11 Underrated Kitchen Tools, According to Pro Chefs

Some kitchen tools appear to be really straightforward. Like, a spoon? It’s what you use to eat soup and ice cream, right? But the more you study cooking, the more you learn that tools can have a ton of creative applications and uses. For example, James Beard Award finalist Nick Zocco relies on a spoon for many things. “[A spoon will] change your whole cooking game,” he says, pointing out that he uses one for basting, tossing, serving, flipping, and even cracking seafood shells. “High-quality spoons allow you to control your cooking and help maintain precision throughout the whole process, from the beginning of cooking a dish, to the plating, to the final presentation.” And the Gray Kunz-designed spoon that helps him do all that is only $16.

Wanting to hear some fresh, fun takes on how people use and rely on their favorite kitchen tools, I reached out to chefs — from James Beard nominees to Iron Chef winners — to ask about their most underrated kitchen equipment. In some cases, answers were as simple as a super precise pepper mill and a genius manual can opener, while others included unique chef’s knives and classic appliances. Here are underrated kitchen tools, as reported by professional chefs, starting at $5. 

Best Underrated Kitchen Tools at Amazon

• Ateco 4.5-Inch Offset Spatula, $5, originally $7
• Zassenhaus Speyer 5.1-Inch Pepper Mill, $38
• Ideal Gangy Can Opener, $12
• Misuzu Silky All-Purpose Scissors, $15, originally $17
• Hamilton Beach Mini Food Processor, $20
• Microplane Classic Series Zester and Grater, $17
• Gray Kunz Small Sauce Spoon, $16
• Victorinox 7.5-Inch Wavy Edge Chef’s Knife, $49, originally $55
• Gorilla Grip Mortar and Pestle Set, $24
• Cosori Food Dehydrator, $136, originally $160
• Stainless Steel Cooling and Baking Rack, Set of 2, $26, originally $43

Ateco 4.5-Inch Offset Spatula

“I think the 4.5-inch offset spatula is a really underrated but useful kitchen tool. I consider it to be a multi-use tool that has many different functions, and personally, it’s one of my favorites. One of the main uses is obviously to pick up things, whether it be off a tray or something out of a pan. It’s small and allows a lot of control and stability. You can use it like a spoon to stir or taste things with. It can also be used to open boxes with tape.” — Donald Young, James Beard-nominated chef-owner at Duck Sel in Chicago, IL

Zassenhaus Speyer 5.1-Inch Pepper Mill

“I invested in a Zassenhaus pepper mill 20 years ago. It is adjustable for me to control the coarseness to very fine. The resistance just feels right and [I love] the sounds it makes, the crack of the black pepper. So underrated, yet so essential to every single piece of meat that gets served.” — Alex Chen, Iron Chef winner and chef-partner at Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar in Whistler, BC

Ideal Gangy Can Opener

“One of my favorite pieces of kitchen equipment is the Ideal Gangy can opener, which is modeled after the Ganji Kankiri opener. Commercial can openers are awful contraptions that require a lot of space and maintenance, whereas can openers for home cooks won’t last longer than a month. A Gangy can opener crosses all the boxes when it comes to accessibility and functionality. It is simple and elegantly designed for pure efficiency and perfect for a busy volume kitchen. I enjoy this can opener so much that I have instructed my entire kitchen to use it, because it’s virtually indestructible and you can pack it up and take it anywhere — even camping trips.” — Kenneth Wan, James Beard-nominated chef and co-owner at MAKfam in Denver, CO

Misuzu Silky All-Purpose Scissors

“Silky kitchen scissors are by far one of my favorite tools I have in the kitchen. I use them daily for a number of things, [like] breaking down fish, picking herbs, and cutting tape. I’ve had the same pair for five or six years now, and they are still as sharp as they were on day one.” — Joe Cash, James Beard-nominated chef-owner at Scoundrel in Greenville, S.C.

Hamilton Beach Mini Food Processor

“My mini food processor! I use this bad boy to emulsify sauces and dressings; chop up onions, garlic, and other veggies; make small portions of bread crumbs; and more. It’s dishwasher-safe and much easier to lug around than a full-size food processor. I go through about four per year because I burn out the motor.” — Jessica Formicola, judge on Plate It! Baltimore and cookbook author

Microplane Classic Series Zester and Grater

“So much flavor of citrus is not in the juice, but the peel itself. A microplane allows maximum surface area without getting pith so you can easily extract the oil from the peels. It’s also perfect for grating ginger and spices such as cinnamon & nutmeg. I always have two in my kit.” — Miles Macquarrie, recipe director at Tip Top Proper Cocktails

Gray Kunz Small Sauce Spoon

“Having a good spoon in your tool kit can really change the way you cook. One of my favorite spoons, in particular, is the Kunz spoon, designed by the late chef Gray Kunz. It’s a well-balanced spoon that’ll change your whole cooking game — it has a nice weight, handle, a tapered lid to hold sauces, and is made with a good quality metal that can withstand heat. You can use a spoon to baste, toss, serve sauce, flip, or even crack lobster claws and crab legs. High-quality spoons allow you to control your cooking and help maintain precision throughout the whole process, from the beginning of cooking a dish, to the plating, to the final presentation.” — Nick Zocco, James Beard Award finalist and chef at Urban Hill in Salt Lake City, UT

Victornox 7.5-Inch Wavy Edge Chef’s Knife

“An old-school serrated knife is a tool that doesn’t get enough credit. I’m talking about the ones that are slightly bowed with wooden handles — they’re not very expensive, they don’t require a lot of sharpening, they’re super consistent, and they’re an all-around good utility knife to have in your knife block or roll. They’re great for fileting fish as they can cut through pin bones with ease, and they’re ideal for cutting tomatoes, bread, you name it. The brand I have in my knife roll is a classic Victorinox.” — Michael Gulotta, James Beard-nominated chef at Tana in New Orleans, LA

Gorilla Grip Mortar and Pestle Set

“At Sanjh we make all our spice mixes for different dishes in-house. All the mixes are mechanically stone ground at lower temperatures to extract the most flavor. All the chutneys and pastes are also stone ground to extract the authentic flavors of each spice mix, paste, chutney.” — Balpreet Singh Chadha, chef at Sanjh in Irving, TX

Cosori Food Dehydrator

“Most of the vegetable or fruit peels at Sanjh are dehydrated and used as powders or crisps as garnishes. We also dehydrate herbs, purees, chicken skin, and fish skin to add that extra zing of color, texture, or taste as a final touch to our dishes in the form of garnishes.” — Balpreet Singh Chadha

Ultra Cuisine Stainless Steel Cooling and Baking Rack, Set of 2

“You can cool things with [stainless steel baking racks] and mine get lots of use like that. But you can also slap one on top of your stovetop to roast eggplants or peppers directly over the burner. Or, if you roast winter squash or potatoes, you can press it through a cooling rack to separate the flesh from the skin. You can also stick a cooling rack under something while it’s roasting so it won’t sit in its own juices.” — Kierin Baldwin, chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education