Equipment Reviews

Our equipment testers rate hundreds of products every year so you can spend your money wisely. We test $1,500 standing mixers as well as $5 garlic presses. And we test equipment by using it the same way you do at home. This means slicing rustic breads, cakes, and tomatoes when testing serrated knives. We write opinionated, honest reviews of every product we test, and we update them regularly on this website as well as CooksCountry.com.

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Pepper Mills

Pepper mills come in a vast range of styles and materials, but what really matters to us and other serious home cooks is performance.

Essential Grilling Gadgets

What equipment do you really need to cook outdoors?

Cast-Iron Skillets

Is cast iron the original nonstick pan? Do recent innovations improve on this traditional kitchen workhorse?

Large Saucepans

Now that even low-cost manufacturers are offering fully clad cookware, do you still need to shell out $200 for a good pot?

Top Kitchen Essentials

We've tested thousands of knives, pots, pans, and gadgets over the years. Here's a list of the items that we feel are essential in every kitchen.

Tabletop Grills

Can you bring restaurant-style tabletop grilling home?

Steak Knives

Which set of steak knives can really cut it?

Electric Knife Sharpeners

When your kitchen knives go dull, is there a quick, cheap, and easy way to restore their cutting edge and get back to cooking?

Liquid Dish Detergent

We wondered how "natural," more ecologically friendly detergents stacked up against traditional supermarket brands.

Plastic Wrap

Our tests showed that wraps either cling or keep food fresh—not both.

Stand Mixers (Inexpensive)

Can you buy a solid mixer for under $200?

Stovetop Griddles

Which models can take the heat?

Top Kitchen Essentials

We've tested thousands of knives, pots, pans, and gadgets over the years. Here's a list of the items that we feel are essential in every kitchen.

Ice Cream Makers (Inexpensive)

Could a $50 appliance make ice cream that tasted creamier and fresher than our favorite store-bought brand? Yes… and no.

Loaf Pans

Loaf pans range in price from $4 to $75. Are the higher prices justified?

Can Openers

Which model blows the lid off the competition?

Dutch Ovens

Our favorite Dutch ovens cost more than $200. Ouch! Is there a cheaper version that performs almost as well? Yes. It costs $40.

Pie Plates

The tried and true versus the newfangled: Have manufacturers improved on your grandma’s pie plate?

Dish Towels

Don’t throw in the towel! One cloth does it all.

Vacuum Sealers

Do they save food from freezer burn, or simply suck your wallet dry?

Paper Plates

Slip, rip, buckle, and spill. Can any paper plate take the heat and the weight?

Pizza Wheels

If you use a knife to cut pizza, you’ll pull cheese in every direction. A pizza wheel is essential.

Hand-Held Mixers

Do new, more powerful models make these the equal of stand mixers?

Tube Pans

We ask two things from a tube pan—no leaking and no sticking.

Toasters (Inexpensive 4-Slice)

Is good toast too much to expect?

Electric Knives

Electric knives might seem like relics of the 1960s, but we wanted to see if these knives had any place in the modern kitchen.