Small Kitchen Appliances: A Buyer’s Guide

Small kitchen appliances can significantly expand the types of food you can prepare at home.

When you're limited to an oven and a microwave, your cooking options can be pretty limited. But, if you get your hands on some other kitchen appliances, your kitchen's menu options will increase exponentially!

This buyer's guide considers all of the small kitchen appliances you may want to include in your home. We'll also take a look at the qualities and features you need to consider when planning to make a purchase.

Toaster

Toasters are one of the most essential kitchen appliances, especially if you've got kids in the house. They can quickly cook bagels, bread, pop tarts and more!

Of course, some toasters will be better equipped to cook these things than others. For example, many toasters have narrow slots, making it difficult to cook larger pieces of bread or bagels. If you're big on bagels, you might want to look at our review of the best toaster for bagels.

I'm personally a huge fan of crumpets. For years, I found it very difficult to prepare crumpets in my toaster. When I finally found the best toaster for crumpets, I had never appreciated a kitchen appliance more in my life.

Toaster Oven

Toaster ovens can do everything a toaster can do and more.

In addition to toasting bread, bagels and similar treats, toaster ovens have enough space to cook larger foods and even entire meals. Many toaster ovens get hot enough to cook meat, pizzas and other options.

If you're looking for an appliance that is more versatile than a toaster, the toaster oven might be your best bet. And don't worry, they can still handle the casual piece of toast! You can learn more in our review of the best toaster oven for toast.

Coffee Maker

No home is complete without a coffee maker. It's arguably one of the most essential small kitchen appliances.

I use my coffee maker on a daily basis – and I'm sure many of you do, too. Since I use it so often, I wasn't afraid to get a higher-end coffee maker that I could rely on for my daily cup of joe. Since I typically spend my time at home in the morning, I needed a coffee maker that would keep my coffee warm for a few hours. Luckily, I discovered the best coffee maker for keeping coffee hot.

Although this guide is for home appliances, I think coffee makers deserve some extra attention considering half the population drinks coffee on a daily basis.

For coffee on the go, you may want to check out our review of the best coffee maker for travel or the best coffee maker for camping.

Blender

Blenders are such a vital part of your kitchen, we decided they deserved much more attention than just a portion of this article.

We've written an entire buyer's guide for those of you who may be in the market for a blender. In this guide, we talk about all the reasons that you may want to buy a blender. Plus, as always, we tell you what particular features you need to look for before you make a purchase.

Juicer

Vegetable and fruit juice is a refreshing treat packed with vitamins and nutrients. The only thing standing between you and fresh juice is a juicer!

Juicers are great for making traditional beverages like lemonade and orange juice. If you want to get creative and make some fancy cocktails, a juicer is definitely a must. Check out the best juicer for limes and lemons for all your cocktail needs!

Let's not forget that you can juice vegetables, too! Juicing vegetables is a great way to supplement your diet with healthy nutrients. If this is more your speed, be sure to read our review of the best juicer for tomatoes and other vegetables.

Deep Fryer

The deep fryer can be considered a specialty appliance, but it is definitely one worth having if you enjoy chicken, french fries or other fried delicacies.

Plus, most deep fryers you'll find nowadays are compact and efficient. You won't have to worry about lugging around a massive bucket to enjoy your favorite fried foods.

Wings are my go-to fried dish. You can read my review on the best deep fryer for wings here (it can fry everything else, too).

Air Fryer

If you're looking for a way to enjoy fried foods without the extra calories, you have to try an air fryer! Compared to deep fryers, air fryers use much less oil to cook and fry foods.

Like many others, your first concern is probably that air frying food won't compare to food compared with a traditional deep fryer. And that's understandable! Many air fryers tend to miss the mark when it comes to producing that satisfying crunchy quality.

But, there are still a handful of air fryers out there that can certainly deliver. If you're looking for an air fryer that can make great french fries, chips and other fried snacks, I recommend checking out our review of the best air fryer for chips.

There are plenty of great options for frying meat and other entrees, too. My family is big on fried fish, so finding the best air fryer for fish was a must. It's also great for chicken!

Smoker

Smokers are a must-have appliance for anyone who enjoys slow-cooked meat. If you're craving pulled pork, ribs, chicken or any other dish with a smokey flavor, the best way to satisfy your craving is with a smoker.

There are several kinds of smokers, differentiated by their fuel or heat source. Common types of smokers include electric smokers, charcoal smokers and wood-burning smokers. Each type has its own benefits – for example, electric smokers will hold the most food and provide a more consistent temperature for cooking.

That being said, you'll probably want to look for the smoker that best suits your needs. Are you looking for a smoker that fits a particular budget? Check out our reviews of the best smoker under $500 and the best smoker under $200.

If you're for a reliable smoker that you can count on for even, consistent cooking, you'll want to start with our review of the best smoker with temperature control. By controlling the temperature, you can guarantee that your food is being cooked just how you like it.

Are you looking to smoke something specific? We've got recommendations for you there, too. Our review of the best smoker for a turkey is a great place to start if you're planning on cooking whole birds or other large cuts of meat.

Slow Cooker

A slow cooker, also called a crock pot, may be a more economical purchase for those of you who want to enjoy a convenient, flavorful meal without the process of smoking it.

In my opinion, slow cookers are another essential kitchen appliance that no home should be without. The reason for that is that you can cook countless meals in a slow cooker without doing any significant prep work. In most cases, you can just drop all of your ingredients in the slow cooker and hit start. A few hours later, you've got a perfectly cooked meal.

Unlike grills or ovens, slow cookers deliver low heat to the food for hours at a time. This process slowly brings your food to the correct temperature, preserving flavors and textures without compromising food safety.

In addition to cooking full meals, crock pots are great for preparing sides, soups and other recipes. Ready to take your Super Bowl dip to the next level? Read our review of the best crock pot for dips!

If you're looking for a slow cooker that can handle a diverse range of recipes, take a look at our review of the best slower cooker for bone broth. Bone broth is a tough thing to get right, and our favorite slow cooker makes it easy!

Pressure Cooker

A pressure cooker is quite similar to a slow cooker. The main difference is that a pressure cooker actually cooks foods very quickly.

A pressure cooker is airtight. As liquids evaporate within the pressure cooker, pressure builds and so does the temperature. During this process, the steam from the evaporated liquids get infused with the foods inside. The result? Flavorful foods cooked in a fraction of the time.

Canning is a food storage technique that resembles pressure cooking. After food is prepared, you hold the food in an airtight container to preserve it as long as possible. Due to this similarity, pressure cooking is often used to prepare foods for canning. If you enjoy canning, you'll want to see our review of the best pressure cooker for canning.

Pressure cookers can even be used to cook rice – a process that otherwise can take as long as an hour or more! If you're ready to enjoy perfectly and quickly cooked rice, head over to our review of the best pressure cooker for rice.

Rice Cooker

If you eat rice on a regular basis, a rice cooker will pay for itself in no time.

Have you ever cooked rice that turned out a little hard or a little mushy? We've all been there, rice is one of the toughest things to cook properly. But, with a rice cooker, you can kiss those days goodbye.

Rice cookers are essentially pressure cookers just for rice. They trap hot steam inside, causing the rice to cook to a perfect level of firmness. Considering rice goes with tons of meals and cuisines, a rice cooker is an incredibly helpful appliance.

If you're looking for your perfect rice cooker, refer to our reviews of the best rice cooker for sushi and the best rice cooker under $100.

Qualities & Features to Look for in Small Kitchen Appliances

We just went over a lot of appliances – if you're feeling a little overwhelmed, let's hone in on the qualities that matter when purchasing kitchen appliances.

Can They Prepare the Food that You Want to Eat?

This one may seem obvious, but it can be easy to get distracted by the bells and whistles of nice appliances!

Sure, it'd be great to be able to deep fry a chicken, but if you don't like fried food then what's the point? I love rice, and I use it in most of the meals I cook. That made getting a rice cooker an absolute no-brainer for me!

Will You Use Them Regularly?

There's no point in purchasing an appliance if it's just going to gather dust most weeks.

Start with the appliances you'll use the most! For example, I use a coffee maker every morning! This appliance definitely takes precedence over something like a smoker, which I might only use on special occasions.

Do You Have Room in Your Home?

Even though these appliances are small, you can run out of space quickly if you go on a shopping spree!

If you don't have room for every appliance, try to narrow your wish list down to just a few appliances. Many appliances share similar functions. For example, you don't need a toaster and a toaster oven. Pick the one that best suits your needs so you can save some money and space in your home.

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