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Let me convince you to invest in a pair of kitchen shears.

As a Deputy Editorial Director for BuzzFeed’s shopping team, I love to get into the weeds of why a product’s worth the money by deep diving into customer reviews, and product-testing as much as possible.

There are a million different niche kitchen tools from the convoluted to the downright wacky. (I mean, have you met Gracula?) But this isn't a collection of those. Here, I gathered a bunch of straightforward, simple kitchen tools that'll help you cook and clean faster and quicker...and maybe even prevent some unnecessary cookspace quibbles.  

Promising review: "Love these knives. Sharp, aesthetic, and serve their purpose. The set comes with a good amount of knives and the shears are incredible." —Samantha Gillin

Get a set of six knives plus kitchen shears on Amazon for $17.98. 

Promising review: "I have purchased at least 4–5 of these. I keep two in my kitchen at any time and use them daily in my kitchen and house. They are a good weight, durable, and so functional, and a decent price for a name brand product that performs!" —Go ask Alice

Promising review: "I recently moved into my first solo apartment and I knew I needed a step ladder to reach things because your girl is 5'2. This ladder is very sturdy, and I love that it folds up easily so I can hide it in my storage room. Would definitely recommend." —kmill

Promising review: "Bought the two-pack. Wanted my mother to be able to reach rarely used items in the topmost cupboard without getting on a step stool if my sisters and I weren’t available. I’m using the other one to pick up trash when out mudlarking. Sturdy and convenient that it folds up." —Kristen

Promising review: "The best! TikTok made me buy it. The squeeze power is unique, this product wastes no juice, and the way the seeds stay inside is just a great feature. This is the best, look no further!" —MJ Zuniga

Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (available in three colors). 

Promising review: "Easy to use on many different-size pans. Clip on and drain, then pop it in the dishwasher. Great little item, especially for draining ground beef. Love it!" —AustinLonghorn

Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in 14 colors). 

Promising review: "I got this because my mother has dementia and she kept putting away dirty dishes. 🤦🏽‍♀️ And believe it or not, she has actually been using it and it definitely has been working! So I highly suggest buying this for parents or someone you know who has a similar problem!" —Raquel

"Exactly as described, adhesive is good quality, and now my household knows when the dishes are clean. 10/10 would buy again." —Naes181

Get it from Amazon for $6.92 (also available in black).

Promising review: "Couldn't be easier to use really. I tested it with ice water and boiling water and it seems to be pretty accurate. I've already cooked some steaks using it and they came out perfect. Plan to use it a lot with my smoker and expect good results there too. I love that it has the magnets so I can stick on the fridge, the grill or the smoker and it's always handy. And you really can't beat the price at under $10!" —FCC

Promising review: "It works great so far. I just tried it to cook some fresh broccoli, carrots, and snow peas. It cooked them in less than four minutes. They turned out great!" —Camilla Rogers

These are also a fan favorite for families with members who have celiac disease or other food sensitivities.

Promising review: "Unless you are a 'foodie' and need to grill your sandwiches, this bag is a great way to get a warm sandwich — and if you have cheese on it, the cheese will melt. Just make your sandwich and put it in the bag. Put the bag in your toaster and you have a great sandwich! Its so easy, and when I am done, I just rinse the bag under the faucet. Great for kids who love grilled cheese without the fuss of 'grilling'!" —joycetv

Get a pack of four from Amazon for $6.99.

Check out a TikTok of the nonstick sheet pan dividers in action. 

Promising review: "Brilliant. 100000% Recommend them! It lets me separate veggies by how long they take to cook so they are all ready at the same time and nothing is over/undercooked. I love these cheat sheets. They are a great tool for my kitchen." —yule

Get a set of four from Amazon for $34.99+ (available in three colors, without or without lids, and in multipacks). 

Promising review: "After years of using bricks, rocks, and water jugs, I finally broke down to research and buy one of these. It works flawlessly as designed, and now I can press and marinade my tofu blocks in the fridge, instead of pressing in the sink. Beautifully designed product, Now I can enjoy more tofu!" —Paula M.

Get it from Amazon for $27.95 (available in two colors).

It also comes with a lid so you can easily stack them and four fill lines (½ cup, 1 cup, 125 mL, 250 mL).

Souper Cubes is a small business seen on Shark Tank that specializes in bake-and-freeze storage products. 

Promising review: "I absolutely love this. I am a widow and live alone. It is perfect for freezing soup. The frozen cubes come out of the tray very easily, which I then put in a freezer bag. I recently decided to try some Marinara sauce because the 32-ounce jar is much too large for me to use up for just one person. Again, the 32-ounce sauce filled all four compartments, which I froze. Popped frozen cubes into a freezer bag, which frees me up to put something else in these silicone freezer trays. I thought they were pricey, but am so glad that I bought them!" —Aloha Phyllis

Get it from Amazon for $19.95 (available in four colors and packs of two).

Promising review: "Baked potatoes couldn't be easier or quicker. These work just as advertised. We have found that with larger potatoes, you may have to double your time, but 8–10 minutes compared to an hour or more in the toaster oven can't be beat!" —Don Juan

Can withstand temperatures of -40 degrees F up to 446 degrees F/230 degrees C. Includes 24 tools and holder.

Promising review: "I love everything matching. Finally got rid of all my mix-match stuff! However, they are SO many items it was too much to fit in my drawer so I put the things I use the most in the drawer and kept the rest in the holder and store them with my pots and pans. The holder is plastic and cheap so this would not be something I’d leave on the counter.

The are super sturdy and sharp looking. AND, they didn’t get dirty, black or burnt when scraping up charred food in a frying pan. Cleaned right off of the spatula. Very pleased." —Bonnie Pfiester

Get them from Amazon for $21.99+ (available in eight color combos).

Promising review: "I have purchased every type of kitchen sink strainer available and these are the best! So easy to clean, completely covers the drain and they catch everything. I would buy these again." —Mary

Elypro is a small business in New York City making clever organization products for the home. 

Promising review: "I use these to organize my coffee mugs and my glasses in smaller cabinets. They not only look nicer, they save space without tilting when you try to stack mugs without support. I also use these to stack ramekins and that is also better now. These are adjustable to fit different sizes. I highly recommend these organizers!" —Amazon Customer

Get a set of six (to organize 12 mugs) from Amazon for $24.99 (available in three colors). 

Check out a TikTok of the appliance sliders in action. 

Promising review: "These were easy to install right on top of the gripper feet already on the bottom of our coffee maker. With lower height upper cabinets, it's impossible to open the coffee filter and to refill the water tank on the back. Keeping it pulled out makes my tiny kitchen well... tinier. DON'T BUY THE WOOD SLIDER, these are cheaper, take up less space, can slide in any direction, and are one less to clean from coffee drips. These make a two-arm, loud, pull a one-finger push. These would be perfect for anyone with many appliances clogging their counters and individuals with decreased upper-body strength." —sara

Get a set of 24 from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in five sizes). 

Check out a TikTok of the oil sprayer in action. 

Promising review: "I really like this sprayer. The glass bottle gives it a slightly heftier weight than the all-plastic variety, holds a lot of oil, and has an awesome spray pattern (sprays evenly every time). It's also pretty. The gold design on the bottle gives it a more luxurious look. Fits my hand well, and easy to use. Would recommend." —Norma P. 

Get it from Amazon for $24.99 ( available in three styles). 

Gripstic is a small business that specializes in reusable chip clips. 

Promising review: "I'm a stickler about stale chips and have always used those little snapping clips. I thought they worked pretty well, but they really don't compare to Gripstics. The snack that proved this the most was Pirate's Booty. If these are exposed to air for more than three minutes, they turn into styrofoam peanuts. I promise they're just as fresh as when you first open them with Gripstics. They're going to be my go-to chip clips moving forward." —Rachel Campbell

Get a set of 24 from Amazon for $24.95 (available in five sets). 

Food Huggers is a woman-owned small biz that focuses on everyday sustainable solutions to cut down on single-use plastic.

Promising review: "My cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes are thankful, and so am I! Lids fit perfectly, keep leftovers fresh, and compact storage! Yeah, love the convenience!" —angela d.simms

Promising review: "Simple, long-lasting way to keep brown sugar soft and fresh indefinitely." —MICHAEL

"Little did I know that these could be used for more than sugar. Use in crackers, cookies, or anything you want to keep fresh. Reuseable which is wonderful. Just rinse clean (no soap!) and soak in water again for 20 minutes, dry bear, and stick back into your container. A true kitchen must-have for any baker." —cadubyn

Promising review: "I absolutely love this measuring cup!!! What a great invention. I love that I can put flour in, reset it and add sugar, reset it and add milk, etc. One cup is used to measure several things at the same time. Love, love, love it!!!!" —wolfpause

Get it from Amazon for $24.98 (available in three colors). 

Promising review: "The towel kept falling from the handlebar on the dishwasher. I got sick and tired of constantly picking it up from the floor. Saw this clip on Amazon — it is absolutely perfect. The towel stays in place, and I just love it." —Dee

Get a three-pack from Amazon for $12.99.

These are way easier to keep track of (and seal WAY better) than those silly plastic dongles that come on bread and English muffins.

Promising review: "I hate bread ties. Normally, I would just twist the end of the bag and tuck the loose part under it in the cabinet. My wife doesn't, though. She twists the tie back on the bag. This wastes so much time and is annoying. I decided to find a solution: this. It's great. It's fast, effective, and reusable... Kind of pricey, but over time, I'm sure it will be worth it. For the last few months, it's definitely been worth it." —Ray Believeau

Get a set of three from Amazon for $9.95.

BTW, it collapses down so you can tuck it away somewhere. (Though it's small enough to just leave on top of your microwave, imo.)

Promising review: "This is my third one. One was recently melted on the stove burner by someone I seem to have married who doesn't yet know fire is hot. The other lasted through five years of heavy use. It did get pitted along the inside here and there; I don't know from what, but I suspect the aforementioned person. This folds absolutely flat and can be used as is or partially opened for a thinner cover to put over a bowl, say. Not difficult to clean since things don't really stick to it, but if you have a mess, it just takes a small second to make sure the folds and holes are all clean." —Ms. Windermere

Get it from Amazon for $5.90+ (available in three sizes, two colors, and a three-pack).

Promising review: "Wow, wow, wow, I have no words to describe how great this product is. I'm a mom with a large family who cooks and bakes all the time, and there is never a time that something doesn't spill over, even when standing and watching the pot. With this, life has just gotten easy. I think I'm throwing out all my pot covers after using this."—Rackel

Get it from Amazon for $17.07+ (available in two colors and two-packs).

This comes with the brush that holds soap and a little dispenser you can set it on when you're not using it.

Promising review: "I have to say, I wasn't expecting to be excited when this arrived. My last scrubber, from a manufacturer that will remain nameless, broke within two days, and all the soap leaked out if I set it bristles-down. I hate wasting money, so I used it until it was gross lol. So I read all the reviews and decided this model looked good. Well, slap me and call me stupid! I should have given up and bought this a year ago! This model not only holds the soap and has a little holder, but it also works so much better than last year's model; there can be NO comparison!! It's also comfortable for my arthritic hands. I definitely will recommend this to friends and family!" —Kekahagirl

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Plus, finds from Amazon, Sur La Table, Walmart, and Wayfair.

BuzzFeed Shopping is service journalism first: our writers and editors spend all day shopping so you don’t have to, vetting products, fact-checking brand claims, and surfacing what actually helps in real life. We center readers over revenue, recommend products with authenticity (using real experiences, not ad-speak), and reflect our diverse audience, inclusive of a variety of price points, people, and needs. We cut through fake deals, favor useful info over glossy fluff, and recommend both budget and splurge options with context so you can decide what’s right for you — and still have a little fun along the way.

The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.