It can be hard to know which of the best kitchen gadgets are worth your time when there are so many to choose from. The average home cook can look at seven different blenders or cast iron cookware and have no idea what the difference between any of them actually is. But there is almost always a difference, and it makes all the difference—in the amount of time it takes you to prep and cook, how well things turn out, and how fast cleanup goes afterward. And while choosing the first (or cheapest) tool you lay eyes on might seem like the move if you’re just a beginner cook, it’ll most certainly make your kitchen adventures more difficult than they need to be in the long run.

On the other hand, professional chefs don’t bat an eye when you ask them which electronics they’d choose. They know exactly which blenders they need to purée enough soup for a crowd, the thermometers that will guarantee their meat doesn’t end up well-done, and which unexpected products make surprisingly great assistants while they’re slaving away. Here, we asked chefs for recommendations on the best kitchen gadgets: the ones they can’t live without, whether they’re at home in their own kitchens or working the line at their restaurants.

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