For as long as I’ve been alive, Bobby Flay has been on my TV screen. His years of experience show in everything he does. The older I get, the more I recognize how he wins almost every episode of “Beat Bobby Flay.” His technique and flavor profiles are so advanced, and I expect nothing less from his personal kitchen setup. He recently confirmed it in an Architectural Digest tour of his New York City apartment. Dishes with salt and spices dot the left side of his stove, a worn copper pot sits upright, ready for service and all of the dried herbs and chili peppers you could need are displayed prominently to his right. I couldn’t help but take inspiration from his kitchen selections for my new apartment just over the river in Jersey City. I’ll be taking his advice by snagging some of the comparable finds below.
Bobby Flay’s Kitchen Gadgets
- West Elm Yamazaki Ceramic Canisters, $21 at westelm.com
- John Boos Maple Round Chopping Block, $296 at johnboos.com
- All-Clad Specialty Stainless Steel 5-Piece Tool Set, $100 at amazon.com
- Helen’s Asian Kitchen Spider Strainer, $18 at amazon.com
- OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Wooden Utensil Set, $17 (was $20) at amazon.com
- Aozita Glass Spice Jars with Spice Labels, $15 at amazon.com
- Shun Classic Blonde 8-Inch Chef’s Knife, $170 at amazon.com
- Zri Bamboo 3-Tier Expandable Spice Organizer, $21 (was $22) at amazon.com
- ChefSofi Mortar and Pestle Set, $32 with coupon (was $38) at amazon.com
- Lodge Seasoned Cast-Iron Mini Round Server Set, $100 at williams-sonoma.com
- Calphalon Classic Stainless Steel Cookware Set, $200 at amazon.com
West Elm Yamazaki Ceramic Canisters
West Elm
The first thing I spotted was a set of white ceramic canisters on his back counter. Maybe these are for decor, but in my kitchen, I leave two canisters on my counter with salt and sugar for quick grabbing. This saves me so much time, whether I’m boiling pasta or making a cup of tea. The ones Flay has are a retired design from West Elm, but this set does the trick nicely, with labels for coffee, salt, sugar and a blank version.
John Boos Maple Round Chopping Block
John Boos & Company
My favorite part of this Architectural Digest video is when Flay gently whacks this thick, weighty cutting board with a knife, stating that “it’s very thick and dense, so when I’m cutting on it, it feels like it has a lot of heft to it.” I know exactly what he’s talking about. When you’re chopping, dicing or slicing at a professional pace, there’s no time to deal with a flimsy cutting board. A dense option can take on the speed and pressure of quick, precise cuts.
John Boos boards are some of my favorites due to their superior quality and durability—take care of them, and they’ll last a lifetime. Its surface is also gentle on your knives, which is important when you’re buying investment-worthy sets like his. While I can’t guarantee that Flay has the John Boos board, the one on his countertop looks very similar to the brand’s round chopping block.
All-Clad Specialty Stainless Steel 5-Piece Tool Set
Amazon
Listen, I love a good set of kitchen tools. I can live more happily knowing that Bobby Flay and I both have two crocks, one big and one small, with various kitchen utensils sitting next to our stove. Flay has plenty of stainless steel options in his collection. All-Clad is highly regarded for this material, and this set contains five useful tools that won’t melt, chip or warp: a slotted spoon, ladle, fork, solid spoon and tongs.
Helen’s Asian Kitchen Spider Strainer
Amazon
Two spiders similar to this stainless steel model were hiding among his utensil crock. This is one of those tools you never knew you needed, but it ends up being so useful, you want a few around. They’re ideal for removing vegetables while blanching, pulling fried goodies out of oil or testing pasta for doneness. They allow you to scoop up exactly what you need and drain liquids quickly.
OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Wooden Utensil Set
Amazon
I also saw some wooden utensils in his collection. A lot of us, myself included, stepped away from the wooden spoons of the past, only to come back to them years later and realize just how great they are. This OXO set is a well-rounded, inexpensive starting point. You can use them on any form of cookware. (Might I suggest Bobby Flay’s?) They’re plastic-free and heat-safe. With current discounts, this set boils down to just over $5 apiece.
Aozita Glass Spice Jars with Spice Labels
Amazon
Flay’s kitchen has a stunning stack of spices and dried herbs on full display. He even offered a useful tip: Your spices don’t last as long as you think. If you’ve had them for a while, they probably aren’t at their full potential, both in terms of flavor and health benefits.
We’re huge fans of spices—not just for flavor but also for their gut-healthy, anti-inflammatory properties—and we love how neat Flay’s look stacked in matching jars. This glass set from Aozita is relatively affordable, with 14 jars and lids, plus labels and a funnel for filling. This is great if you buy spices in bulk, offering an easier, more orderly way to store and keep them fresh.
Zri Bamboo 3-Tier Expandable Spice Organizer
Amazon
Speaking of spices, I love how he kept them tidy in an easy-to-reach place. I don’t have Bobby Flay-level counter space, so I choose to keep my spices on this expandable shelf in my cabinet. It’s been a game-changer for quickly identifying what I have and actually using them regularly. I keep less common ones on the top shelf in the back, like my baking spices, and blends and savory spices more towards the front. This organizer, even just partially expanded, currently holds around 20 spice jars, but it never feels that way. By keeping them in check, I’m rarely overwhelmed by the amount I have.
Shun Classic Blonde 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
Amazon
In the video tour, Flay highlighted his stunning olivewood-handled chef’s knife from the German brand Gude. It costs roughly $360, so if you like the look of it, I highly recommend this more affordable Shun knife. It’s different from German steel in that it’s more lightweight, but I find it to be nimble and seamless to maneuver. The light handle is made from pakkawood instead of olivewood, but it still gives a similar vibe at a lower cost.
ChefSofi Mortar and Pestle Set
Amazon
I thought I was doing really well by owning one mortar and pestle, but then I saw Bobby Flay’s collection of eight sprawled across his counter and took two steps back. Should I own eight of these things? I don’t know. What I do know is that they really are indispensable. The food processor of ancient civilizations, this tool can grind spices, sauces, pastes and other traditional recipes and ingredients like no other.
This is the smaller version of the one I own. The granite is sleek and dark, much like many of the ones Flay owns. It’s durable and heavy, crushing garlic and whole peppercorns quickly. The benefit of using one of these over an electric food processor, in my opinion, is that they create a different texture (this is exceptionally visible with pesto—it gets creamier and more homogenized) and give you more control.
Lodge Seasoned Cast-Iron Mini Round Server Set
Williams Sonoma
“One of the dishes I do all of the time is I take shrimp, garlic, chilis, olive oil and maybe some fresh thyme and oregano. I just put it in [these pans] and put it in a high-heat oven, like 500°F. I pull it out, put this on a napkin, and it feels like a restaurant,” Flay says about these little skillets. I’m 99% sure he was talking about these Lodge models, as I spotted the logo on the base of the cast iron servers. You cannot go wrong with this brand. They make our favorite cast iron skillets thanks to their incredible heat retention, and this set of mini pre-seasoned cast iron pans is no exception.
Calphalon Classic Stainless Steel Cookware Set
Amazon
Spotted among his cookware collection were plenty of stainless steel pots and pans. There’s a reason this material is chef-loved. It’s durable, oven- and stove-safe, withstands high temperatures and heats evenly. I don’t know exactly which brand Flay gravitates towards, but I can confidently recommend this Calphalon set. It is our favorite stainless steel set on the market thanks to the performance and variety. Plus, it looks just as stunning as it performs.
