12 Kitchen Tools That Solve Food & Wine Editors’ Pet Peeves

As you might guess, working at Food & Wine makes us staffers a bit…particular in the kitchen. Our jobs revolve around food and cooking, so naturally, many of us have specific ways we like things done — and have developed some pet peeves like placing chef’s knives in the dishwasher or roommates who blow their nose in our dish towels. We asked Food & Wine staff what they wish the folks they share kitchen space with would stop doing, and the answers did not disappoint. 

Responses ranged from minor complaints, like leaving a small amount of water in the Pur water filter pitcher, to more egregious grievances like flipping an egg in our favorite All-Clad nonstick pan with a butter knife! Here are our top 12 biggest pet peeves, and the products we recommend to prevent them. 

Best Overall Product Swaps

Nuoswek 60-Minute Wind Up Timer

“My partner has a tendency to need the microwave as soon as I’m baking something and using the timer function…and sometimes cancels the timer by accident,” says Writer Dillion Evans. To solve this, he recommends an analog tabletop timer like this Nuoswek 60-Minute Wind Up Timer. “It can’t be canceled with just the touch of a button, and it’s even quicker than setting a phone timer, which can be a pain when you forget to turn your volume up.”

Misen Fish Silicone Spatula

Evans says his partner is also guilty of a major faux pas with nonstick cookware: using metal utensils. To combat this, Evans says he’s planning to shift to metal-safe cookware, but in the meantime, he’s snagging this silicone-edged fish spatula “so he can cook eggs that easily release without all the harsh scraping and microplastics.” This was our favorite feature, too, during our fish spatula tests. 

OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Silicone Spatula Set

Senior Editor Joe Morales spotted his husband committing a similar nonstick mistake as Evan’s partner above: “I caught my husband flipping eggs in a nonstick pan with a butter knife, and the silicone utensils were sitting in the utensil crock mere inches away.” We can’t promise that your partner will actually remember to use them, but this 3-piece set of silicone spatulas from OXO was one of our favorites in testing. We named it the most versatile pick because the three sizes and varied head shapes meant there was no task these little spatulas couldn’t tackle. 

Etekcity Food Kitchen Scale

Writer Priyanka Shahane said her biggest pet peeve was her former partner “using liquid measuring cups to measure literally everything.” While measuring cups are handy for some items, many recipes (especially baking) require the precision of a kitchen scale for accurate measurements. This scale came out on top in our tests because it was the most accurate out of the bunch and one of the most affordable.

Pur 30-Cup Countertop Water Filter Dispenser

“My wife never refills the water filter pitcher and leaves like 2 ounces of water in there in the fridge,” says Writer Jason Horn. While there’s no product we can recommend that will always make your partner refill the pitcher, this 30-cup dispenser from Pur will make refills less frequent. The extra-large capacity means there’s enough water to fill a 24-ounce water bottle ten times. 

Pyrex Simply Store 12-Pack Glass Food Storage Containers Set

With the growing concern around how heat-safe black plastic is, Senior Editor Phoebe Sklansky was shocked to catch her partner microwaving leftovers in a black plastic takeout container. “Yikes,” she said. To curb this habit, all you need is a dependable set of glass food storage containers, like this 12-pack from Pyrex. This set includes a variety of sizes that are ideal for reheating leftovers, meal prep, freezing, and more. 

Olio Santo California Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sesame oil is a highly flavorful, low-heat finishing oil — something Sklansky’s partner didn’t seem to know when she caught him using it to cook rather than as a flavoring oil. After picking up a bottle of Ina Garten’s favorite olive oil, he won’t want to cook with anything else! Our editors and Ina love this oil for its versatility and flavorful but neutral profile. 

John Boos Chop-N-Slice Maple Cutting Board

Morales’ husband used to have a bad habit: cutting right on the countertop, or worse, the glass stovetop. Thankfully, Morales has convinced his husband to use a wooden cutting board like this editor-loved John Boos maple board instead. “My knives thank him for it,” says Morales.

Nordic Ware 2-Pack Naturals Aluminum Half Sheet Pans

Morales’ husband is also a home baker, though he does have a habit Morales wishes he would break. “For Thanksgiving, he baked pies, and they dripped all over the pizza stone, burning into the stone and smoking up the kitchen.” Morales says the solution to this burnt pie goop disaster is a simple sheet pan. Placing the pie dish on this aluminum Nordic Ware sheet pan catches any drips or overflow, so you can get that golden-brown crust without setting off your smoke detector. 

Mr. Siga Kitchen Sink Strainer

Editor Merlyn Miller says her ultimate pet peeve is when her roommate or boyfriend doesn’t empty food out of the sink drain after doing the dishes. “We do not have a garbage disposal, and leaving food in the sink is unsanitary and attracts bugs! Plus, it smells gross!” Miller says she wishes she had a food trap that was easy to empty so the rest of her household would actually clean it out. Well, thanks to Photo Editor Doan Nguyen, we recommend this Mr. Siga Kitchen Sink Strainer. Nguyen says she likes this one best because the metal design with cutout holes is much easier to clean than the mesh variety. 

Stasher Premium Reusable Silicone Stretch Lids

Senior Editor Brierley Horton is a mom to tweens who are learning to actually put their leftovers away in the fridge instead of just leaving them out on the counter. Horton says they’re making progress, though “sometimes that means the bowl they eat out of goes straight into the fridge.” Stasher sent Horton a sample of these reusable stretch lids, which fit all types of bowls, pots, containers, and more, helping her kids store their leftovers properly. 

Le Creuset Foil Cutter

Horton also shared another pet peeve, which is actually one her dad has with her. “I have a bad habit of cutting my fingers when opening the foil on a bottle of wine,” says Horton, adding that her dad bought her this Le Creuset foil cutter to remedy the problem. “I think it was so he didn’t have to listen to me complain anymore.” The sharp blades easily cut through foil cleanly, and the small size makes it easy to stash with your favorite corkscrew.