Superior blades gave our former favorite the edge yet again. With a razor-sharp 25-degree angle, the shears’ cutter blade sliced through every kind of food with equal ease. Deep, angular serrations on the anvil blade helped secure slippery foods. The blades’ length (the longest in the lineup) ensured smooth, continuous cutting; their overall narrowness made them easy to maneuver; and a medium level of tension between them provided just enough shearing force without taxing our hands. They’re ambidextrous, comfortable to hold, and can be taken apart for cleaning.
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With relatively long, narrow, sharp blades, these ambidextrous, take-apart shears were nimble and made nice smooth cuts on all foods. Lots of tiny microserrations on the anvil blade edge helped ensure a secure grip on slippery foods. And its plastic finger bows were comfortable for hands of all sizes. But because they were the lightest shears in our testing, with a fairly loose level of tension between the blades, some testers found them to be less powerful than our winner; a wider blade angle contributed to a slightly less keen-feeling edge.
The blade on this paring knife is identical to that of our original winner; it’s just as sharp, thin, and nimble as ever, and it’s capable of making ultraprecise slices and incisions. Its plastic handle is easy to grip and accommodates large and small hands easily. In addition, the handle doesn’t add too much weight to the knife overall, allowing for agile, effortless use.
Our longtime inexpensive favorite remains a pleasure to use. With a sharp, gently curved blade, it effortlessly dispatched every task we set before it, mincing garlic precisely and breaking down chicken and dense butternut squash with authority. Its light weight and rounded spine made it easy to wield for long periods, and its textured plastic handle was comfortable to grip for hands of all sizes.
These mats were some of the thickest and sturdiest in our lineup but were still flexible enough to funnel food into skillets and bowls. Both sides are textured, which kept the mats in place on the counter and prevented foods from sliding across the cutting surface. The textured surface also prevented deep knife marks and concealed cosmetic nicks.
This attractive garden was remarkably hands-off and intuitive and required the least amount of ongoing effort. Healthy plants sprouted within a week, and the garden yielded abundant lettuce and basil over two months; several weeks later, tomato plants started producing fruit. The app was simple to use; it automatically set optimal light cycles when we scanned QR codes on the seed capsules. We didn't have to water it often; the tank is fully enclosed, and a simple float sinks if it needs watering—easy to judge at a glance.
This processor had a sharp blade with great coverage. It turned out crisply cut vegetables and nuts and fluffy parsley. Its strong motor blended hummus and pesto with minimal scraping, and its small feeding tube allowed us to slowly add oil for fantastic mayonnaise.
The cheapest of the bowl sets was also the best single-size set, nicely containing and emptying ingredients of different sizes and textures. Each 6-ounce bowl was wide, shallow, smooth, and substantial, as these were the heaviest of the glass bowls we tested. A small lip on the outside of the bowls made them comfortable to grip. Lids for the bowls can be purchased separately.
With a roomy, medium-depth basket of very fine, tight, stiff mesh, this strainer removed lots of bran from whole-wheat flour and produced silky purees. A long, wide hook allowed it to sit securely on a variety of cookware, and while its rounded steel handle was a bit less comfortable than some, it was still easy to hold. This strainer’s sturdy construction makes it worth its high price: It looked as good as new even after serious abuse.
The deeply beveled edge of this scraper cut through pizza and bread dough quickly and scraped the work surface effectively. The textured polypropylene handle was easy to hold on to, even with greasy or floury hands, and was thinner than other scrapers’ handles, helping us hold it flat to the work surface for easier, more effective scooping and scraping.
Our winning herb keeper, slim and rectangular, made it easy to add and remove herbs, thanks in large part to its adjustable height—we could lower the top half for easy access and raise it to accommodate tall cilantro stems without any cramming or bending. We also liked this herb keeper's vented lid, which prevented condensation from building up, and its dividers, which helped it stay tidy. Besides being easy to use, this model kept cilantro and thyme fresh the longest.
This compact version of our top-rated salad spinner is a great choice for smaller households or for when you don’t want to use the full-size version for smaller quantities of greens or herbs. Its basket holds about 2.4 quarts compared to nearly 5 quarts in the larger model, but it performed on par with the full-size version, effectively and easily cleaning produce and spinning it dry, removing nearly all the water from salad greens. Because the basket is positioned on a small spike, holding it well above the bottom of the bowl, we were able to pour a full cup of water into the bowl before any reached the basket of greens, keeping runoff from rewetting food once the basket stopped spinning—unlike other spinners we’ve tested. We also found it easy to clean and dry this spinner, but a few small pieces of the lid broke and cracked after we deliberately dropped it from the kitchen counter to the floor as an abuse test. The damage was cosmetic, however, and it still operated as new. More on this test
This tray has a flexible silicone cover that fits snugly, creating a seal that kept water from spilling from the indentations and blocked out freezer smells. The ice cubes released effortlessly from its rounded indentations. The lid can be removed for cleaning.