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8 must-have kitchen utensils that wowed our testers
Joel has spent six years testing pizza ovens, camping gear, binoculars and more. He’s cooked a criminal amount of pizza, and swallowed the evidence.
Whether you're chopping vegetables, taking a hot tray from the oven or opening a bottle for dinner guests, the right kitchen tool can turn an awkward task into a simple one.
So we've picked eight Best Buy utensils that no kitchen should be without. They include scissors, a tin opener, oven gloves, chopping boards and more, all tried and tested by our experts for performance, ease of use and value for money.
1. Best kitchen scissors – Joseph Joseph PowerGrip Kitchen Scissors (89%, Best Buy)
At a glance Powerful, versatile scissors that cut with ease
Blunt, awkward scissors begone. This pair's combination of comfort, cutting performance and durability made them the standout kitchen scissors in our tests.
They excelled in every task we threw at them. The sharp, serrated blades cut effortlessly through slippery raw meat, dense ingredients and tough skewers; they cut vegetables precisely and cleanly without crushing or tearing.
Large rubber handles make them comfortable to use, and the thumb grip provides extra leverage when needed. The detachable blades also make cleaning simple, although we found the herb stripper a little fiddly.
Read our Joseph Joseph PowerGrip Kitchen Scissors review or see our guide to the best kitchen scissors.
Our expert says
'What impressed me most about these kitchen scissors is how well they balance power and precision. They make light work of demanding tasks, but are equally capable when finer, more delicate cutting is needed.
'The detachable blades are a real bonus for cleaning, too, as you can avoid struggling with areas of the blades that are usually tricky to reach. Aside from a slightly awkward herb stripper, there's very little to fault with this pair.’
Louise Sayers, senior researcher/writer
2. Best hands-free electric tin opener – Kitchen Mama Electric Tin Opener (85%, Best Buy)
At a glance A simple electric tin opener that takes away all the effort
We have found excellent manual tin openers, but you can't really beat the level of upgrade that a hands-free, electric one will give you. This is the best one we've tested.
Simply place it on the can, press a button and let it do the work for you. It also grips the lid securely once removed, so you can dispose of it without touching any sharp edges.
The only real downside is its relative bulk, as it will take up more kitchen drawer space than most manual alternatives.
Read our Kitchen Mama Electric Tin Opener review or see our guide to the best tin openers.
Our expert says
'The lid-gripping feature is particularly useful, as it makes disposal much safer and less fiddly than it can sometimes be when using a manual tin opener.'
Joel Bates, principal researcher/writer
3. Best oven gloves – John Lewis Silicone Double Oven Glove (89%, Best Buy)
At a glance Exceptional heat protection and a secure, comfortable grip
It's remarkable how often oven gloves still let through enough heat that you can only hold a hot tray for a few seconds at a time. This glove takes that sense of urgency away and restores calm in the kitchen.
It's our top scorer thanks to its clever combination of a silicone outer layer and a cotton-lined interior. The lobster-claw design makes it easy to slip on and extra comfortable to use.
The silicone shell also offers outstanding heat resistance and is water-resistant, while the ribbed finish provides a firm, non-slip grip on hot cookware. It doesn't cover your forearms, but its hand protection and usability were unmatched in our tests.
Read our John Lewis Silicone Double Oven Glove review or see our guide to the best oven gloves.
Our expert says
‘There were stark differences in our testing between the best and worst oven gloves for heat resistance. This pair didn't even reach 30°C, which will give anyone handling hot dishes and trays in their kitchen a lot of confidence.
'The silicone grip also gives excellent control and prevents liquid spills from seeping straight into the gloves, adding an extra layer of safety and comfort.’
Danny Dougan, researcher/writer
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4. Best electric wine bottle opener – Lakeland Rechargeable Wine Opener (93%, Best Buy)
At a glance An effortless electric wine opener and a clear favourite with our testers
If a so-called waiter's friend ends up making you look like Basil Fawlty struggling with a bottle of red, we'd recommend our top-scoring electric wine opener.
Opening a bottle couldn't be much easier. Pressing the down button removes the cork in around 10 seconds, while the up button automatically releases it from the spiral once you're done.
It's lightweight, comfortable to hold, and has battery indicator lights that help prevent unexpected interruptions.
Read our Lakeland Rechargeable Wine Opener review or see our guide to the best corkscrews and electric wine openers.
Our expert says
'This was one of the most straightforward products we tested. The whole process feels smooth, quick and virtually effortless. It's easy to see why it was such a hit with our testing panel, particularly for anyone who struggles with traditional corkscrews.
'Although the screw passes completely through the cork, we didn't notice any debris in the wine during testing, making this an easy bottle opener to recommend.'
Louise Sayers, senior researcher/writer
5. Best garlic press – Lakeland Garlic Press (81%, Best Buy, Great Value)
At a glance A comfortable, easy-to-clean and minimal-effort garlic press
It isn't quite the very best garlic press we tested, but it scores just 2% less and can be bought at a fraction of the price, so this is the one we'd recommend for your kitchen drawer.
This press required less force than any other Best Buy garlic press when crushing unpeeled cloves. The chamber is generously sized and comfortably fits large cloves or multiple smaller ones.
Its wide handle proved comfortable for testers to grip and press, while the removable grate makes clearing trapped garlic quick and straightforward.
Read our Lakeland Garlic Press review or see our guide to the best garlic presses.
Our expert says
‘The low effort needed to crush garlic really stands out. Even garlic from unpeeled cloves presses through the chamber easily. It's also brilliantly easy to clean after you're finished, which you can't say about every garlic press.
'The plastic body of this garlic press may not feel as premium compared with its more expensive rivals, but its strong performance and cheap price more than make up for it.'
Sam Morris, senior researcher/writer
6. Best lemon squeezer – Joseph Joseph JuiceMax Dual-Action Citrus Press (88%, Best Buy)
At a glance Well designed and extracts plenty of juice with very little effort
You might wonder if a lemon squeezer is worth it if you've only ever squeezed lemons by hand, but our testing confirms they absolutely are. Even the worst squeezer we tested got more juice out of lemons than hand-squeezing.
This citrus press impressed throughout testing, producing excellent amounts of juice from lemons, limes and smaller oranges. Its dual-action mechanism combines pressing and twisting to maximise juice extraction.
It feels sturdy, comfortable to hold and exceptionally well made. The built-in seed filter also keeps cleaning simple by making it easy to remove pulp and seeds.
Read our Joseph Joseph JuiceMax Dual-Action Citrus Press review or see our guide to the best lemon squeezers.
Our expert says
'The dual-action design genuinely makes a difference, helping extract lots of juice without requiring much force. It's also one of the easiest squeezers to clean, which makes it a pleasure to use regularly.
'It's a little bulkier than some other lemon squeezers we've tested, but its performance and ease of use make it the clear choice for your kitchen drawer.'
Danny Dougan, researcher/writer
7. Best chopping boards – Lakeland Stay-Put Chopping Board (82%, Best Buy)
At a glance A colourful, durable chopping board set that stays firmly in place
You might prefer wooden or other types of chopping boards, but plastic sets are convenient and this is our overall top scorer.
The rubber edges do exactly what they're supposed to, keeping the boards securely in place even during tougher jobs. None of our testers experienced any slipping during use.
Despite picking up some minor knife marks, the boards also remained in good condition throughout testing. They also resisted staining and odours, even when used with strongly coloured ingredients.
Read our Lakeland Stay-Put Chopping Board review or see our guide to the best chopping boards.
Our expert says
'Stability can make a huge difference when preparing food, and these boards stayed firmly put throughout testing. I was equally impressed by how well they resisted stains, smells and warping after repeated dishwasher cycles. This set was our testing panel's clear favourite.
'Plastic chopping boards are cheaper, lower maintenance and easier to keep clean, but they can pick up knife marks quickly and can also be a source of microplastics. Every type has pros and cons, though. If you prefer wood, you'll face higher maintenance and trickier food stains.'
Louise Sayers, senior researcher/writer
8. Best mandoline slicer – Oxo Good Grips Hand Held Mandoline Slicer (84%, Best Buy)
At a glance A simple but highly effective mandoline that consistently delivers
Mandoline slicers may be less essential in the kitchen drawer unless you're a potato-gratin lover or like to make your own crisps, but there's no denying the time they save when slicing vegetables.
For slicing, this mandoline is hard to beat. All three thickness settings produced impressively consistent vegetable slices during our tests.
Our panel found it easy to use, with food gliding smoothly across the blade, and straightforward to clean afterwards.
Read our Oxo Good Grips Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer review or see our guide to the best mandoline slicers.
Our expert says
‘Not every mandoline needs lots of cutting options, and this proves that simplicity can be a strength. The consistency of the slices was excellent across all thickness settings, making food preparation quick and reliable.'
'The food gripper's small teeth mean larger ingredients may need cutting down first, but its reliable performance more than compensates.'
Joel Bates, principal researcher/writer
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How our experts find the best kitchen drawer items
Our expert testing team chopped, crushed, sliced, heated and squeezed their way through close to 100 kitchen drawer products to pull together this list of top-tier items.
Unlike our competitors, our experts buy every product we test, ensuring total independence and rigorous, objective assessments.
- Expert testing panels To gather a wide range of opinions and user experiences, we draw on the expertise of our in-house testers, who get hands-on to test around 1,000 products every year. We gather vast amounts of data, and we review, scrutinise and challenge every conclusion we draw about each product.
- Performance tracking We pay particular attention to how effectively each product performs its core purpose, whether by calculating the exact percentage of the garlic clove that made it through the press, or determining the average thickness of sweet potato slices produced by a mandoline.
- Precise measurements Using our testing equipment, we record surface temperatures, blade sharpness, timings, push forces and more. Our objective testing and measurements paint an exact picture of how good each product really is.
- Stress testing Our tests don't just assess how good products are straight out of the box. We push durability to the limit, comparing how sharp scissor blades stay after extensive testing, how scratched chopping boards get after hundreds of cuts, and how products handle being dropped on the kitchen floor.