Best Deals on Kitchen Products

The Stilosa is a great choice if you want to make espresso at home but don’t want to shell out hundreds for a machine. Spending less for this model will mean sacrificing certain things like substituting plastic parts instead of metal, and having simpler controls than you might find on a higher-end model. But for the price, it still gets the job done. Our evaluator found it brewed with consistent pressure and resulted in a balanced espresso. They even wound up appreciating the simple controls. We do recommend reading a bit more about our evaluation before you run off to buy this model, so you know more of what to expect, but if it sounds like a good fit, the price is definitely worth it.

The Melitta Aroma Fresh Plus 10-Cup coffee maker is a grind-and-brew model, which means you can start with fresh beans every morning and let the machine do the rest of the work for you. It scored very well in our brew test, but our testers found it especially excellent in terms of convenience and carafe handling. In addition to its conical burr grinder with a 7.5-ounce bean hopper capacity and 3 grind settings, it features an LCD display, touch controls, auto-shutoff, a cleaning indicator, and a cone-type filter. This model is a little expensive, but it saves you the cost of a grinder if you don’t already have one—and you may be pretty pleased at how much of a difference it makes to brew with fresh-ground beans. 

As glass-carafe drip coffee machines go, this Cuisinart drip coffee maker ranks among the best, and it’s back down to the same low price we saw for Black Friday. It performs superbly in our brewing tests and really well in our assessments for general handling and convenience. You can program it to brew at a certain time and tailor the brew strength to your desired preferences. An indicator light lets you know when it’s time to clean it. Cuisinart, as a brand, earns high owner-satisfaction and reliability scores for its drip coffee makers.

Cold brew can take a long time to make, but Oxo says its Rapid Brewer will make a concentrate in 5 minutes. It requires no electricity or batteries and is not much more complicated than a French press. Our evaluator found that her cold brew from the small but mighty device was rich, flavorful, and fast. It’s been under $30 a few times before, but this is still a nice little discount if you’re ready to stop buying cold-brew at the coffee shop every morning and make it at home instead.

The 10-piece OXO Ceramic Professional nonstick set is all business, with no extras added to the count, just pots and lids. That said, the set’s cooking evenness is top-notch, and it brings water to a boil in no time flat. Plus, it’s very good at simmering sauces and releasing eggs fried in quick succession. The handles are super-sturdy and stay cool to the touch.

The 10-piece Vitale Nonstick Cookware set from Zwilling is excellent at heating water, cooking evenly, and simmering without scorching. The handles get our top rating for sturdiness and stay cool to the touch as you cook. Every piece is a pot, pan, or lid, with no extraneous add-ons, and the set comes with a lifetime warranty. The durability of its nonstick surface is also very good. But it receives only a middling score for nonstick food release, where we cook one egg after another in the frying pan and see how difficult they are to dislodge.

This cost-conscious 11-piece stainless steel cookware set from The Cellar has two frying pans, two saucepans, a sauté pan, a stockpot, a silicone trivet, and four lids. The set, a Macy’s exclusive, aces our tests for cooking evenness, speed of heating, and food release. It’s also easy to clean, earning an excellent score. The handles stay safe and cool, but they aren’t so sturdy, earning a mediocre rating for that test.

This Kenmore Arlington Nonstick Ceramic Coated cookware set trades the familiar shimmery black PTFE chemical coating (Teflon), for a ceramic nonstick coating. If you’re hesitant to switch, note that this set receives top marks in CR’s tests for food release and its nonstick surface proved quite durable in our tests. Plus it’ll work with an induction cooktop.

Prices on the G8BCAASSPSS Personal Blender are constantly fluctuating, but this deal matches the lowest we’ve seen, so now may be the time to snap one up. If you’re making a smoothie or soup for one, you can rely on this model, which earned top scores in our tests for icy drinks and purees. Plus, it comes with a 20-ounce to-go cup, and its parts are dishwasher safe.

The GE G8H1AASSPSS Blender is an immersion model that comes with a whisk and chopper, and it’s available now at a sweet price. It showed excellent performance in our soup puree tests, and the chopper attachment did a great job grating cheese. The whisk attachment allows you to quickly whip egg whites to stiff peaks and easily turn heavy cream into rich whipped cream.

We’ve seen deals this low on the Professional Plus Kitchen System BN801 Personal Blender before, but this pre-Black Friday sale may still be worth taking advantage of to snag one of the highest-rated blenders we’ve tested. It’s especially handy if you plan on using a new blender to make smoothies and soups, considering its excellent performance in our tests for icy drinks and purees. It also has very good performance in our ice crush tests.

The NutriBullet Smart Touch NBF50420 is a great option for budget shoppers at this sale price, and it’s only available at JC Penney. This 8-cup machine garners the highest rating in CR’s icy-drinks test and also aced our puréeing, durability, and convenience trials. It comes with a recipe book and a tamper and features easy-to-clean touchscreen controls.

The Vivohome Electric Portable Icemaker produces bullet ice but not as quickly as the more expensive Opal Icemaker. It’s one of only three models that score highest for efficiency, and it isn’t very noisy, scoring the same as the Opal, which is the only one that scored higher. The company claims it can make up to 26 pounds of ice a day. Weighing 17 pounds and measuring 12.59 inches high, 9.64 inches wide, and 12.59 inches deep, it requires less of your precious counter space than the Opal. This model comes in many colorways—black, red, silver, light green, blue, white, and copper—and has a top-open design like all other models except the GE Opal.

The Frigidaire Icemaker is one of the lower-priced models CR tested. Of all five CR Recommended models, the Frigidaire’s speed score is among the lowest, but it’s tops in the efficiency category. The company claims it can produce up to 26 pounds of ice daily. It is comparable to all other models except the winner for capacity, the GE Opal. Smaller than the GE, it takes up less counter space and measures 14.88 inches high, 11.70 inches wide, and 14.44 inches deep. It has a one-year warranty.

The GE Opal 2.0 Stainless Steel Icemaker XPIO13SCSS is the largest model we tested, and the most expensive, but it produces nugget ice faster than all other models we tested. This earned it the only top score for speed, and it’s the only icemaker we tested that opens like a drawer. Its removable plastic water reservoir also has the highest water capacity, which means fewer refills. GE claims it can produce up to 24 pounds of ice a day (our testing did not last long enough to hit the max). It was also among the quieter icemakers we tried. It comes with a limited one-year warranty.

The Dash Express Tasti Crisp air fryer costs nearly $40 at most major retailers, but it’s under $25 at Sam’s Club, so you can get a great price if you’re a member. This model is quiet while cooking and easy to clean. But it lacks digital controls, so it’s not quite as easy to use as the digitized Dash Tasti-Crisp DCAF260. Like its sibling, this model’s capacity is 1.9 quarts, less than the claimed capacity of 2.6 quarts. It comes with a two-year warranty, longer than most of the models we’ve tested.

The Cosori Lite CAF-LI211 is perfect for anyone with limited counter space. This measured 1.7-quart air fryer is packed with appealing features such as a dishwasher-safe basket, preprogrammed settings, and a digital display, but, with a footprint of just 9x11 inches, it comes in a small package (and a fairly small price tag, too). What’s more, this model was a standout in our tests, receiving high marks for being easy to use and to clean and remaining at low volume while cooking. The Cosori Lite comes with a two-year warranty.

It’s typically $50, so you’re really saving about $6, not $16.

The Instant Vortex 4 Plus Air Fryer 4QT is a standout for the legibility of its digital controls, relatively low noise levels, and ease of cleaning. What’s more, its square basket design makes it easy to fit in a small pyrex dish or baking pan—great for turning out sweet treats. The measured 3-quart model has a 1-year warranty.

If you’re interested in making your own ice cream at home, this could be a great lower-cost option. We really liked the consistent, creamy texture of the sorbet and ice cream that came out of the Cuisinart. This was true both immediately after production and after we froze them overnight. The sorbet was a bit icier and less perfectly consistent than that made by the other ice cream makers we tried. But that was easily remedied by dragging a spatula around the sorbet to smooth out some of the ice midchurn.

The Beautiful by Drew Barrymore 19039 two-slice toaster consistently impresses in all of our tests, and it’s a few dollars off in select colors. It heats single slices and full batches to golden-brown perfection in very little time. An audible signal lets you know when toasting is complete, and the toaster comes with additional settings (frozen, bagel, and even gluten-free).

Le Creuset’s butter crock has a classic look that would fit in well with most kitchen aesthetics. Like most Le Creuset products, it’s made from enameled stoneware. It’s dishwasher-safe and easy to wash by hand, too. The lid has a small divot that may retain water in a dishwasher, but putting it on its side will mean you won’t have to deal with gross dishwasher water in the lid after it’s supposedly clean.

For far less money than most of the competition, this Chefman waffle maker churns out evenly browned waffles. It does well in CR’s tests for color range, meaning there’s a remarkable difference between waffles made on the darkest setting (brown and crispy) and the lightest setting (light and fluffy). It has an indicator light to let you know when the waffles are ready, the option to store it vertically to save space, and a batter cup for precise portioning. But the handle and latch get uncomfortably warm during cooking, despite the “cool touch” claims, so you may want to use an oven mitt when opening and closing the lid.

This air-popping popcorn maker from Dash is at a small discount right now, and it happens to be the lowest price we’ve seen. The Dash popcorn maker beat out the other models CR evaluated, making popcorn that was light, warm, and crunchy. It has a measuring cup for your kernels, which doubles as a butter melter (which isn’t the most efficient if you’re using cold butter). And it only takes about 2 minutes to pop a full serving.

The Sweet Alice grinders operate differently from other sets we’ve tried. When you invert them, as you would with a manual pepper grinder, the mills automatically start up. They have soft LED lights that beam toward the area you’re seasoning. And the high-volume reservoirs are attractive, too: You can see right inside the mills. We appreciated the even grind, even on course settings, and found them to be quite easy to fill. They were among the most difficult of these grinders to clean, though.

Bamboo steamer baskets, which are placed above pots or woks of boiling water, may be a mainstay at Chinese restaurants, but they’re far from perfect. Our evaluators found this particular model a bit precarious: “There were lots of splinters sticking out, threatening to stab me, so it required a bit of plucking up front before first use,” our evaluator said. Overall, the dumplings came out evenly cooked, but some batches were wetter than expected.

Like many bamboo steamers, this one is listed as 100 percent natural, a plus for those who are trying to avoid plastic. However, this type can take longer to dry than those made of other materials. Wet wood could also be a breeding ground for mold. But for the price, it may be worth trying.

What’s nice about the Wildone Baking Sheet with Rack is that you get two pans (and two cooling racks) for the price of one. Not to mention, its performance is in line with the other uncoated sheet pans in this group. It earns an excellent score in our test for cooking evenness and durability — and very good score for speed of heating.

The Chef’s Choice Model 15XV is second to none when it comes to easy, complete sharpening. It removes most of the guesswork and helps you maintain a perfect angle, and it can sharpen pretty much any knife you’ll ever own—even serrated bread knives or sushi and sashimi knives, which are sharpened on only one side.

The tool is designed to sharpen every straight-edged knife to a precise 15-degree angle, which is a sweet spot for most new knives. It features three settings: sharpening, honing, and polishing. There’s no setup, no cleanup, and no stress.

The Cooklee SM-1551 holds its own against better-known competitors. And the price is right. Whipping time and mixing cookie dough are top-notch, and it kneads bread dough well and quietly. Our testers found it convenient to use. It’s lighter than any of our other top contenders, and the bowl is almost 10 quarts vs. 5 for most other stand mixers. Whether you need that much volume is your call. Keep in mind that this mixer has a tilt head.

KitchenAid’s artisan series is a bump up from its classic line. The 10-speed KitchenAid Artisan Series KSM195PSBK comes with the usual attachments, plus a pastry beater, a bowl shield to prevent splatters, and an extra 3-quart bowl for smaller jobs. The standard-issue stainless bowl is 5 quarts. In our tests this mixer aces our tasks for whipping cream and mixing cookie dough and is almost as good at kneading bread dough. It works quietly, and our testers find it very convenient to change the beaters and clean. It weighs 21 pounds and has a tilt-head, so you’ll need some clearance between the counter and the cabinets. Bonus: You have your choice of 10 colors.

The 6-speed KitchenAid KHM6118CU earns very good scores in our cookie dough mixing test. It takes a little longer to whip heavy cream than some hand mixers but it’s on a par with the pricier KitchenAid Architect. It comes with a whisk attachment and easy-to-clean wire beaters, and the controls are a cinch to use.

The KitchenAid Architect KHM7210 7-Speed hand mixer comes in five colors, including the brand’s familiar Empire Red, but check before ordering to make sure the color you want is included in the sale. This little handheld is proficient at speedily whipping cream and tackling stiff cookie dough while keeping a lid on the noise level. Our testers found its controls convenient, grip comfortable, and beater insertion a breeze. The model comes with wire beaters and a whisk.

The 5.5-quart Le Creuset Signature has been at the top of our ratings for years, and the price is nearly $20 less than it has been in the last few weeks. And while some newcomers perform just as well, the Le Creuset name is still highly sought-after. The speed of heating is top-notch, and this Dutch oven is a cinch to clean. But if you bake a lot of bread, there are better choices. It weighs 12 pounds, less than most, and has an 8-inch cooking diameter. The loop handles are nice and wide.

At a little over 7 pounds, the Merten & Storck German Enameled Iron 1873 is the lightest Dutch oven in our tests. That’s because it’s made of enameled iron vs. enameled cast iron, like the rest of the models. The advantage is that it’s easier to lift and heats up fast. In our tests, it baked bread like a champ, earning an excellent score, and was a cinch to clean. Its performance in our simmering sauce and cooking evenness tests was on a par with the other pots on this list. And at 10 inches, its cooking surface diameter is larger than most pots in our ratings.

You’ll need some muscle to move and operate the Breville Sous Chef 16 BFP810, a nearly 21-pound food processor that packs a powerful 1,450-watt punch. The two-speed appliance aced our celery and mushroom slicing tests, and it’s very good at chopping, shredding, and grating. It’s less proficient at pureéing peas and carrots, ingredients for thick and creamy soups. With a 16-cup capacity, it comes with lots of extras, including a julienne fry disc, dough blade, mini bowl insert with chopping blade, disc organizer, and spatula.

In addition to its cooking prowess, the large Panasonic NN-SE785S comes from a brand that earns high ratings for both predicted reliability and owner satisfaction from our members. This machine’s heating evenness and speed of heating are superb, and it defrosts very well. The controls are self-explanatory, and the microwave operates relatively quietly. It comes equipped with a sensor, which takes the guesswork out of cooking.

The self-defrosting GE FUF14DLRWW offers top performance at a good value. This small upright freezer aces both the thermostat control and temperature uniformity tests, and is very good (though not the best) at keeping food frozen during a power outage. It earns a middling score for noise. It’s impressive in energy efficiency and has a bonus quick-freeze feature, which is a welcome addition at this price.

The 28-inch Samsung RT16A6195SR, at the same price as it was during the last big sale, turns in solid, above-average performance among top-freezers, notching our highest possible scores for thermostat control, temperature uniformity, and energy efficiency, while earning a middling rating for noise. (Ease of use gets a less-than-satisfactory rating, but that’s typical for top-freezers.) Features are scarce here, per the norm, but it does come with gallon storage on the door and spillproof shelves. In our member surveys, Samsung top-freezers receive an exemplary score for predicted reliability but just a passable one for owner satisfaction. This model has an optional icemaker.

The reasonably priced 36-inch-wide LG LRSDS2706S is an all-star performer. It boasts top-notch ratings for thermostat control, temperature uniformity, and ease of use in CR’s lab tests. In addition, its energy-efficiency score is very good and its noise rating is satisfactory. This stainless steel model features an external water/ice dispenser, a built-in water filter, gallon storage bins on the doors, and touchpad controls. In our latest member survey, LG side-by-sides earn lukewarm ratings for reliability and owner satisfaction. We expect the $40 less expensive LG LRSXS2706V to perform similarly, though we haven’t tested the model in our labs.

The 33-inch-wide LG LF25H6330S performs very well in our lab tests, receiving top scores for thermostat control and temperature uniformity, very good scores for low noise output and ease of use, and a midlevel score for energy efficiency. This WiFi-enabled fridge features a stainless steel finish, an icemaker, a through-the-door water/ice dispenser, a built-in water filter, split shelves for better organization, and digital temperature controls. In our latest member survey, LG French-doors receive decent scores for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.

The budget-friendly LG LDFC2423V was recently $50 less, but this is still a great discount. It may get dinged in our member surveys for its middling reliability and satisfaction scores, but it has a lot going for it, starting with its stellar washing performance in CR’s tests. It’s also considerably less expensive than the Bosch models that dominate this category. This model is also fairly quiet when running and has some of the design perks that make life a lot easier, like a soil sensor, an adjustable upper rack, adjustable tines, and a time-remaining display. That said, its drying performance is just okay.

This single-oven gas slide-in LG is still at the same low price we saw for the last big sale. This is among the best gas ranges we’ve seen. It heats fast, simmers consistently, and bakes well, too, though broiling lags a bit behind. It has convection, continuous grates (for easily sliding pots and pans between burners), a griddle burner, and front-mounted controls with no back panel. It’s available in stainless steel or black stainless.

If you want a high-tech oven, consider the black stainless Samsung NE63T8751SG. A slide-in partition allows you to bake food in two cavities at different temperatures, but you can also remove the partition to bake larger foods, like a turkey. This model has onboard diagnostics as well as an app that allows you to use your smartphone to check, say, whether you left one of its four burners on. The cooktop has a warming element and the oven has a convection mode. Its performance is strong, too, with impressive ratings in both our cooktop low and high tests. In our member surveys, Samsung receives only a middling reliability score for its electric ranges, along with a dismal owner satisfaction score.