Chefs' Favorite Cheap Kitchen Gadgets
BY MATT DUCKOR, EPICURIOUS
Ready to score a chef-caliber collection of kitchen gear without selling a kidney? Then it’s time to take a field trip.
Picture one fluorescent-lit aisle after another, lined with shiny, stainless-steel pots and pans as far as the eye can see. No, this isn’t some sort of deranged mirage of a daydreaming cook. It’s a magical place that most people in America can visit at any time: the restaurant supply store.
You’ve probably never felt the need to step foot in one of these places. After all, they’re usually tucked away in a remote strip mall or desolate side street, and the vibe is industrial and not particularly welcoming. But seek them out, and you’ll have access to the same gear the pros do—all at prices that make shopping a whole lot more satisfying.
Of course, that all depends on whether you know what to buy when you start wandering those aisles. To get some ideas, we asked the people who know these stores best—chefs. We sent Wylie Dufresne (Alder, NYC), Joshua McFadden (Ava Gene’s, Portland), Paul Qui (Qui, Austin), Mindy Segal (Mindy’s Hot Chocolate, Chicago), and Ari Taymor (Alma, LA) to their local restaurant-supply stores and gave them $50 to spend on whatever they wanted. Think of it as Supermarket Sweep: Pro Edition.
Ready to upgrade your kitchen on the cheap? Here’s the best of the gear they scored:
PHOTO BY TOM SCHIERLITZ
1. PASTRY BAG TIPS ($4.99)
“Any person interested in baking at home should have a set of pastry bag tips. I found a set that were on sale and jumped on them.”—Mindy Segal
2. HEAVY SPRING-LOADED TONGS ($5.25)
"I hate when the weight of tongs are so light they feel flimsy. As a cook, it doesn’t feel secure—I’m always moving grill grates and hot plates with these things. Always go for heavy tongs."—Paul Qui
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3. MICROPLANE ($8.95)
“A microplane is a pretty indispensable tool in the kitchen—we use it for everything from zesting citrus to grating nuts into a snow-like powder. I always buy the ones without a handle, though—that’s the first thing that breaks.”—Wylie Dufresne
4. STEEL Y-PEELER ($2.50)
"These peelers are almost entirely made from one piece of metal, so they’re sturdy and easy to keep clean. The plastic ones are made to break." —Ari Taymor
5. TEFLON POT ($12.95)
“I don’t walk into a restaurant-supply store expecting to see something I’ve never seen before—but I gotta say, I’ve never seen a Teflon pan in this shape. A lot of chefs will say that Teflon is cheating for scrambling or frying eggs. Not me. Look up any video of [world-renowned French chef] Jacques Pépin making an omelet, and he’s always using Teflon.”—Wylie Dufresne
6. PLASTIC SPRAY BOTTLE ($1.91)
“We’ll fill these with water and use them for a variety of things. We spray fresh vegetables and herbs to keep them fresh throughout service. When we make ravioli, we’ll spray an entire sheet of pasta with a fine mist rather than using a brush to apply the water that adheres the two sheets together after you cut. And it’s genius for taming flareups when you’re grilling. ”—Joshua McFadden
PHOTOS BY TOM SCHIERLITZ
7. STAINLESS STEEL SCRAPER ($3.95)
"We’re doing a dish right now at the restaurant where we grill crispy pig’s face on the plancha, so we use one of these to roll the whole sheet of pork cheeks off the plancha. But they’re also great for scraping crispy bits of anything off cast-iron skillets at home."—Paul Qui
8. SMALL, HIGH-HEAT RUBBER SPATULA ($1.05)
"I absolutely cherish these smaller spatulas. I make sure every cook in the restaurant has at least one. They’re amazing for getting anything out of a blender—all of the stuff that hides in its tiny little crevices."—Ari Taymor
9. BEER-BOTTLE OPENER ($2.95)
“You’re going to want a drink at some point while cooking a meal. This is one of the sturdiest, best-made things in the entire store.”—Wylie Dufresne
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10. CUBE GRATER ($13.95)
"I’ve never seen one of these before. It’s basically the box grater version of a microplane, with different-sized grating holes on each side. We’re doing everything from grating garlic to microplaning dehydrated sea urchin with these things."—Paul Qui
11. STEEL DOUGH ROLLER ($12.95)
“These are typically used for rolling fondant. But I love using them after I roll out dough with a regular rolling pin to make sure the dough’s really even. You have more control than you do with a rolling pin.”—Mindy Segal
12. QUARTER SHEET TRAY ($5.75)
"This size is my favorite for home use, when you’re more likely to be roasting smaller amounts of fish, vegetables, or meat. Otherwise, you end up putting a tiny amount of food on a huge tray. These also solve the issue of not being able to fit multiple trays in the oven."—Ari Taymor
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