You can do a lot in the kitchen with the most basic tools, but adding a few gadgets to your countertop can make your job a little easier, and perhaps more fun. These are the technology-infused cookware we want to use in our home kitchens, based on insights from Engadget reviews, buyer’s guides, and personal experience. Introducing the ever-popular Instant His Pot and the brand’s best air fryer we’ve tested. Our favorite thermometer takes 0 seconds to show a reading. The blender we chose will make everything you put inside silky smooth. If you love cooking, these are the perfect kitchen utensils to help you cook.
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Instant Vortex Plus 6QT Air Fryer with Odor Elimination Technology, 6-in-1 Function to Crisp, Roast, Bake, Dehydrate, Bake, Reheat, 100+ In-App Recipes from Instant Pot Makers, 1700 W, black
Best Air Fryer
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Thermapen One
The best thermometer
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Escali Primo Digital Food Scale
Best Food Scale
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Ninja CREAMi
Best ice cream maker
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KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer
best stand mixer
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vitamix explorerian
The best blender
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Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, BOV900BSS, Brushed Stainless Steel
best toaster oven
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Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Saute, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer with App with 800+ Recipes, Stainless Steel, 6 Quart
best multi cooker
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Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker 3.0 (WiFi), 1100 Watts
best sous vide cooker
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instant pot
The most popular kitchen appliance right now seems to be the air fryer. Perhaps it’s because the idea of ”frying” food without getting covered in oil is easily accepted. But in reality, an air fryer is just a small convection oven. They are usually pod-shaped and often have a removable basket. If you want a versatile appliance for your countertop, there are also toaster ovens with air fryer capabilities. See recommendations below.
Both have their merits, but if you plan on air frying a lot, we recommend a dedicated pod air fryer. These appliances produce crispier food and are easier to clean. One of our favorites is the Instant Vortex Plus with ClearCook and OdorErase. As the name suggests, it has a window so you can see what’s cooking and an odor-eliminating filter to reduce cooking odors. Not many air fryers offer both. Plus, it doesn’t take up as much space as a large toaster oven and is easier to operate.
$130 on Amazon
Thermapen
No one wants to eat undercooked meat, but neither does overcooking it. One way to avoid either extreme is to monitor the temperature with a thermometer. Our favorite is the Thermapen One from ThermoWorks. It gives you instant readings and automatically rotates the screen depending on how you hold it. The auto wake and sleep features are handy for quick temperature checks, and it’s IP67 waterproof, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally dropping it in the sink.
ThermoPop is the more affordable option in the ThermoWorks lineup. It’s not as fast as the Thermapen One, and it doesn’t have a rotating display or backlight. But it measures temperature accurately and is splash-proof, though not waterproof.
$109 at ThermoWorks
Escali
Bakers around the world know that the most accurate way to measure ingredients is with a scale. While a “cup of flour” can vary greatly depending on how you scoop it, a scale will tell you exactly if it’s 120 grams. While a digital scale is best for the most accurate measurements, we particularly like the Escali Primo. It lets you switch between grams and ounces with a single press, and importantly, it even has a tare button to zero out the weight so you can keep measuring in the same container. One reason we like the Escali Primo over other models is that it has an extra-long auto-off timer that stays on for four minutes before turning off. This is important when you need extra time to chop veggies or gather other ingredients without worrying about the scale resetting to zero.
$27 on Amazon
Ninja
While the Ninja Creami is more of a blender than a traditional ice cream blender, it still produces decadent frozen desserts and takes up less countertop space than its traditional competitors. It’s also incredibly easy to operate — if you can use a food processor, you can use the Creami — and it’s easy to clean, too, as almost all parts except the machine itself are dishwasher safe. Sure, it’s a bit noisy when it’s working, but at $200, the Creami is an affordable and surprisingly versatile way to make delicious ice cream at home. — Sam Rutherford, Senior Reporter
$200 on Amazon
KitchenAid
Sure, you could mix cookie dough by hand, but that takes time and a lot of upper body strength. This is even more true when kneading bread dough or whipping meringue. Buy a stand mixer and save yourself that trouble. A perennial favorite among bakers and amateur cooks is KitchenAid’s Artisan series. It’s durable, powerful, and comes with a choice of paddle, hook, and whisk attachments for use with mixing bowls. We also like that KitchenAid mixers are compatible with a variety of accessories and attachments that can turn the machine into an ice cream maker, meat grinder, or pasta machine, in case you want to expand your cooking horizons.
$450 at KitchenAid
vitamix
In this area, Vitamix is hard to beat. This high-performance blender brand makes machines that can not only make smoothies, but also salad dressings, sauces, batters, and soups. This is especially useful if you have a habit of adding hard ingredients to your recipes, such as nuts, dried fruit, or frozen foods. Other less powerful blenders can leave lumps when you add hard ingredients, but the Vitamix leaves no lumps and a silky smooth finish.
Depending on which model you buy, you can also purchase a variety of attachments to make the most of your blender’s powerful base. You can get a 64-ounce container so you can make smoothies for the whole family at once, or a “dry grain” container that comes equipped with blades for grinding whole grains and more so you can make your own flour.
Vitamix currently has four series of blenders: the basic Vitamix One, which costs $250; the slightly more advanced Explorian series, which starts at $350 and is probably the best fit for most people; the Legacy series, which starts at $400; and the more advanced Ascent series, which will run you at least $500. Yes, these are expensive machines, but if you blend often or like to experiment by making things from scratch, they’re worth the investment.
$350 at Wayfair
Breville
A toaster oven is an incredibly versatile home appliance. Yes, it can be used to toast bread, buns and all kinds of baked goods. But it’s also a great alternative if you don’t want to heat your entire house with a full-sized oven. It also heats up much faster, making it a more efficient option for warming up leftovers.
We love the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro because it’s big enough to roast a chicken and has the ability to dehydrate, ferment, and air fry (thanks to the Super Convection mode). It also includes presets for baking pizza and toasting bagels. Taking it a step further, the Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro adds Wi-Fi connectivity so you can control it from your phone. The app also has a ton of recipes and an “autopilot” feature that automatically adjusts the temperature as you cook.
If you don’t want something that big, there’s a smaller, more affordable alternative called Panasonic’s Flash Express. It’s roomy enough for one pizza, yet doesn’t take up as much space as a Breville. If you just want a toaster oven to warm up frozen snacks or toast a few slices of bread at a time, it’s definitely a great option.
$400 on Amazon
Instant Pot
If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, a multicooker like the Instant Pot could become one of your favorite kitchen gadgets. This cult favorite can perform multiple tasks, including pressure cooking, slow cooking, sautéing, rice cooking, yogurt making, steaming, and warming. All these features combined make it easy to prepare stews, soups, stews, and more. You can even make cheesecake! Most people’s favorite model is the Instant Pot Duo Plus, which has several quick cooking modes for soups, eggs, porridge, and grains and is easy to use. It also has sterilization and sous vide cooking functions.
Want a smarter Instant Pot instead? Consider the Instant Pot Pro Plus. Not only does it have modern features like canning capabilities and an oven-safe inner pot, but it also has WiFi connectivity and a companion app that provides step-by-step guided instructions for over 800 recipes. Additionally, it can be used to remotely release steam from your Instant Pot. You can also use the app to set a timer to release steam automatically.
$136 on Amazon
Anova cuisine
If you want to cook your expensive steak perfectly medium-rare without constantly monitoring the temperature, consider purchasing a sous vide cooker. These machines allow you to cook everything to perfection in a temperature-controlled water bath. We’ve successfully made steak, chicken, burgers, eggs, and even yogurt in the sous vide and the results were perfect every time.
Our favorite model is the Anova Precision Cooker 3.0. With the launch of its latest version, the company added digital touch controls, a longer power cord, and WiFi connectivity to its already impressive base product. The companion app is also thoughtfully designed and includes hundreds of recipes and the option to remotely control your machine. Even if you have an app component, you don’t have to use it. Easily adjust the temperature with onboard controls and a large digital display.
$160 on Amazon
Valentina Palladino and Amy Skorheim contributed to this report.