21 Cooking Products Reviewers Say They Actually Use Every Day

These trusted products will help you chef it up in the kitchen every day.

1. A pre-seasoned cast-iron skillet to help you whip up a batch of mouth-watering blueberry banana pancakes or get a beautiful sear on a steak. We have this pan in my home and it gets used multiple times a day every day!

Amazon

Your other pans won't be able to hold a candle to this baby. It's pre-seasoned with 100% natural vegetable oil and has an assist handle for better control.

Promising review: "I wanted to get away from PFA-laden Teflon so I went back to the basics -— cast iron— for my eggs every morning. This pan is the perfect size. My eggs are perfect every morning. The description says it is pre-seasoned but I find that it takes a few months to really get good. I still use a small amount of oil every day but much less than I used at the beginning. Overall this is exactly what I was looking for and I love it!" —Gatoralum

Get a 6.5-inch cast-iron pan from Amazon for $9.90+ (available in 12 sizes and four styles).

2. And a silicone hot handle holder used by yours truly, so you don't burn your little hands as you go to shake up your fries and have to spend 10 minutes running your fingers under cold water before continuing your meal (speaking from experience here).

Harper Hendrickson / Via BuzzFeed

It is absolutely fantastic to be able to grab the handle of a cast-iron pan like it's a normal pan and go about cooking without burning myself. Now that I've started using this sleeve I will never use a cast-iron pan without it and recommend everyone make this improvement in their life! Not to mention, it's much safer than using a cloth pan holder, as told by the review below. 

Promising review: "We literally burned through two cloth hot handles before we stumbled upon this silicone one. Seriously, for basic safety/fire-hazard purposes, if you are currently using a cloth hot handle and have an electric stovetop, you need to switch to this one. We, unfortunately, didn't think about this until one caught on fire (I know, I know). We use our cast-iron skillet every day with this handle, and so far after six months, it is still good as new. It stays on securely, is easy to clean, and while it takes a little maneuvering to pull off of the handle, it is not difficult to pull off." —CF

Get it from Amazon for $5.99 (available in six colors).

3. A a set of angled measuring cups so that you can read measurements from the side and above, meaning measuring out your liquids just got way easier.

Amazon, amazon.com

These BPA-free measuring cups are dishwasher safe and are each marked with both imperial and metric markings.

Promising review: "I love these so much I had to come back and write a review! I cook every day so I appreciate good kitchen items. These measuring cups make measuring liquids so easy! I don't have to set the cup on the counter and scrunch down to see if it's the right amount. They nest beautifully so don't take up much space. And they are fine in the dishwasher." —LPG

Get a three-piece set from Amazon for $20.85.

4. A compact immersion hand blender for blending up sauces and veggies for your meals. Reviewers also swear by it for frothing milk and making smoothies.

amazon.com

Promising review: "I put this blender to the test, I'm not kidding. I've made Ice cream, hearty soups, sauces, smoothies, crushed-ice drinks and it has worked wonders every day for two years! We had a Ninja personal blender before this and it broke way before its warranty. This immersion blender is my ride or die, definitely will be getting another. The only con is that you will need to hand-wash the blender attachment so that no water gets into the inner workings." —Kyle

Get it from Amazon for $36.99.

5. And an outright milk frother to keep you from over-spending on frothy, foamy delicious drinks at the cafe every morning. Now you'll have everything you need to make your own lattes!

amazon.com, amazon.com

Promising review: "I use this at least once per day. I froth my creamer before putting coffee in my cup, and it’s like a decadent coffee shop–style coffee! Works super fast. To clean, you simply rinse the wire under warm water, then place it on the stand to air dry. I have to change the batteries maybe every two months or so, but that’s with daily, sometimes multiple uses per day. If you’re on the fence about buying this, just do it! You won’t regret it!" —Beth E

Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (available in 32 styles).

6. An OXO Good Grips V-Blade mandoline slicer so you can set the exact thickness for tomato slices or whip up a batch of homemade potato chips all in one compact device.

Amazon, Wayfair

Promising review: "I absolutely love this slicer! It has been used every single day since purchase. I love the locking safety feature on it and the fact that it holds itself up, so I can keep my hands focused on slicing and not coordinating so much. I can pop in the different blades in a matter of seconds. I highly recommend this if you are trying to find healthier ways to eat because using this to slice cucumbers, zucchini, onions, sweet potatoes, apples, etc., makes cooking your own healthy meals and snacks a heck of a lot cheaper and easier! I find healthy recipes when you just search for 'mandoline recipes' on Pinterest or in Google. Also, the blades are extremely sharp, so you don't have to force your food across it to get thin or thick cuts. I've even sliced yuca on it (which is a hard vegetable) and it came out great! I'd buy this again, if I ever broke this somehow." –CJB

Get it from Amazon for $43.95.

7. A Instant Pot that truly does it all, and fast as heck, too. This baby consolidates a rice cooker, slow cooker, pressure cooker (and more!) into an absolute unit, and it can make 20-minute mashed potatoes.

Amazon

The IP's seven functions are: rice cooker, pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, sauté, yogurt maker, and warmer. I have one at home and I use it all the time to whip up quick meals. I love the sauté function — it gets nice and hot really quickly. I use my IP more than I use my oven TBH.

Check out Instant Pot Hacks from Tasty to see more fun ways you can use your IP.

Promising review: "Now we’re talking!!! This Mini Instant 3-quart Pot Duo is even better (for me) than the full-sized one, and here’s why — smaller footprint — same stellar results! Added bonus: I don’t overeat all week long, trying to put away 1/2 gallon of chili or soup — not to mention that pulled pork pile! I unboxed it and pressure tested the IP on soft-boiled eggs — wow, bliss — all in under 10 minutes! If you are in an apt or tiny house — or — wanna take this camping, this is perfect. I am totally taking this camping!!! :) Buy this and use it every day — I do! Brilliant little product that easily earns a place on my countertop! Did I mention it’s so cute? Tiny almost... 👍" —UnderEmployed

Get it from Amazon for $61+ (available in three sizes).

8. A pack of versatile Food52's Airtight Silicone Lids you'll be using every day to preserve leftovers and mix up your salads.

Food52, Rachel Dunkel / Via BuzzFeed

Promising review: "These are so handy I use them every day. The color and sizes are perfect. Thank you for continuing to make beautiful and useful items. I'm a very satisfied customer!" —Starrlyn M.

Get a five-pack from Food52 for $40 (come in a variety of sizes and colors).

9. A microwave bacon cooker over 7,000 people trust to cook their bacon each morning, as will you once you give it a whirl! It's quick and easy to use and the grease will drip down to the bottom as it cooks.

Amazon, amazon.com

Promising review: "I have tried several other types. This one is #1 in all respects. I use it every day. Ya gotta love bacon." —darren c.

Get it from Amazon for $13.99.

10. A colorful knife set so you can start a color-coding system as you quickly prep fruits, veggies, and meats, making food prep a much faster and more manageable process!

amazon.com, amazon.com

The set includes an 8-inch chef knife, an 8-inch slicing knife, an 8-inch serrated bread knife, a 7-inch santoku knife, a 6.5-inch utility knife, and a 3.5-inch paring knife with corresponding covers. These knives come with nonstick coating makes slicing foods less of a hassle, but avoid putting these in the dishwasher or cleaning with hot water to keep the coating intact.

Check out this BuzzFeeder's Cuisinart's colorful knife set review for more info!

Promising review: "These are really nice. I specifically purchased this brand because I have used it in the past and have never been disappointed. They are really sharp. I have had them for a while now and cook every day." —Cecilia

Get them from Amazon for $23.30.

11. And a trusted color-coded cutting board to help prevent cross-contamination, because an organized kitchen is an efficent kitchen; plus cross-contamination is dangerous and icky.

Amazon

This set includes one bamboo cutting board and seven flexible, BPA-free mats. The mats can be inserted inside the bamboo board for storage, genius!

Promising review: "Easily hands down my favorite! We use a meal delivery service and I still have to do prep work (not a complaint) and I didn’t have a real cutting board. I found this and fell in love. It does not slide all over the counter when you use it. The protective shields keep the wood clean and it just needs a wipe down. I always have a protector in rotation so don’t have to worry about washing my board every single day. Highly recommend." —Marissa Tipple

Get it from Amazon for $31.99 (comes with seven differently colored boards).

12. A set of smart food racks designed to hold open plastic bags so you don't have to. Food prep and storing leftovers just got way easier!

amazon.com

Promising review: "I purchased this as a gift for my aging arthritic parents. Their hands don't work as well as they used to work, so I thought this might be a helpful gadget. My mother also washes baggies for a few extra uses, so she has used them for both filling and drying. She talks about it and uses it every day and really loves it, so I would say that it was a good choice for a handy kitchen gadget gift. I purchased a couple for me for speedier preparation for camping trips (assembly line packaging), so I won't be using it a great deal until later this spring. But so far my mother loves it." —coaviatrix

Get a two-pack from Amazon for $11.99.

13. A small but mighty Magic Bullet blender that'll be a big help in the kitchen. Consider your guacamole made, your onions chopped, and your midday power smoothie handled!

Amazon

This set includes the blender, additional blender cups, blades, a recipe book, and more. 

I personally swear by this little powerhouse as well — read my full review of the Magic Bullet to learn more!

Promising review: "I have owned three Bullet blenders; this one replaces one I left at my old house with my roommate. They last SO LONG!! My professional chef fiancé is impressed with the power, and it sits on our counter easily and we are really short on space in a Tiny House. Gone are any excuses for no breakfast. I blend us each a protein shake and the cleanup is a dream! I do not like cooking or doing dishes. I wish I could make every meal in this! I used to have a job I had to pack lunch for, and I used the screw-on lid daily. I made my power smoothie and packed it in my lunch box every day. Honestly, this is the most important item in my kitchen." —KA707

Get it from Amazon for $29.99.

14. An easy-to-use digital scale ideal for anyone who cooks every day and uses precise amounts of ingredients. It converts measurements for you as well!

Amazon

Promising review: "I really like how easy it is to use. You just put the bowl on, turn on the scale, and it zeros out, easy. You can really go from grams to ounces to everything else easily. The accuracy seems good. I weighed my 2 pound weights and they were 2 pounds LOL. I don't have any complaints for everyday use." —Artissmart

Get it from Amazon for $12.99. 

15. A durable Dutch oven that'll be there for you through it all, whether you are making marinara and meatballs for the fam or just want to make one big soup for yourself and feast on leftovers for days. Did I mention Dutch oven jalapeño cheddar bread exists?

Amazon

Check out our list of five-ingredient baking recipes, including many easy no-knead recipes you can make in a Dutch oven.

Promising review: "I use this pot literally every day! I'm in love with it. It is my go-to even when I would normally use a smaller vessel. Because it's enameled it prevents burning and gets all of those little crispy bits in the bottom that you want for flavor. And cleanup is a cinch! If you haven't used a pot like this before it may take some getting used to because when it heats up nothing is safe to touch with your bare hands, even the lid. But that's how it heats so evenly. I was a little concerned at first buying the Amazon brand but after two years it has held up so much better than I would have expected. Living in my RV and constantly being on the road I expected there would be a few chips from all the bumps on the road. It is still in day-one condition. Love!" —

Get it from Amazon for $41.49+ (available in three sizes and four colors).

16. A veggie chopper so you can chop half an onion and loads of other veggies uniformly with one big press into the blade!

Amazon, amazon.com

This device comes with four interchangeable blades so you can julienne, chop, slice, and cut easily. It is BPA free and can be fully disassembled and put in the top rack of the dishwasher. It also has a soft-grip handle to make prepping your ingredients easy on your hands.

Promising review: "Analyzed a few similar products before finalizing on this one and I am very glad that I did. Very sturdy, good-quality product, easy to clean at least most of the parts. Little tough to clean the small dice blade as veggies get trapped in the small squares as expected. Small tip: stack small veggie pieces up to three or four and press; it cuts neatly. But if you spread it out, it's tough to press and the blade could get damaged. Using it every single day for chopping onion, tomato, cucumber, zucchini, few hard veggies like carrots and beets. Oh boy... It chops them so nicely." —Hari Baskar

Get it from Amazon for $27.99.

17. A set of airtight containers to use for food prep, leftover and lunch storage, or to heat up pasta sauce for your din without using a pot or making a big mess of the microwave in the process.

Amazon

Promising review: "Not only is this collection nice to look at, these are also durable! I heat my lunch every day in these and they have lasted many months with no leaking so far. They don't stain (oils, tomato sauce), and the medium and large containers use the same lids — making for less clutter. We bought them as a set and have used every size. Larger bins have been great for leftovers that normally take up several containers. Our cookies from over a week ago are still fresh because the airtight lid pushes out air before you clamp down the sides. So worth it!" —#toolazyfortarget

Get a 14-piece (including lids) set from Amazon for $29.99.

18. An Always Pan that's so multi-functional, it'll replace eight pieces of cookware — use it to fry, steam, strain, stir, sauté, and make sauces in.

Our Place

Promising review: "When I got my Always Pan in a light purplish-pink color, my boyfriend and I were living with his parents for various pandemic-related reasons — which meant it got used pretty much every day, sometimes multiple times a day. The nonstick was fabulous, but we noticed pretty early on that every little splash, dribble, or other hot grease moment stuck on the outside of the pan pretty permanently, and no amount of scrubbing really made any difference. One reason it got so bad is because in that house, the pans in the heaviest rotation tend to (very practically!) get stored out on the stove, so even when this was just sitting on the back burner not cooking anything, it got splashed a few times. None of this affected how well the pan cooked of course, but if keeping your Always Pan in perfect shape for the aesthetic deeply matters to you, I think it’s all something to consider before buying in a lighter color.” —Natalie Brown, BuzzFeed Staff

Get it from Our Place for $145.

19. An electric egg cooker so you can get perfectly done soft- or hard-boiled eggs whenever you need them. Feel free to wander off and use your time for something else while they cook!

Amazon

This powerful egg machine makes hard-boiled eggs, soft-boiled eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs, and individual omelets.

Promising review: "I eat a hard-boiled egg every day and always forget about them while they’re cooking so this was the perfect solution. It hard-boiled my eggs perfectly. They were also super easy to peel which was a big plus!! It does create kind of a weird smell and some brown residue after the eggs cook on the outside of the shell where it was sitting in the egg cooker, but after peeling the inside was totally normal." —Ann

Get it from Amazon for $18.36+ (available in seven colors).

20. A glorious rice cooker you'll trust to make perfect rice for the entire family, or for a single human being to munch on throughout the day. My partner and I used to have one of these and swear by it — it's especially worth it if you're in a household that eats rice daily.

amazon.com, amazon.com

This rice cooker makes up to six cups of rice, has delay and one-touch cooking features, and can make white rice, brown rice, mixed rice, short- or long-grained rice, oatmeal, and porridge perfectly.

Promising review: "I've had this rice cooker for a bit over a month now, and make use of it every day. It has cooked my calrose and jasmine rice perfectly every time, and I've been able to have rice ready to eat at all hours of the day by making use of the timer and keep-warm feature. None of the rice ever burns, which is an issue I've had with rice cookers in the past, so cleaning and maintaining the nonstick insert doesn't require much effort. The inner lid and the steam vent can also both be removed to clean and dry, making it easy to prevent the accumulation of bacteria and mold. Edit: One year later and it still looks and works like new." —Cory

Get it from Amazon for $149.99.

21. Ann an investment-worthy Cuisinart air fryer and toaster oven that can air fry, toast, broil, and bake — and not just cookies — this little baby cooks up to a 3 pound chicken! It also has a keep warm and bagel setting.

Wayfair

Promising review: "I was not sure if I would use this appliance often enough to make it worth the purchase, but find I use it every day! It is the perfect size for my husband and I." —Kathy

Get it from Wayfair for $149.95.

Real footage of me cooking with my friends:

CTW

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