The ultimate list of 31 best kitchen essentials every cook needs

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The best kitchen essentials every cook should have

Salter Megastone 3-piece pan set

Best budget saucepan set

Suitable for all hob types, Salter's three-piece saucepan set has an effective non-stick coating that makes both cooking and cleaning simple. 16cm, 18cm and 20cm pans with lids are included in the set with a speckled design. They're part of the same wider collection as the Megastone frying pan, another top buy. Read our full Salter Megastone 3-piece pan set review.

• Read our guide to the best saucepan sets

Barista & Co Core All Grind

Best slimline coffee grinder

Awarded best slimline grinder by BBC Good Food experts, this would not only make an excellent gift for coffee lovers but is a practical grinder for kitchens where space is at a premium. This burr grinder has a 40-point adjustability for precisely changing the coarseness of ground coffee. A handy measurement scoop and cleaning brush also fit within the lid. Read our guide to the best coffee grinders.

Fellow Atmos Vacuum Canister

Storing your coffee beans in an airtight container will help prolong their freshness and flavour. This jar has an integrated hand pump to remove excess air along with a vacuum seal. Read our full guide to the best gifts for coffee lovers.

Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 air fryer

Best large-capacity air fryer for small kitchens

If you have a few mouths to feed but not a lot of kitchen space, this Instant Vortex is an XL air fryer with a manageable footprint that's packed with presets. You can air fry 1kg of chips or roast a 1.8kg chicken in its drawer-style compartment. Bake, dehydrate and grill functions are also on offer. Read our full Instant Vortex 6-in-1 air fryer review.

• Read our guide to the best air fryers

Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer

Best blow-out multifunctional air fryer

Got a larger budget to spend on an air-fryer? This multifunctional Ninja health grill circulates hot air efficiently to help you achieve a crisp result with a similar texture and flavour to fried foods. Dehydrate, bake, roast, grill and reheating functions are on offer in addition to zero-oil air crisping. The non-stick griddle component helped us achieve those iconic char lines. Read our full review of the Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer.

Kitchen Pantry brass measuring cups

Bring a retro note to your kitchen with this nest of solid brass measuring cups, including ¼ cup, ½ cup and 1 cup measures. The smart leather tag at the end means they can be hung up for easy storage. Read our full guide to the best baking gifts

• Available from Silver Mushroom, £14.99

Mason Cash mixing bowl

This earthenware bowl is a modern take on the classic, featuring embossed leaves and woodland creatures across its exterior that double up as grips. It's 29cm across, making it a perfect bowl for big bakes and proving dough.

Joseph Joseph Folio chopping board set

Best chopping board set

The 'library' design of these chopping boards keeps the boards stacked and separated for using with different ingredients. It's a stylish way to keep them organised in a busy kitchen.

Read our full review of the Best chopping boards

Kenwood HM220 electric hand mixer

Best electric whisk

Electric whisks can be used for everything from making cake batters to even mashing potato. The Kenwood is a well-built and durable electric mixer which comes with stainless-steel beaters. It’s not too heavy to hold for long periods plus it fits comfortably in your hand.

Read our full review of the Best whisks

Jean Patrique digital kitchen scales

Best budget kitchen scales

A compact, easy-to-store set of simple digital scales offering imperial and metric measurements on an LED display. There’s no option for measuring liquids with these, but if you’ve got a trusty measuring jug, this set will do the rest.

Read our full review of the Best kitchen scales

Lakeland 10-piece stack-a-box set

Ace storage solution

Plastic containers are a game changer for storing and transporting food. A multipack like these stackable boxes by Lakeland are a budget-friendly way to go about investing in a range of sizes. They’re fridge, freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe.

Prestige stone quartz square grill pan (28cm)

Best budget grill pan

A great grill pan will cook ingredients evenly whilst giving them defined grill lines and the smoky flavour synonymous with chargrilling. The Prestige impressed with its ability to transfer heat evenly across its large base. Plus the non-stick coating is remarkably easy to clean. Great quality and a reasonable price.

Read our full review of the Best griddle pans

Microplane fine grater

Fine Microplane graters are an easy way to grate hardy ingredients like garlic, ginger and nutmeg. They're also great for zesting citrus fruits. When it comes to adding flavour and zing to dishes, a Microplane could become your best friend.

Judge Sabatier IV knife block set

Best knife set for under £100

You don’t often see a knife sharpener built into the side of a knife block. This set by Judge Sabatier features a 9cm paring knife, 14cm boning knife, 15cm cook’s knife, 20cm carving knife and 20cm bread knife, plus the aforementioned sharpener.

Read our full review of the Best knife sets

AnySharp knife sharpener

Super smart knife sharpener

The AnySharp knife sharpener is a nifty little gadget with a suction pad base. Importantly, it feels safe to use and when tested, achieved a very sharp knife with just three pulls. An instant kitchen classic.

Read our full review of the Best knife sharpeners

Lakeland SharpPeel julienne peeler

Genius julienne peeler

Bypass the need for fiddly chopping and make matchstick-sized strips in one quick motion, thanks to this genius julienne peeler by Lakeland. Its precision blades are incredibly sharp so making spaghetti-style substitutes feels as simple as peeling vegetables.

Available from Lakeland (£5.99)

Read our full review of the Best peelers

MasterClass quarry marble pin and stand

Stylish rolling pin

The weight of marble makes rolling out ingredients like pastry just that little bit easier. The aesthetics of a marble rolling pin also makes them deliciously stylish kitchen essentials. If you’re looking to buy a new rolling pin, this one by MasterClass is a budget-friendly bit of kit.

Available from Amazon (£21.99)

Read our full review of the Best marble rolling pins

Mason Cash medium pestle & mortar

Best all-rounder pestle and mortar

Pestles and mortars are surprisingly versatile bits of kit. This one by Mason Cash has a good capacity for its overall size and a large mortar making it easy to grind spices, mince garlic and bruise herbs efficiently. They make any kitchen look that little bit classier.

Read our full review of the Best pestle and mortars

Thermos stainless steel 1.2 litre flask

Best overall flask

In our test of flasks and thermos cups, this Thermos flask was rated 10/10. Although it could do with a second cup for sharing out hot drinks whilst out and about, even once filled to its 1.2 litre capacity it still managed to feel light to carry and comes with a 50-year guarantee.

Read our full review of the Best thermos flasks

Russell Hobbs 24381 Inspire four-slice toaster

Best all-round toaster

A simple and reliable four-slot toaster, the Russell Hobbs made some of the most evenly toasted slices out of all the toasters tested by the BBC Good Food team. It scored 4/5 stars in our test of the best.

Read our full review of the Best toasters

Dualit 700W hand blender

Best hand blender for practicality

This kitchen essential hooks over the hand to give you grip and control whilst using it. A 1-litre jug with measuring markings comes as part of the set, along with a whisk and mini chopper. The attachments are also dishwasher safe.

Read our full review of the Top hand blenders

Tefal Ingenio Essential 14-piece pan set

Best large saucepan set for small spaces

Over time it’s easy for cupboards to get cluttered with pans new and old. This set has detatchable handles and stackable lids, meaning the entire set can be stored within the footprint of the largest pan.

Tefal Easy Soup

Best basic soup maker

A soup maker lets you make delicious soup without the faff. Depending on the function, they can cook and blend a variety of soups. The manual of this Tefal maker comes with a bunch of recipes to get you started. You can also make lassi drinks and smoothies.

Read our full review of the Best soup makers

Tower Bottega kettle

Best traditional-look kettle

A kettle is a true kitchen essential. This Tower Bottega was a tried and tested favourite from our review and the distinctive design brings character to the kitchen. A matching toaster is available and it comes in different colourways.

Read our full review of the Best kettles

Bosch Tassimo Vivy 2 TAS 140x

If easy to use is what you're after from a coffee pod machine, the Bosch Tassimo is perfect. Its scanner reads the barcode of compatible pods and adjusts its settings in order to produce a great drink, every time.

Read our full review of the Best coffee pod machines

Pyrex Prep & Store glass bowl with lid

Best-value mixing bowl

A kitchen classic, Pyrex has a strong reputation for its high quality and versatile glassware. The bowl is not only oven, fridge, freezer and microwave safe, it also comes with a silicone lid for sealing prepped ingredients into an airtight container for storing. Perfect for popping in the fridge for later.

Panasonic SD-B2510 breadmaker

Best breadmaker

This lightweight breadmaker sits landscape on the countertop and offers a variety of presets and customisable settings. It's one of the most affordable options we rated, but still took the award for best breadmaker. Read our full Panasonic SD-B2510 review.

• Read our full guide to the best breadmakers

Cuisinart iced dessert maker

Best-value ice cream maker

Rated 5/5 stars by the BBC Good Food team, the Cuisinart is an easy to assemble and super-quiet ice cream machine that can produce 1.4 litres of quality ice cream, sorbet or frozen yogurt in one go. You get incredible results for a thoroughly reasonable price.

Read our full review of the Best ice cream makers

Siemens iQ300 freestanding dishwasher SN23EC14CG | C

Best all-round freestanding dishwasher

With 13-place settings capacity, WiFi enabled and voice control compatibility and VarioSpeed function to shorten the run time of cycles, this a modern appliance boasting bells and whistles, that doesn't compromise on the basics.

Read our full buyer's guide to the best dishwasher brands and models to buy.

Hotpoint H1NT 811E W 60/40 fridge freezer

Quiet Mark-certified budget fridge freezer

Large white goods are often the most expensive bits we buy for our kitchens. However, it is possible to find a spacious and practical fridge freezer. One characteristic of this model we particularly love are the flexi shelves. Tall items like wine bottles can be accommodated by sliding the front half of the shelf underneath the back half.

Read our full buyers guide of the Best fridge freezers

ElectriQ HSL600 juicer

Best-value juicer

At under £80, this model is excellent value for money. It produces smooth, relatively foam-free cold-pressed juice and happily chomps its way through hard vegetables like carrots and woody kale. We found the machine harder to clean than some other models, but it's perfect for anyone new to juicing or looking for something budget-friendly.

Read our full review of the Best juicers

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