Food Network Canada Top Chef Canada fans may recognize Kym Nguyen from last year’s competition, where they crafted gorgeous plates reflective of their Asian and British background (with some French cooking fundamentals). Kitchen gadget-wise, the season 9 runner-up, former PiDGiN sous chef, and now a private chef based in Vancouver loves their Victorinox 6-inch offset spatula so much that they have two — one in their knife roll and one at home. “It’s easy-to-use, lightweight, compact, and so reliable,” Nguyen says. “I’ve been using this for over seven years. It’s usually used for cake decorating, but I think it’s the perfect fish spatula — you can get a good angle on it to pick up fish from a pan.”

Price: $34

Celeste Mah moved from Vancouver to St. John’s in 2014. As pastry chef at Raymonds Restaurant, Mah was recognized as Canada’s Best Pastry Chef in 2019. “My favourite kitchen tool to use both at home and work is my Iris Hantverk metal dough scraper,” she says. “I use it to cut and portion dough when making bread. But I also use it to scrape my cutting board or work surface. It is so versatile, and it helps me to keep [things] cleaner when working. Using the dough scraper to scoop up, say, diced onions or chopped garlic keeps your hands clean, and you don’t lose any. This tool isn’t in my knife roll, only because I make sure to have one at work and [one] at home!”

Price: $28

Jamie Harling is the co-owner of Harling Food Co. (plus a firefighter). The former opening chef at Calgary’s Deane House left restaurant life behind to create a more just and sustainable food system. When he’s cooking, it’s all about the heat-resistant, stain-resistant and oh-so-pliable silicone spatula (or spoontula). “A mix of a spatula and spoon, it can do almost anything, [plus] they won’t damage or scratch-up pots or pans unlike metal or wooden cooking tools,” Harling says. “They are great for mixing, folding, and plating. And the sharp edge ensures you get every ounce of sauce out of your pot, pan or bowl, [helping reduce] food waste.”

Price: $18

When Siobhan Detkavich stepped onto the set of Food Network Canada’s Top Chef Canada last year, she made history as not only the youngest-ever contestant but also the first Indigenous woman to compete. Under Mission Hill Winery’s Terrace Restaurant, Detkavich discovered the magic of cake testers. Now, the versatile kitchen tool has a permanent spot in her knife roll. “I love using it to check the doneness of fish [and] vegetables,” she explains. “When I’m cooking meats, it’s great to give a poke to see [where its internal temperature] is!” Detkavich adds: “I love this little utensil almost as much as my offset [spatula] or my spoons.”

Price: $2

Born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Ross Larkin proved you don’t need culinary school papers to belong by taking home the Food Network Canada’s Top Chef Canada season 6 title. Working his way up from to head chef at Raymonds Restaurant, he is about to launch Portage with his co-chef and wife, Celeste Mah. “One kitchen tool that I find myself using and grabbing over and over again is a set of tweezers [from] Chinatown in Vancouver over 10 years ago,” Larkin shares. “I find that using tweezers is not as aggressive as tongs. It’s one of those tools that I find make sense for all kinds of jobs either at home or at work — I use them [for] taking pickles out of a jar, flipping bacon in a pan, [and] for platting dishes [at work].”

Price: $30

Over the years, Biera Restaurant in Edmonton has become quite the culinary destination thanks to the vision of their fire and sourdough-loving Executive Chef Christine Sandford. Having used a Benriner Japanese mandolin her entire 15-year career, ”It’s a great way to quickly prepare salads, veggies, quick pickles, and nice garnishes. It’s fast and consistent.” If you’re new to using a mandolin, Sandford has some solid advice: “I like to press down with the middle and palm of my hand on the item I am slicing, [applying] even pressure to run the item over the blade. This way, if you slip, it’s not going to cut your fingertips!”

Price: $43