Welcome to The Editors’ Cut, our monthly column dedicated to beautiful and useful finds for all over the house. In this installment: Happy cooking, baking, and hosting season to all who celebrate! When it comes to kitchen essentials, it’s probably no surprise that we lean more “old-fashioned larder” than souped-up, smart, and tech-forward. Most of us on the editorial team eschew single-use appliances and gadgets where we can help it and find that, oftentimes, there’s a trusty, all-purpose tool that can do the job just as well. From our kitchens to yours, here are TK beautifully made, buy-it-once cooking tools we love—and would happily leave out on the counter all the time. — The Remodelista and Gardenista Editors
Copper Graters
Above: For a spicy ginger cake or an aromatic hit of winter citrus, pick up these hand-chiseled copper graters. Just watch your fingers. Shop now.
Tabletop Toast Rack
Above: Why not host breakfast? This stainless steel rack adds old-timey appeal. Shop now.
Peep Bowls
Above: Handmade in Portugal, these stoneware nesting bowls come in handy for prep—they’re dishwasher safe and have an easy-pour spout—and make the ideal vessel for family-style mashed potatoes. Shop now.
Timeless Tools
Undyed Paperless Towels
Above: These reusable cotton cloths are much more eco-friendly than paper towels. Shop now.
Alice’s Mortar and Pestle
Above: If you can’t have Alice Waters cook you dinner, you can at least borrow her go-to tool. Hand-thrown by California ceramicist Colleen Hennessey, this mortar and pestle is modeled after Alice’s much-used Japanese suribachi. Shop now.
Original Linen Pinafore Apron
Above: And a pretty, all-purpose cover-all for Thanksgiving day, afternoons spent baking, and dinners with friends. Shop now.
Also On Our Radar:
- Almost always the answer when we ask chefs their most reached-for cooking tool? A wooden spoon.
- A forever peeler.
- And a do-it-all pan.





