The Tools That Alton, Ina, and Giada Love for Everyday (and Holiday!) Cooking

We’re not psychic or anything, but we see a lot of cooking in your future. How do we know? Well, for one, you’re on Kitchn — and you clicked on this very story. Also, it’s November 25 and we’re about to hit the most food-centric holidays of the year. So yeah, you’re going to be in the kitchen doing all your usual meal prep, plus the cooking and baking for big, celebratory meals. To help you, we’ve turned to the pros: Ina, Giada, and Alton. Because who knows about the best gear better than this trio? No one!

These are some of the favorite tools of our favorite celebrity chefs. They’ll all prove to be majorly helpful when it comes to your holiday cooking.

“My pepper mill is called PepperMate and it’s the best,” Ina Garten wrote on Instagram in response to a follower’s question after she posted a video showing how she makes croutons. This pepper mill is also a favorite among Kitchn staffers and we can’t recommend it enough when it comes to seasoning your holiday dishes. For starters, it holds a lot of peppercorns (so you won’t have to refill it until well into 2020), and also, the knob is incredibly easy to crank, which means you can make sure your turkey and roasts are fully seasoned — without getting a cramp in your wrist!

Buy: Peppermate, $30

Pizza for the holidays? Sure! But we’re really calling this out because it’s also great for cutting pie dough (desserts!) or puff pastry (appetizers!). Alton likes it because you press straight down on it and that gives you better control.

Buy: Zyliss Pizza Wheel, $12

Fun fact: This is also Ina’s favorite peeler! And it has nearly 4,000 4- and 5-star reviews on Amazon. And it’s recommended by most culinary schools. So yeah, it’s sure to be pretty good. (We also love it, for what it’s worth!) It’s got a little a potato-eye remover, is surprisingly sturdy and effective, and is very easy to store in a crowded drawer.

Buy: Kuhn Rikon Straight Peeler, $5

Even professional chefs like Alton need a thermometer. (It’s the only truly accurate way to tell when, say, meat is perfectly cooked!) He likes this Thermapen because it works quickly and is incredibly accurate. If you want a less expensive option, our gear pro (and many professional chefs) recommends the ThermoPop (from the same company) for just $34. Use it to check on everything from your giant roasts to appetizer-sized meatballs.

Buy: Thermapen Mk4, $99

We tested the favorite spatulas of Carla Hall, Chrissy Teigen, Giada, and Gail Simmons and liked Giada’s pick the best. Actually, we didn’t like it — we loved it. It’s flexible but not too flexible and, because it’s concave, it’s also a spoon. And it’s all one piece, so there are no grooves or spaces for batter (or bacteria!) to hide! Note: We also swear by the brand’s Ultimate 11-Inch Spatula.

Buy: GIR’s Silicone Ultimate Spoonula, $13

We asked Ina to tell us the number-one tool that every single home cook needs. Her answer: A “good knife.” Of course, there are lots of “good” knives out there, but her favorites are the ones in the Wüsthof Classic line. If you have a lot of chopping, slicing, and dicing coming up, consider upgrading your knife to one that’s fit for a queen.

Buy: Wusthof Classic Chef’s Knife, $187 for an 8-inch chef’s knife