Best Kitchen Appliances: Air Fryers, Instant Pots & More

Whether you're trying to cut down on oil without sacrificing crunch, batch-cook a week's worth of meals, or finally nail perfectly fluffy rice every single time, the right kitchen appliance makes all the difference. This category covers in-depth reviews and buying guides for today's most popular countertop cookers — including air fryers, Instant Pots, slow cookers, rice cookers, and multi-cookers — so you can shop with confidence and get more out of whatever's already sitting on your counter.

What You'll Find in This Category

Every guide here is built around the questions real cooks actually ask before buying — or before giving up on an appliance they already own. Here's what we cover:

• Side-by-side comparisons of top-rated air fryers by capacity, wattage & crispiness results
• Instant Pot & electric pressure cooker reviews ranked by cooking speed, safety features & ease of use
• Slow cooker roundups for small households, large families & everything in between
• Rice cooker tests covering white rice, brown rice, sushi rice & multi-grain settings
• Multi-cooker buying guides that break down which all-in-one machines are worth the counter space
• Cleaning & maintenance tips to extend the life of your appliances
• Budget vs. premium comparisons so you know exactly when it's worth spending more

How We Evaluate Kitchen Appliances

Not all reviews are created equal. Our appliance guides go beyond spec sheets and manufacturer claims. We look at real-world cooking performance — how evenly an air fryer circulates heat, how accurately a rice cooker holds temperature, or how well an Instant Pot seals and releases pressure. Each review weighs cooking results alongside capacity (does it fit enough food for your household?), ease of cleaning (removable parts, dishwasher-safe components, nonstick coatings), and overall value relative to price.

We also flag the things brands don't advertise: noisy fans, awkward lids, confusing control panels, and accessories that sound useful but rarely leave the drawer. If a model has a known flaw, you'll read about it here before it ends up on your counter.

Finding the Right Appliance for Your Kitchen & Cooking Style

A studio apartment kitchen has very different needs than a busy family kitchen feeding five. Our buying guides are organized by kitchen size, household size, cooking frequency, and specific use cases — so whether you're a weeknight meal-prepper, a weekend slow-cook enthusiast, or someone who just wants fast & crispy results with minimal cleanup, there's a guide matched to exactly how you cook.

Browse the guides below and find the appliance — or the answer — you've been looking for.