12 Essential Kitchen Tools to Take on Vacation, According to a Chef

Zyliss Lock N’ Lift Can Opener

$20 $19 at Amazon $22 at Target $22 at Wayfair

There’s a good chance you’ll find a can opener in a drawer somewhere in the kitchen. If you do, there’s a tiny percentage of probability that it will function efficiently, if it all. Worse, you discover there isn’t one after stocking your kitchen for your stay, but you can’t open any canned food you bought, requiring a run back to town to buy a cheap, torturous, poorly performing one at the grocery store.

The Zyliss Lock n Lift was our overall winner in our can opener testing, thanks to its soft, smooth-turning handle and magnetic top-grabbing mechanism. In terms of packing space, a can opener is small and light, so there’s no need to skimp on convenience and comfort for this tool that can save your dinner plans.

Pulltap’s Professional Waiter’s Corkscrew

$10 at Amazon

Experience has taught me that a vacation rental will never have a shortage of wine glasses. Corkscrews are questionable, though. If you do find a corkscrew, you may find yourself questioning its worth and whether you could open a bottle of wine with it in three minutes or less if pressed. Let’s not fail to recognize that most corkscrews pull double-duty as bottle openers, too.

Our favorite corkscrew we’ve tested, this wine key from Pulltap is double-hinged to provide good leverage for getting a cork started, with an additional angle to finish the job without running the risk of breaking the cork. The serrated cutting blade makes short work of cutting through foil or plastic, and the price is such that you can have good performance but no regrets should you forget to pack it when you depart.

OXO Outdoor Cutting Board and Tray Set

$25 at Amazon $18 at REI

Whether you cook indoors or out, you’ll need a cutting board at some point. Even if you’re not cooking and just cutting lemons for drink garnishes, you’ll need something to cut on. The cutting boards I’ve encountered on vacation have run from practical to highly questionable. Let’s be honest here: nobody should ever have to use a knobby glass cutting board, but this is your best chance to encounter one in the wild.

But cutting boards are bulky. How are you supposed to pack them? This low-profile, lightweight cutting board from OXO measures just 13 x 9.5 inches, requiring little packing space, and will save your knives and sanity. The reversible plastic cutting board has slip-resistant edges and channels on one side to catch liquids like meat juices when grilling or even just juice from slicing tomatoes. The under-tray is great for holding prepped or cooked foods, freeing the board for more cutting.

Material 8-Inch Knife

$105 at Amazon $80 at Materialkitchen.com $75 at Huckberry

Don’t for one second assume that the knives you’ll find in a vacation kitchen will cut anything firmer than butter. It's probably because they’ve encountered a knobby glass cutting board too often. Vacation, however, isn’t the time to pack the family heirloom knives for traveling.

Material’s 8-inch knife is a high-quality Japanese-style chef’s knife that requires little maintenance but can handle an array of tasks, like cutting herbs or, in a pinch, slicing that loaf of sourdough bread you found at the farmers market. Material’s relatively low price point means you don’t need to dread accidentally leaving it behind, but its quality earned it the title of Best Value in our tests.

Misen Paring Knife

$44 $33 at Amazon $40 at Misen.co

You’ll probably encounter some small cutting tasks that a chef’s knife is too big or bulky for, like peeling fruits and vegetables or slicing drink garnishes. A pairing knife will handle most of these small jobs, and most of your kitchen tasks will be handled between the two knife choices. After several testing rounds, the Misen Pairing knife was our Best Value winner, balancing quality with price. The handle is easy to grip and highly maneuverable, while the sharp blade handles most common tasks without snagging.

Leepiya Collapsible Measuring Cups and Spoons

$10 at Amazon $49 at Walmart View on Kmart.com

Imagine the idyllic morning when you’re going to make pancakes, either from a box mix or scratch, and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Then you can’t find a single measuring cup or spoon, and, not awake enough to figure out ratios to scale the recipe to some random vessel you found, you settle for orange juice and granola bars instead. Rice for dinner can lead you to the same situation.

Measuring cups and spoons are awkward and bulky to pack, but that’s where the Leepiya Collapsible Measuring Cups and Spoons can come in handy. This silicone measuring cup and spoon set lays flat for easy packing and is safely machine-washable.

GreenPan Silicone Slotted Spoon

$20 at Amazon $13 at Williams Sonoma View on Greenpan.us

It's a safe assumption there will be some kind of cooking spoon wherever you’re staying, but the choices can be questionable. You'll find something you can stir with, whether heavy stainless steel or some incomprehensible bamboo design. But you might have a harder time finding one to lift food out of the liquid it's cooking in. Yes, you can lift a poached egg out of the water with a regular spoon, but it’s a lot easier with a slotted spoon that drains while it scoops.

The GreenPan Silicone Slotted Spoon has a rigid metal core that resists flexing when lifting. The silicone exterior insulates against heat while protecting non-stick cookware. The spoon’s edges are also semi-flexible, which allows you to work the edges and corners of a pan while scraping.

Winco Fish Spatula

$12 $8 at Amazon $19 $12 at Walmart View on Katom.com

If you’re cooking on vacation, you’ll probably need to turn some food over, whether it’s pancakes or fish. But your property-provided tool choices will likely be a battle-weary cheap silicone spatula or a comically long grilling model. The Winco Fish Spatula, the best value choice from our spatula testing, is a good middle-of-the-road fallback. You can easily use it on metal and cast iron pans or grills. With its price, you don’t have to worry about losing it, though you might miss its usefulness if you do.

KitchenAid Bamboo Handle Scraper Spatula

$8 at Amazon $12 at Walmart

While a rigid, metal spatula can handle turning food over, as designed, what about stirring or cooking in a non-stick pan? A silicone spatula can help you flip eggs or stir scrambled and serve as a spreader for condiments, among other things.

A wide variety of silicone spatula designs are available, with different levels of silicone coating and handle material. Our pick for Best Value after testing, the KitchenAid Bamboo Handle Scraper Spatula. It’s lightweight and easy to clean, with a comfortable handle, and the head is shaped for working curved angles. Plus, at the price, this spatula wouldn’t be a big loss should you forget to bring it home.

Tovolo 10-Inch Sauce Whisk

$12 at Amazon $16 at Wayfair $24 at Walmart

If you’re making scrambled eggs, pancakes, or something more adventurous that requires vigorous stirring, you’ll want a whisk nearby. But, frequently, it’s a crapshoot whether there will be one present, and the whisk’s quality is the next question. But whisks don’t easily lend themselves to easy packing and space conservation. That’s why we recommend the Tovolo 10-Inch Sauce Whisk. Yes, it’s designed for sauce making, but the lay-flat design makes it easily storable. Now, you can have fluffy eggs without the awkwardness in packing, and the four wire loops all align, making it easy to stir, even in pans with tight corners.

OXO Good Grips Silicone Pot Holder

$13 at Amazon $13 at Target $13 at The Container Store

I prefer a kitchen towel for holding hot pans or handles or lifting grill lids. But I will never bet on the quality or thickness of what I might find in a rental kitchen — and oven mitts, frankly, make me a bit queasy from a sanitary standpoint. So, the best reusable choice would be pot holders. After testing, the OXO Good Grips Silicone Pot Holder won our vote for best pot holder. It’s essentially a silicone-coated cotton rectangle, measuring 9.75 x 7.5 inches, which means it can roll up or fold to minimize packing space. The cotton side was built for hand comfort, and the silicone side was designed for easy gripping. This pot holder can also act as a hot pad when you're not actively using it.

Misen Silicone Tongs

$19 at Amazon View on Misen.com View on Sears.com

I’m very particular about tongs. I’m not a fan in general, but sometimes they’re an easier multipurpose tool than tweezers (which I usually prefer). For me to consider using a pair of tongs, they need to be 12 inches long, as anything shorter makes them useless for grilling, no matter how useful they are on a stovetop. I also want the tongs’ tips to be gently curving, not straight or highly curved, with a scalloped design on the sides. Silicone is a nice plus, allowing you to use the tongs on non-stick pans without fear.

One of the best pairs we’ve tested, the Misen Silicone Tongs are rigid stainless steel with silicone grips and tips that mitigate scratching and are heat-resistant. They’re also the requisite 12 inches, keeping your hand from the heat while grilling. They’re dishwasher-safe and lock shut for easy packing while traveling.