We’ve Tested Hundreds of Cooking Tools—Here’s All the Gear Beginner Cooks Need

You can cook in any kitchen with the right gear. But building your toolkit from scratch can be intimidating. What are the true kitchen essentials? What cookware and utensils do you really need? And how much do you have to spend? If you’re currently shopping for kitchen basics, you’ll want to keep reading. I’ve compiled a list of the true essentials from our tested reviews—including pots and pans, bakeware, and knives—and kept prices to a minimum. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or someone else, here’s everything you need to get cooking. 

Knives

A Sharp Chef’s Knife

Mercer Culinary 8-Inch Millennia Chef's Knife

$19

$17 at Amazon View on Webstaurant Store View on Walmart

This is the number one kitchen essential. Every cook needs a sharp chef’s knife, and our editors have recommended this one from Mercer for years. It’s the cheapest chef’s knife in our review, but it’s a high achiever. It has a full tang—the blade goes all the way into the handle in one solid piece—and it’s comfortable to hold. It’s a fantastic starter blade.

A Sturdy Bread Knife

Dexter-Russell Basics 10-Inch Bread Knife With Black Polypropylene Handle

$30

$20 at Amazon View on Webstaurant Store View on Culinarydepotinc.com

Please don’t try to slice bread with a chef’s knife. Serrated knives have teeth that grip into and cleanly cut bread. This Dexter-Russell knife is especially good at tackling crusty loaves, like sourdough. It costs right around $20—pretty great for a staple piece, if you ask me.

A Nimble Paring Knife

Victorinox 3.25-Inch Paring Knife

$14 at Amazon View on Webstaurant Store $13 at Walmart

Paring knives are a must-have. While chef’s knives can handle a lot, paring knives are better for nimble, delicate work (think: segmenting citrus or hulling strawberries). You don’t have to spend a lot on one, though. The Victorinox made it to the winners’ list in our review and has been an editor favorite for years. Its stainless steel blade is incredibly durable.

Basic Gear

A Grippy Cutting Board

OXO Good Grips Plastic Utility Cutting Board

$21 at Amazon $18 at Webstaurant Store $23 at Walmart

Wooden cutting boards are long-lasting. But they can cost a lot and require maintenance, like regular oiling. If you’re just starting out, pick up an affordable plastic cutting board that can be run through the dishwasher. I recommend the OXO Good Grips plastic cutting board. One of the sides has a juice groove, which is handy for slicing meat or ripe citrus. It’s been beloved by Serious Eats editors ever since we first reviewed plastic cutting boards in 2022 (though it has been recently redesigned).

A Kitchen Scale

Escali Primo Digital Food Scale

$30

$27 at Amazon $33 at Sur La Table $27 at Home Depot

Measuring cups and spoons are good in a pinch, but want to know a secret? The easiest way to improve your cooking and baking is by weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale. (That’s one of the first things I learned in culinary school!) This budget option from Escali is an outstanding choice. It doesn’t have a ton of flashy features, but it’s accurate and doesn’t auto-shut off until four minutes have passed.

A Y-Peeler

Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler, Pack of 3

$18

$15 at Amazon

Happily, great vegetable peelers don’t cost a lot. Pro chefs love the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler because it’s easy to use, affordable, and sharp. What more could you ask for from such an essential tool?

Our Favorite Can Opener

OXO Good Grip Soft Handle Manual Can Opener

$20 at Amazon $20 at Sur La Table $20 at Home Depot

Poorly made can openers don’t latch onto cans and rust easily. Invest in a good one and you’ll never have to replace it. The OXO Good Grips can opener won our review. The wide plastic knob is easy to turn and reduces hand fatigue. And those grippy handles? Very enjoyable to use! This is the can opener I own at home, and I’ve never regretted buying it.

A Versatile Wooden Spoon

FAAY Teak Cooking Spoon

$13 at Amazon

Silicone spatulas (see below) are handy, but I like wooden spoons better. They can stir, scrape, scoop, and serve. How’s that for versatile? You can spend a small fortune on a pretty wooden spoon, but if you’re just looking for utility, get this one. It’s made from teak, which is naturally water-resistant, so it’ll last longer than hardwoods. If you don’t plan on using your spoon to serve food, consider getting a spurtle instead: It can’t be beat for stirring.

A Flexible Spatula

OXO Good Grips Silicone Everyday Spatula

$14

$13 at Amazon View on Webstaurant Store View on The Container Store

There’s one thing silicone spatulas can do that wooden spoons can’t: handle the heat. Flexible spatulas are cooks’ choice for cooking over high heat. Silicone can withstand high temperatures. The tapered head on this one is ideal for reaching into crevices, and the entire spatula can handle heat up to 600˚F. Perfect if you (like me) tend to walk away from your pan with the spatula hanging out inside it. 

A For-More-than-Just-Fish Fish Spatula

Winco Fish Spatula

$10 at Amazon View on Walmart View on Katom.com

Yes, you do need a fish spatula. Yes, my prescription still stands if you never cook fish. They’re more flexible and thinner than food turners, which means they’re better at seamlessly sliding underneath delicate foods, like pancakes. Just don’t use your fish spatula (or any metal utensil) on nonstick cookware. This one from Winco costs almost $60 less than the other winners from our review.

Locking Tongs

OXO Good Grips 12-Inch Tongs

$18 at Amazon View on Sur La Table View on Walmart

It’s been almost a decade since Serious Eats first tested tongs, but this set has topped our list every year. Why do we love them so much? The handles are made from grippy plastic, and there’s a quick-release lock. They’re so strong that they can pick up a whole chicken without bending or bowing. Prefer tongs with silicone tips? Get this set instead.

An Indestructible Colander

RSVP International Endurance Stainless Steel Colander

$33 at Amazon View on Walmart $39 at HSN

With the right colander, you can drain pasta and rinse produce. Metal is better than plastic because it’s truly heatproof. This colander’s holes are small enough that no food escapes, but water can still flow freely. In our tests, we even used it to drain tiny orzo pasta. The foot keeps backwash at bay, and the wide, easy-to-grip handles are the icing on the cake.

The Best Salad Spinner

OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner

$33 at Amazon $33 at Target $33 at Sur La Table

For years, I rinsed greens in a colander. It wasn’t until I bought a salad spinner that I realized I’d been missing out. My salads had been so soggy! A good salad spinner wicks away every last drop of moisture from lettuce, spinach, and more. You can’t go wrong with this classic salad spinner. It has one job and does it well. But if you have a little room to spend, I recommend getting this upgraded version. It’s made from glass and doubles as a pretty serving bowl.  

An Accurate Instant-Read Thermometer

Thermoworks ThermoPop 2

$47

$38 at Amazon View on Thermoworks

Never second-guess yourself again when cooking meat, bread, and baked goods. An instant-read thermometer gives you accurate readings in a second or two. The Thermopop 2 is unbeatable when it comes to value. It’s almost as quick as the iconic (yes, iconic) Thermapen ONE, but it costs less. But both options are small enough to tuck into any utensil drawer.

Cookware

A Have-Forever Dutch Oven

Lodge EC6D33 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

$100

$78 at Amazon $120 at Home Depot View on Webstaurant Store

Dutch ovens have a reputation for being really pricey. But that’s just some Dutch ovens. My colleague Grace recommends a few budget-friendly options that performed neck-and-neck with the big hitters from Le Creuset and Staub. This Lodge model browned meat evenly and heated up quickly. It may not be as durable (it chipped a little in her tests), but it costs hundreds less than the bigger-name brands.

A Surprisingly Affordable Cast Iron Skillet

Lodge Chef Collection 10-Inch Cast Iron Skillet

$30

$23 at Amazon $40 at Home Depot View on Walmart

If I could only cook in one pan for the rest of my life, it’d be my cast iron skillet. Over time, it’s built up a patina that makes it naturally nonstick. It gets ripping hot and creates a beautiful sear on meat. You too can enjoy this pan perfection. Serious Eats’s favorite cast iron skillet is (by a landslide) the around-$25 Lodge. Worried about keeping it clean? Follow these rules and you’ll have it forever.

A Well-Balanced Stainless Steel Pan

Tramontina 80116/005DS Gourmet Stainless Steel Induction-Ready Tri-Ply Fry Pan 10 Inches

$40 at Amazon $55 at Target $35 at Wayfair

Stainless steel skillets heat up faster than cast iron, and they’re more responsive (meaning they’re quicker to gain or lose heat), which makes them ideal for sautéing and stir-fries. When my colleagues tested stainless steel pans, the Tramontina performed on par with more expensive pans. Its weight is nicely distributed between the cooking surface and the handle, and it exhibited no brown spots during testing. To maintain your pan for years to come, hand-wash it—even if the manufacturer says it’s dishwasher-safe.

A Serious Eats-Favorite Nonstick Frying Pan

Tramontina 10-Inch Professional Aluminum Nonstick Restaurant Fry Pan

$45 at Amazon $45 at Target View on Walmart

Serious Eats editors agree: While a nonstick pan isn’t our first choice, it’s the only pan we want for some tasks. Scrambled eggs and crepes come to mind. The key to buying a good nonstick pan is not to spend too much! The nonstick coating degrades over time, so you should plan on replacing your pan every couple years. This one from Tramontina works great and won’t break the bank.

A Big Stockpot

Vigor 12-Quart Aluminum Clad Stainless Steel Stockpot

View on Webstaurant Store

You likely won’t use your stockpot every day. In fact, I don’t even pull mine down from its shelf weekly. But when I need it, nothing else will do. A big stockpot—12 quarts is plenty—is the best pot for making stock (duh) and broth or boiling lobsters. You can cook soup or chili in them, too. The Vigor is shorter and wider than traditional stockpots, making it much more pleasant to cook in.

Bakeware

Must-Have Sheet Pans

Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet

$28 at Amazon $43 at Sur La Table $18 at Home Depot

Whether you bake, cook, or just reheat leftovers, you need some sheet pans. (And P.S.: Cookie sheets aren’t sheet pans.) Sheet pans, also called baking sheets, have rolled, rimmed edges that keep food contained. That’s what makes them equally good for baking cookies and roasting vegetables. Pro tip: Get them in a few sizes: traditional half-sheets, quarter-sheets (great for cooking for one or two), and eighth-sheets (ideal for food prep).

A Wire Cooling Rack

Mrs. Anderson's Baking Half Sheet Baking and Cooling Rack

$12

$10 at Amazon

Cool it down over there! (Heh.) Good cooks know how versatile a cooling rack is. Of course, they’re handy for letting baked goods cool. But did you know that they can also fit into sheet pans and some roasting pans, making them ideal for roasting chicken and other meat? The increased airflow allows for more evenly browned skin.

A Set of Mixing Bowls

Vollrath 5 Piece Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set

View on Webstaurant Store

Buy just one mixing bowl, and I guarantee it’ll always be dirty when you need it. This set of five stainless steel mixing bowls is ubiquitous in professional kitchens, but it’s not because it’s fancy. In fact, these bowls are cheap, easy to clean, and stackable. The thin, curved lip makes pouring drip-free, and they’re wide enough that whisking and stirring don’t feel awkward. They’re simply the best.

A Mesh Strainer for Baking and Beyond

OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Double Rod Strainer

$25 at Amazon $22 at Sur La Table View on Webstaurant Store

A mesh strainer steps in where a colander can’t. The tightly woven mesh traps unwanted material like fruit seeds or powdered sugar clumps. The best strainers have a large hook on the side opposite the handle for balancing, and are strong enough that they won’t fray after multiple uses. Our budget winner from OXO fits the bill.

A Comfortable Wire Whisk

Misen Stainless Steel Whisk

$19

$16 at Amazon View on Sears.com View on Kmart.com

Unless you’re a serious baker and sauce maker, you only need one whisk. My recommendation is a balloon whisk, which is good at aerating ingredients (like whipped cream) and emulsifying sauces (like mayonnaise). The winning whisk in our review is three inches at its widest, which allowed it to perform all tasks with equal aplomb. Its silicone handle is nice to hold, too!

FAQs

What are the basic kitchen essentials for college students?

Serveware may be more important than cookware, unless there’s a kitchen available. I recommend a really good soup bowl to start. But in terms of cooking tools, a plastic cutting board, a chef’s knife, and a stainless steel skillet will take you far.

What’s the kitchen essentials list for beginner cooks?

Just learning how to cook? You can cherry-pick items from this list, discarding any that don’t align with what or how you want to cook. When in doubt, choose stainless steel cookware. It’s long-lasting and isn’t fussy to keep clean. 

Why We’re the Experts

• Rochelle Bilow is an editor at Serious Eats. She’s tested hundreds of basic kitchen essentials for the site, including drip coffee makers and waffle makers.
• Rochelle is a former restaurant cook and editor at Bon Appétit magazine.
• At Serious Eats, we test hundreds of kitchen tools each year. We regularly update our reviews with new findings and recommendations.