11 Kitchen Tools That Make Cooking From Scratch Easier

I don’t need every kitchen gadget that comes along. If something is going to take up cabinet or counter space, I want it to make a job easier, save time, or get used often enough to justify keeping it.

These are the kitchen tools that do that for me.

Some are bigger appliances. Others are inexpensive things—like precut parchment sheets—that simply remove one annoying step from a job I’m already doing.

If you’re building a practical kitchen for cooking from scratch, these are the kinds of tools I think are worth looking at.

Affiliate disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Some products mentioned may also have been provided to me or used as part of a paid brand partnership. I only include things I actually use and find useful in my kitchen. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

1. Instant Pot

The Instant Pot is one of the easiest appliances for me to recommend because it solves a very specific problem: foods that normally need a long cooking time can become mostly hands-off.

I still use my regular stove and oven constantly, so I don’t look at an Instant Pot as a replacement for traditional cooking. It’s another option when I don’t want to babysit something on the stove.

It works especially well for the kinds of foods that show up often in a from-scratch kitchen—broths, soups, beans, potatoes and meats that benefit from pressure cooking.

The real advantage is being able to get something started and move on to another part of dinner.

Why it earns space in my kitchen:

• Pressure cooking cuts down the active cooking time on longer-cooking foods.
• Once it is running, it requires very little attention.
• It works for individual ingredients as well as complete meals.
• It’s especially helpful on days when I need dinner to keep moving while I’m doing something else.

Shop: Instant Pot

2. Countertop Air Fryer/Convection Oven

Disclosure: This is a paid partnership with Ciarra. The link in this section is also an affiliate link. What I share here is based on how I use the Nosh Oven Pro in my own kitchen.

A countertop oven can sound redundant when you already own a full-size oven, but I like having the extra cooking space.

I use the Ciarra Nosh Oven Pro, which gives me air-fry and convection-style cooking in a countertop appliance. It’s useful for smaller amounts of food, reheating and the times when I have more than one thing cooking and don’t want everything competing for the same oven.

That second oven space is probably what makes this category most useful to me.

I also prefer reheating certain foods this way instead of microwaving them when I want to keep some texture.

This isn’t something I would tell everyone they absolutely need. But if you cook frequently, entertain, make a lot of food at once or simply like having more cooking capacity, it can be surprisingly useful.

Why I use it:

• Gives me another oven when the main oven is occupied.
• Works well for smaller cooking jobs.
• Air fry/convection is useful when I want more browning or crispness.
• Reheats foods without relying on the microwave for everything.

Shop: Ciarra Nosh Oven Pro

3. ZACME Stand Mixer

Disclosure: ZACME gifted me this mixer. The link in this section is also an affiliate link. My recommendation is based on how I actually use it.

A stand mixer is one of the bigger items on this list, but I use enough doughs, breads and larger-batch recipes that it makes sense in my kitchen.

I currently use the ZACME 8.4L stand mixer.

The large bowl capacity is particularly useful when I’m making more than a small batch. I would much rather have enough room in the bowl than spend a recipe watching dough creep toward the top of an undersized mixer.

The other advantage of a stand mixer is simply taking over the repetitive work. It can knead while I’m working on something else.

If you only bake occasionally, a large stand mixer may not be the first thing I’d buy. If you regularly make breads, rolls, pizza dough or other recipes that require mixing and kneading, it becomes much easier to justify the space.

Why it works for me:

• The 8.4L bowl handles larger batches.
• It takes over kneading and mixing while I work on something else.
• It fits well in a kitchen where bread and dough are made regularly.
• Attachments can add additional uses without another full-size appliance.

Shop: ZACME 8.4L stand mixer

4. A Good Dutch Oven

I’d rather own a few pieces of cookware that can do a lot than have a pan for every individual job.

A Dutch oven is one of those pieces.

It can go from the stovetop to the oven and work for soups, braises, roasts, bread and one-pot dinners. That versatility is why it earns its storage space.

This is also one of the categories where I think durability matters more than having the newest thing. A good Dutch oven can stay in your kitchen for years and keep doing the same basic jobs.

If you’re trying to build a useful cookware collection without buying everything at once, this is a good category to prioritize.

Why I keep reaching for one:

• Works on the stovetop and in the oven.
• Handles soups, braises, roasts and bread.
• Retains heat well.
• One pot can cover a lot of different recipes.

Shop: Dutch oven

5. Immersion Blender

An immersion blender is a good example of a small appliance that actually saves work.

Instead of transferring hot soup from a pot into a regular blender, I can blend it where it is.

It’s also useful for things like homemade mayonnaise, dressings and sauces.

Those are jobs where I don’t necessarily want to pull out a large blender, and I definitely don’t want another bulky container to wash if I can avoid it.

It doesn’t take up much room, which is another reason I like it.

I use an immersion blender for things like:

• Creamy soups
• Homemade mayonnaise
• Dressings
• Sauces
• Small blending jobs

Shop: Immersion blender

6. Digital Kitchen Scale

I still use measuring cups and spoons, but there are times when weighing ingredients is simply easier.

A digital kitchen scale is especially handy for bread and other baking recipes where consistent measurements matter.

It also makes scaling a recipe much easier. If I’m working from gram measurements, I can increase or decrease a batch without dealing with awkward fractions of cups.

Another benefit: sometimes I can measure several ingredients directly into the same bowl instead of dirtying a stack of measuring cups.

You don’t need a complicated scale. I want one that is easy to read, easy to tare and easy to wipe clean.

Why I use one:

• Gives consistent measurements.
• Makes doubling or reducing recipes easier.
• Particularly helpful with bread and baking.
• Can mean fewer dishes.

Shop: OXO food scale

7. Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons

Even though I use a kitchen scale, I’m not giving up measuring cups and spoons.

For everyday cooking, I like simple stainless steel sets.

This is one of those purchases where durability matters more to me than anything fancy. I want measurements that are easy to identify and tools that can handle being used over and over.

I also like sets that include a few less-common sizes. Sometimes one extra measurement saves you from standing at the counter trying to calculate fractions while dinner is already in progress.

Shop: Stainless steel measuring cups

Shop: Measuring spoons

8. Microplane or Fine Zester

This is a small tool, but it does enough jobs that I keep one around.

Obviously, it works for lemon, lime and orange zest. But I also like a fine grater for ingredients such as garlic, ginger and hard cheeses when I want them very finely grated.

It’s faster than pulling out an appliance and gives you much finer results than chopping some of those ingredients by hand.

This is also one of the least expensive tools on the list, which makes it an easy upgrade if you don’t already have one.

Useful for:

• Citrus zest
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Parmesan and other hard cheeses

Shop: Microplane zester

9. One Good Everyday Knife

I don’t think a kitchen needs a block full of knives just for the sake of owning a complete set.

I would rather have a smaller number of knives that I actually use.

A good everyday knife handles most of the chopping, slicing and mincing that happens during regular meal prep. The important part is finding one that feels comfortable in your hand and keeping it sharp.

A dull knife makes a basic prep job more frustrating than it needs to be.

This is another category where I’d choose usefulness over quantity.

Shop: Chef’s knife

10. Rimmed Sheet Pans

Sheet pans may be the least glamorous kitchen equipment I own, but that doesn’t stop them from getting used.

They’re useful for roasting vegetables, cooking meats, baking, sheet-pan meals and all kinds of general kitchen prep.

I also like having more than one.

If one pan is already in the oven, I don’t want to have to wash it immediately because I need another one. Sheet pans stack easily enough that this is one item where duplicates are actually useful.

A rimmed edge is important because it keeps juices, oils and ingredients from ending up on the bottom of the oven.

Shop: Rimmed sheet pan

11. Precut Parchment Sheets

This is probably the smallest convenience on this list, and I love them.

Precut parchment sheets are so much better than dealing with a roll.

With rolled parchment, I have to pull it out, tear or cut it, try to get the right size and then deal with paper that wants to curl back up.

With precut sheets, I grab one and put it on the pan.

That’s the whole advantage—and it’s enough.

I cook and bake often enough that eliminating one fiddly step every time I line a pan is worth it to me.

They’re useful for baking, bread and plenty of general oven prep, and they pair naturally with the sheet pans I’m already using.

If you buy them, make sure you choose the size that fits the sheet pans you actually own.

Why I prefer them to parchment rolls:

• No measuring.
• No cutting.
• No curled-up parchment fighting you on the pan.
• Easy to grab when you need one.
• One of those inexpensive conveniences that gets used constantly.

Shop: Precut parchment sheets

The Best Kitchen Tools Are the Ones That Solve a Real Problem

I don’t think you need everything on this list.

That really isn’t the point.

A useful kitchen isn’t built by buying every gadget someone recommends. It’s built by noticing which jobs you do repeatedly and finding the tools that make those jobs easier.

For one person, that might be an Instant Pot because dinner constantly gets started later than planned.

For someone who bakes bread every week, the stand mixer may be worth far more.

And sometimes the best purchase isn’t an appliance at all. It’s a stack of precut parchment sheets because you are tired of fighting with the roll.

Those are the kinds of upgrades I’m looking for in my own kitchen: practical tools that get used.

More Pantry to Plate Resources

If you’re building a kitchen or pantry around cooking more from scratch, these may also help:

• How to Build a Bulk Pantry on a Budget Without Wasting Food
• Canning Tools That Actually Make Canning Easier
• Homemade Whipped Cream
• Instant Pot Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

Your Pantry Can Do More.