This Is The Most Underrated Cooking Tool, According To Reddit

There's a much-shared meme circulating on social media that claims every adult has a favorite stovetop burner, which is proof that we all have our preferences when it comes to the things we use in the kitchen. The same goes for cooking tools. There are tons of utensils and gadgets that can do everything from chop to glaze to flip to blend, and many cooks — both professional and home chefs — have their go-tos. Maybe you love your silicone spatula for mixing batter. Maybe you swear by your whisk for fluffy scrambled eggs. Or maybe you're obsessed with your kitchen scale for the most precise measurements.

While there are plenty of popular culinary accessories, there are also some lesser-talked-about options. In a recent Reddit post, one Redditor asked people to share the most underrated cooking tool in their opinion — a.k.a. the one thing that they weren't so sure about at first but later realized they can't live without. There have been more than 1,000 responses so far, and while there's a great variety of utensils and cookware mentioned, there are two things in particular that got the most upvotes. 

It may be true that everyone has their favorite cooking tool but it seems that much of Reddit agrees that there are two especially underrated tools that are invaluable. The gadget with the most upvotes (more than 1,000) in the comments is the microplane. People say they use the handheld grater and zester for citrus, spices, garlic, cheese, even eggs. Microplanes come in all different sizes, from fine to coarse. Of all the types, Epicurious recommends the rasp-style grater because it does a better job than box graters and it performs the best when zesting lemons.

The second-most underrated cooking tool according to Redditors is the bench scraper, with more than 900 upvotes. Many commenters agree it can be used for almost anything and everything in the kitchen. "Think of it as an extension of your dominant hand," one person said. "When scooping chopped veggies/anything into a pot or bowl, when cleaning scraps off my cutting board, when cleaning off counter tops, when shaping loaves of bread, or working with most doughs. You can even move liquids with them." Food52 adds that the bench scraper, which resembles a wide handheld spatula, can work as a knife, spatula, scraper, or ruler.