8 Must-Have Kitchen Appliances in 2017

In most homes, the kitchen is the heart of the house. It’s where everyone gathers to eat, laugh, and talk about their day. Cooking together is part of this fun, and these days, modern appliances make it even easier to enjoy your favorite foods and beverages. Here are some must-have appliances that make cooking feel like less of a chore and more of a pleasure. 

Single Cup Coffee Machine

These days, making drip coffee has gone the way of the dinosaur. Pod coffee makers conveniently create a single, hot cup of coffee in seconds. These machines have improved over the years and some models include a frothing wand to create the perfect latte or cappuccino right at home. Pods come in different types and flavors including regular coffee, flavored brew, and caffeinated or decaf espresso.

Samsung LCD Panel Refrigerator

It’s no surprise that we’ve begun to see more smart home appliances, and while some of them seem extraneous, some are actually very useful. The Samsung LCD Panel Refrigerator is costly, but a worthwhile investment. The refrigerator has a vast amount of space at 28 cu. feet, and there’s an LCD screen on the refrigerator door. What does it do? You can go on the Internet, look up food and beverage recipes, and curate a shopping list.

Blendtec Blender

The newer blenders offer much more than traditional style blenders do. Blendtec offers a blender with a touch screen, so creating concoctions like smoothies, shakes, and cocktails happens at the push of a button. With a high-powered motor and a variety of speeds, 2014’s blenders are technical wizards of the future. 

Belkin Crock Pot

Remember the days when you had to turn on your Crock Pot in the morning before you left for work? That’s all changed now with smartphone technology. The Belkin We-Mo Crock Pot lets you control your pot from your phone, so you don’t even have to be at home to have dinner ready when you get there! You can even control the cooking temperature and time remotely.

Convection Microwave

Old school microwaves simply cook frozen or cold foods, sometimes with uneven results. However, the new convection and inverter microwaves cook food thoroughly so it’s evenly heated, and you’re not biting into a still-frozen pizza that’s crisp on the outside. The Panasonic Prestige microwave not only heats up food, but you can also toast a bagel, bake cakes, and make perfect pizzas in a flash. 

Digital Steamer

Steaming veggies used to be a process that required a steamer, a pot, and other implements. You can cut steaming time in half and make healthy vegetables with a digital steamer, which you can also use to steam meats and rice. The Hamilton Beach steamer is fast and easy to use, and you can cook two items at once; meat in one compartment, and veggies in the other. It also has a warmer so your food is warm until dinner time. 

Coffee Pod Drawer

Using a pod coffee machine is convenient and easy, but you may not have space for the multitude of coffee pods in your kitchen. The best storage solution is a coffee pod drawer, which you can pull out to reveal your pods and nab one in a second. Some drawers hold up to 50 pods, and since you store them face-up, you can easily see what flavor and type they are. Make it even more space-savvy by sticking it under your coffee maker.

Hand Blender

Let’s face it; kitchen appliances take up space, and if you have a small kitchen, maximizing your space means scaling down your appliances. If you don’t have room for an oversized Blendtec, consider a hand blender instead. The Cuisinart Smart Stick is a powerful 2-speed blender you can use for wet or dry foods. 

With all the time we spend each day in our kitchen, we should do ourselves the favor of upgrading some of those old outdated appliances in favor of today’s smart appliances. The convenience factor can make all the difference.

Written by cassalynne