When you’re cooking, having the right tools for the job makes a huge difference. They can make your time in the kitchen easier and more efficient as well as help you get the most out of the food you buy. These are some of our favorite tools here at the Dr. Yum Project.

Note: Our team shares items that we love and that we think may be helpful to you. If you purchase something through our links, we may earn a commission which helps support our non-profit organization and the work that we do.

Avatar

Sheet Pans

Also called jelly roll pans, these are key for making a lot of tasty food at once. We use them most often for roasting vegetables like broccoli, beets, potatoes, and asparagus. You can then use these as sides or add them to a frittata or Yum Bowl. We also love sheet pans for making entrees like Sticky Pomegranate Chicken.

Get It»
Avatar

Cutting Sheets

These flexible mats are super helpful, especially for a family with several members cooking together. They don’t take up a lot of space in your kitchen and, because they’re flexible, it's easy for several people to work on chopping the same produce item individually and then bend their sheets to funnel the prepped fruit or vegetable into a single bowl, pot, or skillet.

Get It»
Avatar

Microplane Zester/Grater

We’re always trying to get the most out of the food we buy and zesting is a great way to do that with citrus. The thin outer layer of lemon, lime, and orange peels has a ton of flavor that can add a boost to savory and sweet dishes alike. Make sure you wash your fruit well before zesting! We use zest in dishes like Basil Pear Salad, Cucumber Watermelon Salsa, Almond Lemon Cake, and Sugar Plums. You can also use this tool to finely grate ginger, garlic, or hard cheeses.

Get It»
Avatar

Fine Mesh Strainers

There are so many recipes and ingredients that benefit from having fine mesh strainers around. From rinsing rice and dried beans to draining canned foods to washing fresh berries, mesh strainers of various sizes are a helpful, but often overlooked piece of kitchen equipment. Because they have smaller holes (and are overall smaller) than a colander, fine mesh strainers can do jobs that a colander can’t handle.

Get It»
Avatar

Food Thermometer

A good kitchen thermometer is a game changer. In addition to being important for checking meats to make sure they aren’t undercooked (food safety is a real thing), they can also come in handy when baking. Many baked goods rely on ingredients being heated to a certain temperature and having a thermometer takes out the guessing and helps you have more success!

Get It»