18 Kitchen Gadgets Professional Chefs Say You Absolutely Need To Have

16. Rubber Spatula

A rubber spatula is also grate for getting things stuck to the bottom of a pan and wiping the bowl clean. It’s a lifesaver especially if you’re into baking. Nitahara also says that you should invest in a high quality silicone spatula that can “stand temperatures upward of 375, 400 degrees so that you’re not melting your spatula in the pan.”

17. Salad Spinner

Even though it’s called a salad spinner, Nitahara says that’s not the only job it’s good for. Apart from drying your lettuce, you can use a salad spinner for several other purposes from washing herbs to mushrooms. “They soak up a lot of water,” he adds.

18. Vegetable Peeler

Peeling vegetables with a knife can be a cumbersome task. It’s time consuming, finicky, and causes more wastage than necessary. This is why a vegetable peeler is another thing that most professional chefs (and home cooks) swear by.

Peeling anything from potatoes and carrots to cucumber and zucchini becomes a cinch, and you can also use them for other purposes like shaving chocolate for decoration on desserts and shaving cheese to put on top of pasta. Sexton says she prefers a Y-shaped vegetable peel to the more traditional straight ones as they provide a better grip.

19. Bonus Items

Along with everything we’ve listed above, Sexton and Nitahara say there are a few other basic necessities that will ensure that you have a fully equipped kitchen. These include: tongs, mixing bowls, a ladle, a slotted spoon, measuring cups and spoons, potholders, baking sheets, a corkscrew, a serving spoon, and a can opener.