After falling in love in culinary school and getting married, my husband and I moved our family around quite a bit. We’ve been all over, from San Francisco to Yosemite to Portland, and finally, we’ve settled into our dream house on the beautiful Oregon coast. With all that moving, we’ve done more than our fair share of kitchen decluttering and reorganizing, tossing or donating kitchen equipment we never used, and making room for the ones we can’t live without (like our ebelskiver pans). 

Between the two of us, our kitchen tools get a lot of use, and ensuring our drawers are always stocked with sharpened, ready-to-use kitchen utensils is crucial. After we settled into our new home, we picked through our knife bags and drawers, taking stock of what needed more than just a facelift, and replaced them. The best part? Not a single one was more than $10. 

Kitchen Tools Under $10 That Need Replacing

• Homaxy Dishcloths, $10, originally $12
• Deiss Microplane, $9
• Furrain Pastry Brush, $7
• Imusa Nonstick Pan, $10, originally $15
• Mr. Siga Palm Brush Set, $10
• Farberware Plastic Cutting Board, $8
• Kitchpower Vegetable Peeler Set, $10, originally $16
• Cuisinart Bamboo Spoon, $4
• Goodcook Nonstick Baking Sheet, $8
• Gorilla Grip Can Opener, $10

Homaxy Dishcloths

Dishcloths are true workhorses in the kitchen. From mopping spills to doubling as makeshift oven mitts, these handy dishcloths get a lot of hard use. All that hard work can make dishcloths fray, thin, or stain after a while, no matter how durable the quality. That’s why it’s a good idea to replace them every now and then. We love these dishcloths from Homaxy for their versatile size, soft waffle weave, and absorbency.

Deiss Microplane

The Microplane in our house gets a lot of use. A lot. Whether we’re finishing homemade pasta with pecorino, topping ice cream sundaes with chocolate shavings, or zesting lemon peel into cake batter, the Microplane is our tool of choice. With all that use, the teeny blades can become dull and difficult to sharpen. For the best performance, it’s best to replace it every year or so, depending on use. 

Furrain Pastry Brush

Silicone pastry brushes have been all the rage for a while, and it makes sense when you consider their resistance to heat and ease of cleaning. But my husband and I agree that a silicone pastry brush just doesn’t get the job done like the bristled version. We love this brush from Furrain for its natural bristles that are perfect for egg washing, butter basting, and everything in between. Of course, natural bristles can fray over time and sometimes become contaminated with bacteria, even with careful use. Thankfully, replacing these handy brushes isn’t a big deal when they’re only $7.

Imusa Nonstick Pan

These days, there are plenty of healthier alternatives to traditional nonstick cookware, but often, those pans can be pricy and difficult to take care of. A good old-fashioned nonstick pan like this one from Imusa is fantastic for quick, simple meals like pancakes or omelets. The problem with nonstick surfaces is that they can scratch quite easily, which is bad for your food and potentially your health. If you love cooking with nonstick surfaces as much as my husband and I do, it’s best to replace them when you see signs of scratches or peeling.

Mr. Siga Palm Brush Set

It’s no secret that scrub brushes take a lot of abuse during cleanup time. Pots and pans are often left with stuck-on, burnt-on, sticky messes, and scrub brushes are excellent for tackling those problems. In order to keep our kitchen clean and bacteria-free, we replace our scrub brushes every few months. We love these palm brushes from Mr. Siga because of their eco-friendly design and durable but soft bristles that can tackle any mess we throw at them. 

Farberware Plastic Cutting Board

With what we’ve learned about microplastics and bacterial growth, replacing plastic cutting boards is always a good idea. At the first sign of staining or visible cut marks on a board’s surface, it’s probably time to toss it. A board like this one from Farberware is an excellent choice for its generous size and easy-to-clean surface. As chefs, we use different boards for different ingredients to avoid cross-contamination. 

Kitchpower Vegetable Peeler Set

Another tool that is used a lot in our home is our vegetable peeler. Whether we’re peeling vegetables, creating chocolate curls, or peeling away the perfect bite of cheese, a vegetable peeler is extremely handy. Much like a Microplane, its blades r can be difficult to sharpen and can become dull or rusty. We love this set from Kitchpower for its fun colors, ergonomic design, and sharp blades.

Cuisinart Bamboo Spoon

As much as we love wooden kitchen tools, from cutting boards to utensils to serveware, wood is naturally porous and can become a trap for bacterial growth. While my husband favors stainless steel spoons for cooking, I prefer wood for its natural beauty and smooth surface, which prevents scratching. This bamboo spoon from Cuisinart is one of my absolute favorite cooking tools for its comfortable, sleek design and convenient size. And at just $4, I can replace it when I feel it’s time.

Goodcook Nonstick Baking Sheet

Because my husband is a chef who works dinner service, most nights, it’s just me and our two kids at home for dinner. On nights like these, I love a sheet pan meal. Toss all the ingredients into one pan, bake, and enjoy. Because of this routine, our sheet pans get a lot of use and can quickly become scratched and stained. That’s why we tend to replace ours every few years, especially our nonstick pans.  This model from Goodcook is great for its nonstick coating and even heat distribution. 

Gorilla Grip Can Opener

A can opener isn’t necessarily an item one would think to replace very often, but if you look at the one you’ve had in the drawer for a few years, the wheels likely have some signs of rust. That can easily contaminate your food when you’re opening canned goods like crushed tomatoes. We have this can opener in our kitchen drawer, and we love it for its strong, heavy-duty blades and soft grip.