Inexpensive, effective, agile, and easy to use, this longtime favorite Y peeler has held up well in our test kitchen; we have used this model for more than a decade. Light as a feather, it did not fatigue our hands. The dual blade is carbon steel, like high-end chef’s knives, and it stayed sharp. Slim and flexible, the blades glided smoothly whether we were peeling carrots or rock-hard butternut squash, while their angle peeled just deeply enough to avoid wasting food. Nearly an inch of space between the blade and peeler body prevented peels from jamming and gave us excellent visibility as we worked. Note: Carbon steel may rust if left wet, so wash and dry the blade promptly; an occasional wipe with mineral oil will keep it in top shape.
15 Kitchen Tools Under $15
We’ve tested thousands of products, and one thing we’ve learned is that you don’t always need to spend a lot to get a lot.
Testers liked that this straight peeler was light and comfortable. “It felt safe and effective, easy and smooth,” one noted. Peels were nicely thin; it picked up almost no traces of pith from a lemon. Its stainless-steel blade resists rust, and its design works well for righties and lefties, including the potato-eye remover, which safely scooped downward from the tip of the peeler. One quibble: The portion of the head holding the blade curves down past the blade, so we couldn’t get the blade itself flush with a chocolate bar’s surface to produce wide curls (you could still make skinny curls using the thin edge of a chocolate bar). The head is also a bit thick, slightly blocking our view, but for those who love a straight peeler, it’s a good choice.
The blade on this paring knife is identical to that of our original winner; it’s just as sharp, thin, and nimble as ever, and it’s capable of making ultraprecise slices and incisions. Its plastic handle is easy to grip and accommodates large and small hands easily. In addition, the handle doesn’t add too much weight to the knife overall, allowing for agile, effortless use.
The shorter version of our favorite 12-inch tongs, this model easily picked up foods of all shapes and sizes—from dainty blueberries to a hefty jar of salsa—and was extremely comfortable to operate. The uncoated, scalloped stainless-steel tips allowed us a precise grip, making it especially easy to lift and arrange thinly sliced fruit, and the tongs' locking mechanism was smooth and intuitive.
Seamless silicone surrounds a sturdy polymer core, making this spatula easy to clean and comfortable in hand. The flexible head handily maneuvers in tight corners and edges but is strong enough to scoop heavy food. It’s also available in a mini version, perfect for petite jars.
This brush had the thickest head of bristles in the testing, allowing it to pick up and deposit the greatest volume of egg wash, oil, butter, or glaze in a single pass. And because the bristles weren't too densely packed, they still felt agile and precise. At a uniform 1.8 inches, they were the ideal length for most tasks (though some testers preferred brushes with slightly longer bristles for getting into the nooks and crannies on fruit tarts). While not as grippy as some, its medium-length, relatively fat, varnished wood handle was still comfortable to hold. Additionally, it lost the fewest bristles during testing.
This product looks like the classic blue sponge we've all used, but its plastic-based scrubbing side has ripples. These ripples added texture, which helped nudge off cooked-on food. This sponge was absorbent and durable, and it looked surprisingly clean at the end of testing. It was also our preferred size: thick enough to hold comfortably but small enough to maneuver in tight spaces.
Spacious, airy, and solidly constructed, with a firm attachment to the sink, this sponge holder looked good and performed perfectly in our testing. Two oversize suction cups (2½ inches across), set far apart, helped it keep a better grip. (It was the only model where the suction cups sat on the edges of the holder and extended well beyond the basket, providing support to the lightweight aluminum cage.) We loved being able to toss the sponge and see it drop right into the wide-open basket. One of the top performers in our drainage test, it helped sponges stay dry between uses. It’s also available in a range of finishes.
This brush aced every category with ease: No stain could withstand its stiff bristles, it rinsed clean with minimal effort thanks to its well-spaced bristle clusters, its silicone-coated handle was comfortable to grip, and its handle curved optimally to give it good leverage for scrubbing. It also had a strip of ultrastiff bristles on the back of its head meant for the toughest messes that beat out every scraper in the lineup. Though its handle was a touch long for some testers, this brush easily outperformed its competition.
This dustpan and brush set did a great job of cleaning up all the messes we set before it. Its long brush was generously packed with sturdy plastic bristles, making it easy to cover lots of ground quickly and to scrub little caked-on bits on the floor when needed. The bristles slanted forward at the tip, so we could easily reach into tight spaces for cleaning. And the brush handle was comfortable to hold, even for lengthier cleanup sessions. One small quibble: While the dustpan’s tall walls made it spacious enough to contain plenty of debris, it had a relatively small opening, so we had to aim a little more carefully when sweeping than with other models.
Using this bag was a cinch (pun intended): The combination of a smooth drawstring and a strong closure bead made filling and closing it simple and convenient. The bag also had the finest mesh among the synthetic options; it even held grits without leaking while still allowing us to view the contents. This bag had the largest capacity in the lineup, and it held strong when we tested its durability with a pineapple and dumbbells.
We loved using this diminutive whisk, which performed every task quickly and efficiently, thanks to the five sturdy wire loops in its relatively broad head. And with a thick, medium-length handle, it was easy to grip. The handle itself was made from smooth metal that was completely sealed off where the loops connected, so it was particularly easy to clean.
This funnel had the longest spout in the lineup, nearly 2 inches, which made it feel securely anchored during use. Its spout was a tad narrower than ideal, but it still allowed foods and liquids to flow reasonably well—though the viscous barbecue sauce proved challenging. As with some other models, we learned that we could address flow issues by either slowing down our pour or tapping or shaking the funnel.
We love this model’s handle, which was thick enough to provide a sturdy place for our fingers to grip but not so thick that it felt awkward. Made of textured polypropylene, it was easy to grab onto even when it was slick with butter or sticky from bread dough. This bench scraper’s rectangular blade covered a lot of ground with each swipe as we scraped the counter and cutting board and also scooped an impressive amount of chopped onions. Though its edge isn’t beveled, it is thin enough to be among the sharpest in the lineup and had no trouble cutting through bread dough or cubing butter. While the manufacturer recommends hand washing for the best results, the scraper survived several trips through the dishwasher during this round of testing, and the copies we stock in the test kitchen have always emerged from our industrial dishwashers unscathed.
Though its relatively lightweight frame feels flimsier than those of our top performers and it lacks a removable platform, this simple scale is impressive for the money. It’s accurate and easy to use, with a digital screen that’s bright and visible even when weighing large items.
Our winning scraper’s versatile teardrop shape allowed us to choose between a more narrowly curved edge for smaller bowls and a broader edge for wider bowls. Its metal core kept it sufficiently rigid in our hands while handling dense cookie dough, and its flexible silicone edges left more delicate doughs intact as we handled them. This scraper was both easy to clean and durable. One tester found this scraper the slightest bit small, but it fit comfortably in most of our hands, and we liked how nimble it felt.