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It’s “seamless” until that low balance alert hits.

I am a contributing writer based in Brooklyn who previously held roles at BuzzFeed including Commerce Writer, Senior Entertainment Partnership Manager (Streaming Lead), and Streaming Editor.

Promising review: "As a beginner, it's important to me that the knife is low-maintenance, versatile (to reduce the number of implements I need), and relatively safe. It is all of these. The knife could *probably* be sharper, but I would be more nervous using it. As it is, the blade simply slides through every fruit, vegetable, and loaf I've tried it on. —Tim Mccormack

Promising review: "Wow, this little gadget is pretty amazing! I have some old (expensive) nonserrated knives that are supposed to never need sharpening but unfortunately, lost their sharp edge long ago. I saw this gadget and decided to try it. I set the bottom of this gadget on the edge of the counter and ran one of the knives through the side labeled 'Coarse' about 10 times, then ran it through the side labeled 'Fine' another 8-10 times. Bingo! The knife was transformed back to its former high-dollar cutlery glory. I could hardly believe how effectively it had sharpened the knife, which I had been ready to throw away a week before. I've been happily sharpening all our knives and trying to add up in my head how much money I've saved by NOT having to buy another set of expensive knives. Great score!" —Schelly L. Wagoner

Get it from Amazon for $9.89+ (available in three colors).

Read our full review of the KitchenIQ knife sharpener!

Promising review: "We love this cutting board because it makes chopping and placing food into pans so much easier than larger boards. The handle is comfortable, and the board has bendable sides to hold food and any juices. We had a previous one for many years, maybe about six, and used it every day, and needed to replace it. Buy one, and you will be amazed at how easily it becomes your favorite cutting board." —HppyStmpr

Get it from Amazon for $15+ (available in two sizes and three colors).

Promising review: "I had a two-hinge garlic press, which worked well but the garlic often got stuck and it was not easy to clean. I am pleasantly surprised by how this garlic crusher has such a simple design, yet it is so effective. As you press the garlic, the minced garlic will be collected on top of the grater and you can easily scape them off with the little knife that came with the kit. I also love the silicon peeler! It makes peeling garlic skin a lot easier. With these tools, my hands longer stink from cropping garlic!" —CL

Promising review: "Absolutely love these ceramic pans. In the process of trying to get away from nonstick plastic coatings, I have tried all sorts of stainless steel pans, which don’t clean well and aren’t easy to cook with. These pans are so easy, clean well, and we’re really happy with them. If anything, I want one more pan like this that’s bigger with higher edges for big stir fry cooking." —Emily R.

Get it from Quince for $44.90+ (available in two sizes).

This handy kitchen gadget has seven functions: rice cooker, pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, sauté, yogurt maker, and warmer! Check out our review of the Instant Pot!

Promising review: "This is quite possibly the coolest, most versatile kitchen gadget I’ve ever owned. I love it so much that I’ve purchased two more for friends and relatives. What can it do? I think the real question is 'What can’t it do?' I truly believe you could replace every cooking appliance (including your oven and stove top) and do EVERYTHING in the Instant Pot. I purchased two sizes for my own use: the 3-quart (which is my almost-every-day workhorse for two person dishes) and the 8-quart (which I bring out to handle my dinner party dishes). Everything I’ve tried has been fabulous. In the realm of kitchen appliances, there is no better investment than the Instant Pot. Highly recommended!!!" —Stereoman

Get it from Amazon for $89.99+ (available in two sizes).

Promising review: "Ok, I'm a beginner cook and let me tell you...this is the absolute BEST peeler I could've EVER gotten!! It's SO easy to peel things! I just used it for the first time last night peeling cucumbers and boy oh boy, was it a whiz!!! Just about a week and a half ago, I was using a knife to peel things, and it took FOREVER!! Now I'm looking for other things to peel cause this thing just works that good!! Just a *take care* heads-up... watch your fingers around the blade, 'cause that sucker works!! I haven't cut myself on it (yet), but I've read some of the other reviews, and I can definitely agree that the blade is sharp! You definitely gotta pick yourself up one of these peelers! You WON'T regret it!" —Marisa

Promising review: "I love these Oxo Good Grip 16 inch locking tongs. I have used other tongs in the past and they were good but one problem I usually always had was I would get pinched every time I would go to turn something. I no longer get pinched, let's just say. These tongs are great for turning anything from meat to veggies to breads. The way they lock means they are going to stay locked until you actually want to unlock them. I use them for BBQs also; they work wonders around the tongs I use to use for the grill. I highly recommend these for even the beginners in cooking; why not start with the best that way you don't waste money on others as I did?" —Missy

Promising review: "I love hard-boiled eggs for protein, especially when I’m on the go as a student/worker, but it’s hard to wait for the water to boil, then put in the eggs and get ready all at the same time. This cooker is amazing!! Saves me time, it’s quick, and I don’t have to watch it while it cooks — I can go get ready, and then I hear a loud buzzer notifying me when the eggs are done! (The buzzer is really loud; it sounds like a basketball game buzzer.) I was surprised how fast the eggs cooked." —Megan

Get it from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in seven colors). 

Read more about the Dash Egg Cooker here.

Promising review: "This digital meat thermometer is the best I've ever had. I own others, but they are either too bulky to fit in the drawer or too hard to read. This one is small and lightweight; it's easy to pull out the probe and very easy to read the temperature. I purchased several as stocking stuffers for Christmas. They make a gift that will be appreciated for its size and ease of use, but most importantly, it will be a gift that gets used instead of put away in the closet." —Kat29

Promising review: "Excellent value, spot-on accurate (tested using 100-gram calibration weight along with day-to-day items like 1/2 cup butter weighs exactly 4 ounces). We use this all the time in the kitchen. Measures very light things in grams or ounce range, up to several pounds of potatoes. Every baker knows you should use a scale like this to measure. No-brainer to measure '1 cup' of flour (120 grams), no leveling, no sifting, just weigh out 120g/cup, and you get great results every time. How do you measure tablespoons of bulk farm-fresh butter? Use this thing, 0.5 ounce/tablespoon. Tare works flawlessly. Grams or ounces, your call. A great all-around kitchen workhorse." —Tim M

Get it from Amazon for $19.95+ (available in three colors).

Promising review: "I'd always used the two spoon method to attempt to get cookies of the same size on the cookie sheet. I got pretty good at it, but there was always an amateur look to my finished cookies. The idea of a cookie scoop never occurred to me until I complimented a friend, saying that her cookies looked worthy of a high-end bake shop. Every cookie on the plate looked to be exactly the same size and to have cooked evenly. She shared the secret of the scoop to ensure consistency in the look and texture of her cookies.

Deciding to purchase one for myself, I looked up cookie scoops on Amazon.com and saw my favorite brand, Oxo Good Grips, listed and bought all three sizes. The medium is the one I use most. The large comes in handy for making oversize dessert cookies, but the small has mainly been relegated to occasional melon baller status. I recently had to replace the medium-sized one. Not because it wore out —  it didn't. In fact, it was just as comfortable and springy as the day purchased. No, I loaned the darn thing to my neighbor over the holidays when she broke her cheaply made scoop in some kind of cookie-making frenzy. Perhaps she found herself coveting it too much to return it; it's that good." —☮S.Trasny

Promising review: "I compared them to my parent's $30 set and they are nearly the same. They are quality stainless, although a little thinner than the $30 set. For a student and amateur cook like myself, these get the job done and are the absolute best at this price point." —Joel 

Get it from Amazon $13.49 (for a set of eight).

Check out a TikTok of the whisk in action. 

Promising review: "This is one of the coolest gizmos I’ve purchased! And it works like a charm, especially for scrambled eggs. I’ve always struggled with getting the egg white and yolk blended well together. This tool does the trick. I found it most effective with liquids. Any kind of sauce or salad dressing can be well blended with this tool too." —Austin

Promising review: "I have owned a couple of the pot-style rice cookers sold in the $20 to $50 US range and found they had problems with boiling over, scorching the bottom of the rice, and did not hold rice at temperature for any length of time, making them hard to use for a person with no fixed time to get off work. My Asian friends told me Zojirushi was the way around these issues, and they were spot on. I have had this for about a week now, have made one batch of sushi short grain rice that rivaled any I have had in sushi houses, have had fresh, hot rice jook (rice porridge) two mornings this week, oatmeal one morning and fresh, hot white or brown rice ready for me when I got home, one time at 17:00 and twice after 21:00, so I can definitely say that the keep-warm function works. My only regret is not buying one of these machines five years ago!" —Bear

Promising review: "These food containers have literally saved my sanity...how am I able to work, school, church, ministry, and get fully cooked meals on the table and for lunches each day…. The answer is meal planning and freezer meals. If you don’t like eating leftovers this is a way you can have options without eating a big pot of chili for a week. Just start making a bit extra of your favorite meal and add to freezer, in a few weeks you will have 3-5 option for later." Bonus: They pop out so easy after they are frozen and if you are doing portion control this is an easy way to know how much you are eating as each container has measurements." —Galina

Get it from Amazon for $21.99 (available in six colors). 

The seven blades are: an angel hair blade, fine shredding, coarse shredding, curly fry, flat blade, fine wavy, and coarse wavy. 

Promising review: "I could not recommend this to more people if I tried — it's been an amazing addition to my kitchen! Super easy to use and clean and works great. I like that it's light too so that I can stack it on other appliances in my tiny kitchen, without taking up more counter space when it's not in use. The suction cups on the bottom are great for keeping it in place when in use." —ksb

Promising review: "This was the blessing I didn't know that I needed. I never dreamed I would use this tool as often as I do. I have mastered pestos, pastas, sauces, you name it! My very first endeavor was making pasta, which I was very intimidated by. It made it so easy! We love a good filet and asparagus, and the best sauce for that is hollandaise sauce. This food processor made it a breeze, and it is so delicious! My favorite thing to do is to puree garlic and herbs with my food processor and freeze it in small silicone molds to keep on hand to use while cooking. The garlic grinds so well it is almost a paste and works perfectly for my needs. I have loaded this little machine down, and I have never worried about overloading it. She is a chopping, slicing, grinding, blending powerhouse! You can throw everything into the dishwasher, which makes cleanup a breeze, or just quickly wash it to reuse it immediately. I am almost tempted to buy a second unit to keep in storage just as a backup in case anything ever happens to this one." —Julie White 

Get it from Amazon for $218.82+ (available in nine colors). 

Promising review: "I bought the gloves because I had two nasty cuts in quick succession from a cheese grater. Anyone who has had injuries to their fingers know how difficult it is to continue to do everyday activities and meal preparation, while still protecting your wound. I received the gloves quickly after my order and pressed them into use immediately that evening. I am most impressed. My fingers/hands were protected from my very sharp grater and knife while I prepared dinner. I bought two pairs, one to keep and one to give as a gift. I am now going to buy a third pair in a larger size for a friend who also likes to cook but suffers from occasional run-ins with mandolines, graters, and knives. Great product!" —O'Hare

Get it from Amazon for $9.57+ (available in sizes S-XL and in three colors).

Promising review: "You know those gadgets you get thinking 'I think I may use this', only to end up in a junk drawer or filed in 'file 13, aka trash'? This will NOT BE LIKE THAT!! I love this little gem! Fits every can/jar I've tried, and it stays in my dish drainer for easy find. Just a fantastic gadget!! No more soggy tuna fish!! Yeah!!! Win-win and win!! Every kitchen should have one if you also hate to use the top of the can, that's dirty even though you wash them off...HELLO, it's still germy (word of the day). Try it!! You won't be sorry." —Rhee J.

Promising review: "This is one serious cutting board. It is HEAVY which is good as it doesn't move around on you. It is nice having the flat side for everyday slicing and cutting and the second side with the cut out for juices to collect instead of running off. You do need to maintain this board but it is easy and takes no time at all." —R. Hendricks

Get it from Amazon for $57.95+ (available in four sizes).

Promising review: "The dishes are a nice, heavy ceramic. They look beautiful and clean easily. I felt everything cooked well and evenly. I used mine for broccoli/rice casserole and was pleasantly surprised how easily it cleaned up." —crazy bat

Get it from Amazon for $57.95 (for a pair). 

Promising review: "This is the PERFECT air fryer for apartments, condos, or smaller households (just two of us). Small footprint on the counter, not too tall, and looks nice, too. Makes AMAZING fish fillets (salmon, halibut) that cook evenly and get a little crispy. Very good for roasting vegetables, but do as it says and turn them halfway. Frozen snacks come out great every time. Competent at toast (it takes a little experimenting). Super-easy to program (temp/time/start), the warm-up countdown helps get the temp right before cooking, and there’s a guide inside the door showing the correct rack position for each use. And the unique 'a bit more' feature is brilliant! Just what you need for that extra browning or for a thicker piece of food. Clean up is a breeze if you use parchment (for fish) and/or leave the pan in the bottom, and the lower tray slides out for easy cleanup. Uses way less electricity than the oven, and doesn’t heat up the whole house in the summer. Don’t know about long-term reliability yet, but so far it’s very much worth the extra money compared to the competitors we’ve used." —Stephen5280

Promising review: "This pot is fantastic, and it's BEAUTIFUL! I am in love. I've cooked in enameled pans forever, but that other brand doesn't even compare. I wish I had found this brand decades ago! I'm selling all my other (expensive) pots and using only this brand from now on. No more sticking. No more having to deglaze the pan after cooking proteins. No need to hover over the stove to prevent scorching. This pot keeps things cooking just right, and everything comes out perfectly. Simply keep the heat a little lower than you normally do, but don't worry, your food will cook in the same amount of time. It's just SO much easier to cook with compared to plain cast iron or stainless. Easy to cook in, easy to care for. It's so pretty, it's going to sit out on top of the stove as ART in my kitchen! 100% recommended!" —Carter

Get it from Amazon for $215+ (available in five sizes and six colors).

Promising review: "Sturdy, looks nice, and fits perfectly between my countertop and cupboard. Fills in that dingy corner between the fridge and stove that never had anything but bottles and spice jars that i used too much to justify storing. Now not only are they properly in/on a thing, but more accessible, using the vertical space to increase free counter space AND letting the goods cover that gap beside the fridge." —Nick

Promising review: "Cleaning the Blacklock skillet is hassle-free thanks to its non-stick properties. Food residue easily wipes away, simplifying maintenance. To sum it up, the Lodge 7-inch Blacklock skillet delivers impressive performance and boasts a stunning design. Its lightweight nature, superb seasoning, and superior craftsmanship make it a must-have in any kitchen. I highly recommend this skillet for an enjoyable cooking experience." —Rugged Rater

Get it from Amazon for $39.95+ (available in four sizes).

Promising review: "These are so handy, I have made some before, but these are really nice." —Donna

Get it from Walmart for $7.68 (for two).

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Plus, barstools and finds from Ikea, Sur La Table, Walmart, and Wayfair.

BuzzFeed Shopping is service journalism first: our writers and editors spend all day shopping so you don’t have to, vetting products, fact-checking brand claims, and surfacing what actually helps in real life. We center readers over revenue, recommend products with authenticity (using real experiences, not ad-speak), and reflect our diverse audience, inclusive of a variety of price points, people, and needs. We cut through fake deals, favor useful info over glossy fluff, and recommend both budget and splurge options with context so you can decide what’s right for you — and still have a little fun along the way.

The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.