It’s easy to waste money on kitchen gadgets you don’t really need, but there are some absolute essentials everyone should have. Whether you're just starting out or an old hand in the kitchen, these are the tools we recommend for every cook. Read on for our checklist, plus some top tips on what to look for when making a purchase or updating your kitchenware.

Worried about serving chicken with a side of salmonella, or crispy sausages that are practically raw on the inside? Invest in an instant-read digital thermometer – this little device is a surefire way to ensure those chicken wings aren’t pink on the inside, and that steak is cooked just as you want it.

Cutting boards are not only a knife’s best friend but save your worktop from getting marked too. While plastic and glass boards do the job, a quality wooden chopping board is the best investment. Soft wood won’t dull your knives as quickly as plastic, and will last much longer.

If you’ve been using a traditional pastry brush made of wood and bristles until now, think again. Silicone basting brushes are both durable and super easy to clean. They’re not just good for pastry, but for brushing oil, butter and sauces evenly over meat and fish.

A good set of spoons is indispensable. Go for wooden or silicone spoons for mixing and stirring sauces, a ladle for soups and a slotted spoon for scooping things up. Spatulas perform a range of tasks, from spreading and scraping to scooping. Silicone spatulas are the best option here – just make sure they’re heat-resistant so they don’t melt.

A stainless steel box grater is multi-purpose and will allow you to grate anything from hard cheeses and chocolate to lemon zest and veggies. It’s a no-brainer to have on hand in the kitchen.

A hand-held whisk is great for smaller jobs when you don’t want to get out an electric mixer, or when you need a more delicate touch.

Find our best-ever baking hacks for perfect cakes here

Whether you want to chop vegetables for a salad or make your own fries, a mandoline slicer is an easy way to achieve a neat finish. They usually offer several attachable blades so you can chip, julienne or spiralise, making this the perfect tool if you're not so confident about your knife skills.

An electric blender or small food processor is a must-have for any cook. Compact processors won't take up much space and come with attachments that are useful for everything from mixing pesto and curry pastes to juicing citrus fruits. Tall blenders allow you to whizz up smoothies but are also good for soups, sauces and cake mixture.

Take a look at these great smoothie recipes

A set of nesting mixing bowls in different sizes will allow you to prepare multiple elements at the same time and will save space by stacking together neatly.

Once you realise their full potential, a pair of kitchen scissors or shears will be a staple in your drawer. Not just useful for cutting open bags of frozen veg, they can also be used for trimming the fat off a joint of meat, cutting herbs or even slicing a pizza.

From straining sauces to dusting a cake with icing sugar, there's no end of jobs for a sieve. Get one with a fine mesh for the more delicate jobs and one that's a little sturdier. If you're short on space it can double as a colander – perfect for straining pasta, noodles, vegetables, potatoes and more.

A set of baking sheets are a kitchen essential for even the most amateur of cooks. Look for non-stick, rimmed baking sheets for roasting vegetables, cooking meat or even baking cookies.

Find our secret steps to perfect cookies every time here

A variety of different measuring equipment can be useful, but measuring cups and spoons are essential if you’re a baker. Invest in a set of stainless steel cups for dry ingredients such as flour, rice, grains, oats and more.

For liquids, a glass measuring jug is the simplest and easiest tool. Buy a relatively large one so you can measure out stock, water or milk in large quantities.

Now take a look at our tips for an organised refrigerator

Tongs can be used for all sorts of things in the kitchen: for turning meat, tossing salad, serving from a pan, pulling hot trays out of the oven or serving biscuits and cakes. Metal ones do the job but the ones with silicone-coated ends are non-stick and super-easy to clean.

Not just useful for heating up leftovers, microwaves make it easy to cook anything from fish to potatoes. You can even use a microwave to dry your own herbs.

Discover the incredible dishes you can cook in your microwave

If you’ve ever tried mashing potatoes with a fork, you’ll understand just how useful one of these is. Don’t waste money on an electric potato masher though, just invest in an old-fashioned hand-held utensil and crush the spuds to the smoothness of your liking. 

Check out these brilliant ideas for moreish mash

A quality ceramic baking dish will last a lifetime. Invest in a large one for entertaining and a few individual dishes for cooking solo or for smaller numbers. They look great when presented at the table too.

Take a look at these delicious one-tray recipes

If you’re a meat fan, a small grill is worth the money. Not only can you use them to cook meat, fish or veggies, but they're brilliant for toasties and grilled sandwiches.

Say goodbye to the knife-style potato peeler. Those finger-risking traps are slow and require the perfect angle to work effectively. Y-shaped potato peelers not only save your fingers but allow you to peel your spuds in half the time.

Take a look at these super potato recipes you'll wish you'd tried sooner

There’s no point cooking in bulk if you have nothing to put it in. Stock up on storage containers so you can make meals for the whole week ahead and store them in the fridge or freezer. Smaller sizes for sauces or individual portions are useful too.

Find easy ideas to get your freezer organised here 

Every kitchen needs a can opener. Invest in a decent one though – battling to open a tin of beans is not a useful way to spend your time. Battery-operated ones aren't always worth the expense. Instead look for a can opener with soft handles that will leave the edges of the tin smooth. 

These canned food recipes taste as good as fresh

If you don’t have much time on your hands, a slow cooker should be an essential kitchen gadget. Simply pop the food in the cooker in the morning, go about your day and dinner will be ready by the evening. They really are well worth the investment.

Take a look at our top slow cooker recipes you'll make again and again

You can get away with just two knives: a chef’s knife (the big one that cuts pretty much anything) and a paring knife, which will cut up the smaller, more delicate stuff. But a good knife set is always handy and will provide you with the likes of a bread knife, which is not only good for a loaf but also for slicing tomatoes, which tend to slip away when cutting. Some pricier brands come with a lifetime guarantee so buy the best you can afford – a quality set should see you through the decades.

Take a look at these super simple recipes anyone can cook

From pancakes to steak, a cast iron pan will cook it all. The good ones aren’t necessarily cheap, but they are definitely worth it as they heat evenly and work both on the hob and in the oven. 

Now check out our ultimate collection of genius food hacks

If you’ve already got one of these and it’s been sat at the back of the cupboard, it’s time to get using it. A pestle and mortar is great for crushing your own spices, grinding peppercorns or mixing guacamole.