‘Hands down my favourite bit of kit': 13 kitchen gadgets top chefs can't live without

The Guardian

06-03-2025

We all have that gadget we reach for in the kitchen; the everyday item that changes the way we cook, making chopping, zesting citrus fruit, flipping fish and grinding spices that little bit easier (plus, saving fingertips). A kitchen gamechanger doesn't have to be fancy, though – Feast's Georgina Hayden finds a tomato knife picked up on holiday indispensable.
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So which gadgets and tools will make your kitchen life complete (and perhaps more enjoyable)? We asked some of the UK's top chefs about the things they couldn't live without.
Ikea Koncis garlic press
£4 at Ikea
'I could never live without my Ikea garlic press. I love garlic but absolutely hate the lingering smell of it on my fingers. Without the press, I wouldn't use garlic as much, which would be very sad, or I'd have very stinky fingers all the time.'
Braun MultiQuick 1 hand blender
£24.99 at John Lewis£24.99 at Currys
'Stick blenders get my vote – Braun ones are efficient and durable. They're perfect for blending small amounts quickly and are incredibly convenient to clean – just click off and rinse. Plus, you can puree soups right in the pot while they're still hot. And when it comes to homemade mayo, there's nothing more useful: just pop an egg, some rice wine vinegar (or lemon) and salt into a jug, top with neutral oil, and blend until thick and creamy.'
Lakeland stainless steel slotted fish slice
£4.99 at Lakeland£4.99 at Amazon
'A stainless-steel fish slice, which is a flexible, metal spatula with holes. It's the one thing I always have because you can use it to flip, whisk and strain things. When I was working on the fish section at the Oxo Tower it was my right hand, and I would do everything with it.'
HexClad HexMill salt and pepper grinder set
£199 at HexCladSalt grinder £129 at AmazonPepper grinder £129 at Amazon
'HexClad's salt and pepper grinders are the best thing I've ever come across; they're proper pricey but they're mega.'
Microplane fine grater
£29.99 at John Lewis£29.99 at Lakeland
'I always grate garlic and ginger with my Microplane – ginger first so the garlic can help push through any recalcitrant bits of ginger – and use it for lemon and lime zest, parmesan, etc. It's hands down my favourite bit of kit, and mine is just the right level of sharp versus blunt that it won't take off my fingertips. My husband's Microplane is vicious, only to be used if mine is in the dishwasher.'
Thermapen
£52.80 at ETI£42.80 at Amazon
'A Thermapen digital thermometer: stick it in meat and it will tell you when it's medium-rare. It also tells you the perfect setting point for custard, it stops your scrambled eggs from going rubbery, and you can tell when bread is cooked right the way through. All the core temperatures are available on the internet. If I'm being honest, though, the gadgets I absolutely could never live without are my laptop and phone; you spend so much time checking temperatures and cooking times, it's where I keep my notes, and I use the timer on my phone as well. 'Siri, set a timer,' will change your boiled egg game overnight.'
Victorinox serrated edge tomato knife
£5.98 at Nisbets£6.90 at Victorinox
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'My tomato knife, which a friend gifted to me from Greece. It's a very fine, small, serrated, curved knife; nothing expensive, but it's a gamechanger. Being Greek-Cypriot I eat a lot of tomatoes, and if you cut them with a normal chef's knife, you're going to squish them. It's one of my favourite things in my kitchen.'
Magimix Juice Expert 3 in 1 juicer
£250 at John Lewis£250 at Fenwick
'A cold pressed juicer. I love it, and not only for putting fresh fruit or anything I've got leftover in it for juice, but for making shots of ginger – which you don't have to peel – for dressings for raw fish.'
Stainless steel food mill
£27.99 at Lakeland£25 at Dunelm
'It has to be my food mill, which is a sieve with a crank that presses out flavour and retains texture in a way no other tool can.'
Sage the Barista Express
£629.95 at Currys£630 at Argos
'My Sage bean to cup coffee machine. It adds a significant amount of happiness to my kitchen; there's no good coffee where I live and I really don't like drinking burnt, scalding, poorly made coffee. The ritual of putting it on in the morning always makes me smile – sad, but true.'
For more coffee machines, see our expert's review of the best
Grey marble pestle and mortar
£35 at John Lewis
'I love grinding spices in my mortar and pestle for Thai sauces. I love the movement, I love the look of them, and they're just a really good tool to have. I have a medium-sized one and then a small rough one that someone gave me.'
Japanese handheld mandolin slicer
£39.99 at Sous Chef£43.99 at Amazon
'I would hate to live without my Japanese mandolin, with all its different sliced attachments. It's such a quick and tidy way of slicing veg and fruit, and just about halves the prep time – just watch those fingers!'
Large wooden chopping board
£30 at M&S
'I'm not sure you can call it a gadget, but my absolute favourite item in the kitchen is a substantial wooden chopping board. There's something so satisfying about working on a well-made one.'