Kitchen Tools to Replace for 2026, According to Celebrity Chefs

From the chef’s knives that chop your vegetables to the cutting boards that protect your counters, your kitchen tools work hard for you. But no matter how diligently you care for these items, they won’t last forever. In fact, celebrity chefs like Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, and Andrew Zimmern recommend that you replace some tools regularly to keep your kitchen clean, safe, and, in some cases, odor-free. A few of their suggestions include vegetable peelers, Microplane graters, and kitchen towels, but for a complete list of gear that could likely use a refresh for 2026, keep scrolling. Oh, and did we mention that everything is under $25?         

Celebrity-Loved Kitchen Tools to Replace Every Year 

• Ina Garten Wants You to Replace Yours Frequently: Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peelers, Set of 3, $14, originally $16 
• She Wants You to Replace This, Too: Microplane Classic Zester Grater, $13 
• Martha Stewart’s Cleaning Trick: Bumble Towels Premium Kitchen Towels, Set of 6, $24
• Giada De Laurentiis’ Go-To Gift: Victorinox Classic Swiss 4-Inch Serrated Paring Knife, $12 
• Andrew Zimmern’s Kitchen Safety Tip: OXO Good Grips Mandoline Slicer, $19, originally $22 

Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peelers, Set of 3 

“Vegetable peelers get rusty, they get dull, and they’re very cheap, so you can just throw them out and buy new ones,” said Ina Garten in an interview with Food & Wine a few years ago. Since the blades will lose their sharp edges no matter what you do, it’s a great idea to take the Barefoot Contessa’s advice and buy inexpensive peelers that you don’t mind replacing. This 3-pack is a great option at less than $5 apiece. 

Microplane Classic Zester Grater 

Garten swears by her Microplane when she wants to grate garlic or zest lemons. But similarly to a vegetable peeler, a rasp-style grater can quickly grow dull. When you find yourself exerting a lot of pressure to zest even the thinnest-skinned citrus fruit, it’s time to replace it. Depending on how often you use yours, you might have to make this switch more than once per year.   

OXO Good Grips Box Grater 

This same rule applies to box graters. Garten pulls hers out to grate carrots and apples for her Morning Glory muffins, appreciating how it breaks down the produce without adding moisture. While you likely don’t use your box grater enough to merit replacing it once a year, you definitely have to replace it more often than you think. Since OXO’s version comes with a handy container on the bottom to collect your shredded ingredients, it’s a great option when that time comes. 

Bumble Towels Premium Kitchen Towels, Set of 6 

Martha Stewart advised cooks to “change dishcloths at least once a week” in a 2009 column in the Philadelphia Inquirer. It’s important to use clean kitchen towels to keep your kitchen odor- and bacteria-free. This 6-pack will see you through a few months of cleaning if you wash them regularly, but you shouldn’t hesitate to buy a new set if they start to look shabby earlier.    

Full Circle Tough Sheets Reusable Plant-Based Paper Towels 

If you don’t like the idea of washing kitchen towels so often, another option that Stewart would surely approve of is buying a set of reusable paper towels. One sheet can absorb up to seven times its own weight. With 30 sheets in the roll, you’ll save a lot of money on paper towels over the course of the year. After use, simply hand-wash and air-dry the sheet until it needs replacing. At the end of the pack, buy a new roll for the next year.  

Victorinox Classic Swiss 4-Inch Serrated Paring Knife

Giada De Laurentiis uses a shockingly inexpensive paring knife when she cooks. According to this Instagram video, she loves giving them as gifts to family and friends. And who can blame her? For just $12, this tiny tool can slice, peel, and hull onions, strawberries, and the like. While a serrated blade is pretty much impossible to sharpen at home, the beauty of this knife is that it’s a simple matter to swap it out when it loses its edge.  

OXO Good Grips Mandoline Slicer

After chatting with Andrew Zimmern at the Food & Wine Classic in Charleston, we learned that it’s important to replace mandoline slicers every couple of years. “If you use them a lot, they’re not meant to last that long,” the chef said, adding that a dull blade can send you to the ER if you’re not careful. Since OXO makes one of our favorite models for its slim profile, price, and adjustability, this now-$19 mandoline is a great option if yours could use an upgrade.