Hi there, Too many kitchen gadgets claim—or at least suggest—that they’ll magically transform you into an amazing chef. None of them are magic, of course. But a good kitchen tool really can be transformative, making your meal prep faster, safer, or tastier. This list of Best of Year winners actually do just that, and we’re proud to stand behind them. I’ll start with the KitchenAid Artisan Plus, coming from the venerable line of KitchenAid stand mixers. A kitchen MVP for decades, and yet somehow, admirably resisting the temptation to become “smart” and needlessly complicating itself with screens and apps and Bluetooth, etc. There have been changes, though, and welcome changes! The Artisan Plus adds an LED light to illuminate the bowl, precision speed control, a double-flex-edge beater, and, for the first time on a tilt-head mixer, a half-speed setting.
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Was 70 years too long for a bowl light? I'm inclined to call it worth the wait. |
Curious if you’d say otherwise. Cookware had a strong year, too. I’ve been an All-Clad evangelist for years, so watching our team award All-Clad as the Most Trusted Cookware Brand for the second year running feels like my culinary instincts can’t be too bad. All-Clad’s 10-piece NS Pro Ceramic Nonstick cookware set is a great example of why we love the brand. We cooked on it daily for a month, and eggs still slid off with zero effort. If cast iron is more your material of choice, Made In's Dutch Oven delivers great results at a price that won’t make you flinch. Moving onto the countertop, the Cosori Iconic Air Fryer quietly upgraded a small appliance category I thought had plateaued, with its stainless build, ceramic basket, and a five-year warranty. In our hands-on testing, we loved it. Turns out the humble air fryer had more room to grow than I gave it credit for. And KitchenAid didn’t stop at the mixer: Its 13-cup food processor and Pure Power Blender both took home wins, enough that KitchenAid earned Most Trusted Countertop Brand outright. There’s a full list of winners—pans, blenders, dough mixers, drink makers, and more things you think you don’t need but definitely do—in the complete Kitchen and Cooking Best of Year 2026 roundup. Thanks for reading, David Kender Editor in Chief, Reviewed |
