I've been spending a ton of time in my kitchen lately. Here are the 15 appliances, gadgets, and tools I'm using the most.

I set our kitchen Sonos to turn to our local news radio station when I wake up, so I don't even have to remember to turn it on.What I use it for: listening to music, podcasts, and the radioMy favorite speaker:Lugging cans of seltzer home from the grocery store is never fun. A soda maker provides you with a limitless supply of bubbly water, which is great to add to cocktails or drink on its own.What I use it for: making seltzerMy favorite soda maker:If you're looking to take your mixed drink game to the next level, a cocktail shaker is a must.What I use it for: margaritas, Bloody MarysInsider's favorite cocktail shaker:If you're doing a lot of cooking, you're going to want a good chef's knife. It makes what is arguably the most arduous step of cooking (chopping) a whole lot easier.What I use it for: chopping vegetables, crushing garlic, slicing meatInsider's favorite chef's knife:I just replaced my old scratched baking sheet with new ones, and I couldn't be happier.What I use them for: cookies, chicken, roasted vegetables, sheet pan pizzaInsider's favorite baking sheets:Virtually every meal I make starts out on the cutting board.I love to keep a big, beautiful butcher-block-style cutting board on my counter at all times. It just makes the kitchen seem more accessible and easy to use.What I use it for: chopping everythingMy favorite cutting board: John Boos Maple Wood Edge Grain Reversible Cutting BoardInsider's favorite cutting board:I went way too long without a salad spinner and wasted way too much time and too many paper towels trying to dry lettuce and herbs the hard way.I like to rinse my salad first, then let it soak for 10 or so minutes in cold water before draining, rinsing again, and then spinning to dry.What I use it for: salad, herbsMy favorite salad spinner:I was an Instant Pot skeptic until The New York Times' Melissa Clark persuaded me to give it a try.An Instant Pot is an electric multicooker that allows you to pressure cook and slow cook, in addition to a number of other functions.What I use it for: slow-braised meats (like carnitas), soups, yogurt, riceInsider's favorite Instant Pot:A microplane is one of those things you don't know you need until you get one. And then it quickly becomes one of your most essential tools.What I use it for: zesting lemons and limes, grating hard cheeseMy favorite microplane:Samin Nosrat's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat taught me that acid is a critical cooking element for balancing flavors. When I taste a dish that's near completion, the thing it's most often missing is acid. Usually, I'll add a splash of vinegar or a squeeze of citrus, and it always makes the dish taste more complete. A citrus squeezer makes the latter oh so easy!What I use it for: squeezing lemons and limes for guacamole, salad dressings, and cocktailsMy favorite citrus squeezer:Mixing bowls are for more than just mixing.When you're cooking more ambitious recipes, it's always a good idea to get your ingredients properly prepped (mise en place, if you're being fancy). This step ensures that you're not frantically mincing garlic when your sautéed onions begin to burn.A good set of mixing bowls will make it easy to get all your ingredients chopped and ready to go when you need them.What I use them for: tuna and chicken salads, side sauces (like soy), proofing bread, mise en placeMy favorite mixing bowls: Williams Sonoma 10-Piece Glass Mixing Bowl SetInsider's favorite mixing bowls:Using a meat thermometer is the most precise way to tell if your food is cooked through.If you're also doing a lot of bread baking or making yogurt from scratch, you're going to want a food thermometer to measure the temperature of your water and milk, respectively.What I use it for: chicken, milk to make yogurt, water to activate yeastInsider's favorite meat thermometer:If you're cooking every meal, you're going to accumulate leftovers quickly. I highly recommend investing in a good set of glass food-storage containers that you can microwave and stick in the dishwasher.What I use it for: homemade yogurt, leftoversMy favorite glass food-storage containers:Immersion blenders provide you with a supereasy and non-messy way to blend anything from soup to smoothies. They don't take up the counter space that a normal blender would, and they're very easy to clean!What I use it for: salad dressingInsider's favorite immersion blender:All right, this one's obvious. But I'm including a Dutch oven here because it's a staple for any home chef.Dutch ovens are clutch because of their versatility. They get really hot and also distribute heat evenly. Their enamel coating makes them incredibly easy to clean. They're also pretty to look at. Mine lives on my stovetop, so this last point is important.What I use it for: bread, sauce, soup, stew, casseroleInsider's favorite Dutch oven:

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

I've been spending a ton of time in my kitchen lately. Here are the 15 appliances, gadgets, and tools I'm using the most.

Speakers

Soda maker

Cocktail shaker

Chef's knife

Baking sheets

Cutting board

Salad spinner

Instant Pot

Microplane

Citrus squeezer

Mixing bowls

Food thermometer

Glass food-storage containers

Immersion blender

Dutch oven