Cult Flave Honorable Mentions 2023: Our Favorite Kitchen Tools, Gadgets, and Ingredients

Introduction

Over a full year of cooking and testing, a lot of products pass through our kitchens, and not all of them get a dedicated write-up. These are the honorable mentions from 2023: the gadgets, tools, storage, and ingredients that quietly became part of our daily routines. Think of it as the closest thing we have to a gift guide, organized loosely by category.

Small Tools That Earned Their Keep

The Materials Forever Peeler is, honestly, just a peeler. What sets it apart is the replaceable blade, along with a design that feels nice in the hand and looks good on the counter. It is not reinventing anything, but it makes a daily task slightly more pleasant, and that counts for something.

We also leaned heavily on our microplane grater this year. It is a common favorite, and for good reason: the handle-free design is lightweight and stays out of the way, and we keep several floating around the kitchen at any given time.

Standout Gadgets of the Year

The Combustion Predictive Thermometer is a leave-in thermometer with wireless probes and a display, and it is the best-designed option of its type we have used. There is even a small pan holder accessory that clips onto the rim of a pan. Our only complaint is ambition: it is so good at what it does that we wish the temperature ceiling were higher so it could handle even more jobs.

The Oxo 11lb Digital Scale was the ride-or-die tool of the year. The removable display is the standout feature, letting you read measurements clearly when working with roasting pans or large bowls that block a fixed screen. It is a small design decision that makes a real difference in daily use.

Countertop Appliances Worth the Space

The Waring WSG30 Spice Grinder solved a small but persistent annoyance: grinding whole spices no longer means mortar-and-pestle work. The removable cups are dishwasher safe, which makes cleanup effortless and makes the whole process genuinely enjoyable.

The Vitamix Immersion Blender was technically tested the year before, but it has since become an everyday, often multiple-times-a-day tool. It is noticeably more powerful than every other immersion blender we have used, and unlike many Vitamix products, it is reasonably priced for its category.

Cookware Favorites

We reviewed a lot of stainless steel pans this year, and the Demeyere Industry 5.5qt Sauté Pan is the one that got away from full coverage. A sauté pan is one of the most versatile shapes you can own, good for braising, frying, and sautéing alike. This model stands out for its wide heat spreader and thick aluminum that distributes heat evenly across the pan, all while staying surprisingly lightweight and comfortable to handle.

The humble Winco Half Sheet Pan earned its spot through sheer utility. It is the best spoon rest on the market and an extremely convenient way to move ingredients from the cutting board to the pot. Our favorite detail is the open bead on the back: it is just as rigid as a closed design, but water never gets trapped inside. We use ours at every meal.

Accessories That Made Cooking Easier

The Kitchen Star Ultimate Rubber Gloves started as a specific purchase for stretching hot homemade mozzarella without burning our hands, and quickly became an everyday tool. We now use them for shredding meat, pulling whole chickens out of water, and plenty more. A good pair of kitchen gloves is one of those inexpensive upgrades everyone should own.

Serving and Storage

Putnam Studio makes some of the most distinctive serving pieces we have seen, and the Large Bowl 01 is a standout example, blending a graphic design background, printmaking, and ceramics into one striking piece. It is effectively a one-of-one, but the broader takeaway is that this studio’s ceramics are worth seeking out.

For knife storage, the Asaya Knife Roll surprised us. Originally bought as the budget option in a storage comparison, it won us over with its simplicity: a canvas build, a lovely shoulder strap, easy rolling, and nothing overcomplicated. It also happens to be very affordable, at around $30 for this version and $20 for the red one.

The Carlisle StorPlus Containers changed how we marinate. The flat, secure-style lids make it easy to stack containers in the fridge, and you can safely store items on top of marinating food without cross-contamination worries. The 2.5-inch models stack four high in our fridge, which is fantastic for prepping a lot of protein at once. One caution: the covers do not sit super secure, so be careful when pulling them out, or you might end up with your hand in some raw chicken juice.

Favorite Ingredients: Staples

Rice bran oil became our pick for the best neutral oil to keep in the pantry. It is not fishy smelling, handles heat up to around 450 degrees, does not taste like avocado oil, and costs roughly half as much as alternatives like safflower or sunflower oil.

We also put a 99% lactic acid powder to work after developing a kimchi recipe. It adds a richer style of acidity than citric or acetic acid, and it can produce a quick brine that makes cucumbers or onions taste fully fermented in minutes with a vacuum sealer, all while keeping their fresh texture.

Favorite Ingredients: Condiments and Finishing Touches

Both of our condiment picks turned out to be chili oils. The Momofuku Chili Crunch brings toasty, roasty flavors with a strong garlic lean. It is excellent on almost anything, with the obvious caveat that it is not ideal right before close conversation.

Boon Sauce Chili Oil has been our favorite chili oil of the year. It is a simple, mala-style profile with Sichuan peppercorns and chilies, and its unique ingredient is anchovy, which adds umami and makes it notably non-vegan. It is a general-purpose chili oil that works on everything, adding straightforward heat, and we tried the extra hot version.

For finishing, cherry vinegar has long been a favorite because it balances richer, meatier flavors better than most vinegars. Vasan’s Solera 77, with a higher acidity around 8 degrees compared to the typical 5 to 7, strikes a great middle point between acidity and complexity. Korean soup soy sauce is the other finishing pick: not an everyday soy sauce, but a single splash can take a bowl of kimchi jjigae up to eleven.

Cookbooks Worth Reading

All Under Heaven by Carolyn Phillips was our favorite book of the year, a deep dive into the regional culinary history of China covering 35 distinct cuisines. It is a loving, well-made, genuinely inspiring piece of writing, though its sheer size means it would never fit a standard review format.

A Good Bake by Melissa Weller is our favorite baking cookbook. We originally picked it up to make s’mores and graham crackers for a bonfire birthday party, and now we turn to it whenever we need a clear reference for why lamination works or how to distribute butter evenly in pie crust.

Creators and Blogs We Loved

Beyond products, a few content creators earned our appreciation this year. In the video space, we enjoyed snarky takes on food trends alongside increasingly strong original cooking videos, a PhD student exploring West African regional cuisine through science, technique, and culture, and a playful drinks channel whose creators clearly have a great time. On the written side, one knife steel resource proved exhaustively comprehensive and saved months of research during a major knife review, proving invaluable for anyone who needs depth without becoming a knife obsessive.

Conclusion

None of these picks is flashy, and that is partly the point. The best kitchen purchases tend to be the ones that fade into routine: a scale with a removable display, a pan that heats evenly, a container that stacks cleanly in the fridge. If you are shopping for a cook in your life, or upgrading your own kitchen, any of these honorable mentions would be a confident choice.