From Caraway to the Always Pan: Small Kitchen Appliances Worth the Hype

We’re sticklers about style and design around here. We don’t think you should compromise on form or function, especially when it comes to small kitchen appliances. These products are the workhorses in your arsenal, but you also want them to look contemporary. Whether you live in an apartment fit for a Keebler elf or have some impressive square footage, your cookware, knives, serveware, and gadgets are likely always on display, so invest in superior staples.

Equal parts beauty and brawn, we tested the trending small kitchen appliances blowing up the internet. We didn’t want to inundate you with super-niche bits and bobs. Instead, we researched and vigorously tested utilitarian small kitchen appliances you’ll use every day. Believe us when we say these are worth the hype—and deserve the precious space on your countertop. You won’t think of them as encroaching on your prime real estate, but rather deserving of being shown off.

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Beautiful Kitchen Products That Are Worth the Hype

1. Smeg 7-Piece Knife Block Set

The perfect amalgamation of high-performance kitchenware and vintage ’50s flair, Smeg‘s small and large appliances feel like works of art. The newest launch is a seven-piece block set designed with the brand’s hallmark sinuous lines and punchy colorways (currently available in black, cream, and pastel blue). Think of it as the Alfa Romeo of block sets. The powder-coated carbon steel and acacia wood base houses a vegetable, utility, meat, santoku, bread, and two chef’s knives. The super-sharp German blades are crafted from stainless steel, as are the handles; they handle smooth and are a delight to use every day. It’s everything you need for home cooking and nothing you don’t.

[$499; crateandbarrel.com]

2. Our Place Dinner for 4 Bundle

You can’t thumb through Instagram without stumbling across an ad for Our Place’s worshipped Always Pan. It’s got over 12,000 rapturous reviews from customers fawning over the nonstick marvel. Why? It’s the Renaissance Man of multipurpose cookware, replacing a frying pan, sauté pan, steamer, skillet, saucier, saucepan, non-stick pan, spatula, and spoon rest. As such, you can steam vegetables, boil gnocchi, sear chicken thighs, fry egg rolls, and serve up the best damn stir fry directly from the pan, of course. Its genius lies equally in form and function: An aluminum body heats quickly and evenly, while a chemical-free ceramic non-stick coating lets you cook with hardly any oil (eggs glide out like they’re on a Slip ‘n Slide). The handle stays cool for easy transferring and flipping. Two easy-pour spouts let you drain bacon fat or drizzle pan drippings without splattering the stovetop. A modular lid can trap or release steam, while the notched spatula rests on the handle’s peg—again, mitigating messes. Factor in the nesting steamer basket that doubles as a colander and consider us converts. This thing does everything but buy your groceries.

Now here’s an insider’s tip: Since the Always Pan has a tendency to sell out, nab the Dinner for 4 Bundle (the fastest way to get the pan). You can mix-and-match the colorways of all four items. The Drinking Glasses are perfectly rotund with the right amount of heft. We love that they’re stackable (a hallmark of the whole collection), handmade with sand and glass, and naturally colored; fill ’em up with water or wine. Main Plates and Side Bowls, made from hand-painted porcelain, are subtly speckled and have contrasting matte bases. The lip on the plates and high walls of the bowls let you get every last morsel.

[$290; fromourplace.com]

3. Caraway Cookware Set

Subtly striking and equally as impressive on the non-stick front, Caraway’s Cookware Set has also been a standout on social media.  It boasts four pieces—a 10.5-inch fry pan, 3-quart sauce pan, 4.5-quart sauté pan, and 6.5-quart Dutch oven—which truly run the gamut of your cooking needs: paella with friends, stew for meal prep, omelettes for slow mornings. This chemical-free ceramic coating is mineral-based and eco-friendly. When you bid farewell (which should be a few decades from now), it’ll release 60 percent less CO2 compared to traditional cookware. The bottom is also “stovetop agnostic,” meaning it plays well with induction, gas, and electric.

Rather than nesting pots and pans into one another, Caraway’s come up with an ingenious storage system: magnetic pan racks. These modular cubbies can align some or all the pots and pans depending on your cabinet’s width. It’s also sleek enough to store on top of a counter—especially with the current color options. Minimalists should go for Cream or Gray, while those who want a punch of color should go for Navy, Sage, or Perracotta, which are bold but still blend in with the rest of your kitchen. The brilliant storage hacks don’t end there: Secure the canvas lid holder onto the inside of your cabinet (with the included heavy-duty adhesive hooks). It neatly stores your lids when not in use. Brilliant.

[$495; carawayhome.com]

4. Beast B10+ Health Blender + Hydration System

Ok, so it’s called the Beast, but this is actually the most elegant blender you’ll ever use. This beauty’s got a 1,000-watt motor (for reference, the Original NutriBullet Personal Blender has a 600-watt base). Both small (500 ml) and large (1,000 ml) vessels are ribbed on the inside, so when the blades rotate, they create a heck of a lot of turbulence, yielding smooth, silky blends (no chunks of ice or frozen fruit are left un-pulverized). The components feel premium in your hand—no flimsy plastic. The vessel is made from a super-thick BPA-free plastic called Tritan, which is overmolded with TPE on the top and base for better grip (this also spares your surfaces from dings and condensation). Press the power switch on at the back of the base, fill the vessel with your ingredients, screw on the blade, then turn it upside down onto the base and turn clockwise until the light turns from amber to white. Hold the standby switch for one second to pulse your ingredients, or longer than one second to initiate its intelligent blending program.

It briefly slows after 20 seconds to allow your concoction to settle, whirls it again for 25 seconds, pauses one last time to get all the stubborn bits, and finishes with 15 seconds to end at the one-minute mark. The cycle is constantly monitoring the blade speed and internal temperature, making micro-adjustments to maintain consistent speed and torque, as well as to prevent overheating should you be blending soups or making hummus. It also comes with storage and drinking lids, so you don’t have to chug your post-workout shake if you’re on the go.

The accompanying Hydration System is the perfect counterpart, letting you do classic infusions (add mint to the stainless steel infusion chamber and a squeeze of lemon to your water) or unexpected blends (pulse lemon, ginger root, and cucumber for an immunity booster). This vessel has the same look and feel, only it’s made with durable borosilicate glass.

[$168; thebeast.com]

5. Beautiful 6 Quart Touchscreen Air Fryer by Drew Barrymore

Most air fryers will cost you $100 to $200, but you’ll be shocked to know this sleek model clocks in under $90. What’s more, most only have a 2- to 3-quart capacity, which is fine if you’re cooking for yourself…and you don’t mind cooking in batches. Families need a 6-quart basket—like this one—capable of handling a full bag of frozen French fries, burgers, or even a small roast chicken (you’ve got piranhas to feed). Now, the higher the wattage, the higher the temperature an air fryer’s able to generate. You’re working with a 1,700-watt system (the mid-range) that lets you crank the heat up from 90° F to 400° F. Reheat leftovers for that just-made taste and texture, or fully cook raw meat and seafood for that I-can’t-believe-this-wasn’t-pan-fried crunch. This may not have presets for commonly cooked foods, but you have the ability to air fry, roast, reheat, and dehydrate foods (dried mango, anyone?). The stainless steel and circular heat technology give you that fried texture with little or no oil at all—truly it’s a thing of magic. We also love that there are no knobs. The touch-activated display only lights up when you power it on for a modern silhouette you won’t want to hide away.

[$89; walmart.com]