Buying Guide · Kitchen Appliance
The Best Kitchen Appliances Right Now
The best kitchen appliance is the one that earns its counter space. Critics favor machines that perform more than one job well, simplify a fiddly process, or deliver results that are difficult to recreate by hand.
These picks cover everyday cooking, espresso, frozen desserts and party drinks. The trade-offs matter: several are expensive and bulky, while the more specialized options only make sense if you will use them regularly.
Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro
Critics largely agree that this is one of the rare combination ovens that works well as both an air fryer and a toaster oven. It has substantial capacity and simple controls, but it costs $400, needs plenty of counter space and preheats more slowly than smaller appliances.
Read the full Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro roundup →
Ninja Foodi Max 15-in-1 SmartLid Multi-Cooker
Reviewers agree that its single lid, broad cooking range and integrated meat probe make it unusually versatile. It can pressure cook, steam fry and air fry well, but it is expensive, heavy and difficult to accommodate in a small kitchen.
Read the full Ninja Foodi Max 15-in-1 SmartLid Multi-Cooker roundup →
Breville Barista Express Impress
Critics report that its assisted dosing and tamping make espresso more approachable without removing the hands-on process. It can produce strong coffee, though buyers should expect a learning period, limited grinder adjustment and occasional frustration with automatic drink volumes.
Read the full Breville Barista Express Impress roundup →
Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid
Reviewers praise its intuitive controls, automatic pressure release and ability to pressure cook before browning in the same machine. Wirecutter argues that separate appliances perform each job better, so this is a convenience pick rather than the choice for peak air-frying or pressure-cooking performance.
Read the full Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid roundup →
Ninja Creami
Critics agree that it can turn a pre-frozen pint into smooth ice cream, gelato or sorbet with plenty of room for customization. Every batch requires roughly 24 hours of advance freezing, and the machine is loud while processing.
Read the full Ninja Creami roundup →
Ninja Crispi
Its glass containers can move from cooking to the table or fridge, and TechGearLab found the removable parts exceptionally easy to clean. The trade-offs are a $180 price, a very hot exterior, variable frying results and fixed presets instead of manual temperature control.
Read the full Ninja Crispi roundup →
Ninja Slushi
Critics agree that it makes impressively textured frozen drinks without ice cubes or complicated controls, and its 2.5-litre capacity suits groups of more than seven. It is expensive, bulky and poorly suited to single servings, and recipes need enough sugar to freeze correctly.
Read the full Ninja Slushi roundup →How we chose
We ranked RightWei's published review roundups by looking for agreement among independent professional critics, including Wirecutter, TechRadar, BBC Good Food, Good Housekeeping, CNET, WIRED, Serious Eats and TechGearLab. We prioritized consistent performance, practical convenience and clear value for a specific type of shopper, while giving equal weight to recurring complaints about price, size, controls and limitations. RightWei summarizes other publications' hands-on testing and does not test these appliances in its own lab.
Every pick above links to our full roundup for that product, where the professional reviews we relied on are cited directly. RightWei aggregates the critics' consensus — we don't run a test lab.