Your kitchen is the place where holiday foods are prepared to become a part of treasured memories. It’s the room in which people gather around the chef as they work their magic. Your kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your home. Therefore, you should spare no expense when outfitting it with the best must-have accessories.
Are you an avid cook ready to scale down your present arsenal of supplies? Or does someone else do most of the cooking, so you want to totally revamp your kitchen to give them the best accessories of today?
Whatever your reasons for seeking out top-of-the-line kitchen accessories, you’ll have a lot of decisions to make as to what you include in this important room.
Must-Have Kitchen Accessories
From sponge racks and can openers to espresso machines, silicone utensils, and knife sharpener systems, there are plenty of things to consider when looking for the best must-have kitchen accessories. The following are some of the most popular:
Digital Meat Thermometer System with WiFi
They don’t make meat thermometers like they used to, which is why your kitchen needs a complete meat thermometer system with WiFi capability. The best ones come with multiple probes. These enable chefs to prepare several pieces of meat to various cooking levels at once.
You’ll easily be able to prepare a rare steak, a medium-well steak, and a medium steak at the same time with no guesswork.
WiFi capability for these meat thermometer systems allows you to check temperatures without interrupting what you’re doing to repeatedly go over to the oven or stove.
These systems also allow you to use the meat thermometers in stand-alone mode without a WiFi connection. WiFi ranges on digital meat thermometers can extend up to 165 feet, and some of them monitor internal meat temperature and external temperatures simultaneously.
If that’s not impressive enough, the top systems also estimate how long it will take to cook and rest your food.
A Premium Copper Sponge Rack
Any good sponge rack is going to be able to hold more than just sponges, and it will look beautiful while doing it, too. Premium copper kitchen accessories are becoming wildly popular as of late, and for good reason.
Copper is used in pots and pans because of its ability to distribute heat evenly. For other kitchen accessories, such as sponge racks, copper is a great choice because it is durable, hygienic, and chic.
The natural antibacterial properties of copper sink make it an ideal material for sponge racks in the kitchen. The fact that it also resists corrosion secures copper’s place among the top choices for this type of accessory. Copper sponge racks can be custom-made to fit perfectly in a variety of types of sinks, too.
Deluxe Silicone Baking Mats
Today’s advanced kitchen requires more than parchment paper and cooking spray. These days, chefs prefer using deluxe silicone baking mats in the oven. They’re perfect for everything from pizzas and bread to cookies and other goodies.
Premium mats are encapsulated in food-grade silicone for durability and ease of use. There is no greasing required for these; in fact, you’ll be able to stop throwing away money on parchment paper and cooking spray. There are various sizes and brands of mats available, so make sure to gather several of them to fit your various pans.
Aside from the convenience of not having to line or spray pans, using deluxe silicone baking mats will save you time and hassle because you won’t need to scrub pans anymore. Using the mats can also significantly extend the life of your baking pans. The best ones are oven-safe up to about 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
A Copper Sink Drying Rack
Copper enters the list of must-have kitchen accessories again, this time in the form of a sink drying rack. These are popular for the same reasons as the copper sponge racks: copper sink drying racks have natural antibacterial properties, they’re corrosion-resistant, and they’re very durable.
You can have a copper sink rack custom-made to fit your sink; make sure you purchase one that is constructed from 16-gauge virgin copper for a premium kitchen experience. These racks are an excellent idea not only for protecting your dishes from smashing against the bottom of the sink but also for protecting your sink.
A Superior Knife-Sharpening System
Anyone who uses knives in the kitchen understands the value and necessity of keeping their knives beautifully sharp. Even the best top-of-the-line knives will become dull with use.
Luckily, many excellent sharpeners are available on the market. You’ll want to pick up a system that will make knife edges perfect so chefs can get the angle they need every time on every pass.
Consider knife sharpening systems that use diamond hones to sharpen with premium accuracy. A good system will also include a sturdy base, safety guards, honing oil, and other features. Many of the top systems also offer lifetime warranties.
A Pot Filler Faucet
One of the most exciting and useful types of kitchen accessories to enter the arena is the pot filler faucet. These gorgeous faucets are wall-mounted, and the top choices offer a swing-out faucet that sits on a long arm that is also jointed. A pot-filler faucet should be mounted over the stove for superior convenience and ease.
This set-up saves cooks from carrying an enormously heavy pot from the sink to the stove or wrestling with a large pot that won’t fit under a kitchen sink faucet.
When the cook has finished filling the pot at the stove, the pot filler arm folds back against the backsplash, where it stays when it’s not in use. You can choose a variety of finishes for these handy faucets, from polished chrome or brass to oil-rubbed bronze and many others.
A Versatile Mandoline
If you are a cook who looks for uniform results, a quality mandoline is a must-have kitchen accessory. This gadget will slice, dice, grate and cut everything from onions to tomatoes to potatoes and cheese, and it will do it quicker than any knife will. Each slice or sliver will be uniform, which will help you upgrade your presentation and plating skills.
A good mandoline will have a wide variety of adjustable settings, including settings to slice, waffle cut, julienne, matchstick cut, and more. Mandolines are useful when making salads, stir-fries, soups, pickled vegetables, gratins, and dozens of other dishes.
Slicing is the core feature of any mandoline, but make sure to consider additional features as well. Most importantly, any mandoline you consider must include finger guards or hand guards.
A Raclette Grill
Raclette grills are tabletop sets similar to small flat-top grills that are used to melt a specific cheese of the same name. These grills include custom scrapers for the cheese, which is melted in individual little dishes called coupelles.
You can opt for a raclette grill that serves one person or one that serves eight people at a time; the choice is yours. Although raclette (the cheese) had been traditionally very difficult to find in the U.S., it has recently exploded in popularity. Raclette parties are also becoming all the rage.
As for the raclette grills, you can serve the melted cheese with anything you decide to grill up. Raclette can team up with everything from onions, peppers, and pickles to bread, fish, burgers, and omelets.
You can find raclette grills with granite grill tops or with cast iron tops. Others have non-stick, coated aluminum tops, and there are many other options, too. Pro tip: Don’t forget the wine. Raclette is traditionally served with a good dry white wine called Fendant.
A High-Quality Range Hood
A high-quality range hood is an absolute must for any kitchen. The best range hoods are not only stylish, adding elegance and charm to kitchens, but they also serve an important purpose: to clean the air.
Range hoods remove pollutants, smells, irritants, and toxins produced from cooking. Fans in the hood clear away everything from fishy odors to grease, smoke, and fumes. A good custom range hood should properly fit the space above a kitchen range.
Indoor air quality can often be significantly worse than outdoor air quality, so it’s important to choose the best range hood possible. They’re available in an impressive variety of styles, materials, sizes, finishes, shapes, and designs.
In addition, there are various options available for venting and mounting. Most range hoods vent to the outdoors, while others simply clean and recirculate the air instead.
Even if your kitchen range is installed on a kitchen island, you can find gorgeous range hoods custom-designed for islands. No matter what style, size, or color your kitchen features, there is a range hood that will fit beautifully in it.
With so many new kitchen accessories being introduced all of the time, it can be overwhelming when trying to decide which ones you really need. Although it’s always a good idea to prioritize, don’t forget to treat yourself a bit with some upgraded finishes or materials, too.
