5 Kitchen Must-Haves Our Editors Refuse to Cook Without (Starting at $5)

Want more precision in the kitchen? Associate Food Editor Andrea Rivera Wawrzyn uses a stainless steel ruler to achieve that. “It gets a wild amount of use in my kitchen,” she says. “Lots of recipes call for things to be cut to specific sizes, and having a ruler that can get washed is a big help.” She recommends this one from Amazon, which is just $5 and features an inches-to-millimeters conversion table on the back.

Plus, because this ruler is made from stainless steel, Andrea says she can stick this one — along with a smaller one she has — right onto her magnetic knife strip so it’s “always at the ready.”

“I’ve used this sleek little stainless steel pan almost every day since getting it a few months ago,” says Senior Lifestyle Editor Quinn Fish. This eight-inch pan from All-Clad is compatible with all types of cooktops, and is oven-safe (as long as it’s under 600°F).

“It’s easy to clean, works perfectly for everything I cook in it (from eggs and veggies, to fried tofu and chickpeas), and heats evenly. Plus, it actually looks good hanging on my pot rail,” Quinn says. It’s an investment, but it’s practically synonymous with quality.

One kitchen item Food Editor Patty Catalano says she’s always reaching for? Tongs. “They’re like an extension of my hands.” Specifically she recommends the 12-inch tongs from OXO, but she says she also keeps a couple of nine-inchers on deck as well.

“I prefer tongs that lock so that they fit nicely in the utensil jar on my counter,” Patty says. “I feel like I get a better grip with ones that are not coated in silicone, too.”

She’s not the only one who’s all about these tongs. Amazon shoppers have bought the OXO Good Grips 12-Inch Stainless Steel Locking Tongs more than 2,000 times in the past month (and the item has nearly 12,000 five-star ratings).

“I really love The MK Free Board,” says Associate Groceries Editor Ali Domrongchai. “It’s my first non-wood/plastic-free cutting board.” That’s right: This cutting board from Material is made from “plant-based biocomposite of natural clay minerals and biodegradable biopolymers,” according to the brand’s website.

It comes in three colors (off-white, light pink, and muted blue), can go in the dishwasher, and is just shy of 1.5 feet long, so you can slice up a fresh loaf of sourdough with some room to spare. Not to mention, it’s “super sturdy, doesn’t slide around, and is so easy to clean,” Ali says.

Whether you’re looking to blitz up creamy hummus, a smooth loaded baked potato soup, or a satisfying smoothie, you’re going to need a good blender — and Ninja’s TWISTi High-Speed Blender is our Editorial Assistant Alexandra Foster’s go-to. “I’m a big smoothie girl in the summertime, and like them to be on the thicker side,” she says.

One thing that stands out in particular about the TWISTi? “I love the built-in tamper, which you can twist to help push stuff down as the motor’s running — nothing gets stuck!” she says, plus you don’t have to lift the lid or start and stop the blender. Choose between the five preset programs — smoothie, spread, bowl, frozen, and extract — to find your just-right consistency.