My 6 Favorite Kitchen Tools to Make Cooking Easier (And Smarter)

Last week we shared some of my favorite fitness gadgets and this week we’re taking it to the kitchen. I’m always looking for anything to make cooking easier and less stressful. So I asked Zach (our resident food and wellness expert) to share some of his favorite kitchen tools to make cooking a breeze!

Sous vide (a.k.a. immersion circulator)

What it does is super simple, but the benefits are amazing. A sous vide (pronounced sue-veed) machine controls the temperature of a liquid, usually water, to keep it at a consistent temperature for prolonged period of time. You place food in a vacuum sealed bag (sous vide is French for “under vacuum”) with whatever sauces, marinades, herbs, or spices desired. Then you place it in the warm water. By cooking slowly at a controlled temperature you ensure that whatever you’re making ends up exactly how you want it and never overcooked.

With a sous vide you can achieve a perfectly cooked steak, piece of fish, veggies, or whatever else you’re in the mood for. You can even poach eggs in the shell! My favorite is the Joule, which is controlled by an app that lets you select the food you’re cooking, how you want it, and then it will set the temperature and time to what you need. I also really like the Anova (which also has an app) and the All Clad.

Mandoline

Whether you’re making dinner or trying to meal prep for the week, slicing and dicing everything can take a lot of time and energy. A mandoline is perfect for prepping large batches of veggies in no time. The best part is you get perfectly consistent slices every time. My favorite (and the favorite amongst most chefs) is the Benriner mandoline from Japan. It’s affordable, compact, and the blade is sharp enough to make it easy to use. It also comes with attachment to julienne (thinly slice) and a guard to protect your fingers.

If you need some more tips on how to use a mandoline, here is a great article and video!

Adjustable rolling pin

There are plenty of recipes that tell you to roll out some dough to a specific thickness, but that’s easier said than done. I love this adjustable rolling pin that allows you to set a desired thickness and get a consistent dough.

Warming butter knife

You can file this under completely unnecessary, but one of my favorite impulse purchases I’ve made. This butter knife warms up so that you can slice through butter like, well, butter (pun intended).

Cold brew maker

I LOVE my coffee and with the warm weather in LA, I often opt for cold brew. You’d be surprised by how easy it is to make at home. You just add ground coffee to a filter, add water, and let it sit for about 24 hours. This cold brew maker simplifies everything. You’ll be pouring yourself a glass (or two, or three) in no time!

Ember Mug

If you prefer your coffee hot, then the Ember mug is for you. You can use their app to set a temperature and then their electric-powered mug will keep your coffee warm and cozy! They also make a travel mug that can hold a charge for 2 hours and comes with a charging coaster.