6 Essential Kitchen Tools to Elevate Your Cooking – CNET [CNET]

Article updated on March 6, 2024 at 3:00 PM PST

Even better, most of these cost less than $30.

When many imagine their ideal kitchen setup, they probably picture owning the expensive KitchenAid stand mixer or a high-end Dutch oven to whip up the ultimate culinary masterpiece. But besides a good chef’s knife, a few smaller purchases might actually be better investments than those pricier, luxury items. For just a few bucks in some cases, these tools can change the experience of cooking and make the elaborate meal prep often involved in those recipes we’re trying out that much more doable.

Here are six essential tools that can seriously elevate the quality and aesthetics of the food coming out of your kitchen. We update this list periodically.

knife sharpener. You can pick up a sharpener that works well for as little as $9 on Amazon.

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Don’t drop over $100 on a new knife. Just sharpen your old one.

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Don’t drop over a $100 on a new knife. Just sharpen your old one.

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Don’t drop over a $100 on a new knife. Just sharpen your old one.

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A good chef knife isn’t cheap, but it’s an investment that’ll last you years. The problem is, many of us settle for mediocre knives because our old ones get dull and we don’t want to shell out for a $150 knife every couple of years. The tool that helps you keep your knife performing as well as possible is a knife sharpener. You can pick up a sharpener that works well for as little as $9 on Amazon.