped handle makes the lid easier to grip and maneuver.

The fine-wired basket of this skimmer is ideal for fishing foods out of hot oil, bubbling broth and boiling water. We also like using it for stirring short or chunky pasta shapes.

This is our version of one of our favorite kitchen tools, the fish spatula. Flexible and thin, it’s a do-it-all tool for sautéing, grilling, baking—even stirring pasta. The thin, angled edge can work its way underneath the most stuck-on or delicate foods.

This durably built 0.9-gallon Korean container is designed for fermenting kimchi, sauerkraut or pickles and is a breeze to use. The double lid locks tightly and is effective for containing odors, while the sturdy polypropylene construction scrubs up beautifully. The inner vacuum lid sits snugly on top of the fermenting products, preventing oxygen contact, which can lead to mold growth and spoilage; it also has a small covered valve that you can unseal to vent carbon dioxide buildup during fermentation.

These shears have a heavy-duty build and comfortable rubber-edged handles, so they are a pleasure to use—I can spatchcock a chicken in mere seconds and don’t feel as if I just had my hand put through the wringer! The 3.5-inch cutting edge is relatively short compared to the weight and length of the rest of the scissors, which means you can exert a lot of force without a lot of effort (much like having a long, heavy crowbar to turn over a rock). And they easily come apart for cleaning but will not fall apart during use, unlike some models. You can also use these shears for cutting up a chicken or trimming off fat or bones. Hands down, this is my favorite pair of poultry shears. — Christopher Kimball

Every element of these stainless steel measuring spoons was thoughtfully designed to conveniently reach the bottoms of your most narrow spice containers, from the oval bowl to the long, slender handle. Their durable stainless steel feels sturdy and balanced in the hand, and the contours of the handle are comfortable to grip. We especially like that the spoons feature a gentle curve at the end that keeps them upright on countertops—no more spilled salt—and helps the spoons neatly nest into each other for compact storage.

If you’ve invested in good-quality knives and want to keep them in tip-top shape, we can’t recommend Oregon company Work Sharp’s E5 Sharpening System highly enough. Our No. 1 choice for sharpening knives at home, it features a unique timer-driven belt system that works exactly like a professional sharpener’s grinder, putting a fine razor edge on blades without removing too much metal (the problem with other electric grinders). And with three timed settings, you won’t need to worry about under-sharpening or over-sharpening. The E5 is available on its own or bundled together with Work Sharp’s M3 Knife Sharpener, which is a classic honing rod made simpler to use.