Real Women Approved: 30+ Most Underrated Kitchen Essentials

Bench Scraper:

Not just a baking tool! You all say this is life-changing for transferring chopped ingredients and cleaning up crumbs from counters and cutting boards! (You can also use it for it’s intended baking purpose, too!)

Herb Scissors: 

A lot of you said these are game-changers even though your husbands don’t understand! ???? If you cook with fresh herbs a lot, this saves you a lot of slicing and chopping!

Immersion Blender: 

I LOVE my immersion blender and rarely use my real blender for anything other than smoothies, because this is so much easier. (And you all agree!) This makes blending soups, smoothies, and sauces a breeze! I honestly don’t think one brand is better than another–and I don’t have any extra accouterments, but they are certainly helpful if you think you’ll use them! (This set is really cute though and I think the milk frother and whisk attachment would be really useful!)

Salad chopper: 

I have been intrigued by these for a very long time but thought they were very unnecessary–but I LOVE a chopped salad, and the idea that I could throw everything in a bowl to chop it all together is prettttyyy enticing! Salad lovers swear by them!

Avocado Tool:

No more near-misses trying to take out the pit with a knife and great for making guacamole! Considering I eat avocados daily, I’m unsure why I don’t have one of these.

Pizza Stone:

A must for pizza enthusiasts. So many of you said this brings you joy on a weekly basis!

Cute Bubble Up Dish Brush: 

So many of you love this dish brush (I have it too!) It looks pretty on your counter and you fill the button with soapy water–it has a little spring insert that you just push down and then it sudses up the brush for you! I will say that I don’t always use it because I find the bristles aren’t super pliable so I still do need a sponge fairly often, but it’s still a great brush!

Adhesive sponge/dish brush holder: 

I love this thing because it sticks to the inside of the sink and allows me to hide the ugly sponges (that I don’t want on display) and also ensures they dry quickly. I put mine on the front side of the sink (not the side with the faucet) so it’s hidden and out of eye shot when you look at the sink. (Many people put them on the side of a double sink, where they’re fully visible, or stick it to the far side, where it’s situated under the faucet, also where it’s fully visible–not sure if I’m explaining that correctly, but figured I’d share!)

Meat Thermometer: 

Yes! An absolute non-negotiable for any kitchen. These take the guesswork out of cooking meat and will ensure you don’t overcook or undercook it. (I find this is exceptionally important for cooking chicken, which I always overcook if I don’t have a meat thermometer.)

Electric Tea Kettle

Many of you said you use this every day! This Fellow one comes highly recommended from you all, but this one is a steal of deal and looks very similar!

Garlic Press

One of the most submitted items by far and the Kuhn Rikon brand comes highly recommended by you all! (Fun fact: I had no idea you didn’t have to PEEL the garlic cloves to use this until one of you told me. My mind is blown.)

Pizza Cutter: 

Many of you use this every day–not just for pizza, but cutting crusts off sandwiches, quesadillas, cutting tortillas into strips, chopping herbs, including one reader who uses it to cut her toddler’s food (like grapes) which is totally genius!

Tongs:

GG readers love tongs! As you all put it.. they are great for everything from flipping food to grabbing the bra that dropped behind the washer ???? Definitely grab a couple in various sizes. (Also, I like the stainless steel for grilling, but remember you can’t use stainless steel on nonstick cookware, so I recommend getting this kind for that!)

Dutch Oven: 

A lot of submissions for this! One GG reader says she even travels with hers! Many fans of Le Creuset (I found their classic dutch oven on sale, which never happens!), if you can swing the price tag, but I have a Martha Stewart dutch oven my mom gifted me when I graduated college and it’s held up for years! (FYI, I highly recommend the 6-quart size, I think the 4 quart is much too small!)

Always Pan

Everyone’s favorite pan obsession! (Don’t just take my word for it–it was one of the top sellers of 2020!) So many of you say it was your favorite kitchen buy of all time. Read my full review here!

Kitchen Shears: 

If you have a knife block, you likely already have these. GG readers rave they’re game-changing for cutting meat and even pizza!

Oil Brush: 

A few of you said this is an underrated kitchen tool and I have to agree. Everyone needs at least one oil brush in their arsenal. You use it to brush oil or melted butter on anything you’re cooking (which allows you to use less oil/butter than the traditional drizzling method) and for basting BBQ sauce onto anything you’re grilling, for basting meat with a pan sauce, applying an egg wash to baked goods–all kinds of things!

Handheld citrus juicer: 

So many of you said you reach for your lemon squeezer a weird amount! ???? This is something I always thought was unnecessary but maybe I shall give it a whirl now.

Cookbook Stand: 

No more losing your page or staining your cookbook! Plus, it makes your counter look so fancy.

A Good Spatula: 

BY FAR the most submitted item is a spatula — and you all feel very passionate about which one is best. Here are some of the most popular ones:

• Get It Right
• No Kids Hungry
• Pampered Chef
• Oxo
• Rada
• A couple of you also raved about using a fish spatula as your go-to spatula because it’s super thin and wide, so makes even delicate things really easy to flip! (Make sure you get the one that’s appropriate for the kind of cookware you have!)

Nordicware Baking Sheets: 

A few of you swear by these baking sheets! (I also love Oxo’s non-stick grips baking sheets if you want an alternative!)

Cheese Grater: 

A lot of you said you were embarrassed to admit how happy your cheese grater makes you! ???? Saves you money and tastes better than pre-shredded cheese!

Microplane:

Speaking of cheese graters, I actually use my microplane for grating cheese all the time! (I think I’ve used my regular cheese grater maybe twice in the past 4 years). It grates cheese REALLY quickly and finely, and is great for zesting citrus. Many of you love this little tool. (But it’s SHARP–use with care–don’t grate your fingers!)

Lid & Spoon Rest: 

The epitome of not necessary but certainly life-enhancing! No more messy counters!

Mini Milk Frother: 

One of the most submitted items! I’ve used this for beating eggs, whipping frosting, quickly mixing in my powdered collagen coffee creamer–so many things, not just frothing milk or matcha! You can get them literally everywhere (again, like the immersion blender, I think they’re kind of all the same). This is the one I have, but Golde makes such a cute one and you’d be supporting a small Black-owned business! (Would’ve bought theirs had I known they made one!)

Attachable Pot Strainer: 

Genius! *Adds to cart immediately* and doesn’t take up all that room in your cupboard!

Ground Meat Masher: 

A lot of you said you’ll never go back after using this and I’m quite intrigued.

Mini Whisk: 

You all say these are great for salad dressings, marinades, and making eggs for one! (Tip: You can actually use your milk frother for all the same things. ????)

Salad Spinner: 

A salad spinner is a must for washing and drying lettuce and other greens! (Saves you a lot of $$ from buying pre-washed, pre-packaged lettuce!)

Toaster Oven: 

I grew up with my mom loving her toaster oven, and therefore I have ALWAYS been a toaster oven fan. I basically cook anything in the toaster oven I would in the normal oven, it just heats up super fast and therefore takes less time to cook! Also great for melting cheese quickly on bread/toast, broiling, and of course–making toast. ???? I’ve had a Breville for years!

The Ove Glove: 

Lots of you submitted the ove glove to replace your potholders-made from the same material that firefighters use!

Knife Cleaner: 

Lots of raves about this contraption to make cleaning your knives a breeze!

Air Fryer: 

Last but not least, perhaps our #1 most popular submission: the air fryer! I just got the Cuisinart combo toaster oven/air fryer (because I didn’t want yet another appliance taking up space on my counter), so instead I just upgraded my toaster oven to this! I went with the Cuisinart after doing a lot of research and asking what brands you loved the most. The other most popular suggestions were the Breville and the Ninja Foodi, but based on reviews and price tag (it’s under $200), I thought the Cuisinart was the way to go for me. FYI, if you have an Instant Pot, you can also get an air frying lid to turn your pot into an air fryer!