Make Big Change

While it’s always fun to score a bargain or to get something you really covet on sale, there are times when a gadget or appliance is simply worth the splurge. We review a lot of kitchen tech, appliances, and accessories and these are the ones that have earned a place in our kitchens. Consider them an investment.

Anova Nano

Master sous vide cooking

Anova Nano is a free-standing sous-vide cooker that can be placed in any pot, pan, or basin. It plugs into the wall and can be controlled via an app. The Nano will heat water to a specified temperature and hold it there for hours, meaning it’s impossible to overcook something. Sous vide cooking ensures your food holds at the optimum temperature so you can make the perfect steak (or a number of other foods) every time.

Tineco Toasty One

Smart toaster is surprisingly helpful

Tineco’s Toasty One is a smart toaster that detects your bread and adjusts the heat to ensure it comes out perfectly every time. You can even make two pieces of toast at the same time with completely different doneness levels. It has a touchscreen, so you can choose the exact shade of toast you want. It’s not cheap, but it will be a gadget that dazzles your houseguests.

Cuisinart EvolutionX hand beater

Cordless appliances in the kitchen makes sense

For those on the move, Cuisinart’s Evolution X is a hand-held blender with several different heads for immersion blending, whipping, and even drink frothing. It’s perfect for moving around in the kitchen. Since you don’t need to be tied to a wall outlet, you can mix up batter or quiche anywhere: on the stovetop, or even the dining table. Even if you already have a handheld blender, there are all kinds of reasons why a cordless version comes in handy, particularly for campers and those who own RVs.

Amazon Smart Soap Dispenser

Touchless is the future!

A couple of years ago this might have seemed like a silly splurge, but these days it’s a wise investment. Any time we can eliminate touch points we’re avoiding contact with any kind of germs, whether that’s COVID or salmonella. Amazon’s Smart Soap Dispenser is an excellent idea for those with kids or for people who like cleanliness. You can control how much soap it dispenses by how far you place your hands under the spout, and it lights up for 20 seconds (the recommended washing time). You can also use it with your Alexa routines and have it play music.

Looft Lighter X

A wire-free way to fire up your grill

The rechargeable cordless Looft Lighter X is worth a look if you use a charcoal grill. It’s a unique tool made to both spark up your charcoal fire, and do double duty as a bellows to provide all important oxygen to your grill. Just click it on, touch it to the charcoal, and when the charcoal sparks or begins to glow, you pull the lighter back to provide a wider area of heat and lots of airflow. Within a minute, your charcoal is lit, and you’re off to the races.

Thermomix TM6

All in one kitchen robot

The Thermomix TM6 is an all-in-one cooking device; it’s a blender, food processor, cooking pot, rice maker, whip, and steamer. In fact, you can cook an entire meal simultaneously, with the protein grilling above your steamed veggies. It also sous-vides, slow cooks, and even emulsifies. It’s quite pricey, but if you consider that it replaces about a dozen other appliances and gadgets, you’ll be pretty excited to give it a try. Oh, and this “kitchen robot” is all the rage across Europe.

U by Moen smart faucet

Talk to your tap

You might think it’s a bit decadent to talk to your tap, but hear us out. U by Moen is a smart faucet that can deliver a precise amount of water on voice command and can be activated by hand movement. It has a setting for wand washing that will keep the faucet running for 20 seconds, pause while you soap up, and continue. Plus, with the ability to set presets to fill your coffee pot or the dog dish, it means no wasted water.

Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro

Execute chef recipes like a pro

The Joule by Breville is an oven and an air fryer combined. You can activate it by voice, and it has a number of smart functions designed to optimize cooking time. You can also use it to proof dough and dehydrate fruit. The companion app is filled with hundreds of recipes from New York Times Cooking (no subscription required), Top Chef alum, Breville Test Kitchen, and more. Best of all, recipes with a flight plan basically cook themselves. Want to wow your guests? Quickly cook up a batch of delicious croissants that proof and bake themselves to perfection.

With so many amazing gadgets on the market, and new models being introduced all the time, it’s never been easier to incorporate tech in the kitchen. Try out something new and see if it saves you time and money.

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