Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
A sleek meat thermometer that’s highly waterproof
This thermometer performs just as well as the Javelin Pro Duo — it’s fast and accurate, and it shares many of the same features. For an extra $15, however, it offers longer battery life, better waterproofing, and 270-degree probe rotation.
This is a meat thermometer that nails the details. It’s responsive, accurate, has a generous probe, and boasts the longest battery life of all the digital instant-read thermometers we tested. Its magnetic back makes it easy to store on metal surfaces.
Read more: The Best Meat Thermometers
A drip coffee maker beloved by many Wirecutter staffers
This model makes coffee just as flavorful, and has the same long warranty, as its sibling.
Noted for its longevity, this simple, stylish brewer continually produces great, evenly-brewed coffee. It comes with a charming glass carafe and a finely tuned hot plate to prevent scorching.
Read more: The Best Drip Coffee Maker
A lid organizer to tame the chaos in your kitchen cabinets
A handy lid organizer with adjustable dividers to keep food-storage container lids upright and consolidated.
This highly functional organizer keeps lids tidy, preventing them from cascading onto you when retrieving one. With its simple design, similar to library-style bookends, you can clearly see which lid you’re looking for without having to rummage through the cupboard.
Read more: 35 Small-Kitchen Organization Ideas That Make the Most of Tight Quarters
A compact air fryer toaster oven that can bake a whole chicken
Unlike most models, this pricey oven performs just as well on air fryer duties as it does on toaster oven tasks. It also has settings for bread proofing, slow cooking, and dehydrating.
This smart oven is the rare combination appliance that can air fry as well as toast bread, bake treats, or roast larger quantities of food. It crisped-up foods even faster than traditional toaster ovens, and offers more control than most pod-shaped air fryers.
Read more: The Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven
A set of air-tight containers to keep food fresh
These durable, well-sealed plastic containers fit easily in most cabinets. They come in many sizes, can stack securely, and are easy to scoop or pour from.
This set of sturdy containers held up through multiple drop tests and trips through the dishwasher during testing. Impressively, the lids are completely watertight, making these some of the tightest-sealing containers we’ve ever tried.
Read more: The Best Dry Food Storage Containers
A pair of grippy pot holders for handling blazing hot cookware
These large, rectangular pot holders are bigger than your standard oven mitts. They offer top-tier heat protection and come in a wide range of attractive colors.
These holders sport a hidden seam in the hand pocket, which makes it easier to grip pans. Meanwhile, their durable, heat-resistant silicone side doubles as a trivet, so you can safely plop a hot pot or pan on top without scalding the surface underneath.
Read more: The Best Oven Mitts and Pot Holders
A barista-style frother for fluffy cappuccinos
This little machine can heat and froth both dairy and nondairy milk. It makes dense foam (even with cold milk) and can melt chocolate for hot cocoa, too.
Make your mornings a little bit fancier with this frother that offers nine setting combinations of varying temperature and froth levels, including cold foam for iced lattes. The stainless steel pitcher is also comfortable to hold, easy to pour, and best of all, it’s dishwasher-safe.
Read more: The Best Milk Frothers
An automated espresso machine for first-time baristas
Sleek and powerful, with great programming and a solid built-in grinder, the Barista Touch lets beginners make a variety of café-quality espresso drinks at home with very little learning curve.
This espresso machine is great for beginners, as it offers lots of guidance via its touchscreen control center with step-by-step tutorials and multiple programs. It also includes advanced controls and allows manual operation for more experienced users and people who want to get creative.
Read more: The Best Home Espresso Machine
A culinary workhorse ideal for tiny kitchens
This immersion blender effortlessly makes smooth purees, its overall easy to use, and it comes with well-designed extras.
A unique feature of this immersion blender is a blade that moves up and down while spinning, which creates more cutting surface and circulates the food more quickly and efficiently. This blender also comes with a chopper attachment, which we’ve found works wonders for weeknight meal prep.
Read more: The Best Immersion Blender
A sturdy grill press for ultra-thin burger patties
With this sturdy grill press, you can evenly smash foods without overexerting yourself. Plus, it’s especially easy to clean thanks to its sleek stainless steel surface.
This tool helps to flatten burger patties until they’re merely a quarter-inch thick, maximizing their surface area for more umami-unlocking potential. It’s also much easier to keep clean and rust-free than other cast iron versions on the market.
Read more: This $22 Grill Press Helped Me Finally Crack the Code to Ultra-Thin Smash Burgers
The perfect emotional support water bottle
For people on the move, the FreeSip—which you can use with one hand, even while driving—really outshines the competition. And this new version comes with a lock to prevent spills. But it’s not without some flaws, such as a sometimes fiddly straw.
This water bottle pops open with a finger, and offers both a straw and sip-top in one. The slim profile of the bottle itself also makes it easier to carry for smaller hands, child or adult.
Read more: The Best Water Bottles
A buy-it-for-life blender
This high-performance machine is worth the investment if you use a blender regularly to make things like thick smoothies, pureed soups, or motor-taxing nut butters.
Trusted in professional kitchens and juice bars, this muscular machine offers the best performance you can get in a home blender. It’s been a pick since 2014, and we still love its graceful and smooth blending, wide range of speeds, and long warranty.
Read more: The Best Blender
A stand mixer for bigger batches of baked goods
This larger mixer has more power to work through dense doughs and batters but is not too big to handle the small stuff.
For frequent home bakers or large families, this stand mixer tackles big batches with professional performance. Plus, it features a ½ speed, which is great for delicate folding and adding in ingredients.
Read more: The Best Stand Mixer
A reliable coffee maker for the aesthetes
This reliable workhorse turns out a nuanced, flavorful pot and comes with a much longer warranty than our other picks.
This stylish and reliable workhorse consistently won our taste tests with nuanced, flavorful pots and comes with a much longer warranty than our other picks.
Read more: The Best Drip Coffee Maker
