Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
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The Hedley & Bennett crossback-style apron is made of durable and light material. Its straps are adjustable by a simple pull. Read More
This gorgeous Food52 apron is our best value pick as it performed well during testing and has bonus features like built-in potholders. Read More
The Tilit Contra Apron is simple, stylish, and comfortable to wear, but it's not entirely machine-washable. Read More
The Hedley & Bennett Essential Apron features attractive design and functional pockets but the neck strap could use some improvement. Read More
The Tilit Chef's Apron is perfect for people who love to cook—it's lightweight and has multiple pockets for tools. Read More
A great apron can be more than just a barrier between your clean clothes and the oily, sticky, and potentially staining ingredients you're cooking. It's your sous chef thanks to well-placed pockets that can hold everything from kitchen towels to grill tongs. It's your armor when it comes to taking the heat—the more flame-retardant, the better.
It's also a fashion statement, allowing you to express yourself and your unique style. The best apron we've tested is the Hedley & Bennett Crossback Apron (available at Hedley & Bennett) because it ticks all the boxes and more, while our Best Value pick is the Food52 Five Two Ultimate Apron (available at Food52) because its bonus features give you the most bang for your buck.
Whether you cook for a living or dabble in weeknight dinner prep, a comfortable, durable apron is essential to your kitchen arsenal. We tested the top aprons on the market, from cross-back to neck-strap, to find the perfect pinafore.
The Hedley & Bennett Crossback Apron is the best apron we tested.
The Food52 Five Two Ultimate Apron is our pick for best value because all the extra features—like built-in potholders—give you the most bang for your buck.
Stylish design
Lightweight and breathable
Has two spacious hip pockets
Hard to adjust the neck strap
Doesn't have a top pocket
Stylish design
Multiple useful pockets
Durable fabric
Thick neck strap
Stylish design
Lightweight and breathable
Wrinkle-free
Inconvenient neck strap adjustment
Hip pocket hard to reach for lefties
Ample coverage
Lightweight and breathable
Not size-inclusive
Material feels flimsy
Stylish design
Fire-resistant
Can be personalized
Wrinkles after wash
Uncomfortable neck strap
Doesn't have a top pocket
Stylish design
Lightweight and breathable
Ample coverage
Shrank after wash
Not size-inclusive
Durable material
Flame-resistant
Unpleasant odor
Too stiff
Relatively short
We used holi powder to test how well each apron covered our clothes.
Madison Trapkin is a kitchen whiz who likes her aprons as she likes her clothes: comfy and colorful. She spends a lot of time in the kitchen for work, testing meal kits, wine subscriptions, and more, but also enjoys cooking and baking for pleasure.
Valerie Li Stack is a chef and former staff writer for Kitchen & Cooking. During her time at Reviewed she tested many things, including coffee subscriptions, woks, cake pans, and more—all while donning an apron, of course.
The testers are two very different heights and sizes, which we felt was crucial to provide the most comprehensive apron testing. Madison is 6'0" and wears a size XL or XXL depending on the brand. Valerie is 5'3" and wears a size XS or S depending on the brand.
For the final test, we used a blow torch on a small swatch of each apron to see how flammable it was.
First up in apron testing was to wear each apron while cooking a week's worth of meals. Often times, an apron will feel comfortable in the first few minutes of wearing, but it's the long-term repeated wear that we were interested in. In order to recreate common cooking scenarios in a controlled setting, we conducted a splash test using a lacrosse ball dropped from 6 inches above a 6-quart stock pot filled with water.
Next, it was time to get dirty. We applied the following substances to the bottom edge of each apron using a small paint brush: whisked egg, 1:1 flour/water mixture, and canola oil. Then we washed and dried each apron according to the directions on the tag, with the exception of the leather apron, which can't be washed.
In order to test how well each apron would cover our clothes, we wore white jumpsuits under the aprons and had a member of the lab team douse us in holi powder. We then removed each apron to observe how much of the holi powder was on our jumpsuits and where the exposed areas were.
For the final test, we cut a small swatch of each apron measuring approximately 3-by-3-inches. We used a blow torch to hold a flame to each fabric sample for two seconds in order to asses flammability.
Pockets can make or break an apron's performance.
The choice between cross-back and neck strap will ultimately depend on the wearer, but it's important to know your options. Cross-back aprons differ from the classic neck strap bib-style apron in that the straps are crossed over the back to more evenly distribute weight and alleviate any tension or discomfort on the wearers neck. Some cross-back aprons are adjustable, like our best overall pick, the Hedley & Bennett Crossback Apron, while others like the Larmliss Pinafore Apron are not adjustable.
Neck strap aprons come in all shapes and sizes, some more comfortable than others. Aprons like the Tilit Contra Apron have a relatively thin neck strap, which we weren't too bothered by during testing. Conversely, aprons like the Outset F240 Leather Grill Apron have thick, stiff straps, making them less comfortable for long-term wear.
For the purpose of this list, we omitted waist aprons (also known as half aprons) as they're a category all their own.
The truth is, there's no universally perfect fabric when it comes to aprons. So instead of striving for perfection, think about when you'll use this apron most. Will you wear it to grill outside during hot summer months? Is this going to be your weekly meal prep go-to? Or for the special barbecue competition you've thought about entering for years now? Here are a few basic guidelines for fabric types:
The world of size-inclusive aprons is quickly expanding, and for good reason; many popular aprons on the market today are only available in a single size that does not, in fact, fit all. Our testers has drastically different experiences when it came to testing two such aprons on this list, the Larmliss Pinafore Apron and the Aobbybbs Crossback Apron. Madison found them to be tight across her chest and relatively short overall, while Valerie had no issues with either apron.
Long straps are key when it comes to size inclusivity, particularly for anyone who identifies as plus sized. If this sounds like you, look for aprons like the Food52 Five Two Ultimate Apron with extra long straps to ensure you'll be able to wrap them comfortably around your mid section.
Useful pockets are everything when it comes to an apron. If anything about the size, placement, or quantity is off, you'll be reminded of it every time you wear your apron. Every apron should have at least one pocket, and a perfect apron will have one chest pocket and one or two hip pockets. This allows the apron wearers to have convenient places to stash utensils, recipe cards, or cell phones during use.
Valerie Li Stack is a senior staff writer for Kitchen & Cooking. She is an experienced home cook with a passion for experimenting with the cuisines of countries she's visited. Driven by an interest in food science, Valerie approaches the culinary scene with a firm grasp of cooking processes and extensive knowledge of ingredients. She believes food speaks to all people regardless of language and cultural background.
Madison Trapkin
Contributor
Madison covered all things cooking as the kitchen editor for Reviewed in 2021. Formerly the editor-in-chief of Culture Magazine, Madison is the founder of GRLSQUASH, a women's food, art, and culture journal. Her work has also appeared in The Boston Globe, Cherrybombe, Gather Journal, and more. She is passionate about pizza, aesthetic countertop appliances, and regularly watering her houseplants.
She holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia and a Master's of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy from Boston University.
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