Kitchen
Countertop appliances and cookware. Cleanup effort and noise get real weight, since those are what quietly retire a machine to the cupboard.
Axes used in this category
- Performance
- How well it does the core job
- Value
- What the same money buys elsewhere
- Durability
- Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
- Ease of use
- Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
- Quietness
- Operating noise — a higher score means quieter
Rankings
- Kettles that survive hard water and daily descalingAugust 5, 2026
Which kettle is still working after three years of limescale?
- Air fryers you can run during a phone callAugust 3, 2026
Which air fryer can you leave running while someone is on a call?
- Air fryers, scored on five axesJuly 31, 2026
Basket fryer or countertop oven — which are you actually buying?
- Electric kettles, scored on five axesJuly 30, 2026
Do you need a gooseneck kettle, or one that stops at the right temperature?
Kitchen products 10
Breville IQ Kettle
Five preset temperatures, a hold function, and a body that survives daily descaling.
8.2
Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer
A countertop oven that air-fries properly, which is a different machine from a basket fryer.
8.2
Fellow Stagg EKG Kettle
The pour-over kettle: precise spout, precise temperature, priced for people who care about both.
8.1
OXO Brew Adjustable Temperature Kettle
The sensible middle: gooseneck control and a temperature dial, without the design-object premium.
8.1
Cosori Pro II Air Fryer
The volume seller, and the presets are the reason people stop reading the manual.
8.0
Cosori Original Gooseneck Kettle
Gooseneck pouring and variable temperature at the price the category used to charge for neither.
7.9
Ninja AF101 Air Fryer
The compact one that got everybody into air frying, and it still does the basics well.
7.9
Philips 3000 Series Airfryer XL
Philips invented the category and still holds temperature more steadily than the discounters.
7.9
Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer
Six functions in one box from the Instant Pot company, with the compromises that implies.
7.7
Hamilton Beach Glass Kettle
Boils water, costs almost nothing, and does not pretend to do anything else.
7.2