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1. A stainless-steel garlic press that minces a clove of garlic in seconds. This easy-to-use press is a must for stir-fries, veggie sides, and anything else that benefits from a bit of oniony flavor. It even peels the garlic for you and features a swing-out sieve for an easy cleanup.
2. A striking teak cutting board so you can slice steak (against the grain, duh) like a pro. This durable piece even has hand grips on either side so you can move it swiftly, and it can withstand plenty of use while being easy on your knives. It's obviously suitable for a wide range of other foods (like bread and veggies) as well.
3. A smart oven air fryer for when you want to cook pretty much anything. In addition to its air-frying capabilities, this powerhouse of an appliance can make pizza, roast vegetables, bake a potato, warm a croissant, and do so much more.
Promising review: “This oven is fantastic! We had the previous version of this oven without the air fryer and loved it for years! We used it for roasting, broiling, and baking. It did everything a full-size oven can do, without heating up the entire kitchen. But I was really interested in the air fryer. It did not disappoint! So far, I've only used it to crisp up a leftover dosa from lunch, but it did the job perfectly in less than two minutes! I am looking forward to all the things I will be using it for. I have not made (or reheated) pizza yet, but I'm looking forward to that, too. Great purchase!” —Nikki G
Price: $349.95 (available in six colors)
4. A Le Creuset casserole dish if you want to show off your lasagna dishes, breakfast bakes, casseroles, and whatever else you've been cooking this fall. Made from premium stoneware, this scratch-resistant dish is suitable for the freezer, oven, microwave, and dishwasher, and looks great on a table to boot.
Promising review: “Love it! It's so deep and has a cover for cooking and storing. Cooks evenly. Cleans easily. This deep dish is the right size for a chicken pot pie, a chicken-mushroom lasagna, and a breakfast casserole that wouldn't fit in any other dish. Love this item! Worth the price.” —BikenL
Price: $115.96+ (available in 10 colors)
5. A bottle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil to drizzle on pasta or salad, roasted vegetables, eggs, or use to make your own marinade or dressing. This olive oil is cold-pressed and made with a combination of Italian and Spanish olives, giving it a bright and herbaceous flavor that’s wonderfully versatile. 🫒
6. A Vitamix blender that’ll help you make breakfast smoothies, refreshing soups for lunch, dips as a snack, and sauces or marinades to pair with dinner. With 10 speeds and a pulse option, you can also whip up nut butter, dips, sorbet, and more. Plus, the self-cleaning function makes cleanup a breeze.
Promising review: “I love this blender! It is very solid and heavy-duty. The blades are sharp to blend up anything you send its way. I like the variety of speeds, and my favorite is the self-cleaning option. Appliances are always hard to clean, but this one is very easy. The instructions for a quick start are very helpful too!” —Yasmeen L
Price: $379.95
7. And a farmhouse-style olive oil cruet to keep near the stove for all of your sauteing needs. This vessel comes with a cork to preserve freshness, and is dishwasher-safe. Not an oil fan? The cruet can also hold soy sauce or balsamic vinegar.
Promising review: "Looks great in my kitchen. Classic look with a modern flair." —Elizabeth T
Price: $34.95 (available in two colors)
8. A 12-inch cast-iron skillet from Staub, capable of giving you that perfect sear on steak or salmon. This versatile kitchen must-have can easily go from the stovetop to the oven, making it great for baking biscuits, eggs, and even a skillet cookie cake for dessert. Unlike other cast-iron cookware, this piece doesn’t require any additional seasoning thanks to its innovative enamel coating.
9. A slotted nonstick turner perfect for cooking eggs, burgers, fish fillets, and more. Shoppers love that this must-have utensil is easy to handle and can be thrown in the dishwasher after use.
Promising review: “These spatulas work great! They lift food from a skillet easily, and the non-stick surface is perfect. Turning food, such as pancakes or a grilled cheese sandwich, is easy. These are workhorses in my kitchen.” —Gwendolyn R
Price: $24.95
10. A set of two fresh waffle kitchen towels to clean up any of those unavoidable kitchen messes. These pretty towels are absorbent enough to tackle a variety of spills, yet gentle enough to dry dishes. Plus, they come in a bevy of colors to match your kitchen decor and are so much better than the ratty towels you've been refusing to replace...
Promising review: “I have had these towels for over a year. They are very absorbent, and I love them. I use them for drying dishes, cleaning up spills, taking pans out of the oven — everything for the kitchen. They wash easily, hold their shape, and have held up quite well.” —Jennifer G
Price: $24.95 (available in four colors)
11. A carbon-steel wok so you can whip up an array of restaurant-quality meals with ease. This pan boasts stellar heat distribution, making it ideal for scrumptious stir-fries, steaming vegetables, deep-frying chicken fingers, and more, and it will last you for years to come. Plus, shoppers are seriously impressed that it works on gas, electric, ceramic, and induction stove tops. Just note you’ll need to season this wok with cooking oil first for the best results.
12. A KitchenAid stand mixer for when you need help making cakes, pies, and even homemade bread. With 10 different speeds and a tilt-head that makes adding ingredients super simple, you may never put this appliance away. You can also buy separate attachments to make fresh pasta, whipped cream, ground meat, and more.
Promising reviews: “The KitchenAid mixer is a delight to work with. It has a strong motor. Consistent at all speeds and folds in mixes beautifully. I can recommend this mixer to any home baker. It's an important kitchen utility that works on its own.” —R Jennings M
"Just bought it last month. We have two attachments so far — ice cream and shaved ice. We use the Kitchenaid for meatloaf (to knead) and chicken and dumplings. It also makes delicious ice cream (not low-calorie), and the shave ice attachments come with two different blades (fine and coarse). We are taking the ravioli class at Sur La Table this week, so I reckon the pasta attachment is next. If you like to cook and get your hands a little dirty, this is a worthwhile purchase." —Sean P
Price: $499.95 (available in 14 colors)
13. A modern salt and pepper mill duo, in case you want to swap out your old set and kick things up a notch. Shoppers love that you can adjust the grind on each mill from fine to coarse, ensuring every meal is seasoned to perfection. Plus, they’re sleek enough to keep out on the table, too.
14. A hand-glazed pasta bowl to show off your carbonara, spaghetti alle vongole, and more. Each bowl is wide yet shallow, making it perfect for noodles, obviously, but they also work for salads, soups, and even oatmeal. Mix and match colors for a vibrant moment, or keep things simple and buy a set in one hue.
15. A set of six stainless-steel measuring cups because baking and cooking with the utmost accuracy is key. Even if you don’t cook that often, these are great for smoothies, desserts, and batch cocktails. Shoppers love that these are dishwasher safe, very durable, and versatile.
This set includes measuring cups in the following sizes: ¼ cup, ⅓ cup, ½ cup, ⅔ cup, ¾ cup, and 1 cup.
Promising reviews: "Great heavy-duty measuring cups. Good weight, don't fall over, and no concerns about the handles bending. It was a splurge, but I should have these forever." —Jennifer H
“Substantial build, sturdy, made to last. Measuring cup sizes are well marked and include corresponding metric measures. Bought these to replace an aging (40-plus years) plastic set. Nice to have a full set of six again.” —Magdalene V
Price: $69.95
16. An olivewood cook’s spoon for those recipes that require a ton of stirring. This durable spoon (which also happens to be nice to look at) is ideal for stirring soups or sauces, and it's great for scraping and serving foods like eggs or pasta salad.
17. A set of three shiny new sheet pans that’ll help you cook everything from cookies or pancakes to an easy sheet pan dinner. Each rimmed baking sheet boasts a fluted design and textured surface that allows food to cook evenly without sticking, making your life so much easier.
18. A mini pinch mitt so you can remove baking sheets and casserole dishes from the oven or toaster oven without burning yourself. Due to their smaller size, these mitts are easier to use than traditional ones, and are even great for handling simmering pot lids and hot toast.
19. A stylish mixing bowl to swap out the chipped one you’ve been using for too long. This stunner boasts an embossed pattern along the outside and is suitable for the dishwasher, oven, microwave, or freezer. Use it to make pancakes, hamburgers, pasta salad, and more.
Promising review: “Love this bowl! I make all of our bread because of food allergies, and I really needed a bowl that could hold a double batch of bread or rolls without overflowing. It's hard to find a nice big mixing bowl that you can be confident is lead free. This is perfect, and despite the large size, it's not too heavy. I also love that my kids can help me mix, and with the large bowl, I don't have to worry about them spilling.” —Jessica H
Price: $40+ (available in four sizes)
20. A classic chef’s knife fit for slicing, dicing, and chopping just about any food you can think of for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Crafted to last for years to come, this knife features a high-carbon steel blade that’s particularly wide, making it extra useful when transferring ingredients from the cutting board to the pan.
Promising review: “This knife feels great in my hand and cuts beautifully. I liked being able to choose from all of the colors.” —Elizabeth D
Price: $170 (available in five colors)
21. A stainless-steel colander with a 5-quart capacity, ideal if you need to drain pasta, rinse vegetables or berries, and more. This dishwasher-safe kitchen accessory boasts a handle on either side and has three feet on the bottom for added stability.
Promising review: “Excellent! Worth having a very well-made colander, which I have not appreciated until now. Great shape, superior finish, good size, and the supports keep it well above the sink bottom and allow it to fit neatly in the dishwasher.” —Sharon F
Price: $44.95+ (available in three sizes)
22. A 20-piece stainless-steel flatware set that looks like it came straight out of a French cafe. These utensils are bound to bring charm to your table, no matter what meal you're enjoying. Chances are you already have some standard silverware, but this chic set is great if you’re looking to switch things up!
23. A 10-piece stainless-steel cookware set from All-Clad to replace the mismatched pots and pans you've been cooking with for a decade. Each piece is compatible with any oven or stove top, a cinch to handle, and designed to heat a wide variety of foods evenly.
This set includes an 8-inch skillet, a 10-inch skillet, 2- and 3-quart saucepans with lids, a 3-quart sauté pan with a helper handle and lid, and an 8-quart stockpot with a lid.
Promising reviews: "Wonderful set of pots and pans — we love cooking with these; pans and food heat evenly, and they are beautiful as well."—Christina H
“I really enjoy cooking with the All-Clad D3 product set. My previous cookware was heavy, difficult to handle, and hard to clean. The D3 product heats well, is easy to handle and transfer, and is super easy to clean. It is a joy to cook again.” —Kenneth D
Price: $799.95 (originally $1,150)
24. A pair of silicone-tipped tongs for easily flipping food when cooking in a non-stick pan or tending to bacon on the stove or chicken on the grill. These 7-inch tongs are gentle on your meals and cookware (no scratches!) and are sturdy enough to serve pasta, veggie sides, and more.
Promising reviews: "I've got five of these! When we have company over for hors d'oeuvres, there is one for each dish. All those picky eaters who won't eat the carrot sticks because someone took one with their bare hand can now eat to their heart's content. Not to mention getting toast out of the toaster, or muffins out of the microwave, or a self-serve salad, etc. I use them all the time!" —Serge Z
“These small tongs enable you to pick up very small pieces of food without disturbing everything around it. REALLY! Best ones that I have ever found! The tips are silicone-tipped, which enables you to use them on any type of pan. They are also dishwasher safe!” —Jean R
Price: $14.95 (available in five colors)
25. A citrus-print apron that’ll make you look like a professional chef, no matter what meal you're cooking. Made from durable, heavyweight cotton, this apron is meant to protect your clothes from kitchen messes, and can be thrown in the wash once you’re done.
26. A mesh sieve in case you need to sift flour, rinse fresh produce, top your waffles with powdered sugar, or strain cheese. Shoppers love that this tool has a variety of uses and can be tossed in the dishwasher whenever you need to clean it.
Promising reviews: “This strainer is excellent for use when straining large quantities. It cleans easily by hand and comes out of the dishwasher shining. I highly recommend this item and wish I had bought it sooner!” —Mary L
"I like this small screen mesh. Easy to use. Easy to clean. Comfortable handle. Easy to balance atop a large measuring cup or mixing bowl." —Linda P
Price: $22.95+ (available in five sizes)
27. A set of two berry baskets you’ll definitely regret not purchasing sooner, because they keep berries fresh for a really long time. In other words, not only will these baskets save you money, but they’ll cut down on food waste, too. We love a win-win!
Promising reviews: "These are fantastic. My fresh fruit says fresh much longer." —Joe F
“These freshness boxes work great. My berries last all week now, and I save money by not wasting a single berry. So glad I bought them.” —Marjorie D
Price: $22.95
Want even more kitchen upgrade inspiration? We're here to help:
* Kitchen Tools That Aren’t Fancy, But Just Plain Work
* You’ve Gotta Eat, So Here’s 40 Things That’ll Make Fixing Food At Home A Lot Less Annoying
* Kitchen Products You Will Feel Oh So Clever For Owning
* Under-$25 Things That’ll Be Worth The Storage Space In Your Kitchen
* Kitchen Products That Reviewers Who Cook A Lot Swear By
Plus, finds from Amazon, Sur La Table, Walmart, and Wayfair.
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Reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.