Spare Spoons Kitchen
Spare Spoons Kitchen · The Tool Drawer
The Tool Drawer
A short, honest shelf of the tools that actually make these recipes easier — the scale behind every gram weight, the thermometer that tells you when dinner's done, and the pitter that saves your hands. Picks at a few price points; if the cheap one is where you are, buy the cheap one.
Some links below are affiliate links: as an Amazon Associate, Spare Spoons Kitchen earns from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you.
Kitchen Essentials
Tools that come up across most recipes — worth having before anything else.
Kitchen scales
The one upgrade behind every recipe here — weighing in grams is faster, more accurate, and means fewer dishes (why we weigh in grams).
Measuring cups & spoons
Weigh when it matters — but cups and spoons are still the fast grab for scooping and quick, non-critical measures. Oval ones reach into jars a round cup can't, and a glass measuring cup pulls double duty — a liquid measure that's also a microwave-safe cooking vessel.
Cookware
The pots and pans that come up across these recipes. One shopping note: serious cookware shows up regularly at TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Marshalls, and Tuesday Morning at meaningful discounts — a Lodge, Tramontina, or even the occasional Le Creuset at half price. Always worth a look before buying at full retail.
Instant Pot / pressure cookers
Over 23 recipes on this site are written for an Instant Pot — it's the single piece of equipment that unlocks the most here. The newer Pro models also include a sous vide mode, which opens up a whole category of nearly hands-free cooking (see the sous vide chicken recipe).
Instant Pot Pro (8-in-1, 6 Qt)~$100The one to get if you want sous vide. The Pro adds a sous vide mode to the usual pressure cook, slow cook, sauté, and steam — 145°F for 1½ hours makes a chicken breast that's impossible to overcook. Everything else on the site works in any IP model.View on Amazon ↗Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 (6 Qt)~$80The reliable standard. Pressure cook, slow cook, sauté, steam, warm, rice, yogurt — the model behind most IP recipes here. No sous vide, but rock-solid for everything else and often on sale.View on Amazon ↗
Dutch ovens
An enameled cast-iron Dutch oven is the most versatile pot in the house — it braises the pot roast, simmers the bolognese, bakes the no-knead bread, holds the chili. Buy once, use forever.
Cast iron skillets
For the skillet cornbread, fried chicken, and anything that needs a screaming-hot sear. Cast iron holds heat better than anything else at any price.
Mixing bowls
Stainless steel with a lid is the practical standard — marinate in the bowl, cover, refrigerate. A nested set covers everything from a small vinaigrette to a large bread dough.
Bakeware
One thing worth knowing: glass pans don't brown as well as dark metal or ceramic. Glass heats slowly and doesn't conduct heat at the edges the way metal does — great for seeing what's happening, less great for a properly browned bottom on a casserole or crisp edges on brownies. Dark aluminized steel and enameled stoneware both run hotter and give you the color glass can't.
USA Pan 12-Cup Muffin Pan~$30What Stephan uses — and loves for how easy it is to clean. Aluminized steel with a PTFE nonstick coating that releases muffins, cupcakes, and popovers cleanly without greasing. The same material as their baking sheets — sturdy, good browning, and easy to hand-wash.View on Amazon ↗Caraway Nonstick Ceramic Muffin Pan (6-cup)~$50The smaller-batch option — great for smaller kitchens. Six cups instead of twelve, so it takes up less room in the drawer and the oven. Ceramic-coated nonstick (no PTFE or PFAS), and one of the few 6-cup pans worth buying. Good if you rarely bake a full dozen at once.View on Amazon ↗Caraway Nonstick Ceramic Loaf Pan~$35What Stephan uses — everything slides out, no greasing needed. Ceramic-coated nonstick that bakes evenly and releases cleanly every time. Worth it if you make quick breads, meatloaf, or pound cake regularly.View on Amazon ↗USA Pan 9×13 Aluminized Steel Baking Pan~$30The better-browning alternative to glass. Dark aluminized steel conducts heat faster and more evenly than glass — you get a properly browned bottom and sides on casseroles, sheet cakes, and bars. PTFE nonstick coating, made in the USA. For everything that benefits from color and crispness at the edges.View on Amazon ↗USA Pan 8×8 Aluminized Steel Baking Pan~$20Same idea, half the area. Brownies, chess squares, and bar cookies come out with an actual browned bottom — glass can't match it.View on Amazon ↗7-inch Springform Pan~$12For the Instant Pot cheesecake — 7 inches is the size that fits inside a 6-qt Instant Pot. The 9-inch is the standard for conventional oven cheesecakes.View on Amazon ↗Le Creuset San Francisco Rectangular Casserole~$110What Stephan bakes casseroles in. Enameled stoneware holds and radiates heat better than glass — you get browning at the edges and a dish that goes straight from oven to table. A genuine splurge, but a beautiful piece that makes a casserole feel like an occasion.View on Amazon ↗
Instant-read thermometers
The single tool that makes “pull it at 160°F” possible — touch it to the food and it reads in a second or two. For spot-checking doneness.
ThermoWorks ThermoPop 2~$35Best for most people. ±1°F, 2–3-second reads, waterproof, with a calibration certificate. Buy this one if you buy just one.View on Amazon ↗ThermoPro TP19H~$16The honest budget pick. ~1-second reads, motion-wake, waterproof. A hair less precise (±0.9°F), but it genuinely does the job for little money.View on Amazon ↗ThermoMaven HT04~$30Surprising value. A NIST-traceable calibration certificate and ±0.5°F at this price is unusual. Same brand as the wireless pick below.View on Amazon ↗Lavatools Javelin PRO Duo~$55The step up. ±0.5°F, fast, backlit, magnetic — the long-time Thermapen alternative.View on Amazon ↗ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE$109The gold standard. Sub-1-second reads, ±0.5°F, NIST cert, 5-year warranty. Overkill for most; a quiet joy if you cook a lot.View on Amazon ↗
Wireless leave-in probes
A different job: the probe stays in while the food cooks and an app pings you at temperature. Set-and-forget, rather than spot-check.
Immersion (stick) blenders
For puréeing soups straight in the pot — red lentil, black bean, tomato — without transferring scalding liquid to a countertop blender in batches. The detachable shaft goes in the dishwasher; the motor stays on the counter. A genuine time and mess saver.
Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender~$35The reliable budget pick. A 200-watt motor with a blending shaft that detaches to drop in the dishwasher — fast enough for a pot of lentil soup or bean soup and easy to clean. Does what you need for about the price of two takeout dinners.View on Amazon ↗Breville Control Grip Immersion Blender~$100The step up. A wider bell at the base reduces splatter; the motor is powerful enough to handle fibrous vegetables without stalling. Worth it if you make thick soups, hummus, or tomato sauce regularly.View on Amazon ↗Vitamix Immersion Blender~$130What Stephan uses — and his only blender, food processor, and whisk. With the attachments below, this one tool replaces a countertop blender (smoothies), a small food processor (chopping/mincing), and a hand whisk (whipped cream in 30 seconds). For apartment kitchens or anyone who hates hauling out multiple machines, that consolidation alone justifies the price. Stainless steel shaft, no plastic near the blade, Vitamix motor.View on Amazon ↗Vitamix Attachment — Chopper/Mincercheck priceChops and minces without a full food processor. Onions, herbs, garlic — fits the Vitamix immersion motor. A useful add-on if you do a lot of prep work that would otherwise mean dragging out a bigger machine.View on Amazon ↗Vitamix Attachment — Personal Cup (Smoothies)check priceBlends a single-serving smoothie right in the cup. Fits the Vitamix immersion motor; no separate blender jar to wash.View on Amazon ↗Vitamix Attachment — Whisk (Whipped Cream)check priceWhipped cream in 30 seconds. Fits the Vitamix immersion motor — faster than a stand mixer for a single bowl of cream or meringue.View on Amazon ↗
Specialty Equipment
Tools for specific techniques or recipes — buy when you need them.
Popover pans
For the Classic Popovers (and Yorkshire pudding — same batter, beef drippings instead of butter). Popovers make a wonderful addition to a holiday table — make the batter the night before and bake them while the roast rests. A muffin tin works in a pinch, but the tall narrow cups give you the dramatic height.
Zesters & fine graters
For zesting lemons, limes, and oranges — and grating hard cheese, garlic, ginger, or nutmeg. The right one catches the zest instead of scattering it across the counter.
Dough & bread storage
For the cold-ferment breads — a clear, lidded bucket lets you watch the rise and proof overnight in the fridge.
Pasta rolling & cutting
Once you've made fresh pasta once, you'll want to make it again — and rolling by hand is slow, effortful, and hard to get thin enough. A machine pays for itself fast. Ribbons like fettuccine and pappardelle can always be cut by hand; a cutter attachment just speeds it up.
Cherry pitters
For the cherry recipes — because pitting by hand is a stained, sticky slog.
Prices are rough guides and change often — the live price is on Amazon. The picks are our own opinion; the affiliate links don't change what we recommend.