SAN ANTONIO – If you're trying to eat healthier by cooking more at home, some handy, hard-working small appliances can help. Consumer Reports rates hundreds of small kitchen appliances each year and has some recommendations.
The $60 Ninja Master Prep Professional gives you a lot for the money. It’s a full system that comes with a blender and chopper.
The $80 Oxo Bright Digital Hand Mixer is very good at whipping and mixing, according to testers
You can perk up your day with the top-performing $100 Cuisinart Perfect Temp DCC-2800 coffee maker. It’s one of the few that can brew a full 14 cups. And Consumer Reports’ tests found that it reaches the ideal temperature to brew that perfect cup of coffee.
If you want to splurge, check out Wolf’s suite of small appliances. They come equipped with those signature red knobs and a stainless-steel finish. The $400 four-slice toaster Wolf Gourmet WGTR104S earned top ratings. That’s pretty steep for a toaster, but it’s nowhere near as pricey as the $5,000 you can spend on a Wolf range.
Or how about the $400 Breville BFP800XL/A food processor? It beat out Cuisinart to earn the top spot. It excels at chopping, slicing, shredding and grating, and does it all relatively quietly.
Another handy small appliance is an immersion blender. The Breville Immersion Blender BSB510XL for about $100 is the only one to get a Consumer Reports recommendation. Testers said it excels at blending frozen fruit for smoothies and is very good at pureeing soups.