Author: Claire Whitmore

The best cold brew coffee makers of 2026 from Serious Eats’ and Good Housekeeping’s tests: KitchenAid with spigot, OXO full-size and Compact, Hario Mizudashi, Takeya, Toddy, Ovalware and the Cumulus nitro machine.

The best milk frothers of 2026 from Serious Eats’ test of 27 frothers and The Spruce Eats’ testing: Instant MagicFroth and 4-in-1, Breville Milk Cafe, SMEG Mini, Nespresso Aeroccino4, Golde and Subminimal NanoFoamer.

The best juicers of 2026 from Serious Eats’ and The Spruce Eats’ tests: Breville Juice Fountain Compact, Cold and Elite, Omega masticating juicers, Nama J2, Kuvings REVO830 and the budget Magic Bullet.

The best ice cream makers of 2026 from Serious Eats’ 60-quart churn test and The Spruce Eats’ testing: Cuisinart ICE-21P1 and ICE-100, Breville Smart Scoop, Whynter ICM-220CGY, Lello Musso Lussino and Ninja Swirl.

The best sous vide machines of 2026, from Serious Eats’ test of 25 circulators and The Spruce Eats’ testing: Breville Joule Turbo, Anova Precision Cooker 3.0, Pro and Nano, HydroPro and the budget Wancle.

The best Dutch ovens of 2026, based on Serious Eats’ test of 26 pots and The Spruce Eats’ testing: Le Creuset, Staub, Lodge, Tramontina, Emile Henry and Crock-Pot Artisan.

The best blenders of 2026, drawn from Serious Eats’ and The Spruce Eats’ tests: Vitamix 5200, VX1 and Propel, KitchenAid K400, Breville Fresh & Furious, Cleanblend and Nutribullet.

The best stainless steel skillets of 2026 from Serious Eats’ and The Spruce Eats’ testing: Made In, All-Clad D3, Tramontina, Le Creuset Tri-Ply, Misen and Goldilocks, plus what responsiveness and full cladding mean.

The best mandoline slicers of 2026, from Serious Eats’ and The Spruce Eats’ tests: OXO Good Grips V-Blade, Benriner, Joseph Joseph, Dash Safe Slice, Bron Coucke and OXO Chef’s 2.0, plus why a cut-resistant glove beats a hand guard.

The best pour-over coffee makers of 2026, from Serious Eats’ and The Spruce Eats’ tests: Hario V60, Kalita Wave 185, Chemex, Origami, MiiR, Hario Switch, Yeti and Melitta, plus how to choose a dripper and brew better.

The best French press coffee makers of 2026, from Serious Eats’ and The Spruce Eats’ tests: Fellow Clara, Espro P3 and P7, Frieling double-wall, Coffee Gator, Yeti Rambler, Bodum Chambord and Le Creuset stoneware.

The best roasting pans of 2026, combining Serious Eats’ and The Spruce Eats’ tests: Cuisinart MultiClad Pro, All-Clad flared, Hestan, Misen, Viking, Le Creuset and budget picks, plus straight vs. flared sides and rack advice.

The best woks of 2026, from Serious Eats’ 40-pounds-of-rice test and The Spruce Eats: Yosukata, Mammafong, Joyce Chen, Souped Up Recipes and Misen carbon steel woks, plus cast iron and nonstick options and seasoning tips.

The best pepper mills of 2026, comparing Serious Eats’ 40-plus mill test with The Spruce Eats: Cole & Mason Derwent, Männkitchen Pepper Cannon, HexClad HexMill, Peugeot Paris u’Select, Le Creuset and electric sets.

The best knife sharpeners of 2026, from Serious Eats’ and The Spruce Eats’ tests: King and Zwilling Kramer whetstones, Work Sharp Ken Onion and Chef’sChoice electrics, Zwilling and Longzon pull-throughs, and the HORL roller.

The best pizza steels of 2026, based on Serious Eats’ heat testing and maker specs: the Original Baking Steel, ThermiChef, Chef Pomodoro, Primica XL and Baking Steel Pro, plus steel vs. stone advice.

The best carbon steel pans of 2026, compared from Serious Eats and Food & Wine testing: Mauviel M’Steel, Misen pre-seasoned, OXO Obsidian, Merten & Storck, Yeti and Vollrath, plus seasoning and care.

The best nonstick pans of 2026: the Tramontina Professional 10-inch fry pan, the Tramontina Tri-Ply for induction, why ceramic pans fall short, PTFE safety, and how to keep nonstick slick for years.

The best rice cookers of 2026: the Zojirushi NL-EAC for jasmine and long-grain rice, the Cuckoo CRP-P1009 pressure cooker for sushi and brown rice, and PFAS-free Aroma budget and compact picks.

The best dish racks of 2026: the KitchenAid Full Size and Compact racks, the large Simplehuman Steel Frame, the stainless Zojila Rohan, plus picks for small kitchens, over-sink drying and drying mats.

The best hand mixers of 2026: the quiet, powerful KitchenAid 7-Speed and the well-equipped Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed, plus hand mixer vs. stand mixer and what to look for.

The best immersion blenders of 2026: the Braun MultiQuick 7 MQ7035 for smooth soups and smoothies, the budget Nutribullet Lite, and the Braun MultiQuick 5, plus how to choose and use a stick blender safely.

The best kitchen scales of 2026: the Escali Primo for most cooks, the budget Ozeri Pronto, the large-capacity My Weigh KD8000 and the American Weigh Scales LB-3000 for 0.1-gram coffee precision.

The best meat thermometers of 2026: the Lavatools Javelin Pro Duo and ThermoWorks Sizzle instant-reads, the compact ThermoPop 2, the wireless TempSpike Plus and the wired ThermoWorks Dot, plus how to choose.

The best cutting boards of 2026: the Jones end-grain maple board, the thicker Boardsmith Butcher, a budget Ironwood acacia board, and the OXO and Tenryo plastic boards, plus wood vs. plastic and care tips.

The best slow cookers of 2026: the Hamilton Beach Set & Forget 6-quart with probe thermometer and locking lid, the Temp Tracker for 24-hour cooks, plus what to look for and slow cooker safety tips.

The best cast-iron skillets of 2026: the lighter Lodge Chef Collection 12-inch, the classic Lodge Pre-Seasoned 12-inch, whether pricey Field and Smithey pans are worth it, and how to season and clean cast iron.

The best electric pressure cookers of 2026: the Instant Pot Rio 6-quart for most people, the Instant Pot Pro for more control, plus the Rio Wide Plus, Duo and what to skip.

The best chef’s knives of 2026, from the Mac MTH-80 and Tojiro F-808 gyuto to the Wüsthof Classic Ikon and budget Victorinox Swiss Classic, with advice on style, honing, sharpening and fakes.