# Best Small Kitchen Tools in Egypt: 6 Essentials That Make Daily Cooking Easier

> Bottom line: Start with a Y-shaped peeler with a stainless steel blade (Victorinox Rapid), tongs with silicone tips and a locking mechanism, and stainless steel kitchen shears. Then get a press-style lemon squeezer if you juice daily, a garlic press if you make daily sofrito, and a simple manual can opener. One good tool for each job is better than a cheap set where you won't use half.

**4 min read**

## Why Small Tools Matter
The peeler, tongs, and shears are in your hands almost every day, more often than the blender or the oven. A bad tool wastes time, nicks your fingers, and gets thrown away after two months. That's why you should buy one good tool for each job instead of a set with 20 pieces, half of which will just sit in the drawer.

And you don't need to buy every single tool. If you use garlic once a week, a mortar and pestle is enough. And if all the cans you buy have pull-tabs on the lid, an opener isn't a priority. Start with the peeler, shears, and tongs, because they are used in almost every dish, and add the rest depending on your cooking.

## The Peeler: Y-Shaped or Straight?
- **Y-Shaped:** The blade is horizontal and you peel toward yourself. Faster for potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and zucchini, and more comfortable for most people.- **Straight:** Similar to a knife, and you peel outward. Many people are used to it and find it more precise for apples and small vegetables.- **Serrated Edge:** Useful for soft skins like tomatoes, peaches, and kiwis, because a smooth blade just slips right off them.- A swiveling blade that moves with the shape of the vegetable is better than a fixed one, and the handle must not slip when wet.

## Can Opener and Garlic Press
Many cans now come with pull-tab lids, but there are still cans of fava beans, tomato paste, and corn that need an opener. A butterfly-twist opener is safer than a punch-type opener because it cuts around the lid without leaving a sharp edge right in front of your fingers. Wash it after every can, because the wheel catches tomato sauce and oil.

A garlic press saves time if you make sofrito, sauce, or marinade every day. The best ones are a bit heavy, and the chamber where the clove goes opens up wide so it's easy to clean. There are models that press the clove with its skin on, and then you just pop the skin out from the inside. Wash it immediately before the garlic dries up in the holes.

## Manual Lemon Squeezer
A press-style squeezer (with two handles like pliers) extracts more juice than squeezing by hand, and traps the seeds inside. Place the half-lemon with the peel facing up and the cut side facing the holes, then press down firmly once. If you juice a lot of oranges, a dome-and-bowl squeezer or an electric juicer is more suitable. Wash and dry it after juicing, and don't leave it wet in the sink.

## Kitchen Shears and Tongs
- **Shears:** Cut chicken into pieces, clean fish, and snip parsley, dill, and packaging bags. Keep them strictly for the kitchen and don't use them to cut paper. Heavy bones and ribs are a job for a cleaver.- Shears that come apart into two halves are easier to wash, because blood and fat tend to collect around the pivot screw.- **Tongs:** For flipping chicken and breaded cutlets in oil, taking food out of the air fryer, and serving salad and pasta. Silicone tips won't scratch non-stick pans, and stainless steel without silicone is better for charcoal grilling.- A locking mechanism is important so the tongs stay closed in the drawer, and a length of 23 to 30 cm is safer around hot oil than short tongs.

## Check This Before You Buy
- Material: Stainless steel for the blades, and check the product page to see if it is dishwasher safe or not.- Seller name, and if there are multiple sellers on the same page, read the latest reviews.- Size in centimeters, especially for tongs and shears.- As soon as the order arrives, test the tool on something simple and make sure there are no jagged edges or loose screws.

## FAQ

### What are the most essential small kitchen tools I need to have?
For most homes: a peeler, kitchen shears, tongs, a grater, and cooking spoons. After that, a can opener, lemon squeezer, and garlic press depending on your cooking. Start with the basics and add what you actually need.

### Is a Y-shaped peeler better than a straight one?
The Y-peeler is faster and more comfortable for most people when working with potatoes, carrots, and cucumbers. The straight one is suitable for those used to it and for delicate work. Both are good as long as the blade is stainless steel and sharp.

### Can kitchen shears cut chicken bones?
They cut through joints and thin bones like wings and backs. Heavy bones require a cleaver. Do not force the shears until they bend; find the joint and cut through it.

### How do I clean a garlic press?
Wash it immediately after use before the garlic dries. Remove the skin, open it under running water, and scrub the holes with an old toothbrush. If the label says it is not dishwasher safe, wash it by hand and dry it.

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Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/article/best-small-kitchen-tools-egypt
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-11-10