14 Must-Have Kitchen Supplies From Dollar Tree

There are several kitchen items that people should splurge on, including pots and pans, high-quality knives, and small appliances. However, with all the tools and supplies you need in your kitchen, it is unrealistic — and unaffordable — to splurge on everything. And, there may not be a reason to buy an expensive item if you're not planning on using it frequently. Dollar Tree has a rather extensive selection of kitchen supplies, most of which cost just $1.25. While their quality may not rival that of a premium brand, most of them will get the job done and save you a lot of money in the process.

I took a trip to Dollar Tree to check out its selection of kitchen supplies firsthand and looked for products that were cheaper than comparable alternatives available online or in other stores. I also considered how useful and functional each item would be and only selected products that seemed to be well-made and durable. You can find a more detailed explanation of the methodology I used to select these products at the end of the article. Keep in mind that the specific selection may vary by location, but you're sure to find great deals at your local store.

Dollar Tree offers a wide assortment of metal kitchen utensils for serving or preparing recipes. These stainless steel utensils are rust-resistant and durable. There were a range of options available at my local Dollar Tree, including a solid serving spoon, slotted spoon, ladle, spatula, and cake server. Each tool is 9 inches long, which is ideal for reaching into a deep pot or bowl or for serving or mixing ingredients. Some tools feature a stainless steel handle, while others have a black plastic one. The latter may be better if you're looking to use them over the stove, as they'll stay cooler. These utensils are also dishwasher-safe and easy to clean.

For $1.25 each, these are a great deal. You can purchase all five of the aforementioned tools for just over $6. Other serving tool sets can cost anywhere from $10 to $30, so it's easy to see what a good deal these Dollar Tree products are. Even if you already have a serving set you like, it wouldn't hurt to pick up a few extras to use for potlucks or barbecues. You'll be less concerned if one of your utensils doesn't make it back home after the gathering.

A colander makes a number of kitchen tasks easy, including draining pasta, cleaning berries, or rinsing canned beans. And when you shop at Dollar Tree, you can pick one up for just $1.25 and accomplish all of those tasks. Dollar Tree actually offers a few different colander options. If you want to be able to stain pasta or wash larger batches of an item, then one of the 4-quart models may be best for you. These colanders have two integrated handles on each side, which will make it easier to gently toss the item and ensure all the excess water drains through the holes on the base. The retailer also sells a one with a 5.75-inch, soft-grip handle, which would be ideal for straining smaller items or when you want to keep your hand farther away from the item you're draining.

While plastic colanders are generally affordable, you'll be hard-pressed to find one that costs just $1.25. At Dollar Tree, you can pick up a few different sizes to accommodate different recipe needs and still get out of there for under $5.

No kitchen is complete without a cutting board. Dollar Tree offers a few different options, including this set of four disposable paper cutting boards. While a disposable cutting board may not seem like a necessary purchase, there are actually several reasons why you should give them a try. First, if you ever need to prep food away from home — whether when traveling or at a picnic — you'll appreciate having something that you can just throw away after you're finished. If you're thinking about food safety and want to minimize cross-contamination when dealing with a particularly juicy piece of raw meat, you may also be glad to have this set around.

Since there are four cutting boards in a set, they work out to around $0.30 each. Each of the four boards in the set comes in a different color — blue, green, red, and orange. This feature can help you limit cross-contamination, as you can select coordinate colors with foods (raw meat, fish and seafood, raw poultry, and fruits and vegetables). The boards are generously sized but are still compact enough to pack for travel or events. Each is 13 inches long by 10 inches wide.

If your measuring spoons always seem to disappear, the affordable price of this set from Dollar Tree may be a welcome alternative to more expensive replacements. If you bake frequently, you may also appreciate having a second — or third — set of spoons on hand to make sure that the size you need is always clean and ready for use. Dollar Tree's measuring spoons are made by McCormick — a trusted company — which means you can feel confident about their quality. The set includes four spoons — 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, and ¼ teaspoon. The four spoons are kept together with a ring and have a bright cherry red color, which decreases the chances that they'll get lost in a drawer. These measuring spoons are also dishwasher-safe, which makes for easy cleaning.

Measuring spoons are not the most expensive kitchen essential. But, it's unlikely that you'll find a set of four that cost only $1.25. In fact, most of the sets of four measuring spoons on Amazon are at least three times as expensive as the McCormick one from the Dollar Tree.

Measuring cups are another essential that no kitchen is complete without. Dollar Tree has you covered in this department as well. It offers a few different types of measuring cups — including both liquid and dry options — to help you ensure that inaccurate measuring doesn't ruin your cookies and other recipes. I found two liquid cup options at my local store, a 2-cup option made by McCormick and an unbranded 4-cup model. Each offers measurement markings in cups, ounces, and milliliters to help ensure accurate measurements. There are also different dry measuring cup options, which are ideal for measuring flour, sugar, oats, or cocoa powder for your next recipe.

Whether you're looking to have a back-up measuring cup or set, or don't want to spend any more money than is necessary, Dollar Tree is the way to go. You can expect to pay about three (or more)times as much to purchase a comparable product from a different retailer.

The next time you head to Dollar Tree, be sure to put these flexible cutting mats into your cart. The set, which includes two plastic mats, can come in handy when you're preparing a recipe. Standard cutting boards are rigid, which can make it challenging to move sliced or chopped food into a bowl or pot. Oftentimes, you end up spilling some of what you're trying to transfer onto the counter. However, with these flexible cutting mats, you can fold the edges in to essentially funnel what you chopped into a bowl or pot with less risk of things spilling off the edges. Each cutting mat is dishwasher-safe. They can be stored flat, or even rolled up to conserve precious cabinet space.

Since this set includes two flexible cutting boards, they work out to be just over $0.60 cents each. The per unit price for most of the options on Amazon is at least twice as expensive as that, with many products costing even more. 

Mesh strainers are another kitchen tool you might want to pick up the next time you're at a Dollar Tree. While these kitchen tools aren't something many of us use regularly, there are many different ways to use a fine mesh strainer that make it worth having on hand. For example, if you're making a homemade raspberry buttercream frosting, you'll want to remove all the seeds from your raspberry sauce before adding it to the icing. A fine mesh strainer is perfect for this task, along with others, such as removing bones and marrow from your homemade stocks, sifting dry ingredients, and rinsing rice and other grains before cooking them.

If you don't need a mesh strainer on a regular basis, you probably don't want to spend $5, $10, or more on one. Dollar Tree offers two different-sized options that cost only $1.25 each. Consider the 3.5-inch wide strainer for working with smaller ingredients — like the raspberry puree mentioned above — or when straining something into a smaller container. The larger, 6-inch fine mesh strainer might be the better option if you want to be able to strain full pots of soup or rinse larger portions of an ingredient at a time.

Have you ever looked at your stove after making spaghetti and wondered why tomato sauce is so prone to splattering? Or, perhaps you've had to clean up the oily and greasy mess after cooking bacon, pan-frying pork chops, or even sauteeing veggies. If you're tired of dealing with these frustrations — and the resulting mess that you're left to deal with — then the $1.25 investment into a Dollar Tree splatter screen will likely be well worth the cost. There are two different styles to choose from: one with a long handle and one with a central knob. Both screens are about 11 inches in diameter and have a fine mesh design to limit how much grease, sauce, or other liquidy messes fly out of your pan and land on the stove or counter.

A splatter screen doesn't even come into contact with the food you're eating, so why spend a lot of money on one? Some models on the market retail for $20 or more. Save your money and pick up one from Dollar Tree for a mere fraction of the cost.

Everyone should own a spoon rest; they are such a useful product. Not only do they prevent your stove from getting dirty as you're cooking, but they also keep your utensils conveniently in place for when you need to stir or check on the recipe you're preparing. You can even use a spoon rest for more than just holding utensils on the stove. Spoon rests can pull double-duty for tea lovers by providing an optimal spot to save a tea bag for later use. 

You can pick up a new spoon rest from the Dollar Tree for just $1.25, or grab a few to use in different ways around the kitchen. The spoon rests are constructed from a long-lasting and shatter-resistant material called melamine. Dollar Tree even offers a few different color options, including red, white, and black, to help you coordinate them with your space.

The cost of a spoon rest from another manufacturer can vary, but most are at least $5. Since it's just going to hold your spoon for you, there's really no reason to spend more than necessary. Don't forget to add a spoon rest to your cart the next time you shop at Dollar Tree.

When you're thinking about the best dollar store baking supplies to keep on hand, don't forget about oven mitts. After all, how are you going to remove that cake pan or tray of delicious cookies without something to protect your hands? Beyond their affordable price, one of the best reasons to shop at Dollar Tree for your oven mitts is because of all the different designs and patterns that are available. You'll find solid colors and florals, along with options that have unique sayings that can add some fun or humor into your kitchen.

When you're shopping for oven mitts at Dollar Tree, keep in mind that they aren't as thick as some of the more premium options out there. However, they'll still be up to the task of removing most items from the oven, but they probably aren't the best choice if you need to carry around a hot and heavy platter or want to remove something from the grill. But for the $1.25 price tag, you can pick up a few of these for everyday use and save your thicker, more expensive mitts for a separate occasion.

These multi-purpose clips from the Dollar Tree can really live up to their name. The set includes three colorful alligator-style clips. Each has a rubberized grip for easy use. You can use them to close a bag of chips, prevent a loaf of bread from going stale, or secure parchment paper to a cookie sheet when you're preparing dough. Because of their open handle, these clips can also be used for hanging items on a hook in the kitchen. For example, you could add a hook to the wall near your stove and use them to keep your oven mitts accessible. Similarly, you could hang up the recipe you're following to keep the paper from getting dirty as you cook.

The set of three clips costs just $1.25. This means each clip works out to just over $0.40 — a price you can't beat for the convenience, functionality, and versatility they can add to your kitchen. Don't forget to pick up a few extra packs too — you'll find ways to use these in practically every room in the house.

Does your dishwasher eat silverware? Has your collection of forks, spoons, and knives dwindled over the years, and you find yourself running out before the dishwasher gets cycled? If so, it might be time to pick up some spare pieces of flatware from Dollar Tree. The chain offers a few different metal spoon, fork, and knife options, so you'll want to check your local store to see exactly what's available. Most are packaged in groups of three or six of the same type of item, and still only cost the standard $1.25.

A new silverware set can be quite pricey, and you can get an entire silverware set for nine people for under $12 at Dollar Tree. Even if you want finer flatware for home and entertaining use, don't overlook the benefits of picking up a few of these sets from Dollar Tree for other uses. For example, you can toss one in your lunchbox instead of blowing through disposable plastic utensils. Not only will you be making a more eco-friendly choice, but you'll also get to eat off a real metal fork or spoon instead of a flimsy plastic one.

Whether you bake cakes on a near weekly basis or reserve that act for birthdays and other special occasions, it is important to cover your creations to keep them from going stale. Fortunately, you can pick up a cake carrier at Dollar Tree to hold each beautiful and delicious cake you bake. The round carrier, which should fit most single or double-layer cakes, consists of two pieces — the round base to hold the cake and the lid that clips onto it to keep it fresh. The lid also features an integrated handle, making it easy to bring a cake to a loved one or to a special event.

Cake carriers from other retailers aren't prohibitively expensive, but most cost $15 or more. Compare that to the Dollar Tree version that costs only $1.25, and it's easy to see how much you can save. Considering how reasonably-priced they are, you could even pick up a few extras if you like to make cakes to give to others. You can package the cake in the carrier for less than you'd spend on sets of cardboard cake boxes.

Salad tongs are another must-have kitchen supply available at Dollar Tree. As with some other Dollar Tree kitchen tools, they're made by McCormick. The red salad tongs are plastic, making them safe to use with different serving bowls and pots and pans. Their 11-inch length makes them the perfect size for reaching deep into a bowl to serve salad, pasta, or even bread and rolls. The design features one spoon side and one fork side to help efficiently pick up and hold a variety of items without them slipping out.

Plus, as you can probably guess, these salad tongs from Dollar Tree are a truly budget-friendly pick. While you can find a few other options on the market that cost less than $10, most retail for more than that. Toss a few into your cart, and you'll be ready to serve all the dishes at your next dinner party, potluck, or backyard barbecue.

I visited my local Dollar Tree to examine these must-have kitchen tools in person, so I could attest to their overall quality and value firsthand. I considered the overall usefulness of each product and the value it could add to a kitchen. Additionally, I considered how much a comparable product would cost from another retailer to nail down which Dollar Tree products were truly good deals.