The tool drawer

You can make every recipe on this site with a bowl, a sheet pan, a heavy pan and your hands. Nothing below is required. These are the tools we reach for once round food becomes a habit, in the order we would buy them, with an honest note on what each one actually changes.

An instant-read thermometer

If you buy one thing, buy this. A meatball hides its middle, and the only reliable way to know it is done is to check: 160°F (71°C) for beef, pork, lamb and veal, 165°F (74°C) for chicken, turkey and anything reheated. Push the probe into the center of the largest piece from the side. A thin probe tip leaves a smaller hole and reads faster. More on temperatures and timings in air fryer meatballs vs the oven.

A portion scoop

A spring-loaded scoop turns a bowl of mix into identical balls, and identical balls cook evenly. Scoops are sized by number (how many level scoops make a quart), so a lower number means a bigger ball. For meatballs, a #40 (about 1 2/3 tablespoons) or a #30 (about 2 tablespoons) covers most recipes; a #60 or #70 makes the small Swedish size. Scoop, then roll briefly with wet hands to round off the flat side.

Rimmed sheet pans and a wire rack

A heavy half sheet pan (about 18 by 13 inches) holds around two dozen meatballs with space between them. Set a wire rack inside it for fritters coming out of oil and for meatballs you want browned all over in the oven. Line the pan with parchment for anything sticky.

A heavy pan and a Dutch oven

A wide stainless or cast iron skillet browns meatballs in batches and leaves the fond you need for a pan gravy, as in Swedish meatballs with cream gravy. A Dutch oven holds a big pot of sauce for simmering, and it is also the safest vessel for deep frying at home, because its high sides keep the oil contained.

A food processor

For falafel, akara batter, breadcrumbs and chopping a mountain of herbs, a food processor saves a lot of knife work. The trick for falafel is pulsing in short bursts so the chickpeas stay sandy rather than turning to paste; the falafel recipe walks through it. A bowl of about 9 cups or more handles a full batch without overloading.

A grinder, if you get serious

Grinding your own meat lets you choose the cut and the fat, and it gives a looser, more tender meatball. A stand mixer grinder attachment does the job for home batches; a standalone electric grinder makes sense if you grind several pounds at a time or make sausage often. The meat grinder attachment guide covers cuts, chilling and cleaning.

For dumplings

A thin rolling pin (a simple dowel, about an inch thick) for wrappers, a bench scraper, a bamboo or metal steamer that fits your widest pot, and a lidded nonstick or well-seasoned skillet for the fry-steam-fry method in the gyoza recipe. A tray lined with parchment and dusted with flour keeps finished dumplings from sticking while you fold the rest.

For frying

A deep, heavy pot, a clip-on or probe thermometer to hold the oil at about 350°F (175°C), a spider or slotted spoon, and a rack over a sheet pan for draining. Never leave hot oil unattended, keep a lid nearby to smother a flare-up, and never put water on an oil fire.

What you can skip

Meatball molds and presses, dumpling-making gadgets that crimp for you, and single-purpose fryers you will use twice a year. Hands, a scoop and a little practice do the same work, and they fit in the drawer.