Cuisipro Box Grater
This box grater features four cutting sides—coarse grate, medium grate, fine grate and slice—all made from etched metal, which increases each blade’s sharpness and durability, and they won’t buckle under pressure. And unlike other brands, which often have a thick frame of metal or plastic between each cutting surface, Cuisipro extends each of their grater's cutting surfaces to the edge: more area means easier slicing, quicker grating and less work, so you can tackle soft foods like certain cheeses and sturdy veggies like carrots with ease. Plus, there aren’t any extra nooks and crannies for bits of food to get stuck in, making for easier cleanup. Its ergonomic top handle is coated in comfortable, nonslip rubber, and the grater has a rubberized detachable base that holds it steady, measures volume and collects the gratings. You can simply grate, measure, remove and dump directly into your pan without extra fuss.
moHA! Ginger Grater
The moHA! ginger grater has blades that are arranged in all directions for steady grating, as opposed to a one-directional rasp grater. But like with a wand-style rasp grater, moHA!'s cutting surface is made of sharp and durable precision-cut stainless steel. When you rotate the device, an integrated cleaning arm sweeps in a circular motion to scrape shavings off the blade, so all of the grated food ends up in your recipe, not stuck in crevices. A small compartment catches food shavings, for less mess and easier measuring; plus, the concave sides are comfortable to hold and allow you to keep a firm grip on the grater during use. The moHA! Ginger Grater has pieces that detach easily for cleaning, but the device stays together during use. When you're done using it, simply disassemble and toss it in the dishwasher.
Microplane Garlic Slicer Mincer Set
The Garlic Slicer Mincer Set from Microplane perfectly marries form and function—with a shape that fits snugly in your hand and two different blades for mincing, grating and slicing notoriously unruly garlic into uniform pieces. Along with an integrated removable scraper and transparent collection chamber, it also features two different blades specially made for slicing and mincing. This tool can tackle three or more cloves at a time efficiently and safely without needing to contend with a heavy chef’s knife, precarious mandolin or even a cutting board, keeping your fingers away from danger (and that ever-lingering garlic odor).
And it’s not just efficient—thanks to Microplane’s thoughtful design, it’s also incredibly user-friendly: Simply attach the chute to your cutting plate of choice, then position both in the clear bottom cup. Add the peeled cloves to the chute and insert the plunger on the top handle into the shoot and then press gently with the lid and slide it back and forth along the cutting plate, watching as expertly-sliced garlic cascades into the cup—ready to be bloomed in butter to toss with pasta or pan-fried into savory garlic chips. When you’re done, use the scraper to sweep your fresh garlic from the cup and into your pan. Thanks to its stainless steel blades, the tool is dishwasher safe for easy cleanup—simply dismantle and toss in the top rack. You won’t have to worry about it’s pieces getting lost in your kitchen drawer either: Nestle the scraper back into the lid and click onto the base with the blades inside to compactly package the parts together.
Christopher Kimball for Kuhn Rikon Ratchet Grinder
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.
Suncraft Ever Peeler Replacement Blade
The blade is made from 440A stainless steel is normally used for high quality knives, so it stays sharp with daily use and slices through produce with the utmost ease, unlike other flimsy brands. It makes quick work of even the toughest, hard-skinned foods like butternut squash, breaking it down into paper-thin shavings. Find the Ever Peeler here. This is just the replacement blade.
Zulay Kitchen Metal Manual Citrus Press Juicer
This two-in-one manual juicer is the top choice of our kitchen team. Its lever-style design is much easier on the hands than a typical reamer style, which requires difficult pressing and twisting, and it’s more efficient than other similar juicers, which require you to buy and store multiple to get every size you need. Made from durable, industrial-grade aluminum, the Zulay’s unique dual-cup design can easily accommodate both lemons and limes. It also inverts the citrus as it juices, accessing spots inside the fruit that other juicers can’t quite reach and catching large pulp pieces and stray seeds along the way. Plus, it directs the juice stream downward, so no more splatter on countertops and clothing.
Zulay Garlic Rocker
While rocker-style garlic tools are fairly common on the market, we find this one especially sturdy and functional. It’s wide enough to tackle multiple cloves at once and the rocking motion is quite efficient—introducing multi-directional forces that make it easier to break down tough garlic as it gets pushed through the press’ mincing grate. It’s the same principle as using a knife properly: a straight-down slice with a chef’s knife takes much more effort than the down-and-forward motion of a rocking cut. With this tool, you’ll get garlic that’s uniform every time. The rubberized, ergonomic handle has a unique arched shape (as opposed to the usual skateboard-like one), which we love since you can use the tool with just one hand. This set also comes with a garlic scraper for removing the minced garlic from the press easier and faster as well as a silicone sleeve that, when filled with garlic and rolled under your palm, will peel the cloves.
Otoshibuta Adjustable Stainless Steel Drop Lid
In Japan, cooks have a clever tool for ensuring that simmering foods stay below the liquid instead of bobbing along the surface. They use an otoshibuta, or drop lid. Though drop lids are traditionally made of wood, we like this new and adjustable stainless steel version, designed to fit a variety of pot sizes. It also doesn’t absorb flavors the way wood can. To use, simply set the otoshibuta over food in simmering liquid, which weighs those items down just enough to keep them below the surface. The drop lid also forces liquid to circulate (so food is evenly covered with no stirring required), holds ingredients in place to prevent breakage and promotes faster cooking. We like to use them when blanching kale or chard, which can puff above boiling water, or when simmering black-eyed peas, lentils and other legumes to keep them fully submerged.
moHA! Foldable Potato Masher
Standard potato mashers are often too bulky and always end up crammed in our kitchen drawers, but this one folds flat so it doesn’t take up nearly any space! The oval-shaped blade grid make quick work of even the most unruly spuds and even other types of food. It’s constructed from sturdy stainless steel, so it will hold up to frequent use, and the silicone-coated, ergonomic handle makes it easy to use. Plus, the masher end is edged in silicone to protect the surface of your pot or pan while using the tool.
Crookedwood Hand-Sculpted Muddler
We found these cocktail muddlers from an artisan in Wisconsin, who individually sculpts each by hand to ensure a high-quality and unique product. The detailed contours of the handle make the muddler not only comfortable and easy to use but also beautiful for displaying on a bar cart. Crookedwood uses dense, lustrous hardwoods that are both attractive and durable.
Aux Co. Ltd. Oroshi Spoon
Made in Japan, this unique tool is designed to grate and zest easily without clogging up, thanks to its sharp blades set at a 60-degree angle. It cuts through ginger and other tougher foods well, while preventing waste thanks to its spoon shape. Simply grate directly onto the spoon and use it to stir your ingredient directly into whatever you’re making—the solid bottom also ensures all of the gratings are kept on the spoon. And the angle of the blades make it easy to clean.
Dreamfarm Brizzle Basting Brush
This ingenious silicone tool won a Good Design Award because it makes basting with pan juices, drizzling oil or brushing egg wash much easier, more efficient and less messy. The flexible brush head of the Brizzle by Dreamfarm includes a cup that bends to scoop up 1 tablespoon of liquid—the equivalent of 15 dips of a regular basting brush—from hard-to-reach corners without having to tilt a heavy baking dish or tray. Four holes hidden among the 100 bristles let the liquid drizzle through, making it easy to spread quickly over the surface. And a weighted curved handle keeps the brush head off the counter so it creates less mess. We especially love using it to baste pastries with melted butter or egg wash or to apply a thin layer of barbecue sauce to grilled meats. It’s also nonstick, won’t trap bacteria, dishwasher safe and heat resistant to 500°F. Choose from red or black to complement your kitchen decor.
Original Zeroll Ice Cream Scoop #1016
We’ve never scooped ice cream so easily! Made from sturdy aluminum alloy, this scooper is made to give you a lifetime of sundaes. It won’t bend or flake like plastic versions will and it’s also a single piece of material, with no tiny springs or mechanical parts that could get lost or broken. The Zeroll is resistant to corrosion, too. It does a great job at digging into even dense, high-fat ice creams like Häagen-Dazs easily thanks to its unique heat-conducting handle—which is also comfortable to hold. It’s filled with a special fluid that transfers your hand’s warmth to the dish of the scooper, so you can slide through the ice cream without having to heat the scoop beforehand. And not only does the Zeroll easily release your ice cream, but it makes stunning scoops every time. Its bowl allows the thick ribbon of ice cream to curl under itself using one or multiple passes (depending on your desired size), so it forms a perfect sphere. The Zeroll also doesn’t compress the ice cream like others can, so the texture is fluffy and the scoop is 20% larger than a typical one formed from a lesser scooper.
