Best kitchen and small appliances

Start with an air fryer — it's the small appliance most kitchens actually use daily. My pick is the Cosori TurboBlaze 6-quart: two divided baskets so a protein and a side cook at once, and a big enough capacity for a family without hogging counter space.

Who the others suit:

• Ninja Crispi — if you want to watch food cook and clean up less; its glass chamber doubles as a sealed container.
• Beautiful 6 Qt — the budget-friendly, crowd-pleasing choice for simple weeknight batches.
• Philips 5000 dual-basket with steam — the upgrade pick if you steam and crisp in one go.
• Ninja 4-quart / Dash 2-quart — small households and single servings.

For blending, the Vitamix 5200 is the buy-it-once choice; the Ninja Professional Plus is the sensible everyday one.