19 of the most useful kitchen appliances and tools, as recommended by professional chefs

8-inch KnifeThese knives came into my life through a subscription service and I am obsessed. They're gorgeous to look at but more importantly have a hand feel unlike anything else I've ever used.They're light Japanese steel and have a full tang that's so well balanced the knife almost becomes a part of your hand. The handle is grippy in a pleasant way and is perfect for those of us with small hands. The real clincher though, is how durable these blades are. I am terrible at knife maintenance and these are still incredibly sharp after six months of constant use. —Tarran Hatton, Executive Pastry Chef at BlissBombRead our review of Material Kitchen hereHamilton Beach Dual Breakfast Sandwich MakerWe use this device all the time now because, for some reason, mornings are extremely busy at our house. The Hamilton Beach sandwich maker is fast and easy to use, healthy, and very versatile. Plus, it is very easy to clean. The kids can even jump in and help, which is great, and it gets them learning in the kitchen.In addition to making sandwiches, I love using this device to make waffle s'mores (Delysia vanilla marshmallows and s'mores chocolate bark are my kids' favorite combination) and chocolate molten lava cake. —Nicole Patel, Owner and Chef at Delysia ChocolatierRead our review of the Hamilton Beach Single Breakfast Sandwich Maker hereLodge Cast Iron Skillet (12-inch) My cast iron skillet is by far my most utilized kitchen tool. It gives me those caramelized flavors that I've become accustomed to in my restaurant. It moves from the stovetop to the oven. It's big enough for a one-pan meal for a few people. And, once your skillet is well seasoned, the clean up is fairly quick. —Robert Guimond, Chef at Public Display of AffectionRead our review of the Lodge cast iron skillet hereAnova Precision CookerThe immersion circulator is my absolute favorite kitchen gadget ever created. It's a great tool for infusions to impart the purest flavors into oils, spirits, and syrups in a surprisingly short amount of time. Also, nothing is better than sous vide rib eye. —Sharon Yeung, Bar Manager at The Roosevelt RoomRead our review of the Anova Precision Cooker Pro hereKitchenAid Classic Plus Series Tilt-Head Stand Mixer (4.5-quart)My favorite and probably one of the most versatile appliances has to be the KitchenAid stand mixer. On its own, the stand mixer can be used to knead dough with the hook attachment and to emulsify aioli with the whisk attachment.And with all of the other attachments you can purchase, such as the meat grinder or pasta extruder, it's easily my favorite tool and the appliance that is used the most in my kitchen. —Marco Arreguin, Executive Creative Chef at Puesto Read our review of the KitchenAid stand mixer hereKitchenAid Pro Line Series Blender with Thermal Control JarLately, my blender has been in overdrive! I recently gave birth (surprise! 6 weeks early) to my daughter, and she's currently in the NICU. Every morning I make myself a big smoothie full of fresh fruits, frozen bananas, whatever greens I have on hand, a scoop of vegan protein powder, and almond milk and blend it all together to drink on the way to the hospital.I love this blender because it makes smoothies perfectly smooth — no big chunks that get stuck in the straw. Plus, it's the same one we use to make our cookie dough milkshakes at the shop — I highly recommend it. —Kristen Tomlan, founder of DŌ, Cookie Dough Confections J.B. Prince Chef Gray Kunz Sauce SpoonMy favorite kitchen tool is the Gray Kunz sauce spoon (regular size) — it's the number one tool I use. It's great for home cooks because it's bigger than a regular spoon so it helps you plate efficiently, and it's great for getting sauces out of pans and pouring them over your vegetables. It has a simple, beautiful design and is the perfect shape and weight. —Donald Moore, Chief Culinary Officer at The Cheesecake FactoryMicroplane Premium Classic Zester GraterThis is such a basic tool and an amazing one that everybody should have in their kitchen toolbox. When the pandemic started, I couldn't find lemons anywhere. Finally, I was able to source a big bag of them at Costco – 40 lemons!I zested all the lemons right away using my microplane, drying the zest for future use. I use citrus zest often for cooking. It's a wonderful ingredient to include for added flavor when making things like lemon chicken, frozen lemonade, desserts, and even beverages. —Nicole Patel, Owner and Chef at Delysia ChocolatierI'm pretty into my microplane. It can add subtle flavors and finesse without any knife work. You can make garlic paste for sauteed vegetables, grate cheese over a salad, finish a dish with some lime zest. It's versatile and efficient. —Robert Guimond, Chef at Public Display of Affection Chefs Sophia Roe and Richard Rea also recommended this microplane. Always PanI was just recently introduced to this pan, and it's truly incredible. It's the perfect pan for someone who cooks a lot but has a small NYC kitchen. It's so easy to clean, and everything I have cooked in it comes out effortlessly. —Sophia Roe, ChefRead our review of the Always Pan hereKitchenAid Mini Food Chopper (3.5-cup)Most of the time I hand cut all of my vegetables and aromatics, but because I have three young boys and we entertain a lot, sometimes I need a little help in getting things done faster. For instance, when you're making a Bolognese and have to cut a lot of onions, carrots, and celery all at once, this is the perfect solution for helping to get it done quickly and consistently.A lot of people have large food processors and don't like to use them because they're hard to clean, but this is a great mini version for chopping everything from vegetables and nuts to making a great pesto. —Donald Moore, Chief Culinary Officer at The Cheesecake FactoryMedium Molcajete (8-inch)I had the pleasure of working in Indonesia for many years and really fell in love with the granite mortar and pestle. I do a lot of curry pastes and sambals from scratch at home and there is no substitute to this to get the texture right.From simply grinding spices on the fly to making herb pastes and curry pastes to crushing and chopping garlic, this does the lion's share of the work. Nothing beats a sambal or curry paste made from scratch, and this is the tool you need to do it right. —Jack Yoss, Chef and Director of Culinary Operations at Hai Hospitality Breville Control Grip Immersion BlenderI cannot stand pulling out tons of equipment for small tasks and this immersion blender lives both in my professional and home kitchens.Aside from being the best consumer-level immersion blender on the market (I love the flat head, which allows for exceptional pureeing, and the adjustable speed knob), it also comes with a small food processor attachment which is a lifeline during recipe development. —Tarran Hatton, Executive Pastry Chef at BlissBomb Read our review of the Breville immersion blender hereIndiaBigshop Traditional Indian Spice BoxThis Indian Spice Tin is one of my favorite kitchen tools that I use daily. While I come from a mixed European lineage (Italian, Polish, Dutch, Scottish, English, and more), my husband is 100% Indian and the first generation in his family to grow up in America (his parents moved to the USA in 1968, a few years before he was born).I learned how to cook authentic Indian food from his mother and quickly learned that, while you can use a dash of this or a pinch of that in Italian cooking with ingredients like basil and oregano, you must be more precise when using Indian spices as they are more potent and a little less forgiving.All the spices I need for family dinners conveniently fit into this single tin. I use them regularly for vegetarian meals, in addition to Indian dishes. —Nicole Patel, Owner and Chef at Delysia ChocolatierVictorinox Butcher Knife, Granton Edge (10-inch)I'm not impressed with the next cool knife design, I'm motivated by performance. I'm pitched countless next best thing knife designs, but that's all a waste if it doesn't work exactly how I want every time. If you want to buy a knife, ask a butcher. The stakes are too high in our work for even one false cut. —Pat LaFrieda, CEO of Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors Polyscience 300 Series Chamber Vacuum SealerWhile this vacuum sealer is certainly not cheap, it is a bargain when you consider its quality and capabilities. You can:Buy whole cuts of prime beef and break them down and freeze for later useMake large batches of sauce or soups then freeze themUse this to make quick picklesUse the marinate function to infuse marinade into any protein or vegetable prior to cookingUse it to ferment your own hot sauces or kimchi and to preserve vegetablesVacuum vegetables and fruits for compressed salads while compressing the vinaigrette directly into itThis appliance is great for sealing anything you want to freeze to avoid the kind of freezer burn that can result from using Ziplock bags. Use this vacuum sealer if you do home sous vide cooking. It is an extremely versatile and professional piece of equipment. —Jack Yoss, Chef and Director of Culinary Operations at Hai Hospitality OXO SpiralizerThis is a great tool for sprucing up any veggie dish that might have been traditionally chopped. By turning your veggies into noodles or spirals, you can transform any meal into a new exciting dish. Whether it be a cold zucchini pesto pasta or a spiralized crispy potato, the spiralizer is a must-have in any home or professional kitchen. —Richard Rea, Executive Chef at The Butcher's Daughter Crock-Pot Round Manual Slow Cooker (3-quart)The two kitchen appliances I use most often are a KitchenAid mini food chopper and a Crock-Pot. As a chef, I love cooking but hate cleaning. Whenever I cook at home, these two gadgets are my lifesavers, because I can do great stuff while minimizing cleanup time.I love the mini chopper to make pestos and sauces in general. I use if to make everything — even pie doughs — without creating a mess on my counter.Crock-Pots are great because they're affordable, they require little prep and cleanup, and everything comes out great. I love to marinate a piece of pork butt and just throw it in there and forget about it. I love the way the meat turns out super tender, and once it's done, you can use it for an array of applications.Also, the Crock-Pot is great for cooking cheap cuts of meat. You can then use your imagination and create different sauces (use your mini food chopper for this) and accompaniments to end up with a complete and fun meal. —Hilda Ysusi, Executive Chef and Owner at Broken BarrelSilpat Nonstick Silicone Baking MatI roast constantly, even in the summertime. I love to make a sheet pan of roasted veggies for on-the-go. I also make popcorn about twice a week and use a sheet pan to evenly season my popcorn. It's safe to say I am a high-volume sheet pan user.Instead of going through endless rolls of parchment paper or aluminum foil, I find these nonstick mats to be perfect! They're the easiest thing in the world to clean, and they last forever. —Sophia Roe, Chef OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Angled Measuring Cup SetThis 3-piece liquid measuring cup set from OXO is a must-have in the kitchen. I use them nearly daily in my kitchen at home, and we use them (and abuse them) in the bakery when we're making batch after batch of cookie dough.They are durable and easy to wash (which is huge!), and I love that they are slanted and easy to read. The three sizes mean you'll always have the perfect option on hard for whatever you're making, big or small. —Kristen Tomlan, founder of DŌ, Cookie Dough Confections

19 of the most useful kitchen appliances and tools, as recommended by professional chefs

A sharp and balanced chef's knife

An all-in-one sandwich maker

A versatile cast iron pan

A high-tech sous vide machine

The classic KitchenAid stand mixer

A powerful blender

A sauce spoon that makes plating easy

A microplane

A ceramic nonstick pan you can use to cook everything

A mini food processor to speed up tasks

A traditional mortar and pestle

A blender that doesn't take up much space

A stainless steel tin that stores spices and keeps them fresh

A knife that butchers love and rely on

A high-end vacuum sealer

A spiralizer to create beautiful ribbons of vegetables

A slow cooker

A baking mat you can use over and over again

Angled measuring cups that let you clearly read measurement markings