These Are the Best Professional Kitchen Tools so You Can Feel Like a Chef at Home

Maybe you’ve worked in a professional kitchen or perhaps you’ve seen one on TV. Either way, you likely know how meticulous and thorough professional chefs can be. This precision often starts with the cooking tools they use, which help them cook with speed, accuracy, and consistency. As an order moves through the kitchen, it’s a combination of the chef's skills and tools that gets it onto a plate in a uniform and timely fashion.

While you may not have aspirations to be a professional chef, you can still cook like one at home with these 30 tested and approved kitchen tools.  We should know, we use them every day.

Basic Kitchen Gear

Kitchen Towels

Zeppoli Classic Kitchen Towels

$30

$20 at Amazon View on Walmart

You should always have a stack of clean kitchen towels nearby. I often have one tucked into my apron at home, a habit which is burned into my brain from my time as a barista, bartender, and recipe developer. Clean up spills and splatters as you cook, use it as a potholder, and wipe away smudges of food when plating a dish. Just remember: A tidy kitchen is a safe kitchen. Zeppoli towels are absorbent enough to sop up large spills and heavy-duty enough to use as a pot holder, and they don't leave lint behind after drying. Their utility and affordability make them well-loved in professional and home kitchens.  

A Degreaser

Dawn Professional Heavy-Duty Degreaser

$8 at Home Depot View on Walmart $8 at Lowe's

It’s best to stay ahead of grease buildup in any kitchen. Think about the oil and fat splatter that occurs while frying or searing. Using a degreaser, crucial at the end of each shift in professional kitchens, is a good habit to adopt at home. I know it’s not always fun to clean right after a meal, but future you will be grateful. Dawn tackled oily messes and caked-on buildup with ease when I tested degreasers. The wide, showerhead-style spray kept greasy messes contained without causing further spread. 

An Apron

Hedley & Bennett Essential Apron

$90

$85 at Amazon $86 at Hedleyandbennett.com $85 at Cooksbellecour.com

How many stained shirts will be sacrificed before you get an apron? At the end of a shift, it’s a lot easier to launder one apron than a chef's coat and pants. Not only does it keep clothes tidy, but it also adds an extra layer between you and hot oil splatter. 

The trio of pockets in the Hedley & Bennett apron ensures that essentials like a Sharpie or food thermometer are always within reach. Along with the built-in storage, it's comfortable enough to wear all day, yet hefty enough to protect from hot splatter, making it our top choice. 

A Salt Cellar

Zero Japan Salt Box

$27 at Amazon

In the middle of cooking, the last thing you want to do is reach for the giant box of salt on the shelf. It takes up more time and puts you at risk of severely overseasoning dish (whoops, there goes a giant stream of salt). Get yourself a cellar and fill it with kosher salt—the standard in most professional kitchens. Cooking is all about tasting as you go, and a major part of that is the salt content. A salt cellar allows you to pinch, add more, taste, pinch again, and keep going without having to leave your station. 

This salt box has been a favorite of ours for years. The large capacity means you won’t need frequent refills, and the easy-swing hinged lid is a breeze to flip open mid-cook. When you have a line of orders, whether in a restaurant or at a dinner party, it’s details like this that make a difference. 

A Sauce Spoon

JB Prince Sauce Spoon

$39 at Amazon View on Jbprince.com

A sauce spoon does more than the name indicates. It’s perfect for rounded dollops of cream, a swoosh of sauce across a plate, or basting a steak with hot butter. I also recommend keeping one nearby for tasting a dish as you cook. The JB Prince Kunz Sauce Spoon has become the standard in kitchens, including many of our editors’. Its long handle, paired with an ample bowl size, makes it easy to scoop and spoon with precision. 

Plastic Squeeze Bottles

Tablecraft Clear Heavy Duty Squeeze Bottle - 12 oz

$8

$6 at Amazon View on Walmart View on Webstaurant Store

With housemade sauces, vinegars, and oils on the menu, you’ll find a lineup of squeeze bottles at your favorite restaurant. And you should stock your own kitchen with a few, too. They make it easy to pour a precise amount of oil, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, or what have you, accurately. The narrow nozzles on the Tablecraft squeeze bottles produce a steady flow with both thicker and thinner liquids. 

Mise En Place and Storage

Pint Containers

YW Plastic Lidded Pint Containers (48-Count)

$16 at Amazon

Hotel Pans

Winco Deep Sixth Pan

$18 at Amazon View on Katom.com

Mixing Bowls

Vollrath 5 Piece Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set

View on Webstaurant Store

“Mise en place” is a French term that means “to put in place.” In a kitchen setting, it means having all of your ingredients in the right place as you cook. The good news is: You have options, including pint containers, hotel pans, and mixing bowls. Please, no more piling prepped ingredients on the cutting board until you’re out of space. Organization is a major reason the meals at your favorite restaurant come out in a timely fashion. Do yourself the same favor at home and invest in mise en place containers. 

The YW pint containers are small enough to store, and they make great vessels for leftovers. (Cooks frequently use them as drinking vessels, too, though we think a water bottle is a bit more conventional). The stainless steel Winco hotel pans are durable and, unlike plastic, can hold hot ingredients. Vollrath mixing bowls are a popular choice in many professional kitchens. With the lightweight feel and shallow bowl, the smaller sizes are best for mise en place, while the larger sizes are best for mixing and serving. We love all three of these mise en place options!

Cambro Containers With Lids

Cambro Containers With Lids - 2 Quart and 4 Quart Food Storage Set

$30 at Amazon

Cambros are wonderful for food storage, and they also work great with an immersion blender. They are easy to stack and store, and have secure lids. Professional kitchens will stock up on the ​​two, four, and eight-count options for dry and wet ingredients. The transparent design leaves zero second-guessing on what ingredients, sauces, or prepped food may be inside. If you want to store food like a professional, or like we do, Cambros are great for the fridge or pantry. You can also use a Cambro as a sous vide container—just make sure it’s made from polycarbonate, not thinner polypropylene. 

Painters Tape

Bomei Pack Green Painters Tape

$10

$10 at Amazon

Along with your Cambro, have some painter’s tape on hand. You won’t see a professional chef second-guessing when food was prepped or made, so do the same for your own peace of mind. Stick a piece of tape on your food storage, add today’s date (with your Sharpie!), and know what you’re reaching for when the time comes. We like bright blue and green, which stand out in a busy fridge. 

A Utensil Crock

Williams Sonoma Pantry Porcelain Utensil Holder

View on Williams Sonoma

Have you ever been digging through your drawer, looking for a specific utensil, right as your meal needs a flip, turn, or stir? You don’t want to be caught looking for a pair of tongs while your steak is going from medium to well-done. Professional chefs have enough tongs alone to fill a utensil holder. A crock needs to be sturdy enough to prevent larger utensils from toppling over. The Williams Sonoma utensil holder is both sturdy and spacious, making it a great choice for any kitchen countertop.  

Cooking Utensils

A Mortar and Pestle

ChefSofi Extra Large 8 Inch 5 Cup-Capacity Mortar and Pestle Set

$85

$68 at Amazon

Can you use the side of a knife to break down spices? Sometimes, but it’s messy. Can you use an electric spice grinder? Yes, but they often retain the smell and flavor of more aromatic spices. A mortar and pestle breaks down spices with ease, and it also works for incorporating herbs, giving you a few extra use cases. Outside of spices, think pesto, salsa, or chimichurri. 

The ChefSofi’s pestle is comfortable to hold—an important detail if you’re crushing a lot of spices. The steep walls and wide bottom also prevent those pesky peppercorns from jumping out. 

A Wine Key

Pulltaps Waiters Corkscrew

$30 at Amazon View on Webstaurant Store View on Iwawine.com

Something you’ll find in my apron pocket, along with a food thermometer and Sharpie, is a waiter's corkscrew. If you're cooking recipes that require wine as an ingredient, or you just fancy a glass while your mussels are simmering, the Pulltaps wine key effectively opens a bottle. It also has a bottle top opener and a foil cutter, which can also be used to open boxes. 

An Instant-ReadThermometer

ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE

$115

$96 at Amazon View on Thermoworks

This one is a must. A food thermometer will help you hit your desired temperature every time, whether you’re cooking meat, fish, or baked goods. Consistency is key, and this is the tool to ensure that. ThermoWorks’ fast and accurate temperature reading has made it our favorite instant-read thermometer since 2022.

A Chef’s Knife

Wüsthof Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife

$170 at Amazon View on Williams Sonoma $170 at Sur La Table

If you’re going to have one knife in your kitchen, an 8-inch chef’s knife should be your pick. While specialty knives like paring, nakiri, or fillet have a place in a professional kitchen, a chef’s knife is the workhorse that you can use for all tasks. With its durability and super-sharp edge, the Wüsthof chef’s knife is another longtime favorite of ours.

A Bench Scraper

OXO Bench Scraper

$15 at Amazon $15 at Target $15 at Webstaurant Store

When I got my first bench scraper, I used it for cutting dough into smaller pieces and then wiping away excess flour left behind. The longer it sat in my kitchen, the more uses I found for it: cubing cold butter for pie dough, scooping chopped vegetables to throw in a hot pan, and splitting up ground beef. The handle on the OXO offers comfort and control, allowing me to cut uniform brownies or clear a busy cutting board with ease.  

A Pair of Tweezers

Küchenprofi 12-Inch Tweezers

$23 at Amazon View on Perigold.com View on Simon.com

At some point, you may have seen a bartender using tongs to place a flower (or other garnish) in your cocktail. What you don’t see is how often they’re being used in the back of the house, too. We love tweezers in place of a bulky spatula for more delicate tasks, like flipping shrimp or tofu. The Küchenprofi tweezers are long and have pinpoint accuracy. We also like them for reaching into olive and pickle jars. This is a tool that you’ll get more use out of than you think.

A Fish Spatula

Wusthof Fish Spatula

$65 at Amazon View on Walmart View on Wusthof.com

Even if you don’t cook fish, get yourself one of these spatulas. While it works wonders for delicate dishes like a fish fillet or a fried egg, it can still get the flipping job done with just about anything—okay, maybe not a tomahawk steak. Thicker food turners are harder to maneuver under delicate food. Think about flipping a chicken thigh, and how frustrating it is to watch the entire layer of crispy skin peel off and stick to the pan. The design of a fish spatula helps to slide right underneath, without destroying your meal in the process. The Wüsthof flipper is long, thin, slotted, and offset, making it a great all-purpose spatula. 

A Mandoline

OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer

$53

$45 at Amazon $53 at Target View on Webstaurant Store

Knife skills are crucial, but so is being ready for service. A mandoline helps with consistency and speed. Uniform cuts are beneficial for the aesthetics of a dish and help the ingredients cook consistently. The OXO mandoline has an adjustable blade and slices effortlessly, with no resistance. It also features a fold-out stand, allowing you to prop it over a cutting board or small bowl.  

A Microplane

Microplane Premium Classic Series Zester/Grater

$18

$16 at Amazon View on Williams Sonoma View on Target

A rasp-style grater, like the classic Microplane, has a place in prepping, cooking, and finishing a meal. Grating ginger during prep, adding nutmeg during a simmer, or finishing a plate with Parmesan. Keep one nearby and you’ll be surprised how often you find yourself reaching for it. It’s quite satisfying watching that pile of zest effortlessly grow while grating citrus with a Microplane. The soft grip also reduces hand fatigue. 

A Spider Strainer

Hiware Solid Stainless Steel Spider Strainer

$17

$13 at Amazon

A spider strainer is a must if you’re doing a lot of frying. The web-like design of the strainer does a great job of draining all excess oil, keeping your chicken wings crispy or preventing your French fries from becoming mushy. The length of the Hiware handle keeps your hands further away from piping hot oil. It also doubles as a tool for blanching vegetables or getting pasta out of boiling water. 

Tongs

OXO Good Grips 12-Inch Tongs

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

In the kitchen, tongs become an extension of a chef's hand. Out of all utensils, tongs might be the best one to have a collection of: one for meat, veggies, salad, and plating. Tongs are also a useful tool for moving around hot sizzle platters in the oven. The OXO tongs are strong enough to grab a ribeye, yet precise enough to snag a single noodle. 

Pots and Pans

A Cooling Rack

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

$12

$10 at Amazon

Reverse-seared steak, crispy bacon, or cooling the perfect cookies—do I even need to say more? A cooling rack helps you elevate, literally and figuratively, a lot of already wonderful meals. Grab a couple for each size sheet pan you own. The evenly spaced grid on the Mrs. Anderson’s cooling rack prevents denting, makes cleanup a breeze, and doesn’t snag utensils. 

Sheet Pans

Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet

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

Professional kitchens typically use full-size baking pans, but most home ovens won’t be able to accommodate their size. A half-sheet is considered the standard size for most home ovens, but a quarter-sheet is also crucial. We use them for roasted veggies, as a pan to catch chicken drippings, and baking that perfect cookie. There are countless uses for a sheet pan, and most kitchens will have an assortment of half-, quarter-, and even eighth-sized sheet pans. Nordic Ware sheet pans are durable, and you won’t hear that dreaded “pop” sound of a warping sheet pan flinging Brussels sprouts all over the oven. 

A Stainless Steel Fry Pan

Made In 12-Inch Stainless Steel Skillet

$139 at Amazon

$119

$139 at Made In Cookware

A Carbon Steel Fry Pan

Mauviel M'Steel Black Carbon Natural Nonstick Frying Pan With Iron Handle

$120 at Amazon View on Mauviel-usa.com $120 at Wayfair

There is always some debate among pro chefs when it comes to a frying pan: stainless or carbon steel. I could argue that a good stainless steel pan is more versatile for your everyday needs, but there are areas where carbon steel is going to win. Carbon steel needs to be seasoned, like a cast iron pan, to achieve a nonstick coating. However, it’s much lighter and has significantly better temperature response (it doesn’t hold heat as long). Stainless steel needs less maintenance, doesn’t require seasoning, and can handle all types of ingredients. However, it can't withstand as high a heat as carbon steel. If you want a well-rounded kitchen, get one of each! Reach for Mauviel when searing and roasting; use Made In for sauces and sautéing.   

Kitchen Appliances

An Immersion Blender

All-Clad Stainless Steel Immersion Blender

$150 at Amazon View on Williams Sonoma View on Perigold.com

Many years ago, an immersion blender was the first kitchen appliance that made me feel like a professional chef at home. It was also one of the first tools I used in a professional kitchen to make perfectly smooth chocolate ganache. You can use it in place of a food mill, to make your own mayonnaise, or to easily blend in the same vessel you’re cooking in. We like the power of the All-Clad immersion blender. It effortlessly muscles through hefty ingredients in a timely fashion. 

A Scale

OXO 11-lb. Stainless Steel Food Scale With Pull-Out Display

$65 at Amazon View on Williams Sonoma $65 at Sur La Table

Acaia Pearl

View on Amazon $155 at Seattlecoffeegear.com $150 at Acaia.co

If you bake often, using the scoop method can result in significantly inconsistent flour measurements. A scale is going to give you the exact amount you need. Weighing ingredients in grams will give you consistent results.

Outside of baking, you can weigh your hamburger patties, check the weight of a sauce before and after a reduction, and make the perfect cup of coffee. The OXO Good Grips is another long-running Serious Eats-favorite, topping our list of best scales for over three years. It’s accurate, easy to read, and has a power-saving mode that will save your last weight for up to 15 minutes. The Acaia Pearl is durable enough to withstand everyday use in a coffee shop—I used one for years. Its durability, along with its accuracy and built-in timer, makes it the scale I reach for every morning at home, too.

A High-Speed Blender

Vitamix 5200 Professional-Grade Blender

$484

$350 at Amazon

$441

$439 at Walmart View on Vitamix.com

When I say “blender,” what I really mean is “Vitamix.” It might be a hefty investment, but it’s worth every penny. A Vitamix will give you perfectly smooth purées, sauces, and soups. The 5200 has 10 variable speeds and a tall, tapered jar, and Serious Eats has been recommending it for over a decade. Treat yourself to a perfect frozen margarita once you get one. 

FAQs

What are the best gifts for a home chef?

I would be happy to receive anything from the list above. In fact, my birthday and holiday wish lists usually consist entirely of kitchen gear. If I had to narrow it down, I’d say a good thermometer, scale, or chef’s knife all make great gifts for a home chef. But hey, if you have someone willing to buy you a Vitamix, ask for that! 

Why We’re the Experts

• Bryan Belknap is a contributing writer at Serious Eats. 
• With experience in recipe development and product testing kitchenware, he’s well-versed in both professional and home cooking. 
• At Serious Eats, we thoroughly test kitchen equipment while consistently revisiting our recommendations to ensure they remain up to date.