Here are some essential small appliances that many people find useful in their kitchens ranked by how useful I think they are.
1. Coffee Maker: For those who enjoy coffee, having a coffee maker (or an espresso machine) can be essential for brewing morning coffee or specialty drinks. Nothing will help you save money more!
2. Standard Blender: Ideal for making smoothies, sauces, soups, and purees. Some blenders also have additional functions like chopping and grinding (which can replace a food processor).
3. Toaster Oven: Perfect for toasting bread, bagels, and heating small portions of food. Toaster ovens can also bake and broil, serving as a versatile cooking tool. Ours also has an air fry function.
4. Slow Cooker: Convenient for preparing stews, soups, roasts, and one-pot meals. It allows for slow cooking over several hours, making it a time-saving appliance. Set it and forget it!
5. Electric Griddle/Sandwich Press: Useful for making grilled sandwiches, pancakes, quesadillas, and grilling meats or vegetables indoors. Griddles are great for breakfasts!
Great but can wait:
1. Food Processor: Useful for chopping, shredding, slicing, and pureeing ingredients. It’s great for making salsa, chopping nuts, grating cheese, and more.
2. Air Fryer: Provides a healthier way to fry foods using minimal oil by circulating hot air. It’s excellent for making crispy foods like French fries, chicken wings, and vegetables.
3. Electric Kettle: Quickly boils water for making tea, coffee, instant noodles, and other hot beverages or dishes. Can also use a microwave so it’s not necessary.
4. Rice Cooker: Makes cooking rice hassle-free and produces perfectly cooked rice consistently. Some models can also cook other grains and steam vegetables.
5. Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer: Great for baking and making dough, batter, whipped cream, frosting, and more. Stand mixers often come with attachments for various tasks.
6. Immersion Blender: Also known as a hand blender, it’s useful for blending soups, sauces, and smoothies directly in the pot or container without transferring to a blender.
7. Electric Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot): Combines multiple functions like pressure cooking, slow cooking, sautéing, steaming, and more in one appliance, allowing for quick and convenient cooking of various dishes.
