A deluge of feature-laden, wi-fi connected, “revolutionary” new cooking products come out every year, and yet there are some kitchen necessities that just can’t be improved upon. Believe us: At BA, we’ve been testing products head-to-head to find the best cookware, tools, and appliances since 2015, and during that decade, our editors have returned to a small handful of favorites time and again.
With boxes full of kitchen gear arriving at the office practically every single day for our team of kitchen obsessives to put through the wringer, the odds are stacked against any particular item finding a stable spot as a favorite. And yet, here we are, with a list of 14 timeless pieces that reached the top of our rankings and just…stayed there.
As part of our first Gear of the Year Awards, we’re giving this core group of products—selected by our Test Kitchen editors and reviews team—special recognition as our Forever Award winners. Invest in these, and you can feel confident that they won’t soon be bested.
Mac MTH-80 Pro Chef’s Knife
People are always asking food director Chris Morocco what knife they should get. “It’s sort of like asking someone what car you should get,” he says. “It really depends on what you are trying to do with it, how fast you want to go, and how much time you plan to spend at the mechanic.”
But the foundation of any set of kitchen tools begins with a chef’s knife you can count on every day. And since we first started reviewing how different models slice and dice, nothing has come close to the Mac MTH-80’s combination of versatility, sharpness, comfort in your hand. It has a best of both worlds design, balancing the precision of a Japanese gyuto with the power of a German-style knife. As Morocco puts it: “The Mac will never let you down, and is the one relatively affordable knife that you will never feel compelled to upgrade.”
Nimble on a cutting board, precise enough to skin a fish, strong enough to break down a chicken, the mighty Mac is in “take it with you to a desert island” territory.
Benriner Super Slicer Mandoline
Benriner Mandoline Super Slicer
Despite its reputation as a safety hazard when not in the hands of a professional chef, a mandoline makes prep work faster, easier, and more precise than a set of knives alone. And no mandoline does those things better than a Benriner. Light, sharp, and endlessly adjustable, the Super Slicer can produce identical slices of potato for a hasselback preparation and a round of radish so transparently thin you can read a magazine through it. If you have ever encountered a recipe that directs you to thinly slice anything this is the tool you want.
Zojirushi NP-HCC10 Rice Cooker
Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker
If you’ve only ever cooked rice on the stove you don’t know how much better the process can be using a dedicated rice cooker. With this induction-heated Zojirushi cooker, you consistently get fluffy, evenly cooked rice—with no attention or effort needed from you.
