Ten Kitchen Things I Can't Live Without

The tools, gadgets, and equipment that actually earn their place on my counter

A few years ago, I wrote about ten things I own that I couldn’t live without, and it’s time for an update! This is the first day of Amazon Prime Day, so I thought I’d share some things I bought that have passed the test of time and use. That’s even more true after a major move. We left our old kitchen intact next door and only brought with us what we really needed. Trip by trip, we discovered what truly deserved a place in our new home. That culling process was invaluable to knowing what really mattered and what turned out to be unworthy of being kept.

Our kitchen is the center of our home. We (maybe the royal we) cook almost every night, and over the years, we’ve collected way too many tools and appliances. Most get used once and then forgotten, but a few have earned permanent counter space.

Here are ten kitchen things that have made the cut and stayed relevant over the years.

1. Baking steel: the secret to restaurant-quality bread and pizza at home (The original - $129 ; A Slightly Less Expensive Version - $80)

I am not usually an early adopter, but when Kenji Lopez-Alt mentioned the power of a baking steel, I preordered it in 2015 before it was even produced. I ended up getting it months and months later and was so excited when it arrived. It has had a prized position in our household ever since.

The best way to use it is to set it up about 4” from the top of the oven and turn the oven to broil on High. The steel heats up to 500°F+ in about an hour. Then, turn the heat down to broil on Low. Use a pizza peel and slide the pizza in. We roll our pizza dough on parchment and just slide the whole thing in, then remove the parchment at the 3-minute mark and bake for 2 more minutes. Crispy crust and perfectly cooked toppings in just 5 minutes.

2. Lodge cast iron: a pan that gets better with age ($25)

I use my Lodge cast iron pan almost every day. It’s perfect for dumplings, enoki beef rolls, pancakes, and more. The large size, while heavy, is perfect for cooking for a family of five. I bought my pan before my youngest, who is now in high school, was born, and it’s still in perfect shape after all of these years! Truly a #buyitforlife item.

Most people avoid cast iron because they think it’s hard to clean, but really, you just need to scrape and wash it. Yes, a bit of soap is okay. Even Lodge says so. I even bought the Lodge scraper set to keep mine in tip-top shape. The best part is that it gets better with use. Take good care of it, and you can even leave it to the next generation.

3. KitchenAid kitchen shears: the most underrated tool in the drawer ($8)

I know this sounds crazy, but I have five pairs of kitchen shears in my kitchen. I love love love them, and use them for everything. We gave up pizza cutters in favor of these shears. I use them to open sealed packages, break down chicken, cut green onions, and so much more. I need five pairs because we’re always using them for every little thing. We were always looking for them, so I found a sale on Kitchenaid shears and bought them in bulk!

4. Kitchen tongs: versatile tools for everyday use ($11 for two)

Like kitchen shears, I’ve bought tongs by the truckload. I have about 6 or 7 sets in my drawer, many of which I’ve had for years. The silicone ones have better grip and don’t scratch your pans, so get them in a few different sizes. We use them for salads, grilling meat, fishing things out of the air fryer, and so much more. Get a reliable, dishwasher-safe set, and you’ll have no regrets!

5. Pyrex glass mixing bowls and storage: the no-plastic way to cook and store food (various cost)

I replaced all of the plastic bowls, storage containers, and measuring cups in my house with Pyrex and have never looked back. These go from fridge to microwave to dishwasher and back to the drawer without any worries. Do yourself a favor and swap out your plastic containers, which leach microplastics into your food, for glass. I’ve had several sets for over a decade, and they keep going strong.

6. Zojirushi rice cooker: perfect rice every time ($169)

I bought this rice cooker nearly 20 years ago, and it’s still going strong. I even melted the outside once by putting it too close to the stove, and it hasn’t affected the function at all. I love that it makes perfect rice every time. Growing up, my parents always cooked rice on the stove, but my in-laws were true rice cooker fans. When I bought this, I was a bit unsure, but after hundreds of uses, it has never let me down. It’s much more expensive than a normal rice cooker, but get one for the next two decades, and you won’t regret it!

7. Ninja air fryer: heat your food without heating up the whole kitchen ($160)

I used my friend’s Ninja air fryer when he hosted our offsite at his house, and it was so incredible that I had to get one of my own. I thought it would be too big and not get used enough, but it’s more than earned its place on my counter. We use it daily for everything from reheating leftovers, to cooking fish, to making veggies. As an added bonus, I use fitted parchment liners, which means I only really have to wash it once every couple of weeks (or sooner if something falls to the bottom). The dual zones mean we can cook meat and veggies at the same time.

8. Breville oven: a countertop oven for everyday use ($330)

I bought this in 2018 to replace my old Breville, which I’d owned for eight years at that point. I sold my old one on Facebook Marketplace to someone who went on to love it just as much as I did. Now, eight years after owning this one, it’s still going strong. We’ve never owned a toaster, so we use this as a toaster, cookie oven, and an all-around workhorse. Outside of baking and toasting, we also use it for proofing dough and keeping food warm while waiting to gather the troops for dinner. It’s a great companion to the air fryer for getting dinner on the table quickly.

9. KitchenAid mixer: the workhorse behind every baking project ($500)

If you’re a baker, you need a KitchenAid mixer. I use mine mostly for breads and pizza dough, but my daughter, who loves to bake, has made over a hundred different things with it over the years. It’s a huge investment, but mine has been in my home for over 15 years. I did have to repair it recently when the gears stripped, but it was an easy fix and good as new.

There are many versions of the KitchenAid mixer, several of which are cheaper than the large one I have, so pick whichever one fits your lifestyle. My husband bought my mother-in-law one from Marketplace, and she used it for many years before she passed.

10. Kitchen scale: uplevel your baking with this key tool ($10)

I bought this kitchen scale for my late mother-in-law in 2020, and when she passed, it came back to my home. It sits beside the one I bought in 2014, which is still going strong despite being discontinued. A good kitchen scale is the single best way to uplevel your baking. We weigh out all of our ingredients to ensure a good outcome.

Honorable mention:

Sodastream: save money and reduce waste for families who like bubbly water ($70)

I added this one for my kids. I asked them what they couldn’t live without, and they said it was their Sodastream. Fair warning, it’s not exactly #buyitforlife. Unfortunately, we’ve broken three of them already and are now on our third. On the bright side, they show up regularly on Facebook; I got one from our Buy Nothing Group and bought another from Facebook Marketplace.

A good kitchen isn’t about having every gadget in the world. It’s about having the few workhorse items that stay with you for years and years. This list is those things for me.

What’s the one kitchen tool you would never give up? Tell me in the comments.

Note: The links attached are Amazon affiliate links so you can see the items. All affiliate money is donated to charity at the end of the year.