Yahoo Finance Home Awards 2021: Kitchen Appliances
- 1/9
Proclamation Goods Co. Duo
Proclamation Goods Co.
huckberry.com
$379.00
When I cook, I typically only reach for two pans for any given recipe anyway—a pot and skillet when I’m making a pasta dish with sauce or just one pot for rice and pan for roasting veggies. As one of the founders, Tony Leo, pointed out to me, your pans are not paying rent, so why give up so much storage space to such a variety of cookware? I tested the stainless-steel Proclamation Duo for a month to see if it could really replace all the other pots and pans I typically use to cook.
The 12-inch skillet in stainless steel was easy to care for and lightweight, but it was wide and deep enough to handle meal prep for the week. As a vegetarian, I can’t tell you how well the skillet can sear a steak, but it did roast all my veggies evenly. If you’re accustomed to nonstick Teflon, keep in mind that the Duo isn’t truly nonstick. Fried eggs clung a bit the first time I used the pan, and I yearned to go back to my cast-iron skillet. But cooking in the skillet got less sticky once I got used to cooking over low heat. With nontoxic cookware, patience is a virtue. If you’re not concerned about the added weight or maintenance, you may want to opt for the carbon steel skillet for better nonstick capabilities.
huckberry.com - 2/9
Chef’s Choice Trizor XV EdgeSelect
Chef’sChoice
amazon.com
$139.91
We tend to agree with the sharpening purists of the world who tout the benefits of using whetstones. But we found ourselves questioning our allegiances after we used the Trizor. Its electric design is undeniably convenient and proved very effective. In just nine passes per side, our chef’s knife smoothly tore a long slit into the piece of paper. The knife needed more force to break the tomato’s skin, but once it did, it sliced through the fruit cleanly. By comparison, the knife required ten times as many strokes on one of the sharpening stones we tested before it was usable. Credit the Trizor’s diamond abrasives, which shaved the metal easily, and its acute sharpening angle. Chef’s Choice also thoughtfully included a third stage designed for stropping, which is rare to see on electric sharpeners. The obvious hangup: cost. But if you’re committed to an electric option, your money will be well spent here, and your knives will be sharper in no time.
amazon.com - 3/9
Brita Grand Pitcher
Brita
amazon.com
$30.49
For most people’s everyday needs, Brita’s Grand Water Pitcher can hold ten cups of water, free from chlorine, mercury, copper, zinc, and cadmium. The electronic filter indicator lets you know when it’s time to replace the filter—depending on if you use Brita’s Standard or Longlast filter, which last for two or six months, respectively. This pitcher’s design is also space efficient and easy to pour and refill with the locking lid.
amazon.com - 4/9
Braun BrewSense
Braun
amazon.com
$109.95
To make the best cup of coffee, you need top-notch equipment—but you don’t necessarily need to break the bank. Braun’s BrewSense coffee maker offers consistent drip brews at either regular or bold strength. And the LCD display allows you to program it to start brewing one to four cups at any time of day, so your coffee is ready just the way you like it.
amazon.com - 5/9
De’Longhi La Specialista
De'Longhi
amazon.com
$699.99
Any espresso enthusiast knows the key to the perfect cup is freshly ground beans, great temperature control, and foam frothing. The De’Longhi La Specialista machine provides the premium espresso experience thanks to its built-in grinder with a sensor to ensure you won’t run out of beans, the mess-free smart tamping station, and the dual heating system for coffee extraction and steaming milk. The many components allows the La Specialista to brew specialty drinks like authentic Americanos and foam-rich cappuccinos without having to leave the house.
amazon.com - 6/9
Ninja Max XL
Ninja
amazon.com
$139.99
Of all the air fryers we’ve tried, this one produces the crispiest, tastiest fries and wings. It’s also the easiest to use. The ceramic interior with nonstick bottom quickly cleans up, whether you wash it by hand or in a dishwasher. You can broil with the Ninja, too, rapidly melting cheese on open-faced sandwiches. There’s even a super-low setting for dehydrating meats and fruits.
amazon.com - 7/9
Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo
williams-sonoma.com
$999.95
In Italy, a pizzaiolo is a person who makes pizza. The name is fitting here as this countertop wonder is a near-perfect personal- pizza maker. You still have to make (or buy) the dough and layer on the sauce and cheese. But with temps up to 750 degrees and a quality pizza stone, this little appliance turns out pie after pie that’s bubbly with the right amount of char. Choose between preprogrammed and manual controls to customize cooking. Go for a thin and cheesy Neopolitan one night and a thick and crunchy pan the next.
williams-sonoma.com - 8/9
NutriBullet Blender Combo 1,200-Watt
NutriBullet
amazon.com
$136.87
This blender delivers excellent power, stability, and versatility for the price. The set comes with a full-size pitcher and smaller 32-ounce and 24-ounce cups; both snap on quickly and are easy to clean. It’s not the quietest option, but its blades whip through tough greens and frozen fruit for silky-as-you-want-them smoothies and sauces. Suction cups on the base keep the blender in place even when you’re crushing ice.
amazon.com - 9/9
Smithey Ironware No. 12
Smithey Ironware
smithey.com
$200.00
Taking inspiration from smooth, vintage cast iron, Smithey Ironware polishes its skillets to create glossy nonstick surfaces. The No. 12 skillet is deep, with two pouring spouts, and its hefty 8-pound weight gives it high heat capacity and excellent distribution. Use it to sear, pan fry, or roast—in the oven or over a campfire. In our testing, it delivered a beautiful dark sear with very little sticking and no hot spots.
smithey.com
