20 Small Kitchen Appliances for $100 or Less

If you want a basic glass-carafe drip-coffee maker, you can’t do much better than the Cuisinart PerfecTemp DCC-3200, one of the highest-ranking models from our tests. It can brew a full 14 cups, earning top marks for brew performance. Program it before bedtime, and you’ll have fresh coffee waiting when you wake up. You can even adjust the brewing time to make weaker or stronger coffee.

Also consider: Cuisinart 14-Cup Brew Central Programmable CBC-7200 Coffee Maker

A built-in milk frother makes this single-serve Keurig K-Latte K-36 coffee maker a good fit for latte and cappuccino lovers. You won’t have to wait long for that first cup to brew, and subsequent cups are served up quickly, too. Expect consistent brew size and temperature to boot.

This portable Asobu cold-brew coffee maker is among the top-rated models in CR’s tests. It is convenient to use and surpasses all others in our cold-brew taste test. The Asobu isn’t dishwasher-safe, but it has a stainless steel insulated carafe (rare for a manual model) and brews in 12 to 24 hours, depending on how strong you like your coffee.

The Cuisinart Automatic cold-brew coffee maker is among the top-rated models in the cold-brew category. It does well across all of CR’s tests and is easy to clean. Unlike those of most competitors, most of its parts are dishwasher-safe. It comes with a glass carafe (not plastic, like some competing models) and brews in 25 to 45 minutes.

The two-slice Breville Bit More BTA720XL toaster earns top marks in our ease-of-use tests. It has wide slots and settings for cut bagels and frozen bread (it defrosts the bread, then toasts it). And if your toast turns out too light? Press the button labeled "A Bit More" and it will toast a little longer.

Also consider: Breville Bit More BTA730XL 4-Slice Toaster

The Cuisinart Countdown Metal CPT-415 toasters snag a high rating in our color-range tests producing toast just as you like it. There are settings for bagels, defrosting, and reheating, and Cuisinart’s 3-year warranty is longer than most brands in our ratings.

Also consider: Cuisinart Countdown Metal CPT-435 Toaster 4-Slice Toaster

The Hamilton Beach Silver 31143 toaster oven gives a solid performance in our baking test, evenly baking a batch of cookies and muffins. It’s easy to use, with clearly labeled controls that are simple to set. It is also a cinch to clean and has two rack conditions and a temperature range of Warm to 450° F. This model can hold up to four slices of bread at once, or (separately) even a 9-inch pizza.

For more options: Best Toaster Ovens

The Cuisinart Elemental FP-8SV is a two-speed 350-watt food processor with push-button controls and an 8-cup capacity. While the model earns top marks for shredding carrots and cheddar cheese in our tests, it doesn’t grate a hard chunk of Parmesan cheese as well. That said, the food processor aces our tests for chopping and slicing—especially foods like celery and mushrooms. 

For more options: Best Food Processors and Choppers

The 2.5-cup-capacity Ninja Master Prep Professional QB1004 chopper features a top-mounted motor that you push down to operate. The Ninja grates particularly well, but it’s also a wonder at puréeing and chopping—turning out nicely cut veggies and nuts. It comes with a blender container as well as a midsized processing bowl.

The Dash Digital Tasti-Crisp is small but mighty. At a measured capacity of 1.9 quarts and an overall size of less than a square foot, this 6-pound model is one of the most compact air fryers in our ratings. Still, it ranks among the best. It earns top marks for controls and cleaning, and impresses in our noise test.

One of the lightest large-capacity air fryers we recommend, the Gourmia GAF686 Digital is a top performer in CR’s air-fryer tests. It’s easy to use, a breeze to clean, and doesn’t make too much of a racket when in use. Though its measured capacity is a spacious 4.3 quarts, it takes up only about as much space as many smaller-capacity models in our ratings.

For more options: Best Air Fryers From Our Tests

The touchscreen Oster blender earns top scores in our durability tests. It does a decent job crushing ice, but it’s real talent is churning out smooth and just-thick-enough smoothies and piña coladas. It’s pretty good at puréeing soups, too, though it’s not the quietest machine. The 5-speed blender comes with a dishwasher-safe glass jar, as well as a removable blade.

The Ninja CI101 Blender earns top marks in our blending and puréeing tests. It’s also the most powerful handheld blender in our ratings, operating at a maximum of 15,500 rpm when set to the turbo speed function. It is sold as part of the Ninja Foodi Power Mix System, which includes a separate hand mixer with beaters, a whisk, and a 3-cup blending jar.

For more options: Best Immersion Blenders

This GE blender crushed our icy-drinks test—whipping up yummy smoothies, or pinã coladas, daiquiris, and margaritas. It also earns top marks in our purée test, so you can serve up hearty blended soups, too. This 1,000-watt six-speed blender comes with a 20-ounce to-go cup.

Serving up drinks and soups-for-one is a cinch with this high-performing Ninja Nutri Ninja Pro personal blender. It consistently serves up thick puréed soups and expertly blended smoothies. What’s more, this machine earns top-notch scores for durability and, as a brand, Ninja lands a solid rating for reliability, based on Consumer Reports’ member surveys.

For more options: Best Personal Blenders

The 6-quart Instant Pot multi-cooker is great for pressure cooking, and it’s an ace at making rice. But it needed more than 5 hours to make a beef stew that was tender and ready to eat (a long time compared with other models). Still, the uncoated stainless pot proved durable, and the warranty covers 1 year. This cooker comes with a measuring cup, rack, rice scoop, soup spoon, and condensation collector.

This 6-quart Hamilton Beach slow cooker snags top marks in our high- and low-setting tests, which measure the tenderness of meat and vegetables after five and eight hours of cooking, respectively. You can program this cooker for up to 24 hours, and keep your food warm for 24 hours, too. The owner’s manual includes tips on using the temperature probe and hold-temp mode to cook meat and fish using the sous vide method (in which food, placed in a sealed bag, is slowly cooked in warm water).

This 7-quart Black+Decker slow cooker comes with a temperature probe and sous vide functionality. It’s a champ at cooking up tender meat and vegetables, whether you leave them in for 8 hours at a low setting, or 5 hours at a high setting. This slow cooker is easy to use and comes with a dishwasher-safe insert and lid.

For more options: Best Slow Cookers

This high-scoring Cuisinart Cordless electric kettle is stainless steel and holds up to 7 cups. While this kettle boils water in a similar amount of time as the competition, it is able to keep water warm longer than most—an impressive 54 minutes. It has six temperature settings for making different types of tea and French-press coffee. Clear markings earn it a top score for convenience.

This stylish and—at over 11 inches—very tall 7-cup Oxo Cordless glass electric kettle brings 4 cups of water to a boil in 4 minutes, which is typical of the category. Plus, it’s a cinch to clean. It keeps the water warm for 40 minutes and has an auto-shutoff function.