The best kitchen gadgets for 2024

The hottest kitchen gadget right now seems to be the air fryer, probably because the idea of ​​”frying” food without the oily mess is an easy sell. In reality, air fryers are just miniature convection ovens. They are usually pod shaped and often come with a removable basket. There are also toaster ovens with an air fry function – check out our recommendations below – if you prefer to have a versatile appliance on your countertop.

While both have their own merits, if you think you’ll be air frying a lot, we actually recommend a dedicated pod-shaped air fryer. These appliances tend to produce crispier foods 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 you’re cooking, as well as odor filters that help reduce cooking smells – few other air fryers have both. It also doesn’t take up as much space as a large toaster oven and its controls are easy to use.

No one wants to eat undercooked meat, but it’s also pretty inedible when overcooked. One way to avoid either extreme is to use a thermometer to monitor the temperature. Our favorite is the Thermapen One from ThermoWorks. It gives readings instantly and the screen automatically rotates depending on how you hold it. The auto wake and sleep feature is useful for quick temperature checks, and its IP67 waterproof rating means you don’t have to worry about accidentally dropping it in the sink.

The ThermoPop is a more affordable option in the ThermoWorks line. It’s not as fast as the Thermapen One and it doesn’t have a rotating screen or backlight. But it still measures temperatures accurately, and while it’s not waterproof, it’s splash-proof.

Bakers around the world know that the most accurate way to measure ingredients is with a scale. A “cup of flour” can be very different depending on how you scoop it up, while a scale can tell you exactly if you have 120 grams. A digital scale is best for the most precise measurements, and we particularly like the Escali Primo. You can switch between grams and ounces with a single touch and, more importantly, there is also a tare button that resets the weight so you can continue measuring in the same container. One of the reasons we like the Escali Primo over other models is that it has a very long auto-off timer, allowing it to stay on for four minutes before turning off. This is important when you need more time to chop vegetables or gather other ingredients without having to worry about the scale resetting.

Although the Ninja Creami looks more like a blender than a traditional ice cream churn, it still allows you to create luxurious frozen treats while taking up less space on your counter compared to its old-school rivals. It’s also very easy to use – if you can use a food processor, you can use the Creami – and almost everything except the machine itself can go in your dishwasher, making it easy to clean. Granted, it’s a little noisy in action, but for $200, the Creami is an affordable and surprisingly versatile way to make great ice cream at home. — Sam Rutherford, senior reporter

Sure, you could probably mix a batch of cookie dough by hand, but that will take time and some upper body strength. This is even more true if you want to knead bread dough or concoct a meringue. Save yourself the trouble by getting a stand mixer. For years, the KitchenAid Artisan Series has been a favorite among bakers and home cooks. It’s durable, powerful, and comes with your choice of paddles, hooks, and whisks to use with the mixing bowl. We also like that KitchenAid mixers are compatible with a variety of attachments and attachments that can turn the machine into an ice cream maker, meat grinder, and pasta maker in case you want to expand your culinary horizons.

It’s hard to beat the Vitamix in this space. The high-performance blender brand makes machines that do more than just make smoothies, but can also make salad dressings, sauces, pastes, and soups. This is especially handy if you’re used to adding tougher ingredients to your recipes, like nuts, dried fruit, and frozen items. While other less powerful blenders may leave chunks behind once you introduce tougher ingredients, the Vitamix won’t, leaving you with a silky smooth final product.

Depending on the model you get, you can also purchase different accessories to get the most out of the blender’s powerful base. You can buy 64-ounce containers to make smoothies for your whole family at once or a “dry grain” container equipped with a blade specifically designed to grind things like whole grains so you can make your own flour .

Vitamix currently offers four blender series: the basic Vitamix One, which costs $250; the slightly more advanced Explorian series, which starts at $350 and is arguably best for most people; the Legacy series, starting at $400; and the advanced Ascent series, which will cost you at least $500. Yes, these are expensive machines, but worth the investment if you do a lot of mixing or like to experiment by creating things from scratch.

A toaster oven is a surprisingly versatile appliance. Yes, you can use it to toast bread, rolls and all kinds of pastries. But it’s also a great alternative when you don’t want to heat up your entire house with your full-size oven. It also heats much faster, making it a more efficient choice for reheating leftovers.

We love the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro because it’s large enough to roast a chicken and it also has other functions like dehydrating, proofing, and air frying (thanks to a super convection mode). It also includes presets for baking pizza and toasting bagels. A further step forward is the Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro, which adds WiFi connectivity so you can control it from your phone. The app also offers plenty of recipes and an “autopilot” feature that automatically adjusts the temperature while cooking.

If you don’t want something that big, a smaller, more affordable alternative is the Panasonic Flash Express. It’s roomy enough to hold a slice of pizza but definitely won’t take up as much space as the Breville. This is definitely a great option if all you want is a toaster oven for reheating frozen snacks or toasting multiple slices of bread at once.

If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, a multi-cooker like the Instant Pot could become one of your favorite kitchen gadgets. This cult favorite can multitask, including pressure cooking, slow cooking, stir-frying, cooking rice, making yogurt, steaming, and reheating. The combination of all these features makes it easy to prepare stews, soups, braises and more. You can also make cheesecake there! Our favorite model for most people is the Instant Pot Duo Plus because it’s simple to use, with several quick cooking modes for soup, eggs, porridge and cereal. It also has sterilization and vacuum cooking functions.

Want a smarter Instant Pot instead? Consider the Instant Pot Pro Plus. Not only does it have updated features like a canning function and an oven-safe inner pot, but you also get WiFi connectivity and a companion app, which offers step-by-step guided instructions for more than 800 recipes. Plus, you can use it to release steam from the Instant Pot remotely. You can also use the app to set a timer to automatically release steam.

If you want to make sure your expensive steak is perfectly rare without having to constantly monitor its temperature, consider getting a sous vide cooker. These machines allow you to cook anything in a temperature-controlled water bath so that it is cooked to perfection. We’ve successfully prepared steak, chicken, burgers, eggs, and even yogurt in a sous vide cooker, and the results have been perfect every time.

Our favorite model is the Anova Precision Cooker 3.0. The company has added digital touch controls, a longer power cord, and WiFi connectivity to an already excellent core product with the launch of the latest version. The companion app is also thoughtfully designed, with hundreds of recipes and the ability to control the machine remotely. And even if there is an application component, you don’t have to use it; you can easily adjust the temperature with the built-in controls and large digital display.