Best Inexpensive Small Kitchen Appliances
Recently, I heard from EC reader Douglas who has kitchen appliances on his mind:
Would you please repeat your column that describes the best inexpensive small kitchen appliances? I want to replace my mixer and small food chopper. Thanks. Your column is great. I look forward to it every day. Doug
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After a few moments of non-productive searching, my confused self realized that while I’ve included some small kitchen appliances in the past, the column Doug was looking for didn’t exist. Now it does. Thanks, Douglas for that kick I needed and your nice comments, too.
Best Inexpensive small kitchen appliances
1. Food processor
The Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor is simple to use offering 2 speeds, a powerful 450-watt motor, and a large feed tube. Just the perfect size and a great price, too.
2. Hand mixer
When selecting an electric mixer, consider carefully your specific need. If you often use a mixer for small jobs, my pick for Best Inexpensive is the KitchenAid 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer. Comes complete with a 1-year hassle-free replacement warranty. If you require a more robust kitchen appliance for mixing, read on.
3. Stand mixer
If you use a mixer to make and knead bread dough, to make large batches of cookies and even shred meat and poultry, my pick is the classic KitchenAid Stand Mixer, 5-quart. The 10-speed option goes from very slow to fast whip. Comes with a flat beater, dough hook and wire whip. Tilt-head makes use easy and super enjoyable. This is the last stand mixer you’ll ever buy.
4. Blender
You can spend $400 for one of the trendy power blenders like Vitamix and Blendtec—or save a lot of money with this 1000-watt Ninja Professional Blender. This machine rivals its expensive competitors and comes out on top. It’s a beauty!
5. Immersion blender
Mueller Austria Ultra-Stick Immersion Blender is powered by 500-watts and has nine speeds. The shaft of this corded hand blender has a release button, which allows that part to go straight into the dishwasher making this a very useful and handy kitchen tool. It comes complete with a quality whisk attachment. For the money and quality, this Mueller stick blender can’t be beat.
6. Chopper
The Vidalia Chop Wizard is still my pick for the best inexpensive chopper. Today it is the same price I paid for mine more than 10 years ago! It’s easy to use, simple to clean, and produces beautiful results.
7. Toaster
Cuisinart 4-Slice Compact Plastic Toaster is simple, sleek, and totally functional in that it will toast sliced bread as well as bagels. On bagel setting, you can toast bagels so that the cut side toasts, while the other side gets warmed. Super cool. Highly reliable, too. Available in a 2-slice option as well.
8. Pressure cooker
Electric pressure cookers are taking the country by storm. Once thought to be inadequate if not dangerous, those days are gone. You won’t find a better electric pressure cooker than Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker, 6Qt. It also functions as a slow cooker, for a total of 7 different funcitons. With its large, easy to use control panel with 14 Micro-Processor controlled programs, dual pressure, automatic keep-warm and three temperatures for sauté and slow cook. Every kitchen needs an Instant Pot. Not familiar with pressure cooking? Click here!
9. Slow cooker
If an Instant Pot is overkill for your situation (difficult to imagine but indeed possible), a slow cooker will be ideal to meet your needs, and the Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker is my pick for best inexpensive. Its 6-quart size is ideal.
10. Toaster oven
BLACK+DECKER 4-Slice Toaster Oven has four functions: baking, broiling, toasting, and keeping food warm plus a 30-minute timer. It’s simple to use, easy to clean and attractive, too.
11. Coffee maker
When it comes to quite possibly the most important kitchen appliance my first choice in coffee makers remains BUNN 13000 12-CUP coffeemaker. However, regarding value and Best Inexpensive, it’s Mr. Coffee Easy Measure 12 Cup Programmable Coffee Maker that is the current pick for the Best Inexpensive coffee makers.
For my hard-core coffee loving readers, this does not make the absolute best cup of coffee, but it does the job—it makes decent coffee. Has a programmable timer and extra-large capacity reservoir. Easy to use. For the money, a great option.
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Thank you for your wonderful advice on small appliances. I do have a recommendation for a stand mixer. I prefer the KitchenAid 6 quart where the bowl raises up. It actually takes less room because the tilt-up has to be pulled out from under the cupboards. With mine I just leave it where it is!!
You are right about the chop wizard. We have two in the house, two in the RV and two in reserve. I use onions in almost everything, and it has saved many many tears.
I Love the Mueller immersion blender, purchased at Amazon. VERY powerful. I received the Vidalia Chop Wizard in 2008 as a gift and use it weekly! It’s so great for chopping carrots, celery and other root veggies for consistent sized veggies for soups. Love the Instant Pot, but still use a slow cooker for stews. As usual, Mary’s advice on these is on the money!
Kroger’s has stopped sharpening knives so I need to purchase a knife sharpener. Will appreciate any ideas. Really need an electric one due to arthritis in wrists. Thanks for all you do. Ruth
Plase let us know about air fryers. Now they come in two styles, the original big round or squares ones and now some airfryers are coming out that look like toaster ovens and have more functions that a regualr air fryer. Which stule is best and whcih ones are the best.
Do you have a suggestion for the best air fryer?
Thanks for your piece on inexpensive small appliances. You mentioned a coffee maker that was good for the $, but what is the BEST coffee maker in your opinion?
David, Mary mentioned it in the first line of her post about coffee makers. It’s a Bunn.
as for a small blender, my sunbeam oscar (bought in 1986) is still going strong as is my avocado green hand mixer (also sunbeam) from early 90’s. and yes, i agree mr. coffee coffee maker is also a great item. and there are many models; mine is definitely NOT new. thank you mary for all your helpful reviews of these everyday items. your daily email is awaited in great anticipation in this otherwise tough covid 19 atmosphere. stay well and safe.
What do you think about air dryers? Mary can you discuss this?
The world became a lesser place the day Oster stopped production of their Kitchen Center! I’ve used mine (& several replacement parts via eBay) everyday the past 35 years.