Durable Kitchen Items Our Editors Have Owned for Years

Ask any of our editors and they will tell you: Investing in “buy it for life” cookware has a big payoff. Durable kitchen items made from quality materials are meant to last for decades or more. Happily, you don’t have to shell out a ton of cash for long-lasting cookware or utensils. Some of our most trusted gear costs (practically) pennies. The following 15 cooking tools have been in heavy rotation in our kitchens since the 2010s—or longer.

In all my years of reviewing gear for Serious Eats, the Tojiro bread knife remains one of my best finds, and I take an unreasonable amount of pride in having recommended it long before just about anyone else. Serrated knives like this one are difficult to sharpen, given their scalloped teeth, and the one I have at home is over a decade old now. Sometimes I look at it and think it’s time for a replacement. Surely a new one would have a better edge. But then I grab it, and it still slices through tough crusts and delicate foods with deftness and ease, and so it stays. Would a new one function better? Probably, but not enough to justify the purchase. That’s seriously impressive for any knife. — Daniel Gritzer, editorial director

Ten years is a conservative estimate of how long I’ve been click-clacking around my kitchen with this pair of tongs in hand. Its hinge still opens and closes as fluidly as it did when it was new, and its locking mechanism is still as reliable. I recently had another pair (generic all-metal tongs I got at a restaurant supply store) give out on me mid-grab, and I was relieved to have the excuse to replace it with another pair of OXOs. P.S.: You should have two or more pairs of tongs! — Ashlee Redger, writer

I was so excited when I found my Le Creuset braiser on a steep discount at an outlet store about 10 years ago. It’s served me well since then: searing, simmering, shallow-frying, and, yes, braising. I love that it fits in my toaster oven, too, since we use that more than our oven. Its creamy interior has some marks and stains on it now, but I consider that just a sign of a pan well loved. — Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, associate editorial director

My first cooking job was an internship at a test kitchen, and the Chef Alarm was part of my cooking kit. It’s been indispensable to me ever since. Need to track the internal temperature of a roast chicken? Sorted. Want to make sure a smoked pork shoulder isn’t overcooked? Done. Getting the editor-favorite Chef Alarm transformed me from a cook who guessed to a cook who knows. — Grace Kelly, senior editor

My quarter sheet pan has been with me since I was cooking dinners in dorm room kitchens. It’s not quite as silver and shiny as it once was—now it’s got a deep patina all over from years of near-daily use—but it remains my first choice for roasting veggies, baking small-batch sweets, and reheating leftover slices of pizza. —Ashlee

Like the Tojiro bread knife I also wrote about, the Boardsmith cutting boards are another product that I was an early champion of. They are, hands-down, the best cutting boards I’ve ever seen or used, and I’ve seen and used a lot. I’ve also seen how many of the cutting boards we’ve tested over the years have held up. Just recently, I was in our kitchen storage room, where we keep much of the extra gear we don’t need on a daily basis, and noticed that every wooden cutting board we’d ever tested had cracked—except the Boardsmith ones, which looked almost as good as new, and probably would look as good as new if I had the time to oil them. At home, I’ve used the same Boardsmith board for ages, and I marvel at how well it’s lasted. Worn, yes, from so many years of use, but strong, solid, and no signs of cracks or splits in the wood or seams. I know people balk whenever they see the price tag on one of these, and that’s understandable given the cost. But I believe it’s a more than worthy investment. Prorated over all the years I’ve owned mine, it’s only cost me about $20 annually, and, given the track record, that number is destined to drop much more before this board is likely to fail. — Daniel

I am on my fourth apartment in NYC in 10 years, and the one thing I’ve lugged through all those moves is my orange Le Creuset Dutch Oven. I got it for $40 at a thrift store, and I use it for everything. If anything were to ever happen to it, I would be instantly buying a new one (even at full price) because it is so key to all my kitchen moments. — Amanda Suarez, associate director, visuals

My sous chef in the kitchen isn’t my husband or toddler—it’s my KitchenAid mixer. I’ve had it for more than 10 years now, and it’s never let me down. I rely on it to make desserts, and I own several other attachments, including the pasta-making one and the grain mill. Next up: the meat grinding attachment? — Genevieve Yam, senior editor

I’ve had my Lodge cast iron skillet for about 30 years, and it’s an indispensable piece of cookware. I use it for just about anything I want crispy and well-browned, but it’s an absolute star with roasted Brussels sprouts and my crispy shiitake mushrooms. I’m diligent about seasoning it after I cook with it, so at this point, it’s slick enough to fry eggs. — Megan Steintrager, associate editorial director

I “liberated” a set of these from the kitchen when I left my job as a cook on a small organic farm in 2012. They’re in constant use in my current kitchen, for storing dried goods, making quick pickled onions, and—most frequently—as a giant drinking glass. (I’ve been hitting my hydration goals for over a decade.) — Rochelle Bilow, editor

My mom got me this chef’s knife as a Christmas present when I first started cooking nearly 15 years ago. I still use it all of the time. It keeps its edge well, and its rounded handle is just as nice to hold as it was when I first unboxed it. — Riddley

In all my years developing and testing recipes, my All-Clad stainless steel cookware set has been some of the most reliable cookware I own. I can’t remember the exact model anymore, but they’ve been with me for years. While they’re no longer as shiny as they once were, they perform just as well today as they did then. They heat evenly, respond predictably, and do exactly what I need them to do every single time. That level of consistency is hard to replace—and easy to take for granted until you cook without it. — Laila Ibrahim, associate culinary editor

Our family is firmly in the pancake camp, but when I’m cooking for a crowd, it’s way easier to just plop a bunch of batter into a waffle maker. I love this waffle maker and all its settings, which ensure your waffle comes out perfectly golden brown. — Genevieve

I’ve owned this All-Clad saucepan for over a decade. At this point, it feels less like cookware and more like a trusted colleague. The fully bonded D3 tri-ply heats up fast and evenly. It’s the pan I reach for without thinking, which is the highest compliment I can give. — Leah Colins, senior culinary editor

My parents gave me one of their old mini saucepans when I got my first apartment—I think they bought it when I was still in diapers. At first, I thought it was too small to be useful, but I was wrong. I use it every day to heat milk for my coffee and to melt butter when I’m cooking. Because it’s made from durable stainless steel, it still looks brand-new. — Rochelle

Other Buy-It-for-Life Gear:

Why We’re the Experts

• Rochelle Bilow is an editor at Serious Eats. She has been reviewing kitchen gear since 2021.
• Before that, Rochelle worked as an editor at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light magazines. 
• At Serious Eats, we long-term test our recommendations and regularly update our reviews with new insights.