Fall is a season full of family gatherings, and a lot of those special moments take place in the kitchen and around the dinner table. Whether you’re baking apple pie with your kids and grandkids or raising glasses to another great year at the dining table, the right kitchen tools can help take the stress out of prep and allow you to focus on the present.
At Shop TODAY, we try hundreds of products a year to determine which are worth adding to your cart. Among those hundreds of products are a lot kitchen necessities like sturdy bakeware, utensil gadgets and more upgrades to save you time and effort. Read on to see the tools, gadgets and essentials our editors and experts love for the kitchen.
Kitchen gadgets previously featured on TODAY
Dirty microwave? Simply add water and vinegar and place this “Angry Mama” in your device for a spotless, mess-free clean. Small but mighty, it “works like a charm,” according to one reviewer.
This spoon/spatula hybrid is great both for cooking and plating up food. Lifestyle expert Neha Joy says that it very well “could be the utensil that replaces half the tools in your kitchen.” She also notes that the flexible edges help get every last bit of food in the corners of pots and pans.
Can’t get that jar open, try as you might? This six-in-one opener can help with its differently-sized circular openings, hooks (for opening ring pull cans) and a comfortable non-slip grip. Shop TODAY Contributor Makho Ndlovu says that many reviewers also noted how great this device is for people with arthritis.
Your shortcut to editor approved picks
Good till the last drop (or scoop)! Don’t toss away jars and tins that are still filled with your favorite spreads. This little spatula can get to the areas you can’t with ease. We suggest keeping this handy tool right next to your knives to make sure you get your full money’s worth on your groceries.
There’s no better seasoning than freshly ground salt and pepper — and these electric grinders can deliver them with no effort at all. They’re battery powered and even feature LED lights that make it easy to see how much salt or pepper you dispense, ensuring the perfect amount. Ndlovu says they make a great housewarming or hostess gift too, since the sleek stainless steel design elevates any kitchen counter or tablescape.
Dealing with unnecessary clutter under your sink? These caddies may be just what you need to help organize all your cleaning products. Ndlovu suggests grabbing one for your kitchen (to fill with spray bottles, sponges and scrapers). They come fully assembled and can hold up to 30 pounds each, per the brand.
Grill Rescue Grill Brush with Scraper
Lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong is sold on this Grill Rescue brush because it offers a smarter, safer way to clean your grill. According to the brand, it’s made from same durable, heat-resistant material used in firefighter gear (in fact, it was invented by a firefighter) and uses steam to clean. All you have to do is dip the head in water and scrub pre-heated grates; the steam created delivers an impressive clean, clearing caked-on grime in seconds, says Armstrong.
Leftovers are only good if they are heated up right. A lot of our Shop TODAY staffers are home cooks, and that’s how this electric lunch box got added to our inaugural list of Gifts We Love back in 2023.
Shop TODAY contributor Melissa Garcia notes that it’s perfect for office workers, teachers, healthcare professionals and even students. It also has a tight-sealing lid to prevent any accidental spills in your bag.
Take your morning cup of coffee to the next level with a milk frother! Professional home organizer Janelle Lam loves this one because it has three temperature options, nine custom combination settings and you can even add in solid chocolate to melt right in. Once you’re done you can drop it right in the dishwasher to be cleaned.
Bulky mops taking up too much space in your closet? Ndlovu found a solution! This steam mop heats up with just water in seconds and comes included with two sets of washable mop. Whether you have hardwood, tile or marble floors, you can expect a deep-clean without the harsh chemicals, making it a safe choice for kids or pets, per the brand.
Associate Editor Annie Shigo even says it has completely replaced her Swiffer. “I use it every weekend and you can really tell it gets all the grime off my floors,” she says. “ It’s satisfyingly gross to lift up the pad to see all grime after mopping.”
“My husband loves to cook and so we’ve tested a ton of different appliances at home,” says senior editor & producer Julie Ricevuto. “Recently we got to try the Ninja Crispi and it’s become our go-to for making dinner... we’ve made sweet potato fries, chicken tenders, wings and more.”
The air fryer has six different functions (air frying, baking and roasting). And the brand allows you to choose two container accessories of different sizes for your recipe needs along with the machine in a bundle.
Editor and expert-loved kitchen products
Made from natural diatomaceous stone, these mats eliminate slimy areas around your sink. The trays alsmot instantly absorb water and dry in just seconds. Garcia says it’s perfect for under soap dispensers and sponges in the kitchen.
Why have two gadgets when you only need one?! This wine pourer and stopper is a favorite of editor Kamari Stewart-Jackson. She says, “I absolutely love that it does double duty as a wine stopper and pourer.” Plus she notes that it looks great on top of a bottle.
“[This is] on my wish list as I slowly replace my black plastic utensils,” says associate market editor Audrey Ekman. “I love the problem-solving design that grips spaghetti easily and the fun noodle-like shape of the utensil. Plus, it’s under $15!”
Boring snack and bag clips are out and fun clips are in. Stewart-Jackson got these clips and said, “They add a bit of whimsy to an otherwise mundane/boring thing.”
This can opener is hands-free and charges easily with a USB cord. It was even on our 2025 Gifts We Love winners list. And don’t worry about having to plug it in after every cooking session: The brand says it opens up to 60 cans on a single charge.
If you want a deep clean that won’t leave your glasses and dish ware cloudy, then these Cascade pods are for you. This pack can last me (Shigo) almost six months.
I love how shiny they make my clean dishes look. They remove tough stains like pasta sauce and honey easily. The brand was also a winner in our Ranked series for best dishwasher pods.
Stewart-Jackson describes this splatter screen as, “actually life changing”. While a splatter screen might not seem like a necessity, it can seriously help you on clean up duty. Stewart-Jackson also says that the screen helps reduce odors too so if you don’t like your cooking scents lingering it is a great addition to your kitchen.
I (Shigo) love Hedley & Bennett’s kitchen towels because they dry really fast and are great for the chef to throw over their shoulder as they are cooking. They are even made with 100% sturdy cotton and come with a limited lifetime warranty.
All it takes is a couple of pumps to remove moisture from your rinsed leafy greens or herbs in this salad spinner. Deputy Managing Editor Jess Bender recently bought this after complaining about having to manually dry all her farmers market produce every weekend. She loves the convenient design and even uses the colander-style basket for single serve pasta.
I (Shigo) and writer Danielle Murphy are big fans of this salad container. Murphy says, “So many little nooks for my toss-ins! The individual dressing container! The glass container itself is also super roomy for tons of leafy greens or leftovers.”
You can fit enough for two lunches in this container and you can toss it directly into your bag without having to worry about it ruining your laptop.
Do you like to watch movies and shows while you cook? This tablet stand doubles as a content creation tool and an entertainment hub. Corey Bonalewicz, known as Corey B on Instagram and TikTok uses this tablet stand holder to create his videos. He says creators he collaborates with often ask him, “This is all you use?” He says when he goes to film videos with celebrities, “I just bring my camera stand — the thing fits in my backpack — and my phone. And that’s it.”
Coffee snobs know how important ratios and numbers are when brewing a great cup of coffee. Social media producer Dani Musacchio uses this scale to batch out her cold brew every morning. She says it is great for those who are serious about their coffee.
“I needed something to hold things like onions/potatoes/excess little snacks because I was just sorta shoving them in the corner of my counter,” said Stewart-Jackson. She got this two-tier basket to solve that problem and likes how it keeps her counter organized.
Stewart-Jackson recently upgraded her colander to this collapsable one. Her husband was using it during an intensive recipe and Stewart-Jackson reported that “he loved that he was able to just set it up over the sink without losing any counter space. I also love that it collapses and takes up so much less space when storing in the cabinet.”
“I didn’t realize how much I would love an electric spice grinder until I started using this one,” says Stewart-Jackson. “It’s so easy to pop the pods in and out, and all it takes is one push of the button on top to dispense your spices. I love the built-in LED light so that I can see exactly what I’m doing.”
If your knives have seen better days, it’s probably time to upgrade them. Stewart-Jackson gifted one of her friends this system and they have been loving how sharp the knives are and how great the storage is for cooking utensils.
A good rice cooker can last you a lifetime (trust me, mine has been around for a decade!) With properly cooked rice you can turn any dish into a delicacy. We, fortunately, did the work for you and tested several popular options on the market. Ultimately, we found that this pick from Aroma was the easiest to navigate and cooked both brown and white rice to near perfection.
I (Shigo) love this blender for smoothies, soups and dressings. I have lived in a apartment and it is the perfect size to store away in a small cabinet. It also comes with three blender jars that you can drink the smoothie directly out of or take on the go.
Cast iron lovers know how serious they take the care of their trusty tool. If you want to take a cast iron to the next level, try this personalized one. It is designed to last generations, according to the brand. And you can customize it with their name and a significant date.
Stainless steel pans are loved in the cooking world for everything from eggs to fish. They are able to withstand high heat temperatures and we recently tested out several popular versions in our Ranked series. We declared this All-Clad option our top pick, scoring top marks across heat distribution, weight, appearance and ability to cook various proteins.
Associate Editor Erica Marrison uses these chic glass containers in her kitchen. They are made with non-toxic materials and ensure freshness through the air-tight seals on the lids, per the brand. Use them for everything from grains to spices to baking supplies and more!
Trust me (Shigo) when I say that this machine was our summer superhero in the office. On days that were blisteringly hot and full of hours on the laptop, this dual slushie machine made the days more fun and refreshing. We would take turns bringing in drinks to slush each day. Some of our favorites were mango nectar, iced coffee and Poppi.
“At this point, everyone has heard me rave about my Vitamix blender, but if you want to spoil someone in your life who loves to cook, this is the best gift you can give them in my opinion,” raves writer Emma Stessman. “It is truly one of the top-used appliances in my kitchen and I even give it prime real estate on my small kitchen counters, because I use it too much to put it away. Obviously it’s great for smoothies, but it does so much more. You can make soups (it heats it up for you!), sauces, nut butters, salad dressings and so much more. I can’t have dairy, so I make nut-based sauces a lot and truly have never been able to get the texture as smooth with any other blender as I do with this one.”
This impressive Ninja machine makes classic coffee, lattes, cappuccinos and even cold brew (a favorite of a lot of editors).
Shop TODAY deputy editorial director Alexandra Deabler is a huge fan of this machine: “I love it. I use it every day. It’s expensive, but if a cappuccino or latte (what I would order) costs around $6+ on average, and I drink it every day, that’s over $2,000 per year. So... you’re saving money here!”
“If you really want to treat someone this year, this KitchenAid stand mixer is the ultimate foodie gift,” notes Stessman. “The latest model, which was released earlier this year, has some really helpful features like a bowl light and customizable speed settings. Obviously for bakers, it’s huge but if you get the attachments, you can use it for so many things, like homemade pasta and spiralizing veggies.”
More kitchen gadgets to shop
You don’t have to deal with grime on your air fryer after each use. These silicone liners make it easy to keep your device clean, plus they have convenient side handles for easy removal.
Whether you’re baking or cooking, you know the struggle of separating out egg yolks. This little ceramic chicken makes it easier than ever. Just crack the full egg inside the top and it’ll separate the yolk through its mouth.
Trying to clean our your water bottle can take forever. Take the guesswork out with these cleaning tablets. According to the brand, they dissolve in water to eliminate odors and stains in a matter of minutes — no scrubbing required!
Don’t burn your hands on your dishes as you’re taking them out the oven. These oven mitts are a bestseller on Amazon and are made to withstand up to 500 degrees. Many reviewers like them for their size and durability.
Dealing with a stinky disposal? These cleaning tablets can do a whole lot more than soap and water. You can toss them in there one to two times a month and leave behind a bright citrus scent.
When your hands are full of dishes or food, you don’t want to have to put anything down to open up the trash drawer. With this upgrade, you can turn your garbage drawer into a hands-free system. Simply slip your toe under the pull, lift and pull — it’s that easy.
This clip-on colander attaches to pots, pans and bowls of all sizes. It can withstand some serious heat (over 400 degrees) and is easy to clean and keep stored in your cabinet.
No need to spend extra time chopping and slicing your veggies and produce — and less dishes! You can use this diced chopper on everything from veggies to cooked meat. It makes for easy cleanup and less carrots or celery flying everywhere.
Don’t keep your pastas and grains in bags in your pantry, it can spoil your grains and also leave them susceptible to pests. These bins are airtight and come with labels so you can clearly mark what products go where.
You know when you are chopping garlic and no matter how much you wash your hands you can’t get rid of the smell? Well this hand wash is made to get rid of those smells in just one wash. It also moisturizes your hands too so you won’t have to deal with dryness, per the brand.
Making waffles is easy with this mini maker from Dash. It makes four waffles at a time and two smaller dippable waffles. The coating on the waffles maker is made with a non-stick material so you won’t have to grease the machine too much.
Every chef needs a good apron and this one from Hedley & Bennett is loved by many cooking professionals. It has two pockets to hold spices and utensils and is adjustable at the neck.
Ensure access to crisp ice 24/7 with this ice maker. It makes two different types of ice (large bullet ice and small bullet ice) and it can make over 20 pounds of ice in one day, per the brand.
How we choose
The Shop TODAY editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources, comb through customer reviews and even use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers.
As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think TODAY.com readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not TODAY. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.
