Consumer Reports – September 2019

THE KITCHEN COUNTERTOP sure is
getting crowded. If you’re a coffee
drinker, you’ve got your brewer. Most
people keep a toaster on standby.
And because all good things come in
threes, there’s usually one more small
appliance claiming counter space.
“The third slot is sometimes taken
by another fundamental, like a food
processor or blender,” says Joe
Derochowski, a home analyst at the
market research firm NPD Group.
“Sometimes it’s a trendier item, like a
multi-cooker or air fryer.”
Every week, it seems, new versions
of these gadgets hit the market with

promises to make your culinary life

easier, or at least more interesting.

And broadly speaking, home cooks

are eating it up. In the U.S., consumers

spent more than $700 million on multi-

cookers and $500 million on air fryers

in the past year, according to NPD.

Which ones actually deserve a spot

on your kitchen counter—and won’t end

up collecting dust in a cabinet? We put

the newcomers through their paces. We’ll

let you know how they did in our tests,

plus tell you the cooking tasks you can

tackle to determine which appliance—

or appliances—make sense for the way

you like to cook. Bon appétit!

BREVILLE

FAST SLOW

PRO 6-QT.

MULTI-

COOKER

BPR700BSS

$250

CUISINART

ELITE FOOD

PROCESSOR

2.0 FP-12BCN

$200

NUWAVE

6-QT. AIR

FRYER

37001

$130

BLACK+DECKER

8-SLICE DIGITAL

EXTRA WIDE

TOASTER OVEN

TO3290XSD $100

CROCK-POT 6-QT.

COOK & CARRY

MANUAL SLOW

COOKER

SCCPVL600-S $30

81

67

72 75

68

A

C

E

D

B

C

D

E