Kitchen Gadgets Guide: The Essentials vs. The Clutter.

December 3, 2025

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Podcast # 5 Chef Over Your Shoulder

Link to last years blog: https://blog.theculinarystudio.ca/top-10-kitchen-tools/

Does opening your kitchen utensil drawer spark joy, or a mild panic attack? If you are like most home cooks, you likely have a collection of tools that are gathering dust. Perhaps you have a strawberry huller you used once in 2014, or a “pasta grabber” that only manages to lift up four strands of spaghetti at a time.

In this week’s episode of Chef Over Your Shoulder, we emptied our drawers to have an honest conversation about Kitchen Gadgets. We debated what is truly essential versus what is just clutter. Amy brought the organizational enthusiasm, while Jody and Kirstie brought the professional chef perspective to help you streamline your Kitchen Inspiration.

Here is our guide to the tools that will actually improve your Joy of Cooking.

The “Bouquet of Strainers”

When Amy asked about the one tool we could not live without, we realized it is not just one tool. It is a “bouquet” of strainers. If you are going to invest in Kitchen Tools that change your life, start here.

The Fine Mesh Strainer

This is the classic strainer, roughly the size of a human face (or as Kirstie calls it, the “Romper Room” size). It is perfect for straining sauces, sifting flour, or washing quinoa.

The Spider (or wire skimmer)

This is an underrated tool in North American kitchens, but an absolute staple in Asian cooking. It looks like a wide wire basket on a long bamboo handle.

Why do we love it? It is lightweight, which means you can use it all day without fatigue.

Use it to scoop pasta directly from the pot into a sauce, lift dumplings, or lower veggies into a blanching pot without burning your fingers.

If You Give a Chef a Cookie (or a Knife)

Jody chatted about the Childrens Book “If you give a Mouse a Cookie” by Laura Numeroff: “If you give a mouse a cookie, he is going to want a glass of milk.” The same logic applies to Chefs.

If you get a good knife, you need a good cutting board. If you have a good cutting board, you need a honing steel to keep the knife sharp. It is a cycle, but it ensures you have the proper tools to do the job. Here are three essentials we believe everyone should own:

The Rasp (Microplane): Originally a woodworking tool, this is now a culinary legend. Do not just use it for lemon zest. Use it for garlic, ginger, nutmeg, chocolate, and hard cheeses. It creates a fine texture that melts into your food instantly.
The Y-Peeler: Throw away the swivel peeler that hurts your wrist. A Swissmar Y-Peeler acts like a scalpel. It is sharp, ergonomic, and allows you to make beautiful ribbons of zucchini or butternut squash effortlessly.
Proper Tongs: Think of tongs as an extension of your hand. We prefer stainless steel tongs without the locking mechanism (which can get jammed).

The Great Cutting Board Debate

We have had some spirited discussions about cutting boards recently. Amy was convinced that plastic was safer for germs, but science says otherwise.

Wood breathes. Plastic tends to harbour bacteria in the deep grooves made by knives. Wood is naturally antibacterial to a degree, and it is much kinder to your knife blade.

How to Clean Your Wood Board:

To deep clean your board, you do not need harsh chemicals.

Wash it with hot, soapy water.
Sprinkle it liberally with coarse Kosher salt.
Let it sit overnight.
The salt draws out moisture and bacteria. Rinse it off the next day, and you are ready to go.

Our cutting board of choice is the Epicurean Cutting Boards

The “Paycheck” Tool

In professional kitchens, profit margins are slim. If you leave batter in the bowl, you are throwing money away. That is why we love a good Rubber Spatula or a dough scraper.

Whether you are making cookies or transferring chopped vegetables from the board to the pot, a simple plastic dough scraper ensures you get every last bit of value out of your ingredients.

Gadgets to “Marie Kondo” Immediately

We cannot talk about the good without mentioning the bad. If you have these items, we give you permission to let them go:

The Pasta Grabber: It rarely works as intended. Use your tongs and your new Spider strainer instead.
The Cherry Pitter: Unless you are canning hundreds of pounds of cherries, your knife (or just your fingers) will do the job just fine.

However, we did make an exception for Amy’s Pineapple Corer. While it is a “unitasker” (a tool with only one job), it helps her son eat more fresh fruit safely. If a gadget helps you eat better Food and brings you joy, then it deserves a spot in your drawer.