I Test Kitchen Gear and Love These Labor Day Deals

I’m not mourning the end of summer now that Labor Day is almost here. Instead, I’m ecstatic about the beginning of fall. I prefer chunky sweaters to sundresses and pumpkin bread to zucchini, meaning the season is a natural fit for my preferences. Not to mention that the holiday weekend brings with it some impressive sales. I found discounts on some of my favorite kitchen tools hiding among Amazon’s digital aisles, including Made In saucier pans, Gorilla Grip oven mitts, and USA Pan muffin pans. Shop my picks now before prices revert to normal.     

Writer-Loved Labor Day Sale Picks 

• OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Kitchen Scale, $44, originally $56 
• Shun Classic 3.5-Inch Paring Knife, $91, originally $125 
• John Boos RA-Series Rectangular Wooden Maple Cutting Board, $201, originally $241
• Gorilla Grip Silicone Oven Mitts, $16, originally $30 
• Made In Cookware 3-Quart CeramiClad Saucier Pan, $159, originally $189

I’ll likely be spending a lot more time in the kitchen now that we’re moving into fall. With so many baking projects and lasagnas headed my way, I’m happy to have surrounded myself with gear capable of keeping up with me while I’m cooking. After using these digital scales and paring knives for years, I’m confident that you will find them just as helpful in your kitchen.     

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Kitchen Scale 

A digital scale is the difference between a good baker and a novice. Although you might not realize it, the way you dump flour or scoop sugar into a measuring cup can drastically change the outcome of a recipe. Instead, I rely on a scale to ensure I’m adding the correct amount of each. OXO’s scale has been a staple in my kitchen for years, and I’ve come to appreciate its slim design, convenient pull-out screen, and accurate reporting. 

Shun Classic 3.5-Inch Paring Knife 

This paring knife is one of the most-used knives in my collection. I use it to peel shallots, slice nectarines, score zucchini planks, and for everything in between. As with all Shun knives, it also looks striking displayed on my magnetic knife rack. Normally, I wouldn’t recommend buying something just because it’s pretty, but this knife’s beauty is matched by its utility in the kitchen.    

John Boos RA-Series Rectangular Wooden Maple Cutting Board 

I swapped out my plastic cutting board for a wooden one after realizing that it was shedding microplastic particles into my food every time my knife scraped along its surface. While I would never cut raw meat on my John Boos wooden cutting board because it’s too difficult to sanitize properly, I use it for almost everything else. If you follow my lead, keeping it out of the dishwasher, dry, and oiled, you’ll be impressed by how long this board lasts in your kitchen.    

Made In Cookware 3-Quart CeramiClad Saucier Pan 

A saucier is shallower than a saucepan, taller than a sauté pan, and narrower than a braiser. It’s the ideal shape for sauces (hence the name) because of its rounded corners and high walls, but it’s useful for so much more than that, too. After using this exact saucier to make pastry cream, oatmeal, risotto, and more, I’ve found that I’m particularly fond of the brand’s non-toxic ceramic coating, which requires little to no scrubbing to clean.  

Gorilla Grip Silicone Oven Mitts 

Like a sharp knife or a stable cutting board, a quality pair of oven mitts can be the difference between injury and safety in the kitchen. Gorilla Grip’s model is more than suited to the task, protecting my fingers without compromising my ability to grasp hot pans. Over 19,400 Amazon shoppers have also said “goodbye to scorched fingers,” with one dubbing this set the “only” oven mitts they will buy from now on.       

Nespresso Aeroccino 3 Milk Frother 

I love frothed milk in my morning tea lattes. It feels frivolous, decadent, and indulgent in all the best ways. It also doesn’t hurt that it takes a single press of a button and less than 30 seconds for my Nespresso milk frother to perform this little piece of magic. While it costs more than its handheld cousins, the Aeroccino is worth the difference considering how long it lasts and how well it works. 

OXO Steel 4.4-Quart Pop Container 

If it weren’t for my OXO Pop storage containers, my kitchen would be a mess. I have the 12-piece set, which allows me to stack and store all my dry goods neatly in my pantry, but if you have less room for so many containers, the brand sells them individually. Grab the 4.4-quart size for flour, the 2.8-quart for grains or sugar, and the 0.4-quart for spices or salt.   

USA Pan Bakeware Muffin Pan 

My family is in love with banana muffins. The recipe we use was passed down from my great-grandmother, and although I’ve tweaked it a bit since her time, it’s still the most delicious banana bread I’ve ever had. After I moved out of my parents’ house and graduated from college, I invested in a muffin pan of my very own. Despite over seven years of hard use, my USA Pan has neither warped in the oven nor lost its nonstick exterior, looking as good as it did when I first bought it. 

Labor Day sales are just getting started. Head to Amazon’s main deals page to shop essential kitchen gear for less.