The typical wok is lousy for home cooking. With a round bottom that doesn’t heat on a flat American burner, poorly conductive steel and low-quality construction, most woks don’t perform well enough to be worth the storage space. That’s why we designed the Milk Street Hammered Wok specifically for American home cooks. After dozens of hours testing 10 woks of varying shapes, sizes and materials, we understand the features that make a great wok. Our redesigned 13-inch wok has high-quality construction, oversized handles for better control, a special dimpled surface for nonstick cooking and a tight-fitting tempered glass lid. It will last a lifetime, and it’s guaranteed to improve your day-to-day cooking.

Buying the right pie pan is hard—between decorative options that look nice on the table but underperform and utilitarian steel or glass pans that are flimsy and don’t last, options for a solid, beautiful pie pan that will deliver every time are limited. To take the guesswork out of buying the right one, we designed our own. Made of high-quality enameled steel sourced from Türkiye, the home of the world’s best enamelware, it far surpasses glass and stoneware options, which may not conduct heat properly, leading to soggy-bottomed pies. The steel core conducts heat efficiently and evenly, for a browned, perfectly cooked crust every time (so you can finally cook your pies without blind baking them first). Enamelware is one of the original nonstick cookware options, so your pies will slice neatly; no risk of sticking to the pan, and it’s easy to clean. It’s extremely durable—sturdier than many cheap, light options on the market—and it’s resistant to high temperatures up to 450°F.

Most peelers do a lousy job. The blades are made of inferior steel so they do not peel easily and the peel itself is often too thick. The blades dull over time so you have to throw it out. Many designs have uncomfortable handles or the handles are awkward since they are not aligned properly with the blade. And when it comes to thick, tough skins such as butternut squash, you might as well give up before you start. That is why we just redesigned the peeler, using top-grade 420 stainless steel for the replaceable blade (why don’t all peelers have replaceable blades?) and a handle that is big enough for a firm, easy grip. Try it just once and you will find that it peels like cutting through butter. It’s that good!

Here at Milk Street, we’re big proponents of cooking with cast iron to get a good sear on food—which is why we designed our Cast Iron Sizzling Plate. The thin yet sturdy construction heats up quickly—over any burner or grill—and holds its heat well. The cast iron surface, when taken care of, prevents foodstuffs from sticking, so you can get an excellent sear on scallops, fish, jumbo shrimp, chicken, pork, steak, vegetables and more. With its sturdy birch wood base and detachable handle, the griddle can also easily be brought to the table and used as much as a hot plate as a cooking pan. Heat it in the oven and fill it with appetizers like warm, spiced nuts or baked feta drizzled with fruity olive oil, herbs and pepper flakes. Or use it to serve sizzling fajitas or stir-fried noodles. Plus, the ingenious handle removes easily for serving and storage.

Here at Milk Street, we’re big proponents of cooking with cast iron because it heats evenly and retains that heat—which is why we designed our own pot for the ideal solution for soups and stews. Our Cast Iron Furusato is modeled after the traditional pot used for Japanese nabe (hot pot), but its durable cast-iron craftsmanship and stunning wooden lid carved from Japanese cedar make it a candidate for everyday use. Sturdy yet light enough to use often, it’s equipped with a swinging handle for easy maneuvering. Plus, unlike some furusato pots, this one is compatible with any stovetop, and it comes with a small silicone pot holder.

Inspired by the communal style of grilling thinly sliced meats, our Cast Iron Stovetop Korean Barbecue brings the experience of Korean barbecue to your table. Simply place thinly sliced meat on the ridged, domed center—the juices will slide down into a reservoir, where vegetables pick up that flavor as they cook. The cast-iron construction means the grill heats evenly and retains that heat well even after it’s removed from the source. It fits well over any type of burner or cooktop, including portable stoves, so you can use it just about anywhere. And besides grilling sliced meats, it’s also great for thin fish filets, sliced vegetables, flatbreads, tortillas and more—perfect for entertaining groups. Plus, two side handles make for easy maneuvering.

Rinsing your rice is a crucial step in most recipes to prevent a gluey, sticky result, but most traditional colanders aren’t designed for small grains. That’s where Milk Street’s Rice Washer comes in. With small holes and a perforated pouring spout at the top, this colander keeps rice inside and lets the cloudy water drain out easily. The colander works just as well to rinse fruits and vegetables, and raised bumps on the bottom add a bit of friction to help wash especially dirty produce like turnip greens or bok choy. And the silicone base and handle allows for extra grip during even the most slippery task.

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.

Our five-ply cookware has three layers of aluminum sandwiched between two layers of nonreactive stainless steel. The aluminum core heats evenly and retains that heat well, eliminating hot spots, while the magnetic stainless steel exterior makes this premium cookware ideal for any cooking surface, including induction cooktops. The skillet's heavy-duty construction also ensures that it won't warp over time, unlike thin metal pans that become raised in the center. And the rounded, oven-safe handle feels comfortable and well-balanced in the hand, even when handling a full pan of food; plus, the handle's hollow core is lightweight and stays cool during stovetop cooking. We use an 8-inch skillet for a wide range of kitchen tasks from toasting nuts and spices, to breakfast duty, to omelets, to smaller jobs such as steak for one.

The one kind of knife missing from most Western kitchens is one of the most used in Japan—a midsized, multipurpose utility knife bigger and stronger than a paring knife but smaller and more manageable than a chef’s knife. Why Western cooks typically don’t have such a knife is beyond us, so we took months to design our own. The result is the Kitchin-kiji—the ultimate all-purpose utility knife that will speed up your prep. It’s perfect for all the “in-between” jobs, small enough for detailed handwork like slicing garlic and shallots, trimming mushrooms or cutting fruit. Plus, we designed it with a broad blade to be large enough that it won’t twist, and the larger handle fills the hand for a confident grip.

The serrated Milk Street Kitchin-tan utility knife will be the most useful knife in your kitchen. It’s a pinch-hitting wonder that spans the gap between a chef’s knife and paring knife. It’s long enough for many big tasks, but small enough for detail work. We’ve taken the proven shape and functionality of the Kitchin-tan and added a maintenance-free serrated edge. The grippy razor teeth effortlessly slice though anything and everything: thick-skinned tomatoes and peppers, fibrous broccoli stems and asparagus stalks, rubbery citrus peels. You’ll be amazed at how often you use this knife.