Kitchen Gear We Think You Should Own Two Of

I have more kitchen gear than I know what to do with. (Cue the world’s smallest violin.)  Which means the stuff I make room for is truly top tier.

My fellow, blessed-by-kitchen-supplies editors feel the same way. So, I asked them: What cookware, tools, appliances, and gadgets are so indispensable and undeniably useful that they must own more than one of them? Below, you’ll find our 15 picks.

Plastic Cutting Boards

I have a stack of plastic cutting boards and happily own both of our favorites (from Material and OXO) in various sizes. Unlike my wooden boards, they’re lightweight and easy to clean. During dinner prep, I usually use at least two. And I’ve washed them in the dishwasher more times than I can count. — Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, associate editorial director

Small Measuring Cups

I actually have four of these mini measuring cups, and I use them all the time. They’re fantastic for measuring small amounts of liquid for cooking, as well as measuring in ounces or milliliters if you’re building a cocktail. Instead of trying to fill a tiny tablespoon with liquid, I can measure neatly and pour smoothly from one of these tiny cups. — Grace Kelly, senior editor

Carbon Steel Skillets

When I got my first carbon steel pan (this unseasoned Mauviel one), I took it on like a new hobby. I read Daniel’s seasoning guide approximately a dozen times before I got the nerve to remove its beeswax coating and start applying oil, and spent more than one Saturday afternoon building up its patina over my grill. Then, I got the OXO Obsidian pan and fell for its easy-to-clean, pre-seasoned surface and silicone handle sleeve. While the OXO has mostly taken over on breakfast and dinner duty, the Mauviel has remained my workhorse for camping trips and hard-searing steaks. Both have well-earned spots on my cookware shelves, though they never stay there for long. — Ashlee Redger, writer

Wire Cooling Racks

I have four of these cooling racks, and sometimes it’s still not enough! I use them for cooling baked goods (obviously), but they’re also useful for roasting whole chickens on a sheet pan, using as a landing pad for freshly-fried food, and raising my wooden cutting board off the counter after I’ve washed it. — Rochelle Bilow, editor

Sheet Pans

Every test kitchen I’ve worked in has had a rack of sheet pans at the ready—they’re that useful. At home, I own about eight. Baking, roasting, cooling, drying, prepping…you’ll find a use for an extra sheet pan or two, I promise. — Riddley

Wooden Spoons

Wooden spoons must be washed by hand, and I certainly don’t want to pause mid-cooking to do so. That’s why I have a plethora of them housed in my utensil crock, which sits next to my stove. Lately, I’ve found myself reaching for this flat-headed scraper all of the time. It’s perfect for sautéing vegetables or scraping up fond. — Riddley

Chef’s Knives

I have four chef’s knives, ranging in size from six to 10 inches. I like having different weights and lengths of knives so I can choose my knife based on what I am cutting—the six-inch one for chopping garlic and the 10-inch one for a big, tough butternut squash, for example. I’m also kind of bad about keeping my knives sharp, but having multiples means at least one of them is always sharp.  — Megan O. Steintrager, associate editorial director

Kitchen Timers

Anyone who tests or develops recipes knows how important it is to keep track of time! I have several timers on my fridge to help me track prep and cook times—and to make sure I never forget to check whatever’s in the oven. — Genevieve Yam, senior editor

Thermometers

I own multiples of almost everything—because my job as a recipe writer requires it. Much to the chagrin of my clutter-hating wife, I have two cast iron skillets in every size, and two of almost every other kind of common cookware as well (two- and three-quart saucepans and sauciers, soup and stockpots, pressure cookers, carbon steel skillets, four-quart saute pans, multiple Dutch ovens, and two woks). I have so many immersion circulators that I mostly don’t use. I have dozens of knives, peelers, spatulas of every type, wooden spoons, sauce spoons, slotted and serving spoons, ladles, and more. It’d be much easier for me to make a list of the things I only own one of. So…what to focus on here? I own multiple scales—two for cooking, two for coffee and espresso making—and I’d be annoyed if I didn’t have each of them. I own a drawer full of thermometers (probe, instant-read, etc.), and I find that makes bigger cooking undertakings like Thanksgiving significantly easier to manage. So maybe that’s the one I’d suggest for most home cooks: You should have more than one thermometer. A good, multi-channel digital probe for tracking oven temps and roasts over time, and an instant-read or two for jabbing into anything you need to get a quick read on. — Daniel Gritzer, editorial director

Stainless Steel Skillets

Two stainless steel skillets are the bare minimum, in my opinion. They’re endlessly versatile, ready to sear a golden-crusted steak or make a warming side of potatoes lyonnaise. I reach for my All-Clad D3 nearly every time I cook, so much so that I decided to buy another. — Grace

Flatware Sets

Having two sets of matching flatware feels, I don’t know, luxurious? I love not running out of forks, and when I have my family over for dinner, everyone can actually get a proper place setting. I have owned the flatware set from Made In for years, and it still looks good as new. Not even a fork tine is bent out of place. — Riddley

Thermometers (Again)

No one does thermometers quite like ThermoWorks. They’re supremely accurate, fast, and durable (if you don’t believe me, just check the winning spots in most of our thermometer reviews). That’s why I have an EXEC Needle for instant reading, an Industrial IR Gun for temping the surfaces of pans, and a ChefAlarm probe thermometer for, well, everything else. — Ashlee

Dutch Ovens

Dutch ovens are big, heavy, and not cheap, which is why most people stop at one. But they’re also beautiful, incredibly versatile, and available in enough colors to make restraint difficult. I cook with all of mine—including my Lodge and my Le Creuset—and reach for different ones depending on what I’m making. — Leah Colins, senior culinary editor 

Sauciers

I reach for sauciers for loads of cooking tasks, such as simmering oatmeal, making béchamel, reheating leftovers, and boiling pasta for my kids’ mac and cheese. I have three of them, and at least two are always in use! — Rochelle

Popcorn Makers

This is kind of silly, but I have two popcorn makers—an air popper and a Whirley Pop. The air popper is good for when I’m feeling too lazy to even turn on the stove, but the Whirley Pop makes superior popcorn, so I try not to be lazy. — Megan

Other Things We Think Are Worth Buying Two Of

Why We’re the Experts

• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the associate editorial director for Serious Eats.
• She’s worked for the site since 2021 and has been testing gear professionally for more than seven years. 
• She affectionately calls her basement her own Williams Sonoma, since it’s stuffed with kitchen gear.