Spy Finds is a daily series that unveils the coolest, under-the-radar products that you haven’t heard of until now. Each product is curated by our editors who want to help you discover cool finds you didn’t know you needed.
Next time you’re in the kitchen to whip up something tasty, take a look at your utensil holder. As good as your marinara sauce or coq au vin may be, we’re guessing your countertop collection of cooking tools looks like the Island of Misfit Toys. Couple things you poached from Mom, couple others you picked up along the way, and oh yeah, that bright orange serving spoon from the thrift store. All useful, sure, but definitely expendable, and nothing much to look at.
Time to ditch that hand-me-down kitchenware and call in a truly magnificent seven: The Fundamentals utensil set from Material. Give your countertop a hit of class with this beautiful, functional, and affordable kitchenware.
If this is sounding familiar to you, it’s because we mentioned Material last week as one of our 10 favorite brands which happen to be led by women, and specifically called out the Fundamentals set from their collection. Eunice Byun and David Nguyen’s mission for Material is to provide affordable kitchenware that’s durable enough to stand up to everyday use, but doesn’t look too affordable.
With that in mind, it’s obvious they nailed it with this kitchenware set. Two knives, a pair of tongs, a wooden spoon, a metal spoon and a slotted spatula. It all comes in a great-looking and sturdy wooden base available in 100% American walnut, maple or midnight black — everything you need to cook pretty much anything.
Courtesy of Material
Courtesy of Material
Our favorite feature is the magnetic sides of the base, meant to hold the knives. No more guessing which slot holds which knife, and of far greater importance, those slots in your old butcher block are next to impossible to actually clean. Clean knives go in, but they come out a little skanky, and it’s unavoidable. Not with this set, however.
The knives — an 8-inch blade and a 3.5-inch paring knife — are beautifully balanced and up to all of your cutting demands. The 8-inch knife is made of three layers of Japanese steel, with the outer two lending corrosion resistance while the high-carbon steel inner layer is durable and strong. The paring knife is perfectly sized for detailed cutting.
The wood spoon is angled to allow you to dig into the edges of your pots and pans to get all the bits of your food moving. The metal spoon doubles as a measuring cup: It’s exactly a quarter-up of liquid. It’s also attractive enough to pull triple-duty as a serving spoon.
The tongs are concave to help with basting, and the upward curve makes sure they don’t touch dirty surfaces when you rest them on the counter. They’re also easily locked and unlocked with one hand. And the metal spatula has a long, flexible head for getting under eggs or fish and keeping them in one piece.
The Fundamentals set is currently marked down to $149, but it’s not just your usual sale. Material is bringing back its Kinder Kitchens initiative, taking 15% off everything on their site and giving you the option of donating part or all of your discount to City Harvest to help provide groceries to people in need. More than enough incentive to class up your countertop with this amazingly useful kitchenware set,