We all love salad spinners, fun-shaped ice molds, and novelty waffle irons. But if you’re a serious home chef, these are the real essentials to up your culinary game.

Stagg EKG Electric Kettle

The kettle you select for your caffeination station is easy decision — and if you’re a pour-over person, you’ll absolutely want one with a gooseneck spout, affording maximum control over your brew. Function and form align with Fellow’s Stagg series, offered in both stovetop and electric versions and a variety of finishes to match your aesthetic.

Primo Digital Scale

Whether it’s weighing out French Roast or ingredients for the perfect pastries, many kitchen endeavors command a critical mass. Escali’s durable kitchen scales are trusted by recipe developers, testers, and chefs alike, and having one on the ready helps ensure your attempts at even the most intense recipes will be triumphant.

The Good Shears

Put the craft scissors away. Nothing you’ve used for scrapbooking should chop windowsill-grown chives over your fluffy scramble, certainly not when Material Kitchen’s Good Shears are optimized for the job. Crafted from German stainless steel with micro-serrated blades, these kitchen-grade shears can chop through everything from chicken to twine (and they’re dishwasher safe).

Thermapen ONE

Whether you’re hovering over the Thanksgiving turkey or become so emotionally invested in your sourdough baking operation that burning a boule might require therapy, having an instant-read thermometer is a downright necessity. The Thermapen ONE assures whatever you’ve spent days preparing reaches its ideal internal temperature, and with far more precision than its analog counterparts.

Balmuda Toaster Oven

Created for the epicurean who cherishes efficiency, Balmuda’s toaster oven doesn’t simply toast. With temperature regulation technology and exacting settings — just what exact kind of carbs are you putting in here? — this steam toaster oven ensures all the crunchy outsides and soft insides your appetite craves.

Cordless Hand Blender

Cords get in the way. They’re unsightly, and they interrupt a space. Thankfully, the future in immersion blending is here, and it doesn’t require a noodle of electricity snaking across your countertops. Puree as you please with KitchenAid’s latest models, which with a two-hour battery life can tornado everything from appetizer dips to desserts on a single charge. 

Slotted Turner

This flat-edged tool is a staple in any home that puts salmon on the menu once a week. But its uses are versatile: pancakes, grilled cheeses, and eggs frying in a sizzling pool of hot oil are all turned with ease and precision. It may quality more as utensil than gadget, but it’s one you’ll want around for all foodie forays.

Five Quart Stand Mixer

If Claire Saffitz’s words are gospel, a stand mixer is a vital element for your kitchen. More than a gadget, this piece of machinery feels akin to a sous chef. It does the heavy mixing, giving our biceps and wooden spoons a rest. Prettily perched atop the baker’s rack, one glance upon it and you’ll be inspired to soften butter and whip up a cake for no occasion other the sake of using it. The only question: Which color will you choose?