Serious Eats Gear Awards

Fellow's new coffee maker has a built-in scale that tells you how much coffee to add based on how many cups you want to make. And that coffee? It's robust and delicious. Plus, the Aiden's compact and cubical, the kind of thing you really don't mind having on your countertop.

With a built-in grinder and tamping arm, this espresso machine automates the trickier parts of making espresso for quality shots you could (practically) make with your eyes closed. Its steam wand produces microfoam, too, for latte art.

Hot coffee gone cold's kinda gross. If you feel the same way, a temperature-controlled smart mug is the ticket. The Ember looks sleek and, off its charger, keeps coffee piping hot for 80 minutes.

Capable of producing a flavorful concentrate we'd happily sip over ice, this newer offering from OXO is the only instant cold brewer we recommend. It uses a combination of finely ground beans and a pressurized pump to extract more from coffee—and quickly, too.

Le Creuset's espresso cups are the perfect size for single or double shots and have tiny, looped handles. They're also extremely durable. We know folks who have owned and used these itty bitty mugs daily for over a decade.

For an unbreakable pour-over that tidily fits over travel or ceramic mugs, there's this new offering from Yeti. It yields bright-tasting coffee, and it's also available in a handful of colors.

We don't think there's any drip brewer that makes better coffee than the Ratio 6. It has a lot of parts, but its single-button operation, fast brewing, and ability to extract the best flavor from all sorts of roasts will win you over.

This travel mug keeps coffee and tea hotter than any other we've tried. (After eight hours, coffee was still at 163°F.) It also has a locking lid and an angled spout, preventing spills and dribbles.

We're coffee nerds. If you are, too, you'll appreciate the Encore's 40 grind settings and remarkably consistent performance. Not a coffee geek? We'll tell you this right now: Getting a good coffee grinder is still the best upgrade you can make.

When you want boiled water stat, only an electric kettle will do. This is the cheapest one we recommend, and we like its sleek appearance, smooth-pouring spout, and see-through glass body.

This has been our favorite wooden cutting board practically forever. It's composed of quality hard maple and made by hand, resulting in a seamless wood pattern that's not only beautiful but built to last. It's also customizable: You can add non-slip feet, inset handles, and a juice groove.

This sous vide machine is wicked powerful and can bring a gallon of cold water to temperature in about 20 minutes. It couldn't be more accurate, has a magnetic base, and is compatible with an app that's packed with recipes and helpful video tutorials.

Wanna avoid overcooking and undercooking meat? Get an instant-read thermometer. Our top pick delivers accurate readings faster than any other thermometer and has every feature you could want, like an auto-rotating screen and an automatic backlight.

For sous vide and food storage, we rely on a vacuum sealer. The Anova's seals held up to high-heat water baths and three months in a freezer. It also has built-in bag storage, a bag cutter, and moist and dry settings.

We love that this grinder has presets that eliminate any guesswork, whether you want pepper powdery-fine or coarse for cacio e pepe. It also has a transparent body, so you'll never be surprised when it comes time to refill it.

For accuracy, we often bake by weight, which is only possible with a kitchen scale. This version from Escali is the cheapest we recommend—and we've loved it for years. Its two-button interface is easy to use, it registers weight quickly, and it comes in various colors. (We're eyeing the matte light green.)

We've loved this water bottle for years. Not only does it keep liquid ice-cold, but it has a straw, a spout for chugging, and a cap that locks. Plus, the color choices are seemingly endless.

This lightweight cutting board is easy to store and wash, but it also has silicone bumpers that keep it from slipping as you slice and dice. We like that its surface has some tackiness to it, too, which keeps food from shifting.

For getting a crackling crust on a crème brûlée, you'll be glad to have a kitchen torch around when you need it. Its compact, adjustable flame delivers potent, versatile firepower, and it has a safety lock.

Many molcajetes are impostors made from concrete. Masienda's is the real thing, composed of basalt (a type of volcanic rock). Its heavy body and textured surface are well-equipped for grinding fresh chiles, puréeing onions and garlic, and making complex salsas.

Le Creuset just celebrated its 100-year anniversary, and the brand's longevity and quality are evident in its iconic Dutch oven. The pot has a chip-resistant enamel coating and a cream-colored interior, allowing you to monitor browning easily. There's a reason nearly every Serious Eats editor owns one.

This wok's carbon steel surface will last practically forever and is responsive to temperature changes, which is what you want for stir-frying. It also has a flat bottom, which makes it compatible with gas, electric, and induction stovetops.

This cheap, no-frills splatter guard will keep counters and stovetops free from grease splatters, blobs of sputtering tomato sauce—you get the idea. Its silicone handle stays cool, too.

With a slick nonstick coating, this ceramic skillet aced our tests. Food slid right off it, and its surface didn't scratch.

As we've found over the years, there's just no beating Lodge's cast iron skillet. It's cheap, gets rip-roaring hot, and just does its job well—be it baking cornbread or shallow-frying chicken cutlets.

This is one of the only cookware sets we recommend, and it's certainly the cheapest. We think it's a great set for a starter cook, since it comes with four crucial pans, including a 10-inch skillet and a three-quart saucepan.

This HexClad skillet combines qualities of stainless steel and nonstick pans...and we actually like it. It's super durable—one of our editors has owned their pan for years—and it's even oven-safe to 500°F.

Unlike most of its kind, this roasting pan has low sides for maximum air circulation. It's around the same size as a half-sheet pan, and this shallow design ensures golden roast chicken and turkey every time.

We're Team Saucier all the way. This Made In pot can do everything a saucepan can and then some, thanks to its rounded sides and shallow, flared walls that let you easily whisk pastry cream and stir every bit of sauce.

These small pastel cocottes are the perfect size for individual servings of fruit crisp or baked eggs, condiments, or artfully displaying jams and spreads on a charcuterie board. We'd be happy if we got a set as a gift—just saying.

KitchenAid's stand mixers are actual machines—made with metal parts and gears and wires—which is what makes them so powerful and sturdy. This stand mixer is small, but mighty, with a tilt-head that makes it easy to add ingredients and a compact body that fits in small kitchens or apartments.

We've tried a lot of air fryers—and this is the best one. It cooks faster and crisps better than any other, and it has a touchscreen and control knobs for quickly setting the time and temperature. You can adjust this air fryer's temperature in five-degree increments, too, which isn't as common as you might think.

This ice cream maker has been our top pick for about six years. It churns creamy ice cream, sorbet, and gelato in just 20 minutes and costs a fraction of the price of its competitors.

We've recommended this waffle maker for ages thanks to its welcoming price point and tender, light, delightfully floppy waffles. The removable plates are dishwasher-safe, too.

This has been our favorite blender for over a decade. Its tapered jar pulls ingredients down into its blades, producing the smoothest purées, sauces, soups, and smoothies. It has just two switches and a dial, making it all power, no fuss.

If you want a food processor that just works without any extra doodads, accessories, or switches, the Cuisinart is it. It has on/off and pulse options, a reversible slicing and shredding disc, and a sharp S-blade.

This makes the fizziest, bubbliest water ever. When we tested it, it didn't lose a gram of carbonation overnight. We also like this soda maker's handle, which makes it easy to infuse as little or as much CO2 as desired.

For a basic rice cooker that makes long-, short-, and medium-grain rice admirably, the Hamilton Beach has been our recommendation since 2019. It cooks rice fast and is less than $60.

This high-powered immersion blender chews through the toughest, most fibrous ingredients. It has variable speeds and its head is removable, which makes it easy to both clean and store.

We love having an extra burner around, especially during the holidays when we need to keep soup or gravy warm. Our favorite portable induction cooktop boils a gallon of water in 16 minutes (that's fast!) and can hold oil at a reliable, deep-fry-ready temperature for however long you need.

These gorgeous steak knives have matte handles and come with a small knife block for storage. They're not just for looks, though: In our tests, they sliced through steak like butter—and without tearing at the meat like serrated blades.

Our longtime favorite kitchen shears are some of the sharpest we've tried, and we appreciate their various functions, including a built-in jar opener and screwdriver. Importantly, the shears can be taken apart for thorough cleaning—something we appreciate after, say, handling raw meat.

Whetstones are the best way to sharpen knives at home. If you want to learn how to use one, this starter kit is a great pick. The two-sided stone comes with a wooden stand and, in our tests, worked well with both stainless steel and carbon steel knives.

This is the only electric knife sharpener we highly recommend. It looks like a power tool, but it's actually pretty gentle and comes with thorough instructions for sharpening several implements, including knives and scissors.

This nimble bread knife has long been our go-to serrated pick. Its shallow serrations and thin, nimble blade slice through crusty boules, soft brioche, and tomatoes without tearing. We even peel butternut squash with it.

To achieve paper-thin slices, use a mandoline. But they can be scary—that's why this mandoline keeps your hands away from the blade and uses a push-down piece to slice vegetables and fruit.

Many of our editors have owned this chef's knife for years—and it's held up. The heavier blade and smooth handle have a nice weight to them, making it easy and swift to dice onions, mince garlic, and slice carrots.

A drawer of sharp, loose blades is our kind of nightmare. This cork-lined insert is the solution. The cork keeps each knife swaddled and secure, and the box can accommodate blades up to 12 inches long.

Magnetic knife strips are an easy storage solution that won't take up countertop space. Our top pick has a strong magnet that keeps blades in place and a handsome dimpled pattern you won't mind showing off.

There's no besting this cheap Y-shaped vegetable peeler. It removes skin from fruits and veggies in satisfying strips, and its handle is rounded and ergonomic.

This flat-top grill has all the features—and that's what we love about it. Its three burners ignite immediately, and its large surface heats consistently. We made the laciest smash burgers, golden grilled cheese, and a full breakfast on it.

This outdoor pizza oven skyrockets to 950ºF, producing beautiful, leopard-spotted pies in about 90 seconds. It has a digital screen, foldable non-slip feet, and a glass visor that traps heat, so the Koda 2 Pro needs little to no recovery time.

This pellet grill is silly spacious, and chicken wings, pork butt, and ribs came off of it nicely smoky and wonderfully tender. It goes through pellets slowly, and the offset hopper's easy to refill when the time comes.

With three burners, two side tables, excellent heat distribution, and a 10-year warranty, Weber's gas grills can't be beat. We like that this grill has a door that conceals its propane tank, too.

There's a reason Yeti is the cooler king. Its cold retention and durability are hard to match. We particularly like this cooler, which has a retractable handle and two rugged wheels.

This thermometer uses radio frequency to transmit its readings from its probe to its base, making it less likely to disconnect than WiFi or Bluetooth. It delivers temperatures in less than seven seconds and has both a stand and a magnetic back.

Stanley may be known for its water tumbler, but we're big fans of its compact, soft cooler. It keeps drinks cold for 24 hours—even after sitting in a hot car—and has handles and a shoulder strap.

This charcoal grill is a classic for a reason: It's adept at grilling and smoking, it has hinged grates for adding fuel, and it gets hot fast. We liked its semi-circular wire lid rest, too. Like many of Weber's grills, it comes with a 10-year warranty.

With small wire bristles that shoot out in every direction, this grill brush removes gunk on and in between a grill's grates with every swipe. Its scraper has divots in its corners, too, which we found particularly helpful for scouring off cooked-on creosote.

This set includes our favorite grill tongs and a long grill spatula that'll keep your hands away from the flames. Both tools have wide hanging loops for easy access.

This new, gorgeous dinnerware set is both classic and modern-looking, with clean lines and a subtly glossy surface. The set of four comes with two types of bowls and plates.

These soft cloth napkins have stood up to a year of frequent use and subsequent washes. They come in some fun colors, too—including a deep yellow and light green—all with whimsical stripes.

Reds, whites, and bubbles are at home in these all-purpose wine glasses. They've been our top picks for years, thanks to their thin lips for unobstructed sipping, elegant bowls, and reasonable price.

These are not the serving platters for mounds of salad or roast chicken. Instead, these cute, oval, petite platters are great for appetizers, charcuterie, or crudo. Because they're small, they're also easy to store.

This is a timeless cake stand, and one we don't think any baker could go wrong with. It even comes with a domed lid that accommodates a layer cake and a pile of scones or muffins.

A couple of our editors own this wine fridge and speak highly of its numerous racks, dual-zone temperature controls, and app that tracks the fridge's contents. We also like its modern look and that its top doubles as a small bar cart.

This electric wine opener fishes out a cork in less than 10 seconds and opens 40 bottles per charge. It's expensive, but it does its job well every single time, which is more than we can say for many of its competitors.

This cocktail shaker has insulated walls that keep your hands from feeling frosty and a threaded cap that's never a bear to remove. We also like its built-in jigger. It's large enough to make three drinks at once.

These sleek, versatile pasta bowls cost about $6 a pop. Their wide bases and gently sloping walls make them the perfect size for heaps of spaghetti, rigatoni, or ravioli.

This is the cheapest, biggest flatware set we recommend. It has a whopping 65 pieces (enough for 12 settings!) and even comes with a serving spoon and fork. That's less than $1.30 per utensil—dollars less than our other top picks.

These lids lids will slash your single-use plastic use. The magic is in the name: They're seriously stretchy and will fit almost any jar, bowl, or can. (Pick up a four-pack to get the most versatility.) The lids are grippy and refuse to leak, even when jostled.

This slim cart is only five inches wide, but it holds a lot—46 pounds of goods and gear, to be exact. With three tiers of varying heights, it can handle spices, canned goods, condiments, beverages, and cleaning supplies. Its locking wheels allow you to roll it out when you need it, and tuck it away when you don't.

Dealing with a vat of frying oil is annoying and messy. With FryAway, you sprinkle the powder into the oil, stir, and let it sit. After about 40 minutes, the oil solidfies and turns into a blob that can be easily thrown in the trash.

We haven't encountered a single cook who doesn't like this salt cellar, which features a wide, rectangular shape that allows you to pinch, scoop, and measure as much salt as needed. Its bamboo lid keeps moisture out, keeping salt clump-free.

For sweeping up errant crumbs or coffee grounds, we've been turning to this cordless hand vacuum. Its charge lasts a long time, especially because you're using it in short bursts.

Every cook should have a bottle of Bar Keepers Friend in their kitchen. It'll bring stainless steel cookware back to a shine, remove stains, and make your sink look brand-new.

Some dish racks hold just a few plates before they threaten to topple over, but not the KitchenAid. We loaded it with a dinner party's worth of dishes, and it didn't wobble. It also has prongs for glassware and a removable drainage mat, which can easily be scrubbed and degunked.

Not only does this trash can's lid open and close with the elegance of a ballerina, but it's pedal-operated and locks in smells. (We should know: We placed a potent air freshener in it and couldn't detect a whiff of the artificial fragrance.) Its inner bin can also be removed for deep cleaning.

This hand soap gets rid of kitchen smells on your hands, including notorious onion and garlic. It smells fantastic, too, and while expensive, a small bit of soap goes a long way.

These pricey containers earned lavish praise from our editors. They don't leak, they're microwave- and dishwasher-safe, they last for years, and they nest for storage. They also look pretty dang nice.

This aesthetic set of olive oil looks great on any countertop. Awake is bold and peppery and Alive is fruity and mellow. Both are delicious—and we think you'll enjoy drizzling, dunking, and cooking with either.

If you go through a lot of olive oil, this box from Corto is worth the investment. It features a built-in spout for easily dispensing the oil into a cruet or measuring cup, and the oil itself is lightly grassy and well-balanced.

We tested 10 coffee subscriptions and named Trade our top pick for its seamless, customizable signup process and excellent customer service. If you don't like your beans, you can exchange them.

We've tried tons of food subscriptions, but Wildgrain's is one of the most memorable. It delivers bread, biscuits, croissants, and more—all ready to bake from frozen. Our favorite? The chocolate chunk cookies, which have gooey centers and a plethora of chocolate chips.

If you like whiskey, you'll find this Advent calendar worth every penny. It includes whiskey glasses, detailed tasting notes on each sample, and user-friendly elements like QR codes that allow you to purchase full-size bottles of your top picks.

We liked this ceremonial-grade matcha both hot and in frothy, iced lattes. Its flavor is balanced and lightly herbaceous, making it an excellent choice for those new to matcha.

Our editors love Burlap & Barrel, known for its single-origin spices of the highest quality, including cumin, bay leaves, cinnamon, dried mint, and cardamom. If you're unfamiliar with the brand, start with the Fundamentals Collection.

This nonalcoholic apéritif tastes like warm weather with a heavy dose of basil and citrus. We like it simply mixed with seltzer.

We don't think you can go wrong with any of the offerings from chocolatier L.A. Burdick. But its mice—made with ribbon tails, chocolate ganache centers, and toasted almond ears—are some of our favorites. Every mouse is made by hand, too.

Murray's makes our favorite cheese subscription, thanks to its wide variety and impeccable packaging. This sampler is perfect for an impressive cheese platter and includes six, generously sized cheeses like buttery, nutty Gruyère and creamy cheddar.