We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. A Lodge pre-seasoned cast-iron skillet that looks like it would cost you several paychecks, but it's so affordable it hurts. Perfect for searing steak, browning veggies, switching dishes from the stove to the oven, and (of course) making a giant skillet cookie.
BuzzFeed contributor Rachel Dunkel has this and raves: "This is the cast-iron I have, and it pretty much just lives on my stovetop because I use it so much. While cast irons are most well-known for getting a good sear on meat, it's just as — if not more — amazing at crisping up veggies to perfection. To clean, simply hand wash (I usually opt for no soap, but you do you) and rub with vegetable oil to keep it nice and seasoned."
Get it from Amazon for $19.90 for the 10.25-inch (available in eight sizes).
2. And a silicone hot handle holder made for your new skillet to save you from singeing your precious hands as you go to flip your crispy, golden potatoes.
My BuzzFeed Shopping colleague Harper Hendrickson has this and tells us: "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!"
Get it from Amazon for $6.90+ (available in six colors).
3. A peel-and-stick subway-style tile backsplash so you can ~cook up~ a new look in your kitchen. They're probably the easiest way to modernize your space and what's even more fabulous about these farmhouse-inspired tiles? You won't run into grout issues *and* they're a dream to clean — just swipe off messes with a damp sponge.
Promising review: "I’ve been wanting to try peel and stick tiles for a long time and I’m so glad I found these for our kitchen facelift! They are so easy to apply and look amazing! I love that they are actual-size subway tiles as well! They’ve given our kitchen the last very important piece that it needed!" —April Grill
Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in 11 colors).
4. Or! A peel-and-stick faux mixed-tile backsplash for a quick facelift that's giving ~dimension~. A bonus? These are mold-, heat-, and moisture-resistant, too!
Promising review: "We did a kitchen facelift this summer, repainting and making everything look fresh. We were looking at The Home Depot version of these, which are more than double the price. We decided to go for these instead and they are amazing!! I put them up myself in about two hours. I did buy the adhesive spray just in case but it wasn’t needed, even for the few I had to peel off and re-stick to center correctly. These aren’t too difficult to apply but definitely require patience. 100% worth the buy for a DIY affordable update!" —Hope Consilvio
Get a 10-pack of 12x12 tiles from Amazon for $29.99 (visit the shop page for more colors, including a multicolor one, a white marble one, and a brown one).
5. A foaming cleaner to once and for all banish that garbage disposal stank. These foam with a lemony scent and will do the trick to deeply cleanse the underside of the splash guard and the interior side walls.
Promising review: "Easy to use. I followed directions and it works just like it says. I only use this once every month now. First use I had to do it twice (which it says if it hasn’t been cleaned in a while you may need to). Weekly I follow up with the Glisten Garbage Disposal Freshener and that keeps my disposal working well and smelling great." —Lostbraincell
Get a four-pack from Amazon for $8.
6. Cute and customizable spice labels if minimalist packaging in sans serif fonts has you heart-eyed. This is an affordable and aesthetically pleasing way to clean up that overrun spice drawer *and* with these on display, you'll finally be able to distinguish the parsley from the oregano.
These come in customizable and standard label options, which include popular spice names like allspice, black pepper, cayenne, etc.
Real + Vibrant is a woman-owned small business based in Seattle that specializes in modern labels for your home and kitchen.
Promising review: "High quality labels!! Shipping was super fast. Seller verified the custom labels I ordered in addition to the standard 80 set before shipping. I placed a label crooked, and I was able to gently lift and reapply without damage. Love how my spice cabinet looks now!" —Etsy Customer
Get them from RealAndVibrant on Etsy for $10+ (available in multiple sizes).
7. A dry food dispenser with a fun twist design and airtight lid to keep your morning (and perhaps, midnight) meal fresh and crunchy. These will fancy up any breakfast bar — and thanks to the many TikToks, are adored by kids and adults alike.
Promising review: "Pleasantly surprised. Saw this on a TikTok person I follow and loved how sturdy and sleek this looked. The metal plates are heavy and good quality. It comes with a stopper for the bottom so cereal stays fresh for sure and the turn around wheel is also rubber inside to kind of seal the exit. Glad I purchased it and kids love it. Originally wanted to place this in the pantry but wouldn't fit so it's on the counter which doesn't look bad." —Islander
Get it from Amazon for $16.05+ (available in a single, dual, or triple dispenser and three colors).
8. A scrap trap to make post-meal cleaning a thing of the past. Trash those skins and crumbs *as* you chop, so the only heavy lifting left to do is picking up the remote to switch on your Housewives marathon.
This also includes a brush/scraper that fits neatly in the front pocket to easily swipe scraps and crumbs into the container.
Promising review: "Works just as described. It is so convenient to push scraps from the counter or cutting board into the scrap trap. Even though it is too big, place a plastic shopping bag in before you fill it and you will have the scraps bagged when you are done. It keeps things neat when doing prep work. Also bought one as a gift; everyone who cooks should have one." —SR
Get it from Amazon for $26.18.
9. A useful 17-piece knife set encased in a sleek acrylic block that's not just for the cooking elite. Honestly, *everyone* should have a sharp and sturdy set of choppers in their arsenal, and this impressive bunch won't disappoint since it'll have you cutting through veggies like butter — with no scraps left on the blade, thanks to their nonstick coating.
The set comes with 13 knives, a pair of kitchen scissors, a peeler, and a two-stage knife sharpener.
Promising review: "These knives are great! They stay super sharp, they’re comfortable to hold, and I love how much counter space it leaves as opposed to a big bulky knife block. Fits perfectly in my minimalist kitchen!!! And it looks great on my counter, being one of the few things that I keep on my countertop! It is the perfect amount of knives without being too many knives (I don’t like things in excess)! I have never had a cheese knife before, and this baby is my favorite one in the whole set! LOL! It slices through hard cheeses like butter! Have not tried on soft cheese, but I’m sure it’ll be great because it is super sharp! I can’t say enough about how much I love these knives!!" —Sadie Allen
Get a 17-piece set from Amazon for $68.99+ (available in two colors).
10. A perfectly sized Frywall that'll shield you *and* your stove top from hot splatters of oil to make clean-up duty a lot less groanworthy.
BTW, it's BPA-free, FDA-compliant, heat-resistant up to 450 degrees, and dishwasher safe.
Promising review: "The Frywall works very well and I am very pleased with it. My range top is black and you can see each little spot of grease. Before now I got really tired of cleaning my range top thoroughly each time I fried anything. You have made my life much easier. Thanks." —Laurie J. Englehardt
Get it from Amazon for $19.95 (available in three colors).
11. A sneaky mountable jar opener because stubborn lids will have no place in your kitchen ever again thanks to metal teeth that grasp and open "glued-on" container tops. Heads up, this'll also work on everything from tiny nail polish bottles to super wide jar covers.
Promising review: "I bought this last year and have used it many times on many different lids, even use it to open gallon milk jugs when those pesky plastic attachments just won't seem to give. I haven't found anything I try that it won't open for me. No more banging on the counter, just hold it under my cabinet and slide it in the V-shaped opening, give it a little twist to open, hardly any effort at all. It was easy to attach under the cabinet; I put mine so the wide opening faces forward. I personally think every house should have one of these." —Addie
Get it from Amazon for $16.95.
12. Al Dente, your new sous chef who floats and times your pasta as it cooks. It delightfully sings different songs at three-, seven-, nine-, and 11-minute intervals to alert you when different pastas are just at the right firmness to be *chef's kiss*.
Check out the Al Dente TikTok.
Promising review: "Fun little kitchen gadget — it really works. Bought this as a gift last January and ending up keeping it with the plan of buying several more to give as Christmas gifts this year." —KW
Get it from Amazon for $23.84.
13. A complete cutting board set some may call essential after seeing a clip of it in action — this thing is seriously impressive since it comes with multiple graters and four compartments to store the shreds from said graters. So meal prepping just got a *ton* more convenient AND it's just genius for teeny kitchen countertops.
You're gonna be amazed by this chopping board TikTok.
This set comes with: four varied stainless-steel graters, four storage containers, four plastic insert boards that have different corresponding food icons, and a bonus bamboo spoon!
Promising review: "I invested in this cutting board instead of having 3-4 different ones. It’s super sturdy, easy to clean. I love that it catches my produce as I’m cutting it up right there and then. It’s really a one stop shop. Exactly what I was looking for. Truly satisfied." —Kiisey
Get it from Amazon for $69.89.
14. Affresh dishwasher tablets if you've never thought to deep clean the appliance that does your least favorite chore for you. All you have to do is pop one of these in to dissolve residue buildup, blast away foul odors, and get your machine cleaning dishes like it used to.
Promising review: "I’ve been using this product for a while, and I’ve started to rely on it. I first used this out of desperation. My dishwasher was broken from a fried control panel. I eventually replaced the panel. I opened the dishwasher, and it was fairly gross. A little stagnant water gave way to some mold. I found this product and figured I’d give it a shot. I did need to use this two or three times before the dishwasher was cleaned and usable. But I find that a major win considering the shape it was in beforehand. Now I use it every month or two, and I have to say way it's easier than cleaning by hand. Definitely worth the price I paid." —Justin
Get a pack of six tablets from Amazon for $8.99.
15. A cooktop cleaning kit so you can reverse any sign of old cooking mishaps. Burned-on grease and gunk from the previous homeowner's past will never haunt you in your sleep ever again, thanks to this nonscratch trio!
The kit includes a 10-ounce bottle of Cerama Bryte cooktop cleaner, one cleaning pad, and one scraper — and it works on glass, ceramic, induction, radiant, and halogen cooktop ranges.
Promising Review: "Works amazing! I hadn't thoroughly scrubbed my glass cooktop in years...only wiped down with random multi-cleaners, which never seemed to do much. Then a friend recommended this product...AMAZING! The included scrubbers and scrapers really make the difference. As others have said it will leave your cooktop shiny and new. Even marks that had been on there for years came almost completely off...98% better. The key is to use very little product. Let dry to a haze and wipe with a clean, dry cotton towel. (Just like waxing a car). If you aren't getting a mirrored finish it's because you've used too much product and not enough elbow grease to polish off." —B. Swartwood
Get them from Amazon for $12.29.
16. An Our Place Always pan because Instagram's favorite kitchen mate is ::chef's kiss:: for cooking pros and newbs alike. This beauty replaces the need for eight (yes, eight!) cookware items, so you'll be reaching for this anytime you want to fry, steam, boil, and even serve up your signature dish.
Nonstick ceramic coating? Check. Nesting beechwood spatula with built-in spoon rest? Check. Custom stainless steel steamer basket? Check check.
Former BuzzFeed Shopping editor Bek O'Connell is lucky enough to have one of these and can be quoted as saying, "Sometimes I just hold mine and sigh over how nice it is! Sorry if that's lame, but it is the truth. I am love with my pan."
Promising review: "This pan is EVERYTHING! I went from making pasta in the basket to steaming broccoli in it and then finishing my meal in there. Then I forgot about cleaning it because I’m lazy — and the nonstick cleaned up so easily. The sponge they include is incredible, I do all my dishes with it now. Also it looks really cute sitting on my stove all day." —Darby S.
Get it from Our Place for $145 (available in nine colors).