We all play favorites in the kitchen—favorite chicken recipe, favorite brand of salt, favorite rice-washing method. There's the pan you reach for each morning because you know it'll heat evenly for a perfect omelet, the coffee machine that can brew a pot in the exact amount of time it takes you to unload the dishwasher, the mug that fits in your hand like it was made for you. The best kitchen equipment easily integrates into your routine. It doesn't just make the food you cook better (although, of course, it does do that); it makes your experience in the kitchen seamless, stress-free, joyful, even.
In an effort to fill those coveted spots in your collection, kitchen tool brands roll out new releases each year. They add models to their lineups and tweak the features and designs of staple products; new brands boldly step into the game.
At Bon Appétit, we roll up our sleeves and turn up the heat in order to put these launches to the test. Our editors chop, sear, fry, and blend in the Test Kitchen and at home to understand these products inside-out and see how they perform head-to-head against our long-standing go-tos. The rookies don't always hit the mark, but sometimes they really, really do—and suddenly, you have a new favorite baking dish for your Thanksgiving casserole.
With our inaugural Gear of the Year Awards, we're celebrating the products that wowed us. Over 200 items were nominated for consideration by brands and BA staffers, and these 21 made the cut. We guarantee there's something on this list that will improve the way you cook.
—Abbey Stone, senior commerce director
A note on our criteria and testing methodology
Eligible products were released between January 2024 and September 2025 and are available for purchase in 2025. New colorways of existing products—with no features changes or additions—are not eligible for consideration.
Our testing methods are designed to evaluate the product's full range of functions, and therefore vary by product type and category. For more information on the tests performed for each item, you can refer to the relevant "Best of" article on Bon Appetit (which are also linked below).
The winners below are presented in alphabetical order by category, not in a ranked list.
Appliances and grills
Baratza Encore ESP Pro
Good coffee starts with a good grind. The new ESP Pro from Baratza has all the features a grinder needs to help you make the most of your beans, but is simple enough for beginners to operate.
Its stepless adjustment mechanism (that means no clicking from one setting to the next) lets you really dial in the grind for your daily drip brew or espresso shot, and because the machine digitally displays your selection, you can get a consistent texture time after time for each different case. This is a big improvement over some other stepless grinders that have a small adjustment wheel without any useful labels, leaving it to you to remember where you set the grinder. The ESP Pro also has low retention (very little coffee gets stuck in the burr and left behind), sharp burrs that deftly grind everything from super fine Turkish coffee to coarse cold brew, and it comes with a handy catch cup that's the right size for transferring grounds to both common sizes of espresso basket (54mm and 58mm).
One of my favorite things about this machine, though, is its Auto-Stop feature. Measure the amount of beans for your perfect double shot, then press a button to save the time it took to grind into the ESP Pro's memory. Now you have a preset setting for a perfectly dosed shot every time. —Noah Kaufman, senior commerce editor
Read more: These are the best coffee grinders
Breville InFizz Fusion Sparkling Beverage Carbonator
Yes, the InFizz produces bracing, effervescent water at the touch of a button, but that’s not what makes it special. Unlike the vast majority of soda makers on the market it can also carbonate non-water liquids like juice, tea, and cocktails without risking damage to the machine. This is possible because the InFizz’s gas spigot detaches from the main body, making it easy to clean. Say you want a sparkling Negroni, all you need to do is pour the ingredients into the bottle (the included funnel comes in handy here), lock it into the machine, and give it a few quick pumps.
While Breville wasn’t the first brand to utilize this design, they certainly refined it. The stainless steel finishes, the smart details—like a tab on the cap that allows for a slow controlled release of pressure, and a twist and lock design to secure the bottle—all come together to create a soda maker that works as well as it looks. —Wilder Davies, commerce writer
Read more: These are the best soda makers
Breville Oracle Jet
Intimidated by complex espresso makers, I thought I had to settle for sad made-at-home espresso from the one automatic machine I felt comfortable using. Then the Breville Oracle Jet showed me it didn't have to be that way. This beginner-friendly machine has a touchscreen display that walks you through its initial setup and your first few shots step by step. Its instructions are so clear and the machine so intuitive to use, I was sipping a café-quality coffee within 30 minutes of opening the box.
But the Oracle Jet doesn't sacrifice features for this ease of use: It has a slew of customization options to please more experienced espresso heads. To name a few: temperature control, 45 stepless grind settings, and a manual mode on the milk frother. The machine comes with 12+ preset programs for flat whites, cold brews, and more—and once you’ve figured out your favorites you can save your custom settings to the system. My current drink of choice? A double shot cappuccino with oat milk. —Alaina Chou, commerce writer
Read more: These are the best espresso machines
Gozney Arc XL
After testing more than 15 pizza ovens, Gozney’s Arc XL is the one I keep coming back to. The build quality alone sets it apart. It’s solid, striking, and obviously designed by people who think about every small detail. (For example, it comes with a tiny metal tool that lets me adjust the pizza stone’s position until it's just so.)
The Arc XL's signature feature is its namesake arc of flame that rolls over the top of the oven. Most models have side or rear burners, but this design mimics a traditional wood-fired oven, wrapping heat evenly around your pie. That means more control, fewer burnt crusts, and a perfect Neapolitan-style char every time. You can even lift the pizza into the flame to get those blistered, bubbling edges—something trickier to accomplish with shorter flame rows. While compact enough to live on a backyard table, the Arc XL also looks beautiful sitting on its custom stand, which keeps everything at the right height for a seamless pizza-making experience. —Olivia Tarantino, senior commerce editor
Read more: These are the best outdoor pizza ovens
Nama M1
If you grimace each time you're charged extra for oat or almond milk at coffee shops, the Nama M1 might just change your life. Most at-home nut milk makers feel like glorified blenders that still require you to soak the nuts and strain the pulp, yet somehow never deliver that silky smooth texture you get with store-bought versions. The M1 is a true upgrade.
Every component of this machine is designed for speed and simplicity: The lid doubles as a one-cup measuring cup, and the pitcher has volume markers to help you add the perfect amount of water. Choose a 30- or 45-second cycle and watch it spin at 10,000 RPM to pulverize your nuts, then reverse at 2,500 RPM to extract every last drop. In under two minutes, you have rich, creamy milk with zero prep and none of the additives found in the stuff you buy at the grocery store.
It’s compact, easy to clean, and yes, a little pricey. But for anyone drinking alt-milk daily or who wants full control over flavor and ingredients, it pays for itself fast. —O.T.
Ninja Slushi
Sure, you can make frozen drinks at home in a high-powered blender. But the truth is, it’s really hard to achieve the kind of smooth, undiluted slush you can get at a bar or restaurant (or 7-Eleven) without a dedicated machine that uses a compressor to chill your mixture without added ice. Such appliances are typically commercial-grade and cost thousands of dollars—that is, they were until the Ninja Slushi arrived. The Slushi makes crafting homemade frozen margs, daiquiris, palomas, and Negronis as simple as pouring your ingredients into the top of the machine and pressing a button. I love that it has a built-in cooling system just like the pro models, so there’s no need to use precious freezer space to pre-chill a metal canister and you can make batch after batch without interruption.
While I tend to use my Slushi for alcoholic bevs, it can also mix up frappés, milkshakes, or non-alc slushies for those 90-degree summer days. The machine truly revolutionized my hosting game this year—it took all the stress out of cocktail-making for a crowd when I entertained 20+ friends for July 4th, was the ultimate X-factor at my family’s annual Labor Day bash, and allowed me to add “homemade frappucino” to my weekend brunch menu. —A.C.
Ooni Volt 2
Until recently, an indoor pizza oven wasn’t something we’d suggest for most home cooks. Most models are massive, expensive, and better suited for a backyard setup than a kitchen counter. The Volt 2 changes all that. Ooni has made an electric pizza oven that works just as well for launching pies as it does for everyday roasting and baking.
Ooni listened to its users and redesigned the Volt from the ground up. The brand stripped away the outdoor weatherproofing (since most people were using it inside), which shrunk its footprint dramatically without sacrificing power. A new vent system prevents condensation from fogging up the glass, and the updated control panel includes smart presets that automatically set temperature and timers for whatever style of pizza you’re craving.
But here’s the kicker: The Volt 2 isn’t just for pizza anymore. With a lower temperature range and an included oven rack, it doubles as a countertop oven that can roast veggies, cook chicken, or even bake cookies between pizza nights. As for the pizza… The perfectly spotted Neapolitan crusts we achieved in the test kitchen had BA editors convinced we’d ordered delivery. The Ooni Volt 2 doesn’t just make great pizza; it redefines what an indoor pizza oven can be. —O.T.
Oxo Compact Burr Grinder
Until now it was almost impossible to find a quality burr grinder that cost less than $100. But Oxo slimmed down its grinder design into something that is not only compact enough to tuck in a drawer (or heck, into a carry-on, if you want to make sure you have good coffee while you’re traveling), it’s also the least expensive coffee grinder to ever ace our tests.
This is a beginner grinder to be sure: It doesn’t have the full range of settings you might want if you’re getting finicky about espresso, for example. But it has enough of a range and parts of high enough quality to make good coffee no matter what brew method you’re using. —N.K.
Ratio Eight Series 2 Coffee Maker
No coffee company merges quality brewing with countertop design better than Ratio. The newest machine from the small outfit out of Portland was born from the premise that a simple, one-button coffee maker ought to be able to make coffee that's as good as what you get if you take the time to make pour-over. It achieves that goal thanks to features like automatic blooming and pulsing water as well as quality pieces like glass water lines, stainless steel showerheads, and heating elements that reach and stay at the ideal brewing temperature.
When you add the machine's thoughtful design elements to this superior performance, you get a buy-it-for life kind of purchase. Real wood accents and a beautiful curvy silhouette pair with the most effective thermal carafe I’ve ever used. (It's so heavy, it could double as the thing you reach for if someone breaks into your house.) The overall impact leaves even a coffee utilitarian like me giddy. —N.K.
Read more: These are the best coffee makers
Thaan Grill XL
It’s not a universal truth, but grilling on a truly top-notch piece of hardware is usually a luxury reserved for those who have expansive outdoor space. Thaan’s first grill, made in the image of Japanese yakitori or konros, is an exciting exception to the rule, offering one of the nicest tabletop grilling experiences I’ve tried.
Even if you have little more space than a bistro table on a patio, you can get contained, high-heat searing, pushing 800. And because the Thaan is so well insulated, it can both maintain that heat inside its firebox and stay cool enough on the outside that I was able to place my hands on it while it was lit.
Another pitfall of grilling in a smaller space is that it can turn into a huge mess quickly. The Thaan cleans up easily, thanks to removable charcoal baskets and a wipeable matte exterior. And while it’s by no means lightweight, it is designed for easy transport—whether that’s inside to escape any inclement weather or into the trunk of a car to bring down to the beach.—N.K.
Read more: These are the best charcoal grills
Vitamix Ascent X2
How can Vitamix improve on near-perfect? you might wonder. The Ascent X2 shows exactly how. At first glance, its switches, knob, and sleek design feel familiar, but spend a few minutes blending and you’ll notice the thoughtful upgrades.
The new timer is a godsend for Type-A folks like me who track everything, and the added pulse button makes quick work of those stubborn frozen banana chunks. The Ascent series of blenders also include a 2.2 HP motor (an upgrade from the 2 HP motor in the 5200 model), which can turn raw ingredients into piping-hot soup in about six minutes, and the X2's 48-ounce pitcher’s tighter base blends smaller batches of thick smoothies and creamy nut butters efficiently. This machine also works with Vitamix’s food processor attachment (and other containers with the brand's Self-Detect technology), meaning you can get two appliances from one base and save precious storage space.
At just $50 more than the 5200, the X2 adds power, presets, dishwasher-safe cleanup, and a 10-year warranty to make it a slightly more modern, versatile Vitamix without losing the power and reliability we’ve always loved. —O.T.
Read more: These are the best blenders
Cookware
Misen Nitrided Carbon-Steel Pan
This may be a carbon-steel pan, but it doesn’t act like one. While we often tout carbon-steel skillets as a better and longer-lasting alternative to conventional nonstick cookware, we also know that the effort involved in cooking with and caring for a carbon-steel pan means this isn't a simple one-to-one swap. However, the Misen Carbon Nonstick emulates the experience of using a conventional nonstick pan to a degree we haven't encountered before.
Its surface repels moisture and releases chicken skin and scrambled eggs with the slickness of Teflon—just minus the Teflon—and the nitriding process protects it from scratches and rust so well that you can actually leave it to soak in your sink (typically, a big no-no with regular carbon-steel). Basically, the Misen works like a nonstick pan, but instead of getting worse over time, the nonstick qualities improve with continued use. —W.D.
Read more: These are the best nonstick pans
Strata Carbon-Steel-Clad Pan
The Stata pan is the first “clad carbon-steel” pan we’ve ever come across in our Test Kitchen. In this case, clad means that the pan is made of several different layers of metal, each providing a specific benefit. You see this type of composition most often with stainless-steel cookware, where a layer of aluminum sandwiched between two layers of stainless steel helps the pan heat up faster.
The Strata pan has a stainless-steel base, aluminum core, and carbon-steel cooking surface. People like cooking on carbon steel because of the nonstick seasoning it develops over time, but the material is also heavy and prone to hot spots. The aluminum and stainless-steel layers in the Strata pan make up for these shortcomings, resulting in a skillet that’s surprisingly lightweight and responsive to heat. The result: an easy-to-use skillet that cooks like the carbon-steel pans classically-trained chefs love —W.D.
Wagner Long Cast-Iron Griddle
As writer Wilder Davies has observed in his coverage of cast iron cookware, the past decade has brought a boom of new companies creating "vintage-style" cast iron because those classic pans were of a much higher quality. The Wagner Long Griddle is not an example of a new company mimicking the old style, it’s a classic resurrected.
Wagner started making cast-iron cookware in 1891 and quickly solidified itself as a leader in the category; the company survived a century of brand pivots and owner changes before shuttering in 1999. In the early 2020s, ancestors of the founder worked to bring the brand back to life, refocusing on the original cast-iron products that cooks loved.
In bringing back a beloved design of yore, Wagner has corrected the biggest failure of most stovetop griddles: This griddle heats shockingly evenly across the entire surface. The difference between the temperature at the center of the cooking surface (where there is not a direct heat source) to the edges (that sit on top of the heat source) was only 10 or 15 degrees. Compare that to popular (and cheap) stovetop griddles, which had temperature swings of 50 or 60 degrees from the middle of the griddle to the edges. That means you can fill it up with protein or pancakes and get relatively even cooking. It may seem simple, but it offers a dramatically improved experience. —N.K.
Kitchen Tools and Containers
Drip EZ Collapsible Prep Tubs
Good design doesn’t always mean beautiful design, as I found with these incredibly practical —but, kind of ugly if I’m honest—cooking prep tubs. They're so deep I can keep my kitchen counters clean during notoriously messy processes like marinating proteins or rubbing ingredients destined for the smoker, even something huge like a packer brisket, but the collapsible design makes them easy to store away between uses. Snap-on lids make overnight dry brining easy and transportation from kitchen to grill accident-proof. The silicone and nylon construction holds on to very few stains, so you can quickly wipe them clean.
The smartest design feature, though, is the most easily overlooked: The base of these tubs is actually a cutting board. One of the messiest parts of cooking large proteins is cutting them up—juices tend to splatter everywhere. Fold these tubs flat and they become a carving station, complete with a two-inch silicone buffer to catch any stray liquid. —N.K.
Read more: These are the best food storage containers
Owala SmoothSip Tumbler
We thought a leakproof slider-style travel coffee mug didn’t (and maybe couldn't) exist. Then Owala launched the SmoothSip Slider. This colorful tumbler has an easy-to-drink-from spout that locks and unlocks with a simple push-down-and-slide motion. When closed, this thing is sealed so well that you can toss it in your bag without risking any spillage. It’s a great option for car commuters because it’s easy to open with one hand and secure enough to prevent sloshing should you make a sharp turn or sudden stop. I like using it on the subway for similar reasons—especially as someone who’s often carrying a million things at once and doesn’t have a hand to spare. Plus, the tapered bottom means it fits into most cup holders and backpack bottle pouches.
I’m not alone in my love for this cup. After testing nearly two dozen travel coffee tumblers, contributor Adam Campbell-Schmitt continues to opt for the SmoothSip as his everyday mug. I’ve also spotted multiple BA staffers toting their own SmoothSips around the office. If you’re ready to join the fan club, you’ve got some options: The tumbler is available in 12- and 20-oz. sizes, both of which you can get with or without a handle and in a range of fun color combinations. —A.C.
Read more: These are the best travel coffee mugs
Stasher Stretch Lids
When talking about kitchen gear, food storage isn’t the most scintillating area to explore. But Stasher's high quality, reusable pieces are genuinely exciting (at least for leftover lovers, meal-preppers, and parents).
Stasher’s stretch lids eliminate the need for cabinets full of bulky plastic or glass storage containers—they work with whatever you're already using. Extra pancake batter in a mixing bowl? Snap a lid on top, pop it in the fridge, and it's ready for the next morning. Use only half a can of coconut milk for a recipe? A can-sized lid lets you return to make it again next week. Need to bring a bowl of pasta to work for a not-so-sad desk lunch? There’s a lid for that too. —N.K.
Thermoworks Sizzle
Any person who makes frequent use of a digital probe thermometer (pit masters, professional chefs) knows about Thermoworks thermometers. They’re exceptionally fast and accurate (the Thermapen One takes less than a second to provide a reading), but that $109 price tag understandably sends a lot of people scrounging for subpar knock-offs.
Consider the Sizzle the long-awaited, affordable-but-still-very-good alternative to the brand's premium Thermapen One. The Sizzle is half the price, but still offers the superb precision and speed you can expect from Thermoworks, along with a light-up screen, magnetic back, and waterproof body. And with a two-second read time, the Sizzle outpaces cheaper generic models, which typically take four seconds or more. —W.D.
Read more: These are the best meat thermometers
Cleaning
Mill Food Recycler
We’ve all had the “what’s that smell?” moment wafting from a kitchen trash can, followed by the pinched nose as you gingerly remove some viscerally upsetting, soggy garbage bag from your life. Well, guess what? You don’t have to do that anymore.
The Mill Food Recycler made my life better from day one. Essentially a trash-can-sized food-waste dehydrator and grinder, it turns almost any solid food into a loamy mix that looks like soil and smells faintly sweet and earthy. In an overnight cycle, it heats and grinds discarded organics to reduce their volume by about 80%, so it takes forever to fill. (Seven weeks in and I still haven’t emptied mine!) No more countertop composters hogging space, and no more frozen bags of scraps taking up precious ice cream real estate.
It’s not cheap, and it’s not small, but the Mill does something nothing else has: It makes dealing with food waste feel...kind of enjoyable. And once you’ve lived with it, it’s hard to imagine a busy cooking life without it. —O.T.
Naomi After-Cooking Hand Scrub
It’s pretty hard for something as basic as hand soap to catch my attention, but Naomi’s Bergamot and Black Pepper After-Cooking Hand Scrub isn’t just another hand soap. It’s a practical, functional product for cooks that also gives high-end-hotel vibes. If you like nice things, or if you’d rather not have garlic and onion lingering on your skin after meal prep, this blue-labeled bottle deserves a spot at your kitchen sink.
While most scented soaps do a mediocre job of masking food smells with harsh, cheap fragrances, Naomi’s scrub neutralizes offending odors with bread-yeast enzymes, then leaves behind subtle, but incredibly luxurious notes of bergamot, black pepper, sandalwood, and ginger. The aroma alone is reason enough to try it—especially if you’re already splurging on more expensive suds from brands like Aesop or Le Labo—but the way it makes your hands feel will have you hooked. Skincare benefits come from smooth, small beads of volcanic rock that gently exfoliate, as well as biodegradable jojoba seed wax that hydrates (draws water to the skin) and moisturizes (locks it in). Even better? It’s developed and made by cooks in Los Angeles. If fancy smells aren’t your thing, there’s also a fragrance-free version. —Emily Farris, senior commerce writer
Read our full review of the Naomi After-Cooking Hand Scrub
Roborock F25 Ultra Mop Vac
We’ve evangelized the ways a wet/dry vacuum, or mop vac, can improve your kitchen cleaning routine for years, and Roborock’s F25 Ultra takes everything we like about mop vacs and makes it better. Its hot water function makes quick work of sticky messes on the floor (a godsend in my house, since my kids have taken to tipping plates with maple syrup onto the floor) and the steam cleaning setting easily clears deeper stains and eliminates odors.
An Achilles heel of mop vacs is that, if you aren’t fastidious in cleaning them out, they’ll start to smell. But the Ultra has a steam-powered self-cleaning mechanism that gets rid of the muck collected from your floor. Other nice features include a handle that drops parallel with the floor to clean under furniture and a sponge mode that uses suction to help dry the floor after mopping. It’s like Roborock heard all our notes on earlier iterations of the mop vac and fixed them one by one. —N.K.
Read more: These are the best vacmops