The 12 essential kitchen tools you shouldn't pay more than $10 for, according to professional chefs

When you buy through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more.

Walmart

• Not every kitchen tool needs to be a huge investment. Even professional chefs have their budget favorites.
• These tools, such as a tea infuser you can use for spices, and a mini spatula that's exactly the right shape to make perfect scrambled eggs, are all versatile, useful, and importantly, less than $10.

Stocking a home kitchen can be expensive.

Between high-quality cookware sets, sharp and shiny knives, and a cabinetful of small appliances like stand mixers and pressure cookers, your kitchen will certainly start to take form — often at the expense of your wallet.

However, it's gratifying to remember that not every single kitchen tool costs hundreds of dollars. Sometimes, you only need to spend 10 bucks (or less) for a useful accessory that you'll end up using every day, and for a variety of tasks.

Professional chefs know better than anyone that price doesn't always indicate utility or quality. I asked 10 chefs around the country to share their favorite budget cooking tools and they had plenty to recommend.