Material Kitchen Review: Are the Minimalist Tools Worth It?

Disclosure: Coco n Deals may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. I only write about products I’ve actually researched myself.

Open your kitchen drawers and be honest - how many gadgets in there have you used once? Material Kitchen was built on that exact frustration. Instead of selling you fifty tools, it curates the handful of well-designed essentials most home cooks actually need, and redesigns a few classics (the whisk, the cutting board) that nobody had bothered to improve in years. The result is a small, thoughtful, good-looking range that has become a favorite of design-minded cooks. But minimalist and beautiful usually means premium priced, so in this Material Kitchen review I looked at whether the quality justifies it, what is genuinely worth buying, and the honest catches. Short version - the quality and design are real, and you are paying for curation.

Why Trust This Review

Nobody pays me to be nice at Coco n Deals. For this I went through Material’s range, its design philosophy, materials and user feedback. If you want pure-ceramic cookware or a statement Dutch oven instead, I’ve reviewed Xtrema and Great Jones.

What Is Material Kitchen?

Material Kitchen (founded by Eunice Byun and David Nguyen) is a modern kitchenware brand built on a simple idea - most people do not need more tools, they need better versions of the few that matter. So rather than a sprawling catalog, Material curates a tight, considered range of essentials, and puts real design thought into items that had gone unchanged for decades. The flagship is the Iconics set, a bundle of the core tools a home cook genuinely reaches for, designed to look good sitting out and to actually work well. Alongside it are standout individual pieces - Japanese-style knives, the mineral-hued Coated Pan (a non-stick), the well-loved The Good Shears kitchen scissors, a reThink or reBoard cutting board, and a redesigned whisk. Everything shares a clean, muted aesthetic and a focus on quality materials, so it feels like a coherent set rather than a random drawer of stuff. The pitch is quality over quantity - buy the few things you will use for years, in versions that are a pleasure to use and to look at. As a best minimalist kitchen tools set candidate, the Iconics is exactly that: the essentials, done well, and nothing you do not need.

What Material Gets Right

1. Genuine quality, not just looks. The knives, shears and tools are well-made and perform, not just pretty objects. The Good Shears in particular get raved about for cutting everything cleanly. You feel the quality in use.
2. Smart, considered design. Material redesigns classics that nobody had improved - the whisk, the board - and it shows. Thoughtful details make everyday tasks a little nicer, which is the whole appeal.
3. Curation saves you from clutter. Instead of guessing which fifty gadgets to buy, you get the essentials someone thought hard about. Great for new kitchens, small spaces, or anyone tired of a junk drawer of one-use tools.
4. It looks good left out. The muted, cohesive aesthetic means these are tools you display rather than hide. For design-minded cooks and small kitchens, that matters more than it sounds.
5. A sensible starter set. The Iconics set is a genuinely good foundation for a first apartment, a wedding gift, or a kitchen reset - the core tools in one considered bundle, so you are set without over-buying.

Who Is It For?

My honest steer: Material is ideal if you value design and quality and would rather own a few excellent tools than a drawer of cheap ones - it is perfect for a new kitchen, a thoughtful gift, or a declutter. It is not the pick if your priority is the lowest price (basic tools cost far less) or if you want a massive range of specialist gadgets (Material is deliberately small). Match it to a quality-over-quantity mindset and it delivers. Start with the Iconics set or a standout single piece like the shears.

The Honest Part

A few honest points. First, price - Material is premium, and you are paying for the design, materials and curation, not just function. Basic versions of these tools cost a fraction as much, so if you only care about getting the job done, you can spend far less; the value here is in the quality and the look, which is a fair trade for the right buyer but not for a bargain hunter. Second, the range is small by design - that is the point (curation), but if you want a huge selection of specialist gadgets, this is not the brand. Third, the Coated Pan is a non-stick, so like any coated pan it has a finite lifespan and needs gentle care (no metal utensils, low-to-medium heat) - it is not forever cookware the way bare stainless or pure ceramic is. None of this undoes a genuinely well-made, thoughtfully designed range - it just means you buy Material for quality and design, not to save money. If pure non-toxic material is your goal instead, my

Xtrema review covers that.

What to Buy

1. Material Iconics Set - the curated essentials

The flagship bundle this review centers on - the core, well-designed tools a home cook actually reaches for, in one cohesive set. The pick for a new kitchen, a reset, or a quality gift. The easiest way into the brand.

Buy Now

2. The Good Shears / A Knife - the standout singles

If you do not want the full set, the raved-about Good Shears and Material’s Japanese-style knives are the pieces people love most. The pick to try the quality on one or two items before committing to more.

Buy Now

3. The reBoard / reThink Cutting Board

Material’s redesigned cutting boards are a smart, good-looking upgrade over a tired plastic board. A sensible single buy that shows off the brand’s design thinking without a big spend.

Buy Now

What Users Say

The feedback is warm, and it centers on quality and design. Users love that the tools feel genuinely well-made and look beautiful on the counter, and the curation resonates with people tired of drawers full of gadgets they never use. The Good Shears get specific, repeated praise for cutting cleanly through everything, the knives earn respect, and the Iconics set is a popular gift and new-kitchen buy. People who value a considered, cohesive kitchen describe it as exactly what they wanted - fewer, better things. For the design-minded cook, it hits the mark.

The honest cons match what I covered. The premium price gives value shoppers pause - you can get functional tools for much less. The range is small (by design). And the Coated Pan, being non-stick, needs gentle care and will not last forever like bare materials. None of it undoes a genuinely lovely, well-made range for the right buyer. For forever-material cookware or a statement pot, my

Xtrema and Great Jones reviews are the place.

The Verdict

If you want fewer, better kitchen tools, Material is a genuinely lovely choice. This Material Kitchen review lands on a yes for the design-and-quality buyer - the tools are well-made and perform, the design is thoughtful (redesigning classics that needed it), and the curation saves you from a drawer of clutter, all in a cohesive range that looks good left out. As a best minimalist kitchen tools set option, the Iconics is exactly the considered foundation many people want. The honest catches - it is premium-priced (basics cost less), the range is deliberately small, and the Coated Pan needs the usual non-stick care. Buy it for quality and design over rock-bottom price, and it delivers. Quality: 4.5/5. Design: 5/5. Curation: 4.5/5. Value: 4/5 (you pay for it).

A Few Common Questions

Is Material Kitchen worth it?

For cooks who value design and quality, yes - the tools are genuinely well-made, thoughtfully designed, and curated down to the essentials you actually use, which suits new kitchens, gifts and declutters. The honest catch is price: Material is premium, and basic versions of these tools cost far less, so if the lowest price is your goal, it is not the pick. You are paying for quality, design and curation - a fair trade for the right buyer, less so for a bargain hunter.

Are Material Kitchen knives good?

Yes - Material’s Japanese-style knives are well-regarded for quality and performance, in keeping with the brand’s focus on doing a few essentials really well. They fit the considered, design-led ethos and get good user feedback. As with any quality knife, they are a premium buy versus basic knives, so they suit someone who values a genuinely good blade they will keep, rather than the cheapest option. If you want to test the brand, a knife or the popular Good Shears is a great single starting point.

What is in the Material Iconics set?

The Iconics set bundles the core, everyday tools a home cook genuinely reaches for, chosen and designed as a cohesive, good-looking collection rather than a random assortment. It is built to be the considered foundation of a kitchen - the essentials, done well, without the clutter of tools you would use once. Exact contents can change, so check the current set on Material’s site, but the idea is a curated starter kit that covers what you actually need.

Is Material Kitchen cookware non-toxic?

Material’s Coated Pan is a non-stick pan, and like other modern non-stick cookware the brand markets it around safer, PFAS-conscious coatings - check Material’s current published details for the specifics of that pan. If your priority is a fully coating-free, non-toxic material with nothing to wear off at all, a 100% ceramic option like Xtrema or a bare material like stainless or cast iron goes further. Material’s strength is design and quality tools rather than being a dedicated non-toxic cookware brand.