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Dana Tutela

11 of My Favorite Small Kitchen Appliances

Updated: Jan 29

Time in my kitchen is more efficient and satisfying with my favorite small kitchen appliances.

modern kitchen

Every kitchen has its basic appliances and kitchen gadgets to function properly. Then there are those special items that make your life in the kitchen so much happier! I may not be a professional chef, but I have cooked thousands of meals, and my cooking skills have come a long way since the early days of marriage and parenthood. I’m pretty sure my dear husband and three daughters would agree!


As far as the small appliances in my kitchen, I am definitely partial to certain ones that work great, help me cook more efficiently and just make life in the kitchen so much better! I’m sharing my favorite small kitchen appliance that I personally own and love regardless of budget. I hope you find this list useful!


breville espresso maker in stainless steel

1.  Breville Espresso Machine: This is a recent addition to our kitchen, and it’s something I didn’t know I needed until I used my niece’s at a vacation rental property. Yes, my family members take turn bringing one on vacation if they are in driving distance. My sister has one, her daughter has one, my brother has one, my daughter has one...peer pressure prevailed. Happy birthday to me! Now I have one. Let me start with this: there is a learning curve to make this work effectively! Go to Youtube college and watch videos, especially about frothing and coffee bean grind settings. That being said, my morning coffee is exceptional! I had no idea how boring my regular pot of coffee has been for the last 25 years!


2.  Breville Microwave Oven:  This microwave sits on a shelf above our Breville toaster oven and pairs nicely with it to give our kitchen a professional appliance look. However, it’s more than just kitchen eye candy. It’s also very user friendly and an excellent performer. The dials allow for easy adjusting of timers and temperature instead of repeatedly stabbing a digital button with your finger. The small buttons inside the microwave door include handy shortcuts and easy clock setting. Personally, I really love the soft door close feature.


breville microwave and toaster oven in stainless steel

3.   Breville Toaster Oven:  Obviously, I love my Breville appliances! My dream kitchen has double wall ovens, but until then this toaster oven is a work horse in my kitchen. I use it everyday whether I’m reheating leftovers or cooking side dishes that can’t go in the regular oven due to space and/or different temperature requirements. It also has an air fryer setting and basket which is great for cooking crispy french fries or reheating pizza slices (trust me on that one!)



food processor

4. Hamilton Beach Food Processor: I use this regular sized food processor several times a week in our kitchen. It’s not heavy and overloaded with lots of parts to store. Its attachments are all dishwasher safe and easy to use. It’s perfect for shredding cheese quickly, slicing vegetables and making recipes like pesto or hummus. I love how powerful it is and how user friendly it is! I reach for it all the time to make meal prep fast and efficient!


black hand mixer

5. Braun Handheld Mixer: I know people love their stand mixers, but I tend to avoid mine because it’s heavy and awkward to use. I find this little guy gets the job done 9 times out of 10 and it fits in a drawer! Don’t get me wrong, I love my stand mixer for making pasta and other unique chores, but the handheld is my go to for day to day kitchen work.


immersion blender



6. KitchenAid Immersion Blender: This handheld blender is an absolute necessity in my kitchen. I first bought one years ago for pureeing spaghetti sauce because my kids had a texture thing with their food. Don’t judge-I know what battles to pick! It didn’t take long to realize that my family also would eat more vegetables if I pureed them in soups. I think I’m on my third immersion blender by now; I use it that much!



black keurig coffee maker

7. Keurig: I know I have my espresso maker on this list already, but this single serve Keurig has been the best backup coffee maker over the years. If we have company or house sitters, I will put this out for easy coffee brewing. It doesn’t take up a lot of space and makes a decent cup of coffee or hot chocolate.


grey air fryer with french fries and tongs

8. PowerXL Vortex Air Fryer: For the longest time, I thought air fryers were just a trend and nothing I would ever want or need in my kitchen. Then my dad gave each of our kids a small one for Christmas to use at college. They raved about how handy it was and even brought one home over the summer for me to try. I realized pretty quickly that my dad was onto something! This small appliance is now a workhorse in my kitchen. For the record, the Breville toaster oven listed earlier does have an air fryer setting which is great, but I don’t use it like a true air fryer. In this one, I can make fried pickles, chicken tenders, wings, etc and clean-up is much easier than the toaster oven.


instant pot pressure cooker

9. Instant Pot: Just like with the air fryer, I asked myself if this was really something I needed to add to my already crowded kitchen and the answer was a resounding YES. I might not use it every single day, but it is indispensable when I do use it. One of my favorite tricks is to put frozen chicken breasts in to cook really fast and then shred with a hand mixer in the pot...perfectly juicy shredded chicken to use for soup or enchiladas or whatever in just minutes! It’s amazing and such a lifesaver on those last minute “what the heck do I make for dinner because I never went to the store and everything’s frozen” kinda evenings!


Alexa next house plant and lantern on kitchen counter

10. Alexa: I’m including this with my list of small kitchen appliances because I use Alexa every time I cook. I set multiple timers with names to monitor my meals and side dishes. There’s a lot less smoke in the kitchen, thanks to Alexa. I also ask her meat doneness temperatures because even though I should have them memorized by now, I just don’t. She’ll even play my favorite Country Music for Cooking playlist while cooking!


electric countertop composter

11. Lomi: My youngest daughter has been very effective at getting me to be more aware of how much trash we are making at every meal. Food scraps are a huge portion of it, too. She was thrilled that I bought a Lomi, a countertop composter. By using Lomi to compost produce trimmings, leftovers, and food going bad; we have reduced our trash bin contents significantly. I run it in the evening when I run the dishwasher and close up the kitchen for the night. In the morning I dump the ‘dirt’ into the outdoor compost pile and then eventually add that to my garden when it’s really good and composted. Less garbage, more free soil- win win!


These are 11 of my favorite small kitchen appliances that keep my kitchen running smoothly. I personally own each of these (or an older version of them) and find their value worthy of sharing with others. I hope you find this list helpful!


For more of my favorite kitchen items, read here: 15 of My Favorite Kitchen Items


photo montage of kitchen tools

Please keep in mind that I may receive commissions at no expense to you when you click my links and make purchases. However, this does not impact my reviews and opinions. I only endorse products or services that I believe are worthy of such an endorsement.
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