We've learned from testing hundreds of kitchen tools and appliances that sometimes there's no way around it—the best kitchen appliances are the more expensive kitchen appliances. In some cases, as with the KitchenAid stand mixer and All-Clad pans, the top-of-the-line option can't be beat in terms of quality or performance.
BUT—and this is a big, fat but—that isn't always the case. For most top-dollar tools out there, we have also found a trove of excellent, affordable kitchen tools that we use over and over. The Presto Flipside waffle maker has quite a few features that win over its fancy All-Clad competitor. And we could talk your ear off about the virtues of the economical OXO balloon whisk.
To save you the work of combing through our lengthy compendium of product tests, we compiled a list of our favorite affordable kitchen tools; each of these was tested by our editors, and could easily hold a candle to any more expensive competitors.
Appliances
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Pans and Bakeware
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Knives and Cutlery
Inexpensive but always effective, these kitchen shears from Oxo distinguished themselves with their simple dependability and user-friendly design. The generously proportioned handles were comfortable to hold, the shears were lightweight but balanced, and the materials felt high-quality.
