Must-Have Kitchen Tools to Step Up Your Cooking Game in 2024

In the kitchen, you need the right tool for the job! On the PIATTO cooking channels — youtube.com/piatto and youtube.com/piattorecipes — we have the opportunity to test a lot of kitchen tools. Here is a list of our favorites to date, tools we use again and again in our popular video recipes— where you can also see these tools in action.


Best Digital Meat Thermometer Probe

Some of you are afraid of undercooking your meat, which is totally reasonable. Food poisoning sucks and you only need to get it (or give it) once to realize it’s no joke. However, many of you are probably overcooking (thus ruining) your quality meat and fish trying to avoid foodborne illness.

The solution is easy. Our favorite digital meat thermometer probe has two probes and you can leave them in your food as it cooks. The thermometer will tell you when you’ve cooked that food to perfection (based on FDA recommendations, or whatever you define). No more rubbery fish or gray beef.

► Find it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4b6wfGE
Our favorite meat thermometer in action, making sure our crispy air fryer chicken wings are thoroughly cooked. You can set it F or C.

Best Mortar and Pestle

The right mortar and pestle will change your life. While food processors and immersion blenders simply ‘cut’ (failing to extract much of the flavor and oil of your favorite foods), the best mortar and pestle grinds and mashes. This opens up a whole new world of flavor and will seriously elevate your cooking game. For just a few examples, check out these recipes where a mortar and pestle is a must:

Authentic Pesto Genovese Recipe with Mortar and Pestle!
This is the authentic Pesto Genovese recipe traditional in the city of Genoa, "Cinque Terre" and in the region of Liguria! The ingredients? Fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt, parmigiano and pecorino cheeses and extra virgin olive oil!
Check out this recipe
Spaghetti Aglio Olio Recipe with Fresh Garlic and Bottarga
Spaghetti Aglio Olio as it is often made on the island of Sardegna—with fresh mashed garlic and a sprinkle of bottarga!
Check out this recipe

There are many subpar mortar and pestles on the market. If you buy one that’s too small, it’s useless for anything but grinding peppercorns. If you buy one with a pestle that’s too smooth, you won’t have enough friction to grind ingredients efficiently. So, you’ll want to take our word for it that this is the best marble mortar on the market, ‘Made in Italy’ with the same marble that Michelangelo used to sculpt.

► Find it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UekWGt
Our ‘Made in Italy’ Mortar and Pestle, which you find on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UekWGt

Best Air Fryer for Chicken Wings and More

Until recently, we were pretty negative about air fryers—until we had the chance to review this new Cosori Air Fryer. In addition to being the best air fryer for chicken wings that we’ve ever tried, it has become an essential tool in our kitchen for other tasks beyond ‘frying.’ It’s a dough proofing box, an efficient baking tool for those hot summer months when no one in Italy would even think about turning on an oven, and more. Here’s a look at our chicken wing experiment (oven VS Cosori air fryer):

Best Air Fryer Chicken Wings, Crispy Recipe!
Master the Best Air Fryer Chicken Wings with our easy, crispy recipe. Perfect for a delicious, hassle-free meal. Elevate your wing game now!
Check out this recipe
► Find it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3S3pvRb
Find out everything about this tool in our Cosori Air Fryer review

Best Carbon Steel Pan for Searing and Sautéing

There are a slew of reasons why you need a carbon steel pan. In our view, the De Buyer Mineral B is the best carbon steel pan for a variety of reasons and you can learn why in our guide. We use it for everything from sautéing to searing fish and meat. Don’t know how to season a carbon steel pan? No worries, we’ll show you how to season a cast iron skillet or carbon steel pan in this written and video guide. The result will be a naturally nonstick surface that can handle all the heat you want to throw at it. Here are just a few video recipes where we have featured this amazing pan:

How to Cook Sirloin Steak in a Pan—Perfectly!
Learn how to cook sirloin steak in a pan perfectly at home!
Check out this recipe
Foolproof Beef Wellington Recipe
Beef Wellington ( 'Filetto in Crosta alla Wellington' in Italian) is one of the world’s most famous dish for meat lovers. In this foolproof Beef Wellington recipe, we add a classic Italian flavor!
Check out this recipe
Traditional Meat Tortellini Recipe from Bologna
The most traditional meat tortellini filling in Italy! This is the authentic tortellini recipe of Bologna Italy. With regional ingredients like Parmigiano and prosciutto, this tortellini is unforgettable!
Check out this recipe
► Find it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/427zB8c
Frying an egg with our newly seasoned carbon steel De Buyer fry pan.

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About the author

Classic recipes from Italy and beyond. Traditional Italian Cooking and Mediterranean Diet recipes!

PIATTO™ Recipes bring traditional Italian food recipes to your table with our tested, step-by-step recipes and videos. You'll find the best Italian recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Always tested, always delicious.

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