The 6 Unitasking Kitchen Tools Our Editors Can’t Cook Without

Let’s be honest. Unitasking tools (i.e. single-purpose tools) are often unfairly doomed to the back of the kitchen cabinet. Purchased in a moment of excitement from your favorite home goods store (my personal kryptonite is Williams Sonoma and Target) and used with vigor the first couple of weeks, they are ultimately too niche, too troublesome, too whatever to become a permanent fixture in the kitchen and eventually make their way to the donation pile. 

On the other hand, certain unitaskers are some of Simply Recipes editors’ favorite kitchen gadgets. Whether it’s because they provide an easy solution to a cumbersome task, mitigate a kitchen pet peeve, or simply make cooking a bit more fun, the team has a few stand-bys that never leave the kitchen.

1. Cherry Pitter

The cherry pitter makes the lives of cherry lovers oh-so-sweet by delivering an oh-so-easy way to remove the pits, and resident cherry lovers Senior Editor Megan Scott and Art Director Sarah Crowder both stand by their handy-dandy cherry pitter. 

Meg notes that cherry season is a big deal for her family and she “LOVE[S her] cherry pitter that can handle multiple cherries at a time.” She usually “freeze[s] a bunch of sweet and sour cherries to use throughout the year,” and her reliable unitasking tool simplifies the extraction process and significantly decreases prep time.

Sarah, who keeps an uncluttered home, deems her single-cherry pitter worthy of staying in her small kitchen. “I rarely purchase or hold on to single-purpose kitchen gadget​s, but one glaring exception to this rule is my beloved cherry pitter. ” While her beloved kitchen tool remains tucked away unused for the majority of the year, she has “no regrets, because I know when the cherries ripen again…the cherry pitter enables me to effortlessly maximize the season.”

2. Ice Cream Spade

Senior Editor Sara Bir uses an ice cream spade, her favorite unitasking tool, in a unique, unintended manner and she wouldn’t have it any other way. “While indeed an excellent tool for scooping ice cream,” Sara remarks, “I use my ice cream spade for scraping the seeds and goop out of halved winter squash. It’s exceptionally sturdy and has a lot of surface area.” She’s had her ice cream spade for so long it’s now considered a “vintage” item in her kitchen.

3. Lemon Squeezer

A lemon squeezer is such a reliable tool for all citrus lovers. Simply Recipes General Manager Emma Christensen describes her lemon squeezer as “game-changing” and consistently reaches for it to juice lemons AND limes. Sara agrees, chiming in that while “you can get [lemon squeezers] in sizes for oranges and limes, I use my lemon one for everything.” Truly a versatile unitasking tool!

4. Grapefruit Spoons

Senior Editor Laurel Randolph’s favorite unitasking tool—the grapefruit spoon—also has a multipurpose use. She notes, “While grapefruit spoons are the superior way to eat a halved grapefruit (and there’s simply no substitution), I more commonly use the serrated spoons for hulling strawberries. They’re ideal for removing the very top and no more, and make quick work of a quart of berries.”

5. Garlic Press

Not a fan of garlic fingers after mincing garlic? Visual Editor Wanda Abraham feels the same and recently purchased a garlic press, her new favorite unitasking tool, to address the issue. “I love garlic, but I don’t love stinky garlic fingers! I just bought this kitchen tool set that has a garlic press that I’m super excited about. Also, it’s stainless steel and free from toxins or harmful chemicals.”

6. Hand-Held Spiralizer

As for me, I love my OXO Hand Held Spiralizer. Admittedly an impulse purchase, this small but mighty gadget has become a staple tool in my kitchen, especially whenever I want to add a bit of pizazz to my vegetables. Whether making a simple zoodle or air fryer curly fries, this spiralizer makes eating vegetables all the more fun, and it’s straightforward to use. Plus, its compact size discreetly fits in my kitchen drawer compared to the behemoth full-size version.