Don't Buy Kitchen Tools You've Never Needed Yet

A good chef's knife, a cutting board, two pots, two pans, and a baking sheet — that covers 90% of home cooking. Yet kitchen stores are designed to convince you otherwise, filling your cart with garlic presses, avocado slicers, and single-purpose gadgets that solve problems you don't have.

Buy specialized tools only when a recipe you make regularly demands them. If you've never needed a mandoline in years of cooking, you don't need one now. The best kitchen is one where every tool gets used, not one where drawers are stuffed with things you bought once and forgot about.