Food News and Trends Product Reviews and Buying Guides 15 Must-Have Small Appliances for Home Cooks By Mary Claire Lagroue Mary Claire Lagroue Mary Claire Lagroue works as an associate commerce editor at Food & Wine. A former associate editor at Allrecipes, she joined Dotdash Meredith in 2019. She has written about food since 2017, and her work can be found in Cooking Light, Southern Living, and more. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on July 14, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Photo: Allrecipes Image In the past year or two, most of us have been cooking at home more than ever. Sure, you have the skillets and casserole pans for weeknight dinners, but do you have the saucepan for frying restaurant-quality chicken or the bread machine for homemade breads? When it comes to home cooking, your tools matter as much as the recipes you're following. Investing in the right appliances can make a major difference in your prep work as well as the finished product. These 15 small appliances are your ticket to smoother soups, fluffier rice, and the (possibly) best bread ever. 01 of 15 Hamilton Beach Digital Slow Cooker Amazon Slow cookers take the effort out of stews, soups, meat dishes, and so much more. This 6-quart cooker is fit for family dinners as well as potlucks. The super-tight sealed lid allows you to transport it with ease. Buy It: $69; Amazon or Best Buy 20 Best Slow Cooker Recipes Buy Now 02 of 15 Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer, 10 Cup Sur La Table Whether you're cooking white rice, sushi rice, brown rice, or porridge, this rice cooker has a setting that's just right. It even includes a microcomputer to keep the cooking temperature and time on point. Buy It: $174; Amazon, Target, or Sur La Table Rice Cooker Recipes Buy Now 03 of 15 Cuisinart Elemental 11-Cup Food Processor Williams Sonoma This large food processor powers through whole fruits and veggies, nuts, and cheese. Its size makes it ideal for soup and sauces, too. Cuisinart's small appliances are consistently among our top-rated picks in testing, including our selection for best food processor. Buy It: $90; Amazon, Williams Sonoma, or Walmart All the Foods You Can Make in Your Food Processor (Including Bread) Buy Now 04 of 15 KitchenAid 2-Speed Hand Blender with 3-Cup Jar and Lid KitchenAid This hand blender (aka an immersion blender or stick blender) relies on a single stainless steel blade to purée, emulsify, and whip up food. Plus, it eliminates the need to pull out another appliance. Buy It: $60; Amazon The Best Immersion Blenders to Buy Now Buy Now 05 of 15 Hamilton Beach Electric Pasta and Noodle Maker, Automatic Bed Bath & Beyond Choose between four recipes and seven noodle shapes to prepare perfect pasta at home — all in less than 20 minutes. Buy It: $110; Amazon, Walmart, or Bed Bath & Beyond How to Make Basic Pasta Buy Now 06 of 15 Presto 19-inch Tilt-n-Fold Griddle Wayfair Turn out up to 10 pancakes and a dozen eggs with this top-rated electric griddle. Its cast-iron surface (which can be tilted to drain grease) makes it excellent for meat. Buy It: $40; Amazon or Wayfair The 6 Best Electric Griddles to Buy in 2020 Buy Now 07 of 15 Zwilling 4-Slice Toaster ZWILLING This sleek four-slice toaster not only comes with seven settings to toast bread to perfection, it also regulates the heat so that you're not left with toast that's burnt on one side and barely thawed on the other. Buy It: $150; Amazon or Williams Sonoma How To Buy The Best Toaster or Toaster Oven Buy Now 08 of 15 OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale with Pull Out Display Sur La Table Food scales help you measure ingredients even more accurately than measuring cups. Consider it handy for baking and essential for fermenting veggies. Buy It: $50; Amazon, Sur La Table, or OXO The 3 Best Food Scales to Buy Now Buy Now 09 of 15 Hamilton Beach OpenStation Can Opener Hamilton Beach This efficient can opener also works its magic on jars, pop-top cans, bottle caps, twist-off caps, and plastic packages. Buy It: $23; Amazon, Walmart, or Target Buy Now 10 of 15 Cuisinart Compact Automatic Bread Maker Cuisinart Bake fresh bread like a pro with this compact bread machine. It includes settings for white, French, whole-wheat, sweet, gluten-free, and artisan bread, so you can really customize your loaf. You can even use it to make jam and compotes. Buy It: $130; Amazon, Williams Sonoma, or Walmart See our entire collection of bread machine recipes here. Buy Now 11 of 15 Philips Smoke-Less Grill Sur La Table Grilling indoors means you're no longer at the mercy of the weather. This countertop electric grill emits next to no smoke. Plus, cleaning its nonstick grill slats and dishwasher-safe drip tray couldn't be easier. Buy It: $300; Williams Sonoma BBQ & Grilling Recipes Buy Now 12 of 15 Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus Instant Pot This game-changing Instant Pot doesn't just cook food up to 70 percent faster. It's also programmed with settings for sous vide, baking, and preparing everything from rice to ribs. Buy It: Amazon, Williams Sonoma, or Bed Bath & Beyond The Best Electric Pressure Cookers According to Our Test Kitchen Buy Now 13 of 15 Hamilton Beach Belgian Style Waffle Maker Hamilton Beach Your waffles will reach their crisp-but-fluffy potential with this waffle maker's nonstick grids, rotating handle, and browning control dial. Breakfast at its most convenient. Buy It: $50; Amazon, Target, and Bed Bath & Beyond Wonderful Waffle Recipes Buy Now 14 of 15 KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer KitchenAid This powerful stand mixer takes baking to the next level. Available in 20+ colors, it also looks gorgeous on a countertop. Buy It: $430; Williams Sonoma, Walmart, and KitchenAid Buy Now 15 of 15 Ninja Air Fryer Max XL Target This top-rated air fryer is large enough to air fry food for the whole family — like up to three pounds of crispy, oil-free French fries. Just add its nonstick basket to the dishwasher come cleanup time. Buy It: $140; Amazon or Target So You Just Got an Air Fryer? Here Are the Recipes You Should Make First Buy Now Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit