The 2022 Men’s Health Kitchen Awards

By Emily Lemon On Mar 10, 2022

LAURA CHASE DE FORMIGNY

SO-CALLED FOOD forecasters have made some bold predictions about what we’ll be seeing more of in restaurants this year: seaweed (!), plant-based chicken (?), and edible cutlery(???).

Luckily, cooking at home should be a little less bizarre. Even though many kitchen-gear companies are cranking all sorts of one-trick doodads, there are a few crafting trusty knives, sturdy pans, and go-to grills. Which is great, because performance always outlasts the fads.

We rounded up all these new tools and shipped them to Angel Barreto, executive chef of Anju, the wildly popular, super-fun Korean restaurant in D. C. Barreto did a trial by fire (while delivering a few fast and amazing recipes), and together we selected the best cooking gear of 2022.

Grill, slice, sizzle, blend, and air-fry your way to healthier meals with the best cooking gear of the year.

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8″ Chef Knife & Sheath

Its strong, sturdy handle is made of Oregon big-leaf maple burl, and the blade can power through thick root vegetables and tuna steaks with equal ease.

One

The new, no-bull Vitamix operates entirely on one dial, which means you can thresh anything you throw in it, fast, without having to fiddle with settings or troubleshoot your wireless. It’ll put the smooooooth back in your smoothies.

Good Grips Scoop and Smash Avocado Tool

The blades on this two-in-one tool mash the heck out of avocado flesh, while the built-in silicone squeegee scrapes down the sides of the bowl to ensure a smooth texture for the perfect guacamole. It works wonders on egg salad and banana bread, too.

6-in-1 Air Fryer

Oh, you already have an air fryer, do you? Can your air fryer cook two different foods at two different temps at the same time? Is your air fryer big enough to cook an entire chicken? Does your air fryer actually have swagger? This one does. Just sayin’.

Recipe: Air Fryer Samgyupsal, courtesy chef Angel Barreto.

In a small bowl, mix 4 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp salt, and 2 tsp pepper. Set aside. Season 1 lb pork belly (thinly sliced) with 2 Tbsp sesame oil, 2 tsp salt, and 2 tsp pepper. Heat an air fryer to 350°F. Cook the pork for 10 minutes and flip. Add 5 halved garlic cloves and cook for 10 minutes. Serve with 1 cup rice, red-leaf lettuce, and perilla leaves. Dip pork in sauce.

5

PK300AF Grill & Smoker

Hybrid grill/smokers often come over-loaded with WiFi, touchscreens, and smartphone apps. This rig, designed under the guidance of Austin-based pitmaster Aaron Franklin, cuts out all that noise. Dual fold-down shelves provide ample prep space, two under-grill racks accommodate sheet pans, and the grill grates themselves can hold two nicely sized whole chickens.

6

Z-Cut Multi Grater/ Mandoline

This produce razor can slice all sorts of fruits and vegetables paper-thin—but can slice many a fingertip, too. The hand guard saves your digits from ending up in your beet carpaccio, and the switch-in grater panels for strips and zoodles are a handy bonus.

Recipe: Beet Pickles, courtesy chef Angel Barreto.

Boil 1 cup water, 1⁄3 cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp salt, 1 bay leaf, and 1 Tbsp black peppercorns. Add 1 lb sliced beets. Let sit 1 hour. Drain. Enjoy.

7

14” Double-Handle Skillet

This beast of a heavy-duty pan has the heft of cast iron without the pain-in-the- ass need to deep-clean. That’s due to Finex’s durable nonstick seasoned finish, which defends against even the stickiest of honey glazes. The size, too, is crucial for meal-prep batch-cooking everything from roast pork tenderloin to cornbread.

8

Bread Slicing Knife

Okay, sure, it cuts bread. (Even the crustiest sourdoughs are no match!) But this single-piece blade also takes down other tricky-to-slice foods, from tender tomatoes to stubborn fresh mozzarella to clunky melons. Don’t limit its power.

9

Zwilling Enfinigy Sous Vide Stick

If you’re still not cooking sous vide—the foolproof technique of using hot water to coax protein and produce to tender glory—this magic wand is the easiest sous vide machine we’ve ever used. It sounds counterintuitive, but by having the user interface on a digital-read surface, you avoid all the headaches of needing to Bluetooth the device to an app. Just set your temp and let it ride.

10

BRNR

Electric burners are great in concept— sometimes you just need extra cooking space. But many of them look like steam-punk castoffs and operate like ticking-time-bomb fire hazards. The BRNR fixes all that with a Chicago Bulls color vibe and a built-in grease guard to contain spills so that you can griddle up pancakes or bacon and eggs in style and grace.

11

Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine + Frother

Operating a manual espresso machine while you’re under-caffeinated is a hellish Saw-like scenario. (Do you wanna play a game?) This system eliminates any pain with a built-in water-storage tank, conical grinder, milk frother, and bean hopper. Plus, its SmartHQ app saves your preferred grind and brew settings. Your move, Jigsaw.

Recipe: Iced Banana Latte, courtesy chef Angel Barreto

In a glass, add 1⁄2 Tbsp condensed milk. Fill with ice. Add
6 oz warm banana-flavored milk and 1 shot espresso. Makes 1 drink

12

Precise Paring Knife

The four-inch blade of this German stainless-steel knife is small but mighty, which allows you to make quick work of tasks that your chef’s and breadknives can’t handle: trimming Brussels sprouts, peeling potatoes, deveining shrimp. You know, the fun stuff.

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