Hitohira

Bernal Cutlery

210mm Heavy Cleaver

220mm Chukka Bocho

210mm Gyuto

8" Chef's Knife

180mm Santoku

If you have the money, go buy one of these today. This thing is a hidden gem and more people should have them.

Feels like a fucking razor and holds an edge like nothing I've used before.

I love the shape. I love the size. I love the feel. It's not the prettiest knife, but it sure ain't bad. It's simple, useful, and probably a great first carbon steel knife if that's something you're interested in.

Update: The problem is — as with many Japanese knives — they're unique and so they sell out quickly. The link is already dead and it's sold out the manufacturer's site too. Looks like a couple other knife shops have stock and they'll probably change over time. Good luck!

This little baddie is my carbon steel go-to for daily use. 

I love how light this knife is, and the shorter blade and razor edge  gives me the extra confidence I need when tackling a new knife skill.

The only down side is how brittle this knife is, and being that it's carbon steel it does need dried off immediately.

Tilit

Essential Apron

Crossback Apron

Supply Apron

Neon Chef Apron

Lowboy Apron

Luxe Chef Apron

Utility Apron

Beelzebib

I think of it as the sneaker of aprons. It's not fancy, but it's lightweight, comfy, and unfussy.

Ripstop fabric is super wear-resistant and doesn't absorb colors easily so it's easy to care for. The shoelace-style ties are tied for my favorite in the industry. And I adore a brightly-colored apron.

I don't love the pocket situation — no hand pockets, decent chest pocket, and a weird hidden pocket on the back side for... your phone, I guess?

Definitely not perfect, but my new go-to apron.


Give me an apron with a quick release buckle around the neck and I'm all on board. Give me an apron without hand pockets and I'm a little less on board. 

This apron is great, for quick kitchen work, but I'd love a hand pocket or two. 

Tilit's most basic pocket setup. I definitely prefer their slanted pockets, generally...

I love the color, but I don't love the fabric — it feels a little thin and it's definitely see-through.

Tilit's shoelace-style ties are my absolute fave though and they're much more comfortable than the old square webbing-style ties.

Good, not great.

I love the vibe of this neon yellow apron. I wish it had a second hand pocket, but not a deal breaker. 

The reflection of the neon can be a little intense so if you're cutting lighter vegetables: like say, potatoes...they might look a little green.

It's probably just the apron, but if it's not, throw out those nightshades. 

Mozzarella Fitzgerald

Hestan

Amazon

NanoBond Titanium Skillet

D3 10" Fry Pan

Premier 10" Space Saving Fry Pan

10-Inch Skillet

Deep Cut

10" Stainless Steel Frying Pan

Fry Pan

Titanium Series Fry Pan

Eater Series Frying Pan

This is the smaller version of my favorite skillet on earth and for those who need a small skillet for things like eggs... I think this is the best all-around performance money can buy.

While it's definitely not fully nonstick, it does react less-strongly with protein which offers home cooks a little bit more wiggle room on initial temperature. That means more control to cook the way you want to cook rather than the pan forcing you to cook a certain way. 

On that note, it's also extremely responsive to heat changes due to its super thick internal layer of aluminum. That's something I value very highly and I think gets overlooked by many home cooks.

8.5"

Akira Tareyama

Goldilocks

I've been harping on the old school brands and their price gouging for months, but here comes Goldilocks to make my argument for me.

There is zero practical difference between this level of quality and All-Clad for 99% of home cooks. There just isn't. There's a thick, visible layer of aluminum in the middle that smooths out heat distribution while being super responsive to heating changes.

In fact, while these handles aren't perfect — they're definitely not as comfy as Made In or as pretty as Great Jones — they're far more comfortable than All-Clad's pseudo-professional design.

It's just a damn good classic fully-clad stainless steel skillet. Everyone should have one and, at this price, they can probably afford one.

The pan is comfortable to hold and feels sturdy when I’m using it. Overall I’ve enjoyed using it a lot and I feel like it’s a great introduction to stainless steel because of the price point.

vijay 

The CF TG Celeriac 2023

Our Place

3qt Saute Pan

Always Pan Pro

The main feature of this pan is its titanium oxide coating — which does in fact make it pretty nonstick, but it's applied so poorly that I can't recommend it.

Definitely interesting materials science, but genuinely one of the lowest-production quality pans I've ever tested.

Better than the other Our Place pans, but that's not saying  much. Don't waste your money.

Chrome

Cult Flav

I love the colors and the design.  There are plenty of pockets and in all the in the right places.  The long strings around the waist are much appreciated. I bought one of each.  The best part - they're made here in the USA.  I try to buy products made in the US - I don't recall seeing this detail when ordering (I may have missed it), so I was pleasantly surprised - made the higher price completely worth it.  

Pink

Black

Sebastian

Hedley & Bennett

Meiji 10" Chef's Knife

Classic 210mm Chef's Knife

Spartan Ghost Chef's Knife 8"

The 8" Knife

Professional Series 8" Chef's Knife (MTH-80)

Premier Chef's 8"

Everyday Chef's Knife

Classic Ikon 8" Chef's Knife

Förslag 3-pc Knife Set

Rosewood 8" Chef's Knife

French Chef's Knife

Classic Chef's 8"

Vardagen Chef's Knife 8"

Briljera Chef's Knife 8"

Vörda Chef's Knife 8"

365+ Chef's Knife 8"

Pro Le Blanc 8" Chef's Knife

365+ 6" Utility Knife

Birchwood SG2 8" Chef's Knife

Black 5000MCD67 8" Gyuto

G-56 7" Santoku

G-2 8" Chef's Knife

GU-02 8" Asian Chef's Knife

210mm Ginsan Gyuto

Chef's Knife

Graphite 8" Chef's Knife (+ 13-pc set)

8” Brad Leone Signature Series Chinese Santoku Cleaver

7.25" Chef Series

8" Chef Knife

Koh 8" Gyuto

Kanso 8" Chef's Knife

Fibrox 8" Chef's Knife

Classic 6" Chef's Knife

Full disclosure: I think Hedley & Bennett overcharges for everything they make. A super basic apron made of super generic materials shouldn't cost $80-100.

When they introduced a chef's knife, however, I was intrigued. It's got a sleek, but classic design and better yet — it pairs it with my favorite low-cost steel: AUS-10.

So, I ordered one. And... it's pretty good. Nothing mind-blowing, but it's kinda like a lighter-weight version of the Misen chef's knife with a little nicer aesthetics. 

I still think Misen is my top pick for a budget knife because it's hard to recommend spending 30% more on a knife that's essentially the same in all the ways that actually matter.

I was pleasantly surprised by this knife, and actually find myself reaching for it more than I expected. 

Good job Hedley & Bennett.

For a first good quality knife, this one has done me wonders. It’s got a pretty nice feel to it and it’s been pretty easy to take care of and sharpen. Now I just need to work on my knife skills.

It's the bigger sibling to my favorite knife the MAC chef series. It's a bit longer than I prefer in a knife, but I still feel confident and it's a reliable daily driver.

Essentially the same form factor as the H&B and the Tojiro Classic, but with a steel that seems more prone to corrosion and a slightly higher price tag.

Can't tell which steel that is because MAC's not saying. Good, not great.

Material

The Forever Peeler

It's rare to see a peeler that is actually a nice object and that's really what it's all about for me.

I love that they ship a spare blade with it too, but it's really just a nice object to use.

...until you peel off your finger tip.

Home-style Japanese Curry Roux

Chashu Turkey

This knife is super light! But, that lightness probably contributed to it showing up with a few dings, and scratches right out of the box. 

The blade's sharp - don't get me wrong, but it's also unfinished at the choil and ended up scratching finger making it uncomfortable to wield. 

So soft it's easy to damage and annoying to sharpen, but other than that... I surprisingly didn't hate this knife and I actually like the handle.

That's a real triumph for Our Place whose pans have the world's worst handles.

Chef's Knives

Kramer by Zwilling

AEB-L is one of my favorite steels: it strikes a great balance between hardness and toughness, and because it's stainless it's quite easy to take care of.

That said, both the handle design and the damascus finish are absolutely horrendous imo. Feels a little on the weeb side too — like the anime equivalent of a chef's knife.

It also just kinda feels goofy. Bob's knives are known for being tall, but expanded to a 10" scale, the blade is absolutely massive.

I like AEB-L, but if I'm shelling out this much money, I'd just go for a KxZ Carbon with its excellent ergonomics and handle.

Cult Flav's 2023 Honorable Mentions

Acids

Aprons

Chili Oils

Cookbooks

Cooking Utensils

Cutting Boards

Dutch Ovens

Food Storage

Graters

Hand Blenders

Instant Noodles

Instant Thermometers

Kitchen Scales

Knife Sharpening

Knife Storage

Leave-in Thermometers

Oils

Peelers

Plating Utensils

Presses

Saucepans

Saute Pans

Serving Bowls

Sheet Pans

Skillets

Soy Sauces

Spice Grinders

Stockpots

Vinegars

Wearables

Hado

This knife, y'all. It's absolutely wild. From stem to stern, it feels and looks amazing. It holds an edge super well and I could swear it takes negative effort to slice through damn near anything.

It's biggest weakness is its biggest strength: its concave bevel. It feels sharper than anything, but it chips easily because it's so thin at the edge. So that means anything tough is really out of the question. You need a dedicated backup if you're ever going to be cutting partially frozen meat or — god forbid — a kabocha squash.

It's the motorcycle of knives: not the most practical, but it feels unlike anything else.

It's light-weight and has excellent geometry. 

It's a little longer than I typically prefer in a chef's knife, but it's so easy to use and light that I hardly notice.

Global

I've had this knife in my kit for a little over a decade. It's like a bassist. It's useful and it definitely is nice to have, but it's not the lead singer you count on to get the job done. 

Demi-glace

Rada

It's so light, I'm worried it'll break. It showed up in poor condition and lost an edge quickly. 

I don't mind sharpening a knife every now and then, but not like this.

Not worth $1, let alone $30.

Absolute garbage. The worst knife I've ever tested.

Sur La Table

In my first comparison, 3 knives stood out. This was the biggest surprise of all of them.

See, Zwilling has something of a reputation for... let's say "budget-quality" knives. I suspected they just backed up a dump truck full of money to Bob Kramer's house so they could stick his name and his trademark Way-Too-Tall™ profile on their same old also-ran knives.

Boy howdy, was I wrong.

52100 steel makes all the right compromises for home cooks. It's easy to maintain, easy to care for (for a carbon steel at least), and with this geometry, it fucking flies through anything in its path.

The handle feels so lovely, I don't even mind that it's formica and resin with gaudy gold fittings on the end.

Just sensational all around. 

Great work, Zwilling. Sorry for doubting you, Bob.

I was intimidated by this knife at first because of it's bulky profile, but it's actually very pleasant to use. 

It's weighted toward the front which is great for preventing wrist discomfort, and the blade holds an edge like a champ! 

It is a carbon steel knife, so you just need to make sure you're drying it quickly after washing or it'll rust.

Up until recently, this was maybe the only knife in the category that both Sarah and I loved to use. It really is a joy AND it's cheap.

This one's a no-brainer if you're looking for your first "nice" knife, you have small hands, or you want a smaller backup.

I thought by now I would find a knife I like more than my MAC, but I haven't. 

It won't win any awards for being beautiful, but it's a good little knife that I can feel confident using every. single. time.

Kimchi Raikkonen

manasi

Ninja Foodi

ProBond Nonstick Skillet (11")

Quick-Release Fry Pan (9.5”)

Hybrid Nonstick Pan (10")

Toughened Nonstick PRO Fry Pan (10")

Nonstick Frying Pan (10")

NeverStick Premium Fry Pan (10.25")

Good Grips Pro Frying Pan (10")

Professional Frying Pan (10.25”)

Professional 10" Fry Pan

Unlimited 10" Fry Pan

Professional Nonstick Fry Pan

Wear-Ever Nonstick Fry Pan

Honestly, I"m surprised that this infomercial-y bullshit isn't awful, but it's a lovely surprise. It's definitely not pretty, but it takes one of the worst challenges of nonstick largely out of the equation at a reasonable price.

Japanese Curry

Cordless Hand Blender

MultiQuick 5 Vario Hand Blender

Control Grip Immersion Blender

Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender

Ultra-Stick

ProMix Hand Blender

Immersion Blender

Commercial Quik Stik

Vitamix

Williams-Sonoma

Far and away the nicest tool in its class, but still over-engineered. Details like the digital speed control (which automatically resets to the lowest speed every time it's plugged in) and the four-bladed bit (which makes the dome super hard to clean by hand) just don't need to be that way.

On the other hand, the fit and finish are phenomenal and it has arguably the best dome design out of all of them. Combine that with the most power in the category and you get an exceptional piece of kit.

KitchenAid

This was my first hand blender and while it's not the best, it's good enough for most jobs and it avoids adding unnecessary bullshit for its own sake which I find quite admirable.

Sure, it's not the most powerful, but it doesn't really need to be — it'll still get the job done.

Made In

Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Boy howdy do Made In's pans have layers.

The question is: do more layers make a pan better?

Luckily, the good folks from ATK and Serious eats already did this research for us and the answer is a resounding "not really." What really matters is the total thickness of the aluminum. You can get more thickness out of a single layer of aluminum (as All Clad and a few others readily prove), so why go to 5 layers?

Mostly marketing. The problem is that they pass the cost on to consumers and then some.

Old School Buttermilk Pancakes

Old School Buttermilk Pancakes

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