Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Kitchen Appliances Over $100 That Earn the Counter
16
items Kitchen appliances over $100 that earn the counter, chosen for the person stocking a kitchen that has to work for a living. Sixteen machines across four sections: coffee, the appliances that do one job properly, the cooking pieces that replace a pan,...
Sections
4
Coffee That Is Worth the Counter
Machines That Do One Job Well
Cooking That Earns the Space
The Rest of the Counter
Coffee That Is Worth the Counter
Espresso machines for the person who has decided the counter is where the money goes, from a hundred and fifty to just under seven hundred dollars. Three of the four grind their own beans and one takes pre-ground coffee, so check which before you buy...
The Barista Express is a bean to cup espresso machine with a conical burr grinder built into the top. The hopper holds about half a pound and shots pull through a 54mm portafilter. It takes a week of dialling in before the coffee stops tasting sour.
Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine
The Magnifica Evo is a bean to cup machine that grinds, doses and froths without a portafilter. The milk carafe is a separate piece that clips to the front and needs rinsing after each use. It suits a household that drinks milk drinks and will not we...
De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Espresso Machine Silver
The La Specialista Opera is a manual espresso machine with a built in grinder and a sensor that reads the dose. It has a stainless steel tamper in the grind chute and a separate steam wand. The learning curve is real, so it rewards someone already pu...
De'Longhi La Specialista Opera Espresso Machine
The Classic Signature is a fifteen bar pump machine with a manual steam wand and a small footprint. It takes ground coffee rather than beans, so a grinder is a separate purchase. At a hundred and fifty dollars it is the cheap way onto the counter, wi...
De'Longhi Classic Signature Espresso Machine
Machines That Do One Job Well
A stand mixer, a food processor, a blender and an air fryer, from about a hundred and thirty to four hundred and forty dollars. Each one replaces a job that is currently done badly by hand or by a cheaper machine. Check the counter footprint before o...
The Artisan is the five quart tilt head mixer that takes the beater, dough hook and whisk without changing the bowl height. It handles about nine cups of flour and needs the headroom above the counter to tilt back. Attachment ports at the front are w...
KitchenAid Artisan 5-Qt Tilt Head Mixer
The fourteen cup Cuisinart is a full size processor with a dough blade, a slicing disc and a shredding disc in the box. The feed tube takes a whole potato and the base is heavy enough not to walk. It is too tall for a low cupboard, so check before bu...
Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor, 720W, SS
The 5200 is a two speed blender with a sixty four ounce container and a motor that will not stall on frozen fruit. There is no preset programme, just a dial and a tamper for thick mixtures. It is loud, and the container does not fit under every cabin...
Vitamix 5200 Blender, 64 oz, Black
The Air Fryer XL is a six and a half quart basket machine with six programmes and a crisper plate. The basket is dishwasher safe and the drawer pulls out on one hand. It is the cheapest way into air frying at this size, and the plastic body shows it.
Ninja Air Fryer XL 6.5 Qt 6-in-1 Grey AF181
Cooking That Earns the Space
The pieces that replace a pan rather than sit beside it: an enameled Dutch oven, a five ply cookware set, a pressure cooker and a countertop oven, from about two hundred to three hundred and thirty dollars. All four are heavy, so measure the shelf an...
The Caraway oval is an enameled cast iron pot with a matching lid and a stainless knob. The oval shape takes a whole chicken where a round one will not, and it goes from hob to oven. It is heavy when full, so the handles matter.
Caraway Enameled Cast Iron Oval Dutch Oven
The five ply set covers a fry pan, saucepans, a saute pan and a stockpot, all clad to the rim rather than just the base. The handles stay cool on the hob and the lids are stainless. It is the set to buy if the old pans have scratched coating.
Cuisinart 5-Ply Stainless Steel 10 Pc Set
The Pro is an eight quart electric pressure cooker with ten programmes and a steam release you can set to vent slowly. The inner pot has handles, so it lifts out without a mitt. It replaces a slow cooker rather than a hob, and the sealing ring holds ...
Instant Pot Pro 8 Qt 10-in-1 Electric Cooker
The Smart Oven Pro is a countertop oven with ten functions, an element that switches on and off to hold temperature, and a slow cook setting. It takes a twelve inch pizza and a full chicken. It suits a kitchen where the main oven only ever cooks for ...
Breville Smart Oven Pro BOV845BSS 12x12
The Rest of the Counter
The smaller machines that finish a kitchen once the big four are in place, from about a hundred and fifty to two hundred and forty dollars. A burr grinder, a pour over kettle, a rice cooker and a compact oven for the person without room for a full on...
The Encore is a conical burr grinder with forty settings and a hopper that holds about eight ounces of beans. It is set up for filter coffee rather than espresso, and the company sells the parts to repair it. Buy this one with a machine that takes gr...
Baratza Encore Coffee Grinder ZCG485BLK, Black
The Palatti is a gooseneck kettle with temperature control to the degree and a magnetic dial on the base. The dual spout pours slow for pour over and fast for a mug. It boils a litre at a time. That is small for a household making tea for four.
Palatti Gooseneck Electric Kettle 0.88L
The Midea Neo is a twelve and a half quart countertop oven that air fries, toasts, bakes and reheats in one box. It fits a nine inch pizza and runs on a normal socket. It is the cheaper choice if the Breville Smart Oven is too wide for the counter.
Midea Neo Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo 12.7QT
The Neuro Fuzzy is a ten cup rice cooker with a nonstick inner pan and settings for white, sushi, brown and sweet rice. It holds cooked rice warm for hours without drying it out. The pan is hand wash only, so it is not the machine for a dishwasher ho...
Zojirushi Ns ZCC10 Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker