I’ve tested well over 50 coffee makers now, and I’m 99.9% sure the Keurig K-Mini Mate is the smallest of the (electrical) lot. It’s just 3.9 inches wide — I really don’t think you can get much smaller than that. For cozy kitchens, this is one of the best coffee makers, hands-down.

So while I wouldn’t recommend it for espresso fanatics or coffee nerds, there’s definitely an audience here. If you’re the kind of coffee drinker who’d rather press a button for hot bean juice in seconds, you might just be that audience. No, it’s not going to win any taste or design awards — but have you seen that price? Yes, $59. No, that’s not a typo. $59!

Might the Keurig K-Mini Mate be the perfect small coffee maker for you? I’ll go through everything in this Keurig K-Mini Mate review.

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: Specs

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: Price & availability

The Keurig K-Mini Mate is extremely affordable — just $59 from Amazon. Keurig also makes the K-Mini Mate in three trendy colors, pastel pink, terracotta, and sage green, but this’ll cost $89.

The black model is the cheapest coffee maker Keurig sells. There’s the $88 Keurig K-Express, $99 Keurig K-Compact, $119 Keurig K-Mini Plus, and $149 Keurig K-Slim. Obviously, none are quite so affordable as the K-Mini Mate.

Other pod machines are also much pricier. Nespresso’s cheapest machine is the Nespresso Vertuo Pop+, $129. However, as someone who’s used both Nespresso and Keurig machines, Nespresso tends to taste better due to the espresso-like pressure extraction.

With the Keurig K-Mini Mate, you get what you pay for. Don’t expect anything other than “fine” — because “fine” is precisely how I’d describe this machine.

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: Design

The Keurig K-Mini Mate is the perfect single-serve coffee maker for small spaces. I’m thinking studio apartments, college dorms, even on your office desk. It’s just 4 inches wide, 9 inches tall, and 9 inches deep. I’ve seriously never even seen a coffee maker smaller than this (other than a manual one, like the AeroPress Clear Color).

Even the Keurig K-Slim is 0.7 inches wider than the K-Mini Mate. (Not so slim, now, eh?) Again, if you need the smallest coffee maker on the market, I completely recommend the K-Mini Mate.

As you might expect from a 4-inch-wide coffee maker, the water reservoir is a pretty small 12 ounces. This is enough for one cup at a time, or two small 6-ounce cups. I actually preferred the flavor of 6-ounce brews over 12-ounce brews, so take from that what you will.

Looks-wise, I mean, it’s $59. It’s a plasticky-yet-somehow-still-sleek machine. It does the job it says on the tin: brews coffee quickly with zero headache. Of course, you could opt for the prettier color versions, but this will cost you an extra $30. I am kind of frothing at the mouth looking at the terracotta one, though. I would probably go for that model if I were buying this for myself (or for my child at college).

While the Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ looks better, it’s also double the price. Obviously, I can’t tell you which machine will suit your needs, but if you have a little more money to spend and value aesthetics, I’d recommend looking into the Nespresso.

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: Performance

The K-Mini Mate is almost impossible to mess up. There’s one button. That’s it. All you need to do is put the K-Pod in the pod hole, press the single button, and put a cup under the spout. There’s no room for error here.

Here’s a photo of the K-Mini Mate during use. It takes two minutes to brew one cup, which is ready at drinking temperature. You don’t have to wait for it to cool. Also, you fill the water reservoir with however much you need. If you want a 12-ounce cup, you fill 12 ounces. Want a small or stronger cup? Just use less water.

As you can see, there’s really not much to it. One button, one spout, one mug for coffee in seconds. This is just as easy to use as any other Keurig and any Nespresso machine.

But how does it taste? Well, it’s $59. I wouldn’t recommend this for coffee snobs, but you get what you pay for here. I tested using Colombian and Italian roast pods. The Italian pods were richer and stronger, whereas the Colombian pods tasted a little more tea-like. In the office, three out of four people preferred the Italian pods.

Of course, not all pods taste the same. The beauty of Keurig machines is that you can get tons of different pods. You can get ten Starbucks pods for $9.99, which works out at $.99 per pod. You can also get 48 Keurig-branded donut shop pods for $25, $.53 per pod. Not to mention 96 McDonald’s-branded coffee pods for $45, $.47 per pod. So on and so forth — you get the picture. Keurig machines are versatile: you can adjust the flavor profile easily by buying different pods.

While both the pods I tried carried a vague plasticky taste, again, you get what you pay for here. You’re not going to find a pod machine this easy and this small for cheaper. The cheapest Nespresso is $129, and the next-cheapest Keurig is $88.

If you value ease of use over nuanced coffee flavors, the K-Mini Mate is for you. If not, I’d recommend getting something pricier like the Moccamaster Cup-One ($259), which makes single-serve drip coffee — and is accredited by the Specialty Coffee Association, meaning it brews to strict standards.

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: Storage & maintenance

As it’s less than four inches wide, storing the K-Mini Mate is as easy as making coffee on it. If you’ve got a palm-width of space in your kitchen, you’re good to go.

In terms of maintenance, the machine has a little “descale” light on the top. This will flash when the machine considers itself requiring a descale — between 3 and 6 months — but you’ll need to descale more often if you live in a hard water area. For context, I live in one of the hardest-water areas in the U.K., and I descale my Breville Bambino Plus once a month.

Keurig sells a 14-ounce bottle of descaling solution for $13.99. Durgol descaler, which Moccamaster recommends for its machines, is $13.95 for 8.2 ounces on Amazon, so the branded one is actually cheaper here.

Alright, now let’s address the elephant in the room: sustainability. How does one dispose of K-Pods without upsetting Mother Earth?

Keurig actually runs a pod recycling scheme. Obviously, you need to empty out the ground coffee and clean the pods first, but you can send the pods back to Keurig for recycling. This is great! Until you realize it’s $9.99 for a 96-pod bag. Yes, you need to pay for the privilege of recycling your pods.

This is outrageous. Keurig should not force recycling costs onto consumers — it should be absorbing these costs itself. People buy Keurig machines because they’re cheap, so why should these people also pay $10 to recycle their pods? This encourages plastic waste.

Nespresso’s pod recycling is completely free. You fill a prepaid bag with pods and send it back. That’s it. If you live in New York, you can even recycle the pods directly in your normal bin.

I was shocked when I saw that Keurig not only charges for recycling, but charges $10 per bag. Honestly? Because of this, I’d recommend Nespresso all the way. Within seven recycling bags, you’ve made your money back on the $129 Vertuo Up+.

However, Keurig also makes a reusable coffee filter ($14 at Amazon) you can refill with your preferred coffee, which is a much more environmentally friendly option.

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: How does it compare?

As the K-Mini Mate’s main competitors are other Keurig machines, let’s chat Keurigs. Which Keurig model is best for you?

The K-Mini Mate is the narrowest — it’s under 4 inches. The old K-Mini is just under 5 inches, so the Mate is considerably smaller. Every little helps! Next up is the K-Slim, which is 4.7 inches wide.

However, the K-Mini Mate is single-serve in every sense of the word. You’ll need to refill the water reservoir after every use, and it can only store one pod at once (the one you’re using). Unlike the Keurig K-Mini Plus, which has 9-pod storage in the machine itself, you’ll need to install and remove each pod.

If you’re looking for a Keurig with a bigger water tank (so you can make multiple drinks without needing to refill), you’d need to spend a little more on the bigger, pricier Keurig K-Supreme ($189).

Other Keurigs can make iced drinks (K-Brew+Chill, $199); some you can control the brewing temperature (K-Supreme Gen 2, $169); some dispense hot water for things like tea (Keurig K-Elite, $209). However, these are naturally much bigger (the Keurig K-Elite is 10 inches wide) and pricier.

Keurig K-Mini Mate review: Verdict

The Keurig K-Mini Mate is exactly what you’d expect from a $59 Keurig machine. It’s fine. No, it won’t impress serious coffee nerds, but that’s literally not the point. This is a machine for small apartments, college dorms, or offices.

If you’re low on space but want to make hot coffee easily every morning, I’d recommend the K-Mini Mate. For best-tasting brews, I’d also recommend grabbing the reusable K-Cup and filling it with your own coffee. This also means you don’t have to pay Keurig’s outrageous $10 pod recycling fee.

Small space, small budget? K-Mini Mate won’t let you down.

Le Creuset is widely considered one of the most popular and celebrated brands for cast iron cookware. Its exceptional heat performance, signature design and bold colors add character to any kitchen.

It’s no surprise that such a premium brand comes with a premium price tag, which is why I was so excited to spot this rare, standout deal just ahead of Black Friday.

Right now, the Le Creuset 3.5-qt Signature Cast Iron Round Wide Oven has crashed to just $219 from $355 on QVC. That’s an incredible discount of $138 — saving you serious cash.

And if you're a fan of Le Creuset's iconic colorways, you'll be glad to know that this deal comes in eight bold and beautiful colors, including my favorite — Cerise. These hot deals will sell out fast — here’s why you’ll want to snap one up right now!

Why I'll be picking up a Le Creuset oven

Whether you're after superior cooking results or simply want to upgrade your cookware, Le Creuset is right at the top of my wishlist.

Crafted from premium enameled cast iron, it ensures exceptional heat distribution for optimal cooking temperatures. This allows you to achieve tender, flavorful dishes without any risk of over- or undercooking.

Since I'm all about the aesthetics, Le Creuset cookware will certainly add vibrant color to spruce up any kitchen. And I love its iconic design and different colorways to suit your style.

My favorite (Cerise), is one of the brand's classic and much-loved colors and is perfect for fall. But this also comes in Nuit, Flame, Nectar, Sea Salt, amongst many others.

Plus, if you're hosting for the festive season, these will certainly impress your guests and spruce up your table.

And at such a great price, you'll need to grab one (or two) now, before they sell out fast.

More from Tom's Guide

• Le Creuset just relaunched an iconic limited edition color after 6 years
• Cast iron skillet vs Dutch oven — which is better?
• What is a Dutch oven — everything you need to know about this kitchen essential

If you're new here, I'm an ex-Starbucks barista. I loved working at Starbucks — honestly, of my three barista jobs, it was my favorite. Maybe because I was a Supervisor, meaning I got to boss people around and no longer had to mop the floor at the end of the day, but it was still my favorite.

But despite not donning the famous green apron for five years now, Starbucks holiday drinks still have a special place in my heart. The moment Pumpkin Spice Lattes launch, I'm there, paying an eye-watering £5.70 ($7.52 at time of writing) for what is essentially hot milk, automatic machine espresso, and sugar.

So I thought to myself... why don't I make my own? For research? Can I, an ex-Starbucks barista, make a better PSL? Let's find out. If you want to replicate this, you'll need one of the best espresso machines — or even just instant espresso.

The PSL recipe

Now, I'm not going to pretend I know Starbucks' famous pumpkin sauce recipe. Even though there's no written recipe online, you can find a full list of ingredients on Starbucks' website. Theoretically, you could tinker with these ingredients and make a full-on copycat (The Coffee Lab, fall 2027; watch this space).

However, for your convenience, I bought pumpkin syrup from Amazon. This is the exact syrup I used.

For the rest of the beverage, I made a standard latte using my KitchenAid KF3, as it's the machine I'm testing right now. Then I added pumpkin syrup to taste—I started with two teaspoons, but you can add as much as you like. Starbucks adds whipped cream on top, but I skipped it because I don't like it.

So... can I tell a Starbucks PSL and a homemade PSL apart? Let's find out...

If you haven't seen the video embedded above, go watch it! Otherwise, there'll be some spoilers below.

The taste test

I identified the Starbucks PSL immediately.

I really, really wanted mine to be just as good, but it wasn't. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't Starbucks.

My PSL was sweet, warming, and cozy. It tasted more of cinnamon than pumpkin, which is fine if that's your preference, but I personally love the earthy pumpkin flavor. The espresso flavor and milk textures were almost identical, though, so it's not all bad news! With a homemade Starbucks-dupe syrup, this could be genuinely comparable.

The Starbucks PSL honestly tastes like fall in a cup. The cinnamon and nutmeg flavors danced across my tongue, and the silky-smooth, condensed-milk-based sauce gave a luxurious mouthfeel. It was much richer. I couldn't drink a Venti, but that Tall was oh-so-satisfying.

However, the Starbucks PSL costs £5.70. (Mine actually cost me almost £15 ($19.78) because I ordered it on Uber Eats...) Obviously, the homemade latte initially cost much more than that — you've got to factor in the machine, after all — but every Starbucks drink adds up.

Which latte do you think looked better? Do you agree with my taste analysis? Have you got an even better syrup recommendation? Remember, I'm in the U.K., so I don't have access to some U.S.-only brands!

More from Tom's Guide

• Overwhelmed by coffee jargon? Here are the 5 key espresso terms you need to know
• I'm an ex-Starbucks barista — you can make the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso at home for a fraction of the cost
• People are mixing coffee with Diet Coke (yes, really) — I'm an ex-barista, and I tried the viral 'fridge cigarette'

Bored of modern espresso machines? Want to try your luck at wrangling something that wouldn’t look out of place in a period drama set in 1920s Italy or the most pretentious coffee shop in your city? I know I do. As soon as I saw the new Flair 49 Pro, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, though. Of course, it’s incredibly fun to use and relatively compact, making it a great choice for hands-on baristas with cosy kitchens. While it takes a decent amount of trial and error, this isn’t markedly unusual for a lever or enthusiast espresso maker. The main drawback is the price. As I’ll get into more, it’s a pretty hefty $349 — for a completely manual machine. No power, ergo: no self-heating, no milk steaming.

Is that a price you’d be willing to pay? Is the Flair 49 Pro one of the best espresso machines for enthusiasts? If you’re willing to part with well over $300 (and buy a milk steamer and gooseneck kettle separately…), definitely. To find out if it’s right for you, keep reading this Flair 49 Pro review.

Flair 49 Pro review: Specs

Flair 49 Pro review: Price & availability

The Flair 49 Pro is $349 from Amazon U.S. and £295 from Sigma Coffee in the U.K. Despite being a manual lever espresso machine, this is, unfortunately, par for the course. Flair also makes the $159 Flair Classic, which lacks the traditional group handle/portafilter and requires disassembly after every shot.

For those needing fresh espresso anywhere, the $169 Flair 2Go is a collapsible, portable lever machine with its own carry case. This model also comes with two screw-in portafilters rather than handled portafilters.

At the other end of the spectrum, there’s the $699 Flair 58 Plus 2, which heats the water and comes with a shot mirror. Because the Flair 49 Pro has no self-heating but doesn’t require disassembly, it’s obviously between the premium 58 Plus 2 and the entry-level Classic. Even so, the $349 price tag is weird — surely it should be a maximum of around $250. You still need to buy a kettle (ideally gooseneck) to use it properly, so I think Flair should reflect that in its pricing.

If you’d like a manual espresso machine by an alternate brand, check out the $699 9Barista Espresso Machine Mk. 2, which is more like a Moka pot-style stovetop espresso maker.

Flair 49 Pro review: Design

As it’s a manual lever machine, the Flair 49 Pro is super simple. It comes disassembled, but setup is straightforward. I screwed the lever attachment into the base and the pressure gauge into the valve housing, and I was good to go. The Flair 49 Pro replaces the now-discontinued Flair Pro 2 and Flair 3 Pro, neither of which I had the opportunity to test. Other users report the 49 Pro is much easier to use than the Pro 2 and 3 because it doesn’t require disassembly between shots. You can pull back-to-back espressos like a pump espresso machine.

Unlike a pump espresso machine, there’s zero plastic in the brew path. If you’re on the anti-plastic train (I am a recent convert), it’s worth checking out.

I’m a little displeased with the plastic drip tray. The rest of the machine is metal, so I’m not sure why Flair provided such a cheap-looking, flimsy plastic drip tray. Plastic is, of course, cheaper and lighter, but this isn’t a portable espresso machine. I’d like to see a matching black metal drip tray to help justify the $359 price tag, like the Flair 58 Plus 2. I suppose it’s better than the Flair 2Go, which doesn’t come with a drip tray at all.

Flair 49 Pro review: Espresso

Now, let’s get into the good stuff: performance. How does the espresso taste?

It’s utterly delicious.

Flair recommends you use 10-15g of coffee. I used 18g and no espresso came out, so I’d listen to Flair here. For the rest of my testing, I used exactly 15g. Flair also provides a pressurized portafilter if you buy pre-ground coffee, but it’s worth noting you won’t get anywhere near as much flavor with this basket.

This shot weighed 25.5g, which isn’t quite the optimal ratio of 1:2, but it was delicious. As you can see, the crema is velvety and thick, and the body is a deep brown. This shot tasted bright and fruity, with an almost peppery bitterness rounding it out, like a high-quality red wine.

I gave an espresso to my colleague Harry, who reported it was “extremely flavorful, like it extracted all of the flavor from the beans, providing a full-bodied, rich drinking experience”. My colleague Nikita said it was “smooth and full-bodied”, but a touch too bitter for her palate.

Now, onto my complaints. As a lever machine, it’s a given that the 49 Pro would require a decent amount of trial and error. This is a completely different style of espresso maker than most people are used to. Even so, I’m an ex-professional barista and Tom’s Guide’s resident coffee expert, and it took me about fifteen minutes to tease one drop of coffee out. Usually, I’m pulling shots within five minutes of unboxing a new machine.

Flair advertizes that the 49mm portafilter basket makes dialing in more forgiving, particularly at coarser grind sizes. Let me say, I did not experience any of this “forgiving”. As always, I used the best coffee grinder, the Mazzer Philos, to grind all my beans. I tested the 49 Pro on every grind size from 7 to 25: the optimal grind size was 19. Anything over or under — even by a couple of steps — resulted in a sour, watery brew pulled at well below 5 bars, or no brew at all.

I used half of a bag of coffee to find the ideal grind size, so I wouldn’t describe it as “forgiving” at all.

If you’re a coffee nerd, you probably wouldn’t balk at this anyway. However, it’s worth mentioning that any total newbies will need a decent amount of practice before offering beverages to friends and family.

Flair 49 Pro review: Storage & maintenance

Ideal for smaller kitchens, the Flair 49 Pro is just 7.5 inches wide, 11 inches tall, and 13 inches deep. Because it’s a metal stand rather than a bulky machine, it doesn’t look big in real life at all. I’d have no issues using this in my small apartment kitchen.

Cleaning is easy: I washed the drip tray by hand and poured boiling water through the empty water valve to clean before and after each use.

As with other Flair machines, the 49 Pro comes with a 3-year warranty as standard. 9Barista offers a 5-year warranty on its Mk.2 model, but only a 2-year warranty on the original. 3 years isn’t too bad, but because there’s no vibratory pump — the mechanism in electric espresso machines with a maximum life expectancy of around eight years — I’d hope the 49 Pro lasts longer than three years.

Flair 49 Pro review: Verdict

After testing the 49 Pro, I’m not sure why Flair made it so expensive. The only difference between the 49 Pro and the Classic is that the 49 Pro can make back-to-back shots. If you’re the only barista in your house, I’d recommend the Classic to save $190. If you want the best of the best, I’d invest in the powered $699 58 Plus 2.

As you can see, I’ve awarded the machine 4 stars because it’s nowhere near as finicky as the Classic, it’s fun, and most importantly, makes a delicious espresso. However, two things can be true at once: it’s a great product, yet overpriced. $349 for no shot mirror or self-heating water valve is a lot.

Nitpicking aside, though, the Flair 49 Pro is seriously fun. Naturally, it takes a few tries to get right, and this isn’t for casual coffee drinkers. I enjoyed fiddling with grind size and pressure level to get the best espresso — and when I got perfect espresso, I got perfect espresso. The taste is unique; brighter and more energetic than a pump espresso machine. While you’re getting less bang for your buck with the 49 Pro, it’s a must-try for serious coffee nerds.

Narwal’s Freo 20 robot vacuum continues an aesthetic trend toward rounded designs found in some of the best robot vacuums.

It has a white body and dock, and looks that are meant to largely disappear in your space — which is why the Freo 20 fits seamlessly in my home.

But more importantly, its super cool mopping features are perfect for my ample vinyl plank flooring and really make the Freo 20 shine. In fact, it’s the only robot vacuum I’ve tested so far that doesn’t leave streaks after the mopping session — which is ideal if you have plenty of hardwood floors.

Despite a little difficulty adjusting its cleaning route, it’s a solid unit, especially if you’ll be doing more mopping than vacuuming. Here’s what happened when I tested the Freo 20 in my home.

Narwal Freo 20 robot vacuum review: Price and availability

The Freo 20 costs $1,099 on Amazon and on Narwal’s website.

Narwal Freo 20 robot vacuum review: Design

The Freo 20 is an attractive unit, all white with rounded edges. It’s not too large at just 18 inches tall (dock), but it still has a large enough capacity for its water tanks, cleaning features, and dust bag.

There are two water tanks inside: one for clean water and one for dirty. You’ll pour the bundled cleaning liquid right into the fresh water reservoir. Just a tiny splash is all you need, so it’s worth double-checking the manual for the right mix.

The dust bag also lives inside the dock. It has a pretty big capacity, so you won’t need to empty it too frequently. But when you do, it’s a simple process — just pop out the used bag, empty or replace it, and pop the new one in.

This sleek unit is packed with some neat features, but none is cooler than the FlowWash Mopping system. The mop itself is super wide, about twice as wide as most single-roller robot vacuums. This nifty, flat-bottomed design puts more surface area in contact with the floor during mopping, which helps clean thoroughly and eliminate streaks. The roller is constantly washed during mopping with 140-degree Fahrenheit clean water from 16 nozzles.

During cleaning, the robot applies 16 N · m of downward force to ensure excellent contact with the floor. It also rotates against the direction of travel for the most effective scrubbing leverage. A built-in scraper and high-pressure air pump scrape dirt in real time into a separate tank to prevent contamination.

Back at the dock, the robot undergoes a 40-stage cleaning cycle, with a high-temperature wash that goes up to 212 degrees F. After it’s clean, the roller is then dried with 140-degree hot air to prevent any odors.

On the vacuuming side, the Freo 20 features 31,000Pa of suction power and EdgeReach technology — essentially a side brush — to ensure the unit can suck up dust and debris in corners and along baseboards.

The SGS-certified DualFlow Tangle-Free System prevents hair tangles along the roller. Once the robot returns to the dock, that debris gets sucked into a 2.4-liter bag that should yield 120 days of capacity.

All of that cleaning power is possible thanks to onboard AI and a camera system. The NarMind Pro Autonomous system recognizes around 300 common household objects and should automatically avoid them during cleaning. The TwinAi Dodge technology, according to Narwal, is 99% efficient in obstacle avoidance accuracy.

There’s also a Pet Care mode, which allows the robot to recognize your pets, as well as their ‘areas’, to avoid interfering with your pets’ daily activities. Similarly, there’s a Baby Care Mode that recognizes toys and automatically triggers low-noise cleaning. These are all very handy in family households.

Narwal Freo 20 robot vacuum review: Set up

Setting up the Freo 20 is easy — simply download the app, and make sure the unit is charged. Then, use the auto-mapping feature to set the robot on its way to mapping the floors of your home. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes, possibly more, depending on the size of your space.

Once that’s done, you’ll be ready to use the Freo 20 for cleaning. Before you do, however, make sure you familiarize yourself with the app and double-check the maps. I didn’t do either of those things before using the Freo 20 the first time, and it proved to cause problems later on.

Narwal Freo 20 robot vacuum review: Performance

For starters, the robot was not cleaning the rugs in the various rooms on the top floor of my house. We mostly have vinyl plank flooring, but we have area rugs in several rooms — all of which the Freo 20 did not clean.

I was perplexed until I realized there’s a setting in the app that you need to turn on to tell the unit to clean carpets instead of avoiding them. (That’s just so the mopping function doesn’t soak your carpet). It feels a bit counterintuitive, as a smart vacuum should automatically recognize—or eventually learn—to steer clear of rugs exclusively when it’s in mop mode.

That said, once the Freo 20 was set to clean carpets, it didn’t do a spectacular job of it. Each rug still had grit and dog fur left behind after cleaning, pretty much every time I used the Freo.

Despite my disappointment, it did much better on hardwood floors. In fact, on hardwoods, the Freo 20 cleans up dirt, debris, and dog fur very well. And the mopping function is much better than other units I’ve tested. More on that in a moment.

With every robot vacuum I’ve used, I’ve found that the little robot guy struggles the first time or two cleaning the house — getting hung up on features it didn’t sense the first time around. For instance, the Freo 20 managed to get wedged between the kitchen floor and the bottom of my dishwasher the first time I used it to clean the house.

But unlike other vacuums I’ve tested, which learn from those mistakes and adjust their cleaning path accordingly, the Freo 20 repeatedly got stuck each time. I can go in and manually adjust the route to make the robot avoid this area, but it seems like a smart vacuum should do this on its own.

It also seemed to spin in place a lot, clean the same places over and over again in the same session, and bounce into walls it had passed numerous times. It’s somewhat comical to watch, but it also wastes a lot of time.

The first time I used the Vacuum Then Mop feature — which does exactly what the name implies: it vacuums the house, then goes back and mops — it took almost all day. The vacuum session took about an hour, then the mop session took about two hours.

Once the robot returned to its dock, the drying and cleaning functions seemed to go on forever, finally wrapping up at the end of the day when I was also wrapping up my workday.

Despite the long session, the mopping feature does a good job of spiffing up the vinyl plank flooring. Robot vacuums I’ve tested in the past tend to leave very noticeable streaks after mopping. Not so with the Freo 20. There were few to no streaks throughout the house, and I actually got down on my hands and knees to check that the mop had actually been used.

Sure enough, the floors were clean as a whistle — in most places. Some stubborn stains did remain in the kitchen. That’s where the Freo 20 is likely to encounter sticky honey, dried milk, or bits of egg. It got most of that type of stuff, but I did notice a few sticky spots were stubborn enough to resist the Freo 20’s best efforts.

Overall, the Freo 20 is easy to use, and it’s convenient. But I found it a bit frustrating, since it didn’t automatically adjust its path based on repeated encounters with obstacles, and its excessive dithering during the cleaning process (spinning in place, cleaning and re-cleaning the same spots over and over again, and running into walls).

Narwal Freo 20 robot vacuum review: Accessories

There are no extra accessories for the Freo 20, but you can order replacement parts on the Narwal website. That said, because the Freo 20 is the newest addition to the lineup, replacement parts are not yet available on the Narwal website for this unit.

Narwal Freo 20 robot vacuum review: Competition

The robot vacuum market is packed with options these days, with many newer models handling both sweeping and mopping duties simultaneously.

The Freo 20 beats every other unit I’ve tested in the mopping department — however, the RoboRock Qrevo Curve Flow is better at vacuuming. I’d still opt for the RoboRock because I tend to vacuum more than mop, but if you’re after the best mopping results out there, the Freo 20 is the better contender.

Narwal Freo 20 robot vacuum review: Verdict

Overall, the Freo 20 is an exceptional mopping unit. If you have plenty of hard surfaces and prioritize mopping over standard vacuuming, this is precisely why you would pick one up. It delivers a remarkably thorough, streak-free clean, even if the whole process can take a bit of time.

Its vacuuming features are decent, albeit not the greatest. In my tests, I found it struggles on carpets, but does a good job on hardwood floors. So again, if your house is mostly hardwoods, the downsides in the cleaning department are few.

The Freo 20’s biggest disadvantage, however, seems to be its AI learning capabilities. I routinely had to free it from getting stuck, and if you want to change its route, you’re better off doing it manually. It also tends to spend a lot of time faffing about, spinning in circles, and running into walls.

An ideal choice for hardwood floors, the Freo 20 is an exceptional mopping unit. It’s just a real shame it struggles a little with vacuuming carpets.

Space-challenged-kitchen folk, rise up! The KitchenAid KF3 is just eight inches wide, making this one of the smallest superautomatic coffee machines I’ve ever seen, let alone reviewed. While it’s still a pretty massive eighteen inches deep and fourteen inches tall, if you want an automatic machine but you’ve only got an eight-inch gap, boy have I got the machine for you.

Yes, the KitchenAid KF3 is pretty slender for an automatic, but how does it actually taste? As you might be able to guess from the “Pros + Cons” above, that entirely depends on the drink you make. Latte macchiato and cappuccino? Weirdly bitter and acrid. Cafe latte? One of the yummiest drinks I’ve ever tasted from a superautomatic machine.

Is this enough to make the KitchenAid KF3 one of the best espresso machines? Well, you’ll have to keep reading to find out. I’ll go over everything in this KitchenAid KF3 review.

KitchenAid KF3 review: Specs

KitchenAid KF3 review: Price & availability

The KitchenAid KF3 is $999 from Amazon U.S. and £749 from Amazon U.K. While objectively a huge amount of money, for a superautomatic machine, this is pretty well-trodden ground. The KF3 is neither under- nor over-priced.

KitchenAid recently launched the KF2, KF3, and KF4 — $799, $999, and $1,299, respectively. Don’t think they stop here, though… KitchenAid’s helping you count all the way to KF8 ($1,999). I reviewed the KF8 a couple of years ago, and l was surprised by how much I loved it, but of course it comes with that premium price tag.

De’Longhi’s no stranger to superautomatic coffee machines, either. I’ve tested the De’Longhi Magnifica Duo ($799), Rivelia ($1,499), and PrimaDonna Aromatic ($2,499). See? The $999 KitchenAid KF3 doesn’t seem so expensive now, does it?

If you’re trying to save as much money as possible, I’d also recommend the Smeg BCC13 ($799) — I tested its predecessor and loved it.

KitchenAid KF3 review: Design

As with every other superautomatic espresso machine I’ve reviewed, the KF3 is, essentially, a big box. It’s nowhere near as bulky as the rest, though. At just under eight inches wide, it could fit in a relatively compact kitchen. However, at fourteen inches tall and almost nineteen inches deep, you’ll need enough clearance space under counters. The water tank is removed upwards, so bear that in mind, too.

In terms of aesthetics, I like the KF3 a lot. It’s not as eye-catching as the De’Longhi Rivelia or Smeg BCC13 — the prettiest superautomatic espresso machines, in my humble opinion — but it’s not as bulky as the PrimaDonna Aromatic.

The KF3 also has a lovely little screen, which is full-color and incredibly bright. It announces when you need to clean (more on that later) and lets you customize your drink. Of course, each drink has its own set recipe, but you can pretty much adapt this to your preferences. Want a weak cappuccino with 200ml milk? You got it. A 110ml latte with intense coffee flavor? You also got it.

Now onto the bad: unfortunately, the KF3 doesn’t come with a milk carafe. You need to buy the $1,299 for milk carafe privileges. Your plebeian $1K won’t do. This is outrageous and my biggest con with this machine. Sorry, $1,000 doesn’t get me a milk carafe — do you want me to shine your shoes and massage your feet, too, KitchenAid?

During my week-long testing period, I just poured milk into espresso machine milk jugs. You could also use a mug, or even the milk bottle if that suits. Come on, KitchenAid. People are spending a grand on this machine. Not providing a milk carafe is insulting at this point.

KitchenAid KF3 review: Espresso

As the KF3 is a superautomatic espresso machine, you can’t really customize the espresso. But that’s okay! That’s exactly what a superautomatic machine is supposed to do. Yes, you can customize it insofar as you can increase the intensity (using cute little bean graphics on the screen), volume, and flavor profile. You can also save these to user profiles.

Espresso on this machine was a little weak; less of the ideal opaque dark amber, more like a really strong black tea — but not bitter at all.

Honestly, it just tasted like every other superautomatic machine coffee. They all taste the same. Get a $700 or a $3,000 machine — it’ll make the same kind of espresso at the end of the day.

While the KF3 says it makes “iced coffee”, it does not. The iced coffee is just… hot coffee, over ice. Oh, and you have to put the ice in the glass — obviously. I wish coffee machines actually made iced coffee when they promise they make iced coffee.

I’ll give you a pro tip: don’t make the “cappuccino” or “latte macchiato” drinks on the KF3. Both are overly bitter and almost acrid. But the “cafe latte” recipe? Absolutely delicious. I even tried to increase the milk volume and decrease espresso intensity on the latte macchiato recipe, but it was still incredibly bitter. If you stick to the standard latte, you won’t be disappointed. It’s a mystery.

KitchenAid KF3 review: Milk

You already know how I feel about the lack of a milk carafe, so I won’t flog a dead horse, and we won’t mention it here. I’ll only talk about taste and texture here.

Despite no dedicated plant-based milk mode, I used oat and dairy milk, and the KF3 texturized both wonderfully. Although the pictures don’t make the coffee look as good as my latte art on a manual machine, this is one of the trade-offs with a superautomatic machine. These drinks are made to the “cafe latte” preset — as mentioned earlier, cappuccino and latte macchiato were nasty.

While the dairy texture was smoother and velvetier, the plant-based texture was still great. The foam was satisfying and dense without watering down the coffee flavor.

The milk pipe itself isn’t wide enough to froth inclusions like hot chocolate, matcha, or chai powder, so bear that in mind if you were hoping to use the machine for non-coffee drinks.

KitchenAid KF3 review: Storage & maintenance

As touched upon briefly, the KF3 is relatively slender for a superautomatic machine — just eight inches. Even so, it’s a whopping fourteen inches tall and eighteen inches deep, so you still need a decent amount of counter space. On top of that, the water tank is removable from above rather than the side, so you need even more clearance (unless you pour water into the tank, of course).

While the machine doesn’t have a milk carafe (...), it does have a milk pipe. This needs to be rinsed after every use — you can click “ignore” if you’re trying to make drinks in quick succession, but I wouldn’t recommend doing that often. You really want gross old milk trapped in a silicone pipe? I know I don’t.

It’s also worth noting that the KF3 uses an entire water tank (1.28L) for five milk drinks and five rinses, which is a lot. While every superautomatic machine I’ve tested is seemingly thirstier than an AI data center, so the KF3 isn’t an outlier here, it’s still a lot of water.

KitchenAid provides you with a water filter to prevent limescale buildup, but I’d still recommend descaling every time the machine alerts you. After using the initial provided pack, you can buy KitchenAid cleaning tablets for $29 from Amazon, but KitchenAid doesn’t sell a branded descaler. In this case, I’d recommend De’Longhi’s, $19 from Amazon, or Durgol, also $19 from Amazon.

Finally: warranty. KitchenAid offers a 2-year warranty as standard, an additional 3 years for the grinder parts, then a 10-year repairability and parts commitment, which is pretty nice. I’d like to see the standard warranty increase to 5 years, but this is better than De’Longhi and Ninja’s 2-year blanket warranty.

KitchenAid KF3 review: Verdict

I find it very hard to give a superautomatic coffee machine anything over a 3.5-star rating. There’s always one major thing wrong with it: no milk carafe (sigh), burnt or weak espresso flavor, too big, overpriced…

In the KF3’s case, the combination of the nonexistent milk carafe and the cappuccino and latte macchiato’s bitter coffee flavor held it back. The café latte tastes amazing, so this is extremely perplexing, but I suppose stranger things have happened.

In general, though, if you can overlook the absent carafe and you stick to the cafe latte recipe (or Americano), you won’t be disappointed. I enjoyed every single latte made by this machine, and so did everyone else in the Tom’s Guide offices. It won’t revolutionize your morning cup, but that’s okay.

I test a bunch of the best robot vacuums each month, and while there are many on the market, not all of them will do a great job of cleaning your home. It’s a good thing, then, that with high suction power and accurate mapping, the MOVA V170 Ultra Complete is up there with some of my favorites this year.

This robot vacuum has a great vacuuming performance, especially on hard floors, and leaves no residue after mopping up even the most difficult spills. Mapping through the app is accurate and can identify even the smallest obstacles like wires or shoes.

However, the mapping process is a little slow, and during cleaning there’s a noticeable stream of air which can become annoying. To find out more, keep reading this full MOVA V70 Ultra review.

MOVA V70 Ultra Complete review: Specs

MOVA V70 Ultra Complete review: Price & availability

The MOVA V70 Ultra Complete is priced at $1,099 on Amazon U.S. or $1,299 on the MOVA website. In the U.K., you can purchase the robot vacuum on the MOVA website for £1,219. It’s called the MOVA V70 Ultra Complete X in the U.K., but this is just because it includes a lot more accessories — the vacuum and base station are the same.

The robovac may look and even sound a little familiar if you’ve ever seen or used a robot vacuum from Dreame, as it’s the parent brand of MOVA. This is already a positive — I can always rely on a Dreame vacuum such as the X60 Max Ultra Complete for a thorough clean. The X60 costs $1,699, though, and while the MOVA performance reflects the lower price, it’s still impressive.

The Roborock Saros 20 costs $1,599, but offers heated mopping and better mapping technologies than the MOVA. With robot vacuums, spending more will almost certainly get you better results.

There are also slightly cheaper options like the Roborock Qrevo Saros 2 for $799 that can offer better mapping, but the suction power is almost halved.

MOVA V70 Ultra Complete review: Design

The MOVA V70 Ultra Complete looks futuristic. I tested the white color, and the metallic detailed trim looks great. The base station measures 8.5 x 18.0 x 16.5 inches and is more of a bubble-shaped dock with rounded edges, so perfect if you have little ones running around the house.

However, there’s a clear window on the front of the dock that looks into where the dustbin is stored, which I really don’t think is needed. I don’t want to see where all the dirt and dust is going, thank you very much.

The robot vacuum measures 13.8 x 13.8 x 3.5 inches, about the same as most others on the market, so it isn’t too cumbersome. It has extendable mops that clean 6.7 inches away from the vacuum, and the side brush also extends to 4.7 inches to get into corners and edges the robot can’t reach.

The mops on the MOVA are circular, which I like because they give a more thorough clean than the roller mop of the Roomba Max 775 Combo.

Since MOVA is a sub-brand of Dreame, you won’t be surprised to find out the build quality is just as good. The base and robot are both very sturdy.

MOVA V70 Ultra Complete review: App

The MOVA app is very easy to use but again, it might look a little familiar… cough cough, Dreame. The software is essentially the same, which is a great thing because I love the Dreame app. It’s easy to use and has all the settings you could possibly need.

Creating an account was quick since I simply paired my Google account. Once you’ve done this, you have access to everything. I was able to create a cleaning schedule and adjust the suction power of the vacuum with a few clicks. I also like that you can fully customize your cleaning by room.

MOVA V70 Ultra Complete review: Mapping

During mapping, the MOVA V70 Ultra Complete spent a lot of time asking me for help. It became tangled in a whirl of tables and chairs and began flashing red. However, it wasn’t really stuck — it just thought it was. I clicked the button to resume mapping without moving the robot, and it continued on its journey. Stage fright perhaps?

Mapping took around 15 minutes, which is slower than other robot vacuums I’ve tested on the ground floor of my house, but it was very accurate, even identifying shoes, cleaning devices like hoovers and mops, and wires on the floor.

MOVA V70 Ultra Complete review: Cleaning

Vacuuming

With a maximum suction power of 42,000Pa, the MOVA did a great job picking up every last bit of fluff on the floor. However, you can expect it to get a little windy in the room. While the vacuum isn’t loud, it blows out a lot of air, and you can feel it blowing as it passes under your feet. The MOVA isn’t alone here — the DJI Romo P also doubles up as a mobile fan — but I found it especially windy and things got a little chilly.

Hardwood floor:

I got the best performance of the MOVA on hardwood floors. This story is the same with most robot vacuums. The vacuum picked up almost all debris, but some hair got tangled in the roller and didn’t make it into the dustbin. This meant I had to cut the hair away from the rollers.

The vacuum did a good job of picking up smaller debris like chia seeds, and the side-sweeping brush drew them toward the suction, showing it was effective. When testing other robot vacuums, such as the Roomba Max 775 Combo, the wheels crushed the Rice Krispies, but that wasn’t an issue here.

Carpet:

On carpet, the performance diminished, but I’d expect this since robovacs thrive on hard flooring. I was disappointed with the results of the chia seeds. It meant the seeds were getting trapped in the carpet.

The robovac also had a hard time getting all the hair up from the carpet, although it did a good job at mostly picking up the Rice Krispies.

Mopping

To test the mopping capabilities of the MOVA V70 Ultra Complete, I carried out my usual test and splashed some mayonnaise, soy sauce, and mud on my kitchen floor and let them dry down to recreate what can happen on a busy day. There was no residue left on the floor, and the extending mop pads did an excellent job of getting right to the edges of the room.

The mopping function isn’t heated like on other models like the Roborock Saros 20, but it still gave me great results.

MOVA V70 Ultra Complete review: Storage & maintenance

As long as you find a place that suits you to store the MOVA V70 Ultra Complete, it will fit right into any home. It looks after itself for up to 100 days with dustbin emptying and water changes, so this is a very low-maintenance robot vacuum. The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete can also maintain itself for 100 days, so the MOVA is actually very impressive.

The on-board dustbin is easy to empty when needed, and the water tanks aren’t too heavy, even when they’re full. It also cleans and dries the mop pads itself, and it's virtually silent, so you can have it working away in the background without disrupting you.

MOVA V70 Ultra Complete review: Verdict

The MOVA V70 Ultra Complete is a great choice for most homes. With its high suction power, it does an excellent job on hard floors and a fairly good job on carpet too. Mapping is impressive, with the finished map denoting any obstacles in detail, and since the base station can handle it for up to 100 days, this is a seriously low-maintenance robot vacuum.

However, it’s not perfect. Mapping took a lot longer than other robot vacuums I’ve tried, and it became stuck a few times during the process. There’s also a noticeable stream of air that comes from the robot when it’s operating, and I found this pretty annoying.

I still think it’s a great robot vacuum and a good choice for most homes, so maybe it will be MOVA-ing in with you soon.

As a lover of all things KitchenAid, I said yes in a matter of seconds when the brand invited me to preview its new 2026 Design Series Luminaire Artisan Plus Stand Mixer.

If you couldn't tell by the photo, the underrated kitchen appliance is stunning and belongs on my kitchen countertop. I was instantly mesmerised by the LED lights illuminating the hardened glass bowl as it spun away — yes, those lights are part of the appliance and not just a photography trick. But one thing that stopped me in my tracks from adding it to my cart was the AU$1,249 price tag.

Sure, KitchenAid stand mixers are expensive, and IMO as an amateur home baker, are worth the investment. It's no secret, however, that these machines rarely receive a considerable discount. Even when discounted, the machines can cost around AU$800 or more, which isn't the best deal on the coveted appliance.

That said, while my hopes of getting the Luminaire for less are slim (at least any time soon), there's another way to score savings on a new KitchenAid stand mixer. Right now, on Amazon, there's up to 46% off the KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer KSM195 in a variety of colourways. The deepest discount is exclusive to the Empire Red and Almond Cream options.

If you've already nabbed a KitchenAid stand mixer and want to explore more of what the brand has to offer, I've compiled some of my top-rated products below. From the Cordless Go range, which is powered by an interchangeable battery, to hand mixers and more, there are plenty of great KitchenAid bargains available right now.

You wipe down your refrigerator, step back to admire the shine, and immediately spot a new cluster of smudges glowing under the kitchen lights. Bummer.

Stainless steel looks sleek in showroom displays, but in a real kitchen, it acts like a magnet for fingerprints, water spots, and cloudy streaks that only seem to spread when you try to clean them.

Getting that flawless, factory-fresh shine doesn't require cabinets full of speciality polished sprays — it comes down to working with the grain of the metal instead of fighting it. Here's how to get your stainless steel appliances streak-free and keep them looking fresh with minimal effort.

Always wipe with the grain of the steel

Before applying any cleaner, take a close look at the surface of your appliance to identify the direction of the metal grain.

Just like wood, stainless steel features faint brush lines running either horizontally or vertically across the surface. Wiping against or across these micro-grooves traps dirt, moisture, and cleaning residue inside the steel's texture, which creates those frustrating hazy streaks.

Wiping strictly in the direction of the grain ensures your cloth lifts grime out of the microscopic ridges rather than spreading it around.

How to get your stainless steel streak-free

More from Tom's Guide

• Think your home is safe from mold? These routine fall habits could be inviting it inside
• How to clean old baking sheets to look brand new — without hours of scrubbing
• Why bleach fails on bathroom grout — and what to use instead for a sparkling finish

Whatever new product Ninja launches, it always causes a stir, as it did with the Ninja Crispi air fryer. The brand can’t seem to miss the mark with consumers. Everyone just raves about Ninja.

That’s why I was excited to try Ninja’s Crispi Microwave, launched in the U.K. in September, just a couple of months after its July U.S. release. It's Ninja’s first entry into the microwave market, but instead of playing it safe, the company has created a multifunction appliance that uses FusionCrisp technology to not only heat but crisp your food on demand.

I've been taking it through its paces to discover whether it's worth a place on your countertop.

Ninja Crispi Microwave: Price and availability

The Ninja Crispi Microwave launched at $449 in the U.S. and £359 in the U.K. However, do look around, as it’s currently reduced to $399 at Amazon, but if you’re in the U.K., it’s still £359 at Amazon

Looking at the microwaves recommended in our buying guide, Toshiba’s EM131A5C-BS Countertop Microwave takes the top spot, and you’ll pay $149 at Amazon for it. Meanwhile, the best combi microwave is IKEA’s GÅTEBO 3-in-1 microwave, which can heat, grill and air fry and costs $199 at IKEA.

While the Ninja is more expensive, you do get two-in-one appliances, so don't dismiss this product just because of the price.

Ninja Crispi Microwave: Unboxing and setup

Don’t underestimate how big this appliance is. It’s a two-man job to get it out of its box. In fact, I was surprised by how much countertop space it took up.

The product is securely packaged, and apart from the microwave, it comes packed with a large 5.5-quart glass dish and a crisper plate. You also get an owner’s guide and a quick start guide — including recipes, charts and instructions. Keep hold of these as they’re invaluable when you first get going.

They also explain how to use the glass dish and crisper plate, which mustn’t be used when using the standard microwave function. You’ll also learn when to place the dish in the lower or upper position; it depends on the mode you’re using and what you are cooking.

But this microwave doesn’t have a turntable. Unlike most microwaves, Ninja’s version foregoes the turntable for a flatbed design, which gives you 20% more usable cooking space than a standard turntable. Plus, that’s one less thing to wash!

Ninja Crispi Microwave: Design

Did I mention it was large? Beyond taking up more depth, width and height in my kitchen than my usual microwave, you’ll need to make sure you have enough safe clearance around the appliance to keep its air vents clear.

You’ll need 11.81 inches of clearance from the top of the appliance to any cabinets or shelves above it, and it shouldn’t be wall-mounted or placed inside a cabinet.

It has a smart design and looks like any other microwave, except it is bigger. You can also choose from three colors — Silver, Cyberspace and Black. However, when you peek inside, you’ll see it’s missing the standard microwave turntable. You’ll also notice shelf runners at the top; they help the glass dish slide into the top position.

Ninja Crispi Microwave: Ease of use

It didn’t take me long to get the microwave up and running, but since it’s a multifunctional appliance, give yourself time to read the instructions. Beyond standard air fry and microwave modes, it offers a lot of functionality, including presets and FusionCrisp.

It has eight microwave presets (Defrost, Beverage, Soup, Popcorn, Potato, Soup, Soften Butter, Frozen Vegetable, and Porridge) and five Air Fry presets (Air Fry, Max Crisp, Air Roast, Air Bake, and Air Grill).

At first, it might seem a bit complicated, but after a few goes, I was confident I was using it proficiently.

However, one recurring issue is knowing what times to set when using the FusionCrisp function. I could follow recipes in the quick start guide, and there are also guidelines for cooking a wide range of other dishes, but I couldn’t always find the timings for what I wanted to cook. In these instances, I searched online for advice.

Another issue I had was the weight of the glass dish. I found it was very heavy, especially when full, and removing it from the top position was tricky. It was difficult to grab with oven mitts, which was essential once the food had been cooked. However, when the glass dish was placed in the bottom position, it wasn’t as much of an issue.

Ninja Crispi Microwave: Performance

As I've already mentioned, there's lots of scope with how you use Ninja's Crispi Microwave. During my testing I used the microwave and air fry functions independently and combined them both using the FusionCrisp mode. Here's how I got on heating, reheating and crisping food.

FusionCrisp

The standout feature of this microwave is its FusionCrisp technology — the ability to microwave and air fry. Beyond ending soggy microwave reheats, it can do much more.

Fruit crumble
With a sweet tooth, I couldn’t help but notice a fruit crumble recipe in the quick start guide, and it seemed like a good place to start. Crumble is one of my favorite desserts; it has plenty of fruit, is quick to make, and I love the richness of the crumbly topping. What’s more, it seemed like a fitting way to see just how well FusionCrisp mode works.

I’ve already covered making the fruit crumble in my first impressions of the Ninja Crispi Microwave, where I explain how large and heavy the glass bowl is. It will allow you to make a huge serving, but this might not be what you want.

When baking the crumble, I placed the bowl in the top position and pressed the FusionCrisp button. I then set the microwave time to 20 minutes, followed by the air fry time to 10 minutes, as the recipe directed.

You'll hear the appliance beep when the microwave finishes and before the air frying starts. Then, once complete, 'Cool' appears on the digital display. This is when the internal fan runs to dissipate residual heat.

I was really pleased with the result. The fruit was cooked through and piping hot, and the crumble was just how it would be if I’d cooked it in my oven. With a total cook time of 30 minutes, it saved me 10 minutes on my usual oven bake.

Would I make this again in the Ninja Crispi Microwave? Definitely.

Baked potatoes

Who doesn’t love a baked potato with a crispy skin? I usually start by microwaving my potatoes, then leaving them to crisp in the oven, but that takes ages, and it's too long for a quick lunch. However, using the FusionCrisp mode makes it feasible when you are short on time.

I started by pricking my potatoes all over with a fork, and then gave them a light coating with sunflower oil. I couldn’t find the cooking times for baked potatoes in the guide, so I searched online and placed two potatoes (weighing between 250-300g each) on the crisper plate in the glass dish in the top position. I set the microwave for 14 minutes and the air fryer for 10 minutes.

Baking potatoes and how crisp you like the skin is a personal preference — I like mine on the extra-crispy side, enough to give your jaw a workout. So, you’ll probably need to play around with the air fryer timings, depending on your own taste. However, these were a real winner, and although I’d extend the air-frying time, the inside of the potatoes were soft and cooked through.

A whole chicken

Since using the Cosori TurboBlaze Air Fryer, I’ve swapped cooking whole chickens in my oven for using my air fryer. I find it’s quicker, and my air fryer basket is easier to clean than my oven.

So, I was keen to discover how my regular chicken would look and taste after using the FusionCrisp mode. I followed the recipe in the quick start guide for a 1.5 kg chicken (3.3 lb); I lightly coated the chicken in vegetable oil, seasoned it and placed it on the crisper plate in the glass dish.

Although everything I had previously cooked using the FusionCrisp mode had been placed in the top position, the size of the chicken called for it to be cooked in the bottom position.

I set the microwave time to 30 minutes and the air fry dial to 45 minutes. The recipe didn’t specify turning the chicken, like I normally do when I air-fry protein this size, so I skipped this step.

Once the microwave stage was complete and the appliance beeped, I removed the chicken to check on its progress. As expected, it still looked pale and unappetizing. However, once the air-frying cook time was up, I checked the temperature of the chicken with my Thermoworks Thermapen One thermometer and it was above the recommended temperature for cooked chicken.

However, when I turned the chicken over, it still looked pale, and after inserting the thermometer, it was not at a safe temperature to eat. I therefore returned the chicken, uncooked side up, to the microwave and gave it a few more minutes on the air fry setting.

This wouldn't stop me from cooking a whole chicken in the microwave; I'd just return to my normal practice and turn the chicken halfway through the cook.

What about the clean-up? I took a cloth, rinsed it in warm, soapy water and wiped over the internal surface of the microwave to remove the splatters of chicken fat. It was easy to remove, since I hadn't let the fat settle.

Vegetable lasagna

One of my favorite recipes is pesto lasagna, made with pesto, spinach, pine nuts and mascarpone — try it, you’ll be surprised!

Since the quick start guide includes a vegetable lasagna recipe, I thought I’d use the same cooking times. I made the lasagna in the glass bowl, then placed it in the top position in the microwave, setting the microwave time to 20 minutes and the air fry time to 8 minutes.

I was pretty pleased with this bake. The lasagna was well-cooked, the filling hot and the top crispy — if not a little too dark. Since making this lasagna, I've continued to use the microwave for other pasta bakes, as it makes an easy, quick win during the week

Air fryer

Since I'd already used the air fry mode within the FusionCrisp mode, I didn't test the stand alone air fry function as extensively as I would a normal air fryer — to me, it had already proofed that's it's more than capable.

Grilled cheese toasty

To go with the soup I heated in the microwave (see below), I made a grilled cheese toasty. I spread butter on the outside of two slices of granary bread and filled the inside with grated cheddar cheese. I placed the bread on the crisper plate in the glass dish and used the top position in the microwave.

I checked online to get an idea of timings, and set the temperature to 240°C for 8 minutes, flipping the toasty over at the halfway point.

The toasty was incredibly moreish, with oozing cheese and a crispy texture. Since making this in the microwave, I've been eating cheese toasties on repeat.

Thick-cut frozen chips

Frozen chips are a staple in my house for quick dinners, and it was a no-brainer to try them in the air fryer. I placed them on the crisper tray in the glass dish (there’s plenty of room for large portions), selected the Max Crisp Air Fry setting and set the timer for 20 minutes.

I checked them after nine minutes, gave them a shake and saw they were cooking faster than I thought. So, after 12 minutes, I checked again, and they were baked.

Beef burgers
To go with the thick chips, I used the air fryer mode to cook frozen beef burgers. Although the quick start guide does give you timings for using the FUSIONCRISP mode (5 minutes microwave, 10-12 minutes air fry).

I placed two quarter-pounders on the crisper plate in the top glass bowl and set the air fry time to 14 mins at 180°C/356°F, flipping them halfway through. I was pleased with the result, but I will try using the FUSIONCRISP mode next time to see if it makes a difference.

Microwave

My normal microwave is very basic and lacks functions, so I was excited to try the Ninja and work through the presets; plus, it was handy for reheating dinners after I went to the gym.

Overall, I was impressed with the microwave’s functionality, its ability to heat without cold spots, and how easy it is to adjust the timing with the control knob or in 30+/- intervals, as well as the power level.

Melting butter
I tend to keep my butter in the fridge, especially in summer, when it can start to go rancid. This means my butter is often too hard to spread and definitely not soft enough for cake batters. I found this function really handy, and it meant I didn’t have to think about how long to microwave my butter or which temperature setting to use. It was a surprise to open the microwave and find softened butter instead of my usual melted mess. The preset is set to 30 seconds, but you can adjust this either way.

Heating soup
With cozy season upon us, I've started to enjoy warming lunches, so I used the preset to heat through some chicken and vegetable soup. I placed my bowl of soup in the base of the microwave and kept it in for the full 2 1/2 minutes. Once complete, I gave the soup a stir, and it was piping hot.

Porridge
With the mornings getting cooler, I was able to make the most of the porridge preset and make myself a bowl of steaming oats. I put 1/2 cup of oats in a bowl with 1 cup of milk, stirred and selected the porridge preset. After two minutes, I removed my oats (though they had boiled over the sides a little), and my breakfast was steaming hot with no cold spots.

OK, so I had a bit of leakage; normally I'd remove the turntable from my microwave and wash it by hand or put it in my dishwasher. However, with the Ninja, I simply took a damp cloth and wiped up the mess. I found the inner design makes it easy to clean up messes, with no ridges to hold a turntable.

Ninja Crispi Microwave: Verdict

I’m in love with the Ninja Crispi Microwave, and I don’t want this to disappear from my kitchen. It’s great for baking pasta bakes and crumbles, and it does a good job with whole chickens (just remember to flip the food halfway through). Plus, the presets are super handy, and the best bit is that it’s fun to use.

So why haven’t I given it 5 stars? It’s got nothing to do with its prowess as a cooking appliance; it’s simply its size. You need serious space in your kitchen for this microwave, not to mention the clearance headroom above it, and the large glass dish is heavy to handle, especially when it’s placed in the top position. If you can work around these issues, it’s well worth considering.

I feel like I'm always using my vacuum cleaner. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but it's a chore I think I do the most. So, it shouldn't come as any surprise to hear I've been trying to find ways to cut down the time it takes me to vacuum my home.

And everything changed when I realized that getting the vacuuming done quickly isn't just about how fast I can get my vacuum around my home. In fact, it's the total opposite.

The key to cutting down your chore time in half lies in how efficient you are and how efficient your vacuum is. Fortunately, I've put together 5 vacuum cleaning tips, including a simple overlap technique, that have entirely rebuilt my routine. Don't get me wrong, I still need to vacuum regularly, but I'm never disappointed by the results when I'm done.

Perform simple vacuum maintenance

Before you even get started on your vacuuming, there's a few quick maintenance steps you should follow first to ensure your vacuum is working at maximum efficiency. Clear the brush roll of any tangled hairs, wash and completely dry the filter (as per manufacturer's instructions), and check your hose and/or wand for blockages.

These steps won't take long at all, but will impact your vacuuming over time, especially when it comes to how well it suctions. And the key to faster vacuuming is definitely about how efficiently your vacuum is working in the first place. With a little more time on your hands, you can even learn how to deep-clean every part of your vacuum for peak performance.

Start at the back

Whenever I'm vacuuming a room, I think about it like I'm using a wet mop. I don't want to go over the same place twice and I also don't want to forget where I've been. Without a wet floor threatening to give my soggy feet though, I have to think methodically. So, to avoid going back on myself multiple times, missing any dirt or drawing any dirt back over clean areas, I always start at the back of the room.

For this, I aim for the back corner furthest away from the entryway. Then I work my way over the entire back edge of the room before starting in the furthest corner from the door at the front of the room. Eventually, you'll find you have an entirely clean room without wasting time.

Don't rush

This tip may seem counterintuitive, since you're trying to do your vacuum cleaning as fast as possible, but there's a very good reason behind it. If you rush your cleaning, you'll find you aren't getting the best performance out of your vacuum.

Going slower allows your vacuum to pick up any hidden dirt and debris that might otherwise get missed. And if you miss any, you'll find you might end up vacuuming your home more often, thus negating any 'quicker' vacuuming. Do a thorough job and you'll save yourself time in the long run.

Try a W pattern

My favorite way to vacuum my home (and that's something I never thought I'd say) is to perform a W-shaped pattern across my floors. Starting at the back corner, as per my second tip, I create a W with the movement of my hoover. This is easier to do on carpeted floors as you'll create a visual effect, but it works just fine on any floor. Then, I turn 90-degrees and do it again in a cross-hatch effect.

This technique provides great coverage, as well as being incredibly time-efficient. It agitates the floor in multiple angles meaning I know it's been cleaned thoroughly and can last longer before it needs another clean.

Don't wait until your dustbin is full

To cut your time in half, it may feel like it makes sense to use the entire capacity of your vacuum's dustbin, waiting until it's full before emptying it. But, this actually works against you.

If you let your dustbin fill up, it'll restrict the airflow to your vacuum, reduce suction and ultimately make it less efficient. Consequently, you'll find you have to repeat your vacuuming over the same spots. Instead, empty your dust bin when it's around 50-70% full. It only takes a few seconds and will make your vacuum work harder (and faster).

More from Tom's Guide

• 5 quick hacks to get rid of pet hair in your home
• I love this pet hair cleaning brush for keeping my home spotless — and I don't even own a pet
• 7 tips for staying on top of pet hair

The Roomba Max 775 Combo isn’t the worst robot vacuum I’ve ever tested, but I can’t recommend it as one of the best robot vacuums. There’s a lot to love about it, but unfortunately the bad outweighs the good.

The vacuum’s design is incredibly stylish and will suit the interior of most homes. There’s decent performance on hardwood floors, and the user-friendly app gives a whole lot of control. There’s a plastic cover that extends over the mop to protect your carpets from getting wet, and the docking station can maintain the robovac for up to 90 days.

Unfortunately, the side-sweeping brushes push debris away from the vacuum and make a lot of noise. Mopping also leaves residue, and if you have low-set furniture, the robovac may not be able to get underneath since it’s so tall. To find out more, you can keep reading this full Roomba Max 775 Combo review.

Roomba Max 775 Combo review: Specs

Roomba Max 775 Combo review: Price & availability

The Roomba Max 775 Combo robot vacuum is available in black or white for $999 at Amazon U.S. and for £799 at Amazon U.K. This is a pretty affordable price for a robovac that can also mop your floors and self-clean with heated functions.

The Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro is around the same size as the Roomba for $799. The Roborock also has mopping and self-cleaning features, and honestly, I’d recommend siding with the cheaper option as it has better vacuuming performance.

If you want something even cheaper, you can look at the Dreame D10 Plus Gen 2 for $299. Since it’s so much cheaper, the suction power is naturally a lot lower, just 6,000Pa to be exact, and you’ll have to clean the mops yourself. The Roomba is certainly the more convenient, user-friendly option here. But for something that takes better care of itself and has round mops, the Robrock Qrevo Curv for $699 is a great choice.

Roomba Max 775 Combo review: Design

I was struck when I first laid eyes on the Roomba Max 775 Combo. Wow. It really is a beauty. Clearly a lot of consideration has gone into the design here, which is lovely to see since a robot vacuum automatically becomes part of your home decor. The wood paneling finish on the front of the dock makes it look expensive. The docking station doesn’t take up too much space and measures 18.0 x 17.0 x 16.6 inches.

The base houses a clean and dirty water tank and a dust bag. There’s a slot to store a spare dust bag and a slot at the top of the lid with a dual-ended brush and cutter to remove trapped debris or tangles. It’s great to have these accessories stored neatly away instead of floating around the house and getting lost.

The vacuum itself is quite chunky and measures 6.8 x 14.4 x 4.1 inches. It’s a lot taller than the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete, which is 1.5 inches tall, and the Dreame D10 Plus Gen 2, which is 3.8 inches tall, so if you need it to get under low-set furniture, the Roomba won’t be the best choice for you.

On the underside of the vacuum, there are two rubber rollers that help with directing debris toward the suction and a mop roller. The design of the heated mop roller is great, as it has a retractable cover to prevent it from getting any of your carpets wet.

Roomba Max 775 Combo review: App

The Roomba Max 775 Combo uses the Roomba Home app. This is the smoothest app setup I’ve experienced of all the brands I’ve tested, including Shark, Roborock, Dreame and many others. The process was intuitive, and it automatically detected the vacuum — everything was ready to connect in seconds.

Until now, my favorite app has been Roborock for its easily digestible layout, but I think Roomba has it beat. Online, a few users mention that the app can be buggy, but I didn’t experience this at all. In fact, everything ran extremely smoothly throughout all my testing.

I was able to easily change the settings of the robot, like cleaning schedules, keep-out zones, and water flow or suction power. It felt like I was taking charge of the cleaning, even though the Roomba took care of all the hard work.

Roomba Max 775 Combo review: Mapping

Mapping was very quick with the Roomba Max 775 Combo. It skirted the edges of the room and created a map that I could adjust and rename in the app easily.

The mapping looked accurate on my phone screen, and even featured pictures of my sofas. But despite the accurate-looking map, the Roomba bumped into the edges of the room. I suppose it’s good to know it’s getting to the edges at least, and it has a buffer on the front to bounce back, but this much contact can’t be good for the robot or my walls. I don’t have this issue with the Roborock Qrevo Pro 2.

Roomba Max 775 Combo review: Cleaning

The Roomba Max 775 Combo isn’t the best robot vacuum you’ll ever use. It’s far from it. But it still does a pretty decent job of picking up noticeable debris from floors.

The most concerning thing about this vacuum is the noise it makes. Most robot vacuums I’ve tested have been a lot quieter than a handheld vacuum cleaner, but not the Roomba. It’s virtually screaming at you as it cleans. And it’s not just the sound of the suction — which I would be able to accept — it’s the wheels and the side-sweeping brushes that make all the racket. But if you leave the room and leave the robovac to do its thing, you can probably accept the noise.

Vacuuming

Rather than drawing debris towards the vacuum, the side-sweeping brushes were actually pushing pieces of debris and fluff away. After chasing it down, the Roomba did eventually catch them, but it was annoying. I noticed that more often than not, after cleaning sessions in my home, there was always something left behind on the floor. I get far better results with the Roborock Qrevo Pro 2, and it has a lower suction power of 25,000Pa.

Hardwood floor:

On hardwood floors, the Roomba’s performance was pretty good, apart from when it needed to pick up hair, because the side sweepers were pushing it around the floor. It also became tangled in the rollers.

The wheels did a lot of crushing, as they’re quite chunky, so I had a Rice Krispies massacre on my hands, but the Roomba picked up the majority of what was on the floor. It did a great job with seeds, although, again, the side-sweeping arms spent a lot of time pushing them around the room before sucking them up in the end.

Carpet:

The carpet performance was a little worse. Only about half of the debris on the floor was picked up, and it particularly struggled with smaller seeds.

Since the wheels were crushing the Krispies, they became trodden into the carpet. This one is better suited to hard floors.

Mopping

To test how the Roomba Max 775 Combo handles mopping, I put a little soy sauce, mayonnaise, and mud on my kitchen floor. This is my usual test, and usually vacuum mops can pass with flying colors, but I wasn’t giddy about the results here. There was a slight residue left on the floor, and at first, it looked like the Roomba was doing the robovac equivalent of finger painting with the condiments.

I much prefer the circular mop style you get with the Roborock Saros 20, as I think this is more reliable. The Roomba’s mopping is also 167ºF heated, so I was expecting something a little more thorough.

The Roomba has a cover that flips over the mop when moving over carpet, so the wet mop doesn’t drip any water. I love this feature as there’s nothing worse than a damp carpet.

Roomba Max 775 Combo review: Storage & maintenance

The Roomba Max 775 Combo doesn’t take up too much space and is also very short. As long as it’s set up near a power outlet so there’s no outstretched cord, it shouldn't get in your way.

It’s also very easy to maintain. The vacuum is self-emptying, and the dustbag in the dock can store debris for up to 90 days. This is at the top end of how long a robot vacuum can sustain itself and puts it in step with the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 ThermaCharged NeverTouch, which is a lot more expensive. The water tanks of the Roomba will need to be refilled and emptied as needed, but the cleaning solution auto-dispenses so there’s always the right amount.

The mop has a self-cleaning cycle in the dock, which uses hot 167ºF water and is then dried by hot air in the dock. This means less handling of gross mops, making the Roomba feel like it’s actually helping out around the house, rather than just another thing to maintain.

Roomba Max 775 Combo review: Verdict

The Roomba Max 775 is hard to recommend outright, although it will be a decent-enough choice if you only have hard floors throughout your home. The design is very stylish, and it feels almost like home decor, so you won’t want to hide it away in a corner. The app is very easy to get on with too. The docking station can maintain the robot for 90 days, and the mop cover for the roller is very convenient.

Unfortunately, the side-sweeping brushes caused me big problems. Not only are they loud, but they also push all of the debris away from the vacuum, meaning a lot of mess gets left behind. Mopping isn’t the best either, with a little residue left behind afterward, which undermines its vacuuming performance on hard floors. The bulky build makes it problematic for anyone with low furniture too.

Ultimately, it’s not the worst robot vacuum we’ve tested, but you can get way better for your money elsewhere.

Every fall and winter, my dehumidifier becomes the single most important appliance in my home. Without it, dampness creeps in, leaving window condensation and mold in its wake.

If you want to protect your home from excess moisture, one of the best dehumidifiers is worth every penny — but picking the right one can be tricky.

I reached out to industry experts to uncover the mistakes people make when choosing a dehumidifier and the features and specs you need to consider before you buy.

1. Not knowing when you need to use a dehumidifier

“You may need a dehumidifier if the air inside your home feels damp or sticky, or you notice window condensation, musty odors, mold or mildew, water stains, or recurring allergy symptoms,” explains Gelacio Lechuga, virtual HVAC expert at American Home Shield.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ideal indoor humidity should stay between 30% and 50%. If your levels exceed 50%, opening windows can help — provided it isn’t too cold or humid outside. Otherwise, running a dehumidifier is your best option.

“When humidity levels fall outside that range, it can create comfort, health, and even home maintenance issues, says Tim Kovacs, product manager of coils & indoor air quality at American Standard Heating and Air Conditioning.

Instead of waiting for mold or window condensation to appear, monitor your indoor humidity before it becomes an issue. A simple tool like the Govee Indoor Hygrometer Thermometer, $10 at Amazon, makes it easy. Many of the best smart thermostats and even the best smart water leak detectors can also let you know the humidity levels inside your home.

Did you know?
Common areas that are prone to high humidity include laundry rooms, basements, crawl spaces and other poorly ventilated areas.

2. Not knowing the difference between the types of dehumidifiers

There are two types of dehumidifiers — compressor and desiccant. I own a compressor model, the most common type, and I use it in my main living areas.

Mike Naughton, founder and ceo at Integrity Energy and Price to Compare explains the main difference between the two. “Compressor dehumidifiers are best for warm living spaces (above 65°F). These units are heavier than desiccant dehumidifiers and generally lose efficiency or can freeze up in colder temperatures.”

He adds that they work by pulling in damp air and passing it over cold coils to condense water droplets into a tank.

Unlike compressors, which suit warmer spaces, he explains that desiccant models work best in cold, unheated areas like garages or basements. “They draw in air, pass it over a rotating wheel with a moisture-absorbing material, and then exhaust slightly warmed air.”

He says these units tend to use more electricity than compressors, but they're quieter because of their internal electric heater.

3. Getting the capacity wrong

Before buying a dehumidifier, you’ll need to work out the capacity you need. If you choose a unit too small for your space, you’ll be running back and forth emptying the tank.

“Dehumidifiers are sized by how many pints (or liters) of moisture they can extract in 24 hours,” explains Divya Piskala, product manager, controls & well-being at Bosch Home Comfort.

As a guide, she says that small units holding 20-25 pints work best for spaces up to 500 square feet, such as small bedrooms and bathrooms, studies, or closets.

Medium units with a 30-35 pint capacity cover 500-1,500 square feet and suit living rooms, offices, or damp crawlspaces.

However, if you have a large space, such as a basement, covering 3,000-5,000 square feet, Piskala recommends opting for a large-capacity unit with a 45-50 pint capacity.

4. Not considering the noise level

If you’re placing a dehumidifier in a quiet zone, such as a bedroom or study, don’t forget to think about the noise level.

Bob Cardwell, owner at Cardwell HVAC says, “The type of dehumidifier determines how noisy it will be, and usually compressor dehumidifiers are noisier than desiccant models due to the compressor and fans working.”

However, he adds that the most reliable thing to do is check the appliance's decibel level. “Options with the decibel number between 35-40 are super quiet, but options with 40-45 are still quiet enough and are still good for bedrooms.”

5. Missing out on extra features

If you’re spending out on a dehumidifier, don’t forget to look out for extra features. Leuchuga recommends considering a unit with a built-in humidistat and auto mode to set and maintain your desired humidity level. And he also adds that it’s a big benefit if your unit can restart after a power outage.

Another feature to look for, especially if water collection is high and you want to avoid constantly emptying the tank, is a model with a drainage hose.

Piskala also adds that multi-speed fans can be useful, as they allow you to “run a quiet low speed in bedrooms or high-power airflow in a basement.”

Depending on your budget, you might want to upgrade to a dehumidifier with app controls. This lets you monitor moisture levels in your home remotely, adjust your humidity set point, switch fan modes, and schedule timers. You can also get alerts on your phone when the tank is full or the filters need cleaning.

More from Tom's Guide

• I asked appliance experts whether AC or dehumidifiers are better for reducing humidity — here’s what they recommend
• 5 ways to dry out a room without a dehumidifier — and reduce dampness
• How to remove mold from your home

I was always dead set against buying a cordless vacuum. I thought it wouldn't be able to cope with cleaning my entire house, running out of battery or needing constant emptying. Then, I bought one. I desperately wanted something I could just grab-and-go without having the hassle of cords or being weighed down.

Sure, I weighed up the pros and cons of having a cordless vacuum, but ultimately I decided it would be a great addition to my home cleaning setup. And now, I can't imagine my life without it.

But, there's definitely some things I've had to learn along the way to make sure I'm getting the most out of it — and fortunately, they're pretty simple to do. Here are my five top cleaning tips when using a cordless vacuum.

Give it a good clean

While I was hesitant to buy a cordless vacuum because it needed a bit more maintenance, as long as you keep on top of it a little at a time, it's barely noticeable. But, if you neglect your cordless vacuum, you'll suffer with low suction and a battery that won't last as long.

So, be sure to give it a regular clean, rinsing out the filters at least every month (following the manufacturer's instructions) and emptying the dustbin in-between cleans, sometimes even during your clean. You'll also want to make sure the brush roll is clear of tangled hair by snipping it away and removing it.

Utilize low power modes

I always thought using max suction was going to mean I was doing the best job, but I also kept running out of battery as it was depleting so much faster than in a regular mode. Then, I'd stick it on charge and forget to go back to finishing the job.

Instead, I recommend utilizing the low power modes that your cordless vacuum may have onboard like Eco, Standard or Auto for everyday dust and debris removal. You'll get a lot more time with your cordless vacuum and then you can save those high-powered modes for the deeper cleans and more extreme messes.

Always put it back on charge

Most modern cordless vacuums use smart charging meaning they won't continue to power up your battery once it's reached 100%. When I learned this, I felt a lot more comfortable about putting my vacuum back on charge after each use.

By doing this, I've worked up a habit that means whenever I go back to my cordless vacuum, it's always fully charged and ready to go. It's also a great place to dock your vacuum out of the way, as long as you set it up in a good location in your home (somewhere dry, indoors and near a wall socket).

Switch to attachments, when needed

Yes, a cordless vacuum is super convenient because it's often much more lightweight than a corded model and it also isn't encumbered by a cord, but that doesn't mean you should use the main stick everywhere across your home.

When it comes to the stairs, hard-to-reach places and edges of your furniture and baseboards, it's always a good idea to swap to the attachments to make sure you get a deeper clean. Not only is it easier for you, but it'll also give you better control overall.

Cross-hatch your vacuuming

There's a method I really like to use and it's called 'cross-hatching'. You might have learnt it as a kid when you were using your first coloring pencils, but essentially it's vacuuming in straight lines and then turning 90-degrees and coming back over the same spots in a different angle altogether. This provides, hopefully, the ultimate coverage.

This type of vacuuming is also made for cordless vacuums as it's a lot easier with no cord getting in your way, but it's also just a great technique for overlapping your cleaning and ensuring you're giving each area a thorough pass.

More from Tom's Guide

• How to choose the right vacuum cleaner — 7 things to consider
• 9 vacuuming mistakes you’re probably making
• Stop vacuuming for hours — here’s my bulletproof 5-minute cordless vacuum routine that cuts chores in half

Cozy season has officially arrived. As the chilly evenings roll in, I’ve already pulled out my warm throws to snuggle up on my couch.

Naturally, that also means it’s hot chocolate season — not that I really need an excuse — and I’ll be treating myself to a luxurious mug of velvety hot chocolate while I cozy up.

If you’re a hot chocolate fan like me, you’ll be excited to discover that the viral Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser has dropped in price by 30% to $115 at Amazon. That’s an epic saving of $50, which would be a shame to miss on Prime Day.

Treat yourself to the Hotel Chocolate Velvetiser

This new version of the Velvetiser launched last year and can brew both hot and cold chocolate drinks, unlike the original model, which only has a cold-mixing mode.

The second-generation Velvetiser features an elegant sculptural design and comes in three attractive colorways — Pewter, Chalk, and my favorite, Pebble. It also features a stylish wooden handle for a high-end look.

So what else does the new Velvetiser offer that makes it worth the upgrade? According to our Velvetiser review it features a custom-designed whisk "shaped with petal-like edges inspired by the cacao flower," and it spins to generate a vortex that can integrate both hot and cold chocolate.

The hot chocolate setting melds real chocolate flakes at 155-157°F — the optimum melting point for chocolate. The cold setting pulses at the beginning to gently meld finely milled chocolate with pre-chilled milk.

To tempt you further, you can choose a whole host of delicious Hotel Chocolat Chocolate Mixes, including dark chocolate, salted caramel and raspberry praline, among a few, from $25 at Amazon.

Still undecided about pressing Add to basket? If you feel guilty buying the Velvetiser for yourself, why not buy it for the foodie in your life? With a $50 price drop on this premium product, it’s worth finding an excuse to grab the deal before it’s gone.

• shop all October Prime day deals
• YETI sale: deals from $10
• Amazon devices: deals from $12
• Anker Smart Display Charger: was $39 now $23
• Skechers: from $25
• TV sale: deals from $69

If you’ve got kids or pets, your home is going to see a fair amount of messes.

Knocked-over drinks, sticky jam fingers on sofas, muddy footprints and pet accidents on your carpet — you could find yourself cleaning all day long.

What’s more, besides clearing up the mess, you’ll want to make sure stains don’t stain and odors don’t linger.

Right now, the Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet Cleaner is $84, down from $129 on Amazon.

Now under $100, that’s an impressive 35% saving you can pocket.

From personal experience, I know having a dedicated spot cleaner — rather than endless scrubbing by hand and pushing stains deeper into the fabric — is a total game changer.

• shop today's best October Prime Day deals

Why every pet household needs this compact cleaner

If you’re a pet owner, this compact cleaner combines super suction power and spray to remove pet spots and stains from carpets, rugs, upholstery and car interiors. Even pet-free households will benefit from its ability to remove tough coffee stains, wine, and grease.

What's more, this compact appliance, weighing just 9.6 lbs, is perfect for cleaning up spills and messes in small spaces, and it’s lightweight and portable enough to take outside to clean your car — making it especially handy if your vehicle is covered with pet fur and muddy paw prints.

With a 4.5-foot hose and a 15-foot cord, this appliance is flexible enough to clean hard-to-reach places — spraying, scrubbing and lifting dirt away while neutralizing odors. To help you get started, it includes specialized stain-removing tools and an 8oz bottle of cleaning solution.

The large-capacity clean and dirty water tanks let you get on with the task at hand, rather than spending time emptying and refilling the units.

Over one million consumers have already purchased Bissell's Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner. Are you going to join the gang this October Prime Day?

• shop all October Prime day deals
• YETI sale: deals from $10
• Amazon devices: deals from $12
• Anker Smart Display Charger: was $39 now $23
• Skechers: from $25
• TV sale: deals from $69

There are too many espresso machines on the market — I know. I agree. I said it first! Even as a professional reviewer, I get overwhelmed with the amount of new releases, updates, and innovative features.

So if you're overwhelmed, don't fret. I'd recommend a bean-to-cup machine for home baristas either just starting out or not fussed about complex specialty functions. For this type of home barista, two of the best espresso machines are: the Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine — $499 at Amazon right now— and the Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier 3-in-1 — also $499 at Amazon right now.

But don't think these machines are perfect for everyone, because that's not true. The Breville and Ninja are intended for entirely different audiences — so which model suits your needs more? I'm an ex-barista; I've reviewed over 50 coffee machines, so let me help you choose.

Different strokes for different folks

The Breville Barista Express and the Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier 3-in-1 are different types of espresso machines for different types of home baristas. I wouldn't classify these as interchangeable products at all.

Are you a passionate home barista looking to dive further into the world of artisan coffee? The Breville is for you.

Are you a coffee lover who wants consistently delicious espresso, filter, or cold brew without needing to fuss over the machine? Then you're perfect for the Ninja.

But ease of use is one of the most important considerations when shopping for a new espresso machine. As much as I love the Breville Barista Express, it's not as easy to use as the Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier.

Thanks to Ninja's "Barista Assist" technology, the machine itself helps configure grind size, which makes dialing in a breeze. If you've not heard that term before, dialing in refers to grinding your beans correctly. Different types of beans require a different grind size, and the only way you can do this is by trial and error — meaning you might waste a lot of beans if you're not confident in what you're doing.

In our 4.5-star review of the Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier, reviewer Camryn wrote, "The machine automatically weighs the basket and tells you what setting to put the grinder on, which is adjusted by a dial on the side of the machine."

The Ninja also has a PID controller — temperature controller — to ensure your coffee is never burned or weak.

In comparison, the Barista Express's grinder is completely manual — you need to use the on-machine pressure gauge and your barista eye to finagle grind size.

We've also reviewed the Breville Barista Express — our reviewer Mike said, "the Breville Barista Express makes an excellent cuppa, making it one of the best espresso machines around."

Although it requires a little more fuss, the PID controller (water-temperature controller) and customizable pre-infusion are appealing features for coffee snobs in the making.

Personally, I would get the Breville Barista Express because I'm not overly concerned with making drip coffee or cold brew with my espresso machine. Even so, if you value these use cases, the Ninja might be better for you.

In short: you're not going to be disappointed by either machine. Both perform admirably — and would look pretty in your kitchen.

Savings Squad Widget

It’s officially cozy season, and instead of looking forward to an iced latte to cool me down in the summer heat, I’m dreaming of scrumptious cookies and cakes to enjoy with a warming cappuccino.

What’s more, as Tom’s Guide's resident baker-in-chief, I’ve been keeping my eye on stand mixer deals this Prime Day, and have spotted some top appliances at great prices.

For starters, you can save an epic 57% on Cuisinart’s Precision Master Stand Mixer that I recommend in our best stand mixer buying guide. It’s on sale for $139 at Amazon— that’s an unbeatable saving for a great performer at an affordable price.

But if you’re a KitchenAid fan and nothing else will do, I’ve found three other exceptional deals this October Prime Day, including the KitchenAid Artisan, now $379 at Amazon. Plus, the super-stylish Smeg Forte stand mixer, which is bound to turn heads, has also dropped in price by 18%.

Keep scrolling to decide which stand mixer deal is right for you, and happy baking!

Quick Links

• shop today's best October Prime Day deals
• Smeg Forte 5-quart Stand Mixer: was $549 now $459
• KitchenAid Bowl Lift 7-quart Stand Mixer: was $649 now $529
• KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer: was $499 now $379
• KitchenAid Classic 4.5-quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer: was $399 now $299
• Cuisinart Precision Master Stand Mixer, in red: was $319 now $139

Stand mixer deals I recommend

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In this year's Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, there are plenty of great deals, and some of them are quite shocking. Why? Well, some of my favorite products have huge price discounts!

I'm a reviews writer here at Tom's Guide, which means I spend all day, every day testing the latest gadgets, and I'm always on the lookout for things that can improve your life. That's why I gave this robot vacuum five stars.

The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete is currently available on Amazon U.S. for $1,179 — its lowest ever price.

The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete is fully deserving of its five-star rating. It has been a welcome addition to my home over the last few months with its exceptional vacuuming performance. Not only that, but the mopping capabilities make home maintenance a breeze, and the extendable mops reach over the edge of the room.

Obstacle avoidance is great, and mapping in the user-friendly app gives you heaps of control. You can have your say over suction power, mopping schedules and no-go zones.

If you have any steps in your home, the Dreame can take them too, since it has climbing technology. Its little arms elevate it so it can carry on cleaning without needing any help from you.

Not enough features? Well, there's even a camera on top to let you see your pets and snap a few pictures of them.

To find out more about my testing experience, you can read my full Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete review.

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• See all deals in the Prime Day sale
• All headphones on sale at Amazon

Whether you’re after one of the best air fryers, or want to upgrade your appliances on a budget, Amazon’s Prime Day is the ideal time to bag a great deal.

Short on time or countertop space? I’ve just spotted a versatile, all-in-one air fryer that handles it all — and it’s currently 50% off.

Right now, the Chefman Multifunctional Digital Air Fryer+ has crashed to just $70 from $139 at Amazon. That’s an incredible 50% off, and a decent saving.

What’s more, the Chefman is equipped with five cooking functions and 17 presets, which means you don’t have to worry about splurging on separate appliances. Here's why.

Cooking made easy

Perhaps what I like most about the Chefman Multifunctional Digital Air Fryer+ is its incredible versatility.

Far more than a standard air fryer, it functions as a rotisserie oven, baker, dehydrator, and roaster to deliver crispy, delicious results every time. Plus, it offers a healthier alternative to traditional frying while keeping cleanup to a minimum.

It also comes with a large 10L capacity and three racks, adequate for large families, meal-prepping, or hosting Thanksgiving or holiday parties.

What’s more, it has 17 preset options, which you can program at just the touch of a button — meaning that you don’t have to worry about over- or undercooking anything.

Plus, I like the idea of checking your food's progress through the oven’s glass window and interior light.

Better still, there’s no need to buy separate appliances, as this Chefman will literally cover every base. And at 50% off, this incredible deal will fly off the shelves (I’m putting one in my basket right now!).

Shop more deals

• See all deals in the Prime Day sale
• Sign up for Amazon Prime

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Of all the appliances in our kitchen, the one device that probably gets used the most (aside from the refrigerator) is our toaster oven. Not only do we use it for toast, but we also use it to bake muffins, roast chicken, air fry nuggets, and even make little pizzas.

When I reviewed the ChefIQ MiniOven last December, I had been testing it for about three months, and gave it a 4-star rating. Well, a year has gone by, and it's still going strong — and now it's 37% off on Amazon for Prime Day.

The biggest knock I had against the MiniOven is that it costs $599, which is pretty high for a toaster oven, even one that's smart. However, this Prime Day deal discounts it to $379, which is $220 off its regular price, making it far more palatable.

One of the nice features of the MiniOven is that you can link it wirelessly to the ChefIQ Sense, which we also rated as one of the best meat thermometers we've tested. With it, I've roasted many a chicken in the oven, and all have come out wonderfully juicy and perfectly done.

Also, because this is a smart oven, I'm able to monitor things from my phone, so I can get alerts when things are ready, even if I'm elsewhere in the house. The MiniOven also has received a few firmware updates over the past year, which I think has also helped with one feature it was a little lax with — toasting bread.

The MiniOven's touchscreen control panel is easy to view and use. While we don't often go deep into the settings, it only takes a few taps to get to what we need. It's one of the smart home devices I've brought home that my spouse has no complaints about, either, which is another notch in its favor.

It is a little larger than your typical toaster oven, but if you have the space for it, this is one appliance I'd recommend picking up, especially now that it's on sale.

Savings Squad Widget

Having a pet is lovely, but having pet hair all over your home isn't. It's something I feel like I'm constantly battling — and while I found a $5 beauty hack that gets rid of pet hair on my clothes, I'm always on the lookout for ways to vacuum it up from the rest of my house with ease.

I've been eyeing up a new vacuum, preferably one with some sort of special attachment or built-in technology, but I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can first to eliminate the stubborn pet hair that just won't quit.

And as I've scoured the internet for advice, I think I've finally found five vacuum cleaning tips to help you (and me) get spotless floors.

Take your time

Yes, you probably want to get the vacuuming done as quick as possible, but there's something to be said for taking your time when there's pet hair to remove. Taking it slower, as well as ensuring you're revisiting spots at least once, is a great way to make sure you're really giving your vacuum the best chance at sucking up all that pet hair.

Slow vacuuming will give your appliance more time to lift up the pet hairs that may be embedded into your floors, especially carpets. And an even better step to take is to vacuum your floors in different angles, ensuring you're picking up the hairs that might be avoiding you.

Start from the top

Before you even get to vacuuming the floors though, it's best to work over any soft furnishings or areas where pet hair can gather to ensure it's all on the floor by the time you reach it.

As you disturb pet hair on those higher up areas, you'll be bringing it back onto the floor where it'll be likely to stay if you're not going to vacuum it up. It's certainly a way to make sure the floor remains spotless and it'll also save you a lot of time.

Try a little baking soda

One clever trick I've really enjoyed doing is sprinkling a little baking soda over my carpets and upholstered furniture. Not only is it great for eliminating odors, but it'll also reduce the static charge in the fibers, releasing the pet hair more readily when you go over it with a vacuum.

Just be sure to only spread it lightly and vacuum it all up afterwards to avoid any irritation for your pet. With this in mind, it's likely to make you even more thorough with your vacuuming as well, so that's always a plus.

Keep the brush roll clean

If you want your vacuum to perform at its best, keeping the brush roll clean should be high on your list of little jobs around the home. This is especially true if you have people who shed a lot of hair (like me in my household) or pets. Follow the manufacturer's guidelines, but what you're aiming to do is cut away and detangle any hair that is gathering on the roll.

While some vacuums come with anti-tangle brush rolls made to prevent a mess of long hair and pet hair gathering, some will require you get a bit more hands-on. And even if you do have an anti-tangle brush, you'll still need to clean it, just maybe not as regularly.

Ensure maximum suction

You might not realize it, but your vacuum could be carrying a lot more weight in its dustbin (or bag) than it looks, especially when you've got pets. A lot of pet hair in the dust compartment can impact your vacuum's suction power – and that's no good for pulling up stubborn pet hairs.

Instead, be sure to empty it a little more often than you're used to. This will also help maintain good airflow to your motor, as well as reduce odors from pet hair saturating inside.

Do you have any awesome tips for tackling pet hair in your own home? Let me know in the comments below.

More from Tom's Guide

• 5 quick hacks to get rid of pet hair in your home
• I love this pet hair cleaning brush for keeping my home spotless — and I don't even own a pet
• 7 tips for staying on top of pet hair

Ice cream isn’t just for summer; in my house, it’s a sweet staple we enjoy year-round. That’s why I kept a close eye on ice cream makers this Prime Day and have rounded up the best seven deals available right now.

While one of my go-to brands, Ninja, has savings of up to 23% on the popular Creami and Creami Scoop & Swirl at Amazon, I also noticed that GreenPan stole the show with $124 off the price of its Ice Cream Maker and Slushie Machine. I reviewed this machine myself, so I know it produces some great results.

I’ve found some great deals on both premium and wallet-friendly brands; here are the top ice cream maker deals to grab before Prime Day ends.

Quick Links

• Shop all Amazon deals
• Ninja Creami Scoop & Swirl 13-in-1 Ice Cream and Soft Serve Maker: was $349 now $279
• GreenPan Frost Ice Cream Maker & Slushie Machine: was $399 now $275
• Chefman Iceman Trio Ice Cream Maker: was $249 now $189
• Ninja Creami 7-in-1 Ice Cream Maker: was $219 now $169
• Black & Decker Perfect Pint Ice Cream Maker: was $169 now $129
• Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Ice Cream Maker: was $99 now $79
• DashMy Mug Ice Cream Make, 2 pack: was $44 now $31

7 best ice cream maker Prime Day deals

I’ll let you in on a secret — I really hate cooking. If it takes longer than ten minutes to prepare, I’m out. I wish I were the kind of parent who found it fun spending hours prepping meals for my toddler, who would live off pesto pasta if he could, but I don’t. Yet when I became a single mom a year ago, one thing became clear — I needed to learn how to build my own flat-pack furniture, and, well, cook.

Where did I start? By downloading some simple recipe apps and upgrading my kitchen setup to make things simpler. I opted for the Our Place Always Pan, which is a ceramic, non-stick pan that is oven-safe and comes with a handy strainer. My new flat has a tiny kitchen, so I also added the Wonder Oven to my shopping list, which is a toaster, oven, air fryer, and can reheat your food, all in one.

The best part is, whether you’ve lived through a massive life transition or you’re just keen to upgrade your cookware, Our Place is part of the Prime Day sale, and right now the 10.5-inch Always Pan is down to $83 from $135, and the Wonder Oven is discounted to $139 from $185.

Quick links

• Our Place Always Pan 8.5”: was $109 now $70
• Our Place Always Pan 10.5”: was $135 now $83
• Our Place Always Pan 12.5”: was $159 now $134
• Our Place Wonder Oven: was $185 now $139

Best Our Place Prime Day deals

Can I cook Michelin-star meals yet? No. But am I getting better at planning and prepping food? Definitely. The Always Plan is a dream to cook in and clean, especially if you’ve been known to burn pasta to the bottom of the pan before (just me?)

The Wonder Oven, however, is the item I use every single day. It heats up in no time, and it saves so much space in my kitchen as I no longer need a separate toaster, air fryer, and microwave.

It also looks beautiful, and while it’s pretty compact, cooking for me and my son, I’ve now lived in this apartment for two months, and am yet to turn the oven on.

Grab these deals while you can — you won’t regret it.

I’ve been through a couple of grills since I moved into my house 10 years ago, and I usually just get the most burners I can get for the least amount of money. But when it came time to put my latest Monument Grill out to pasture — complete with a door that came off the hinge every time I touched it — I decided to try something different.

Over the years I’ve seen plenty of Weber grills but never had the opportunity to test one myself. So when I got a chance to try out the Weber Genesis E-325 Titanium Edition ($999 at Home Depot), I was intrigued to see if the “Weber premium” was worth it and how it stacks up to the best grills. But I wouldn’t be the only judge.

What makes the Genesis E-325 stand out

The first thing that stood out to me was the build quality of the Genesis E-325 Titanium. While my previous grills were thin and frail, the Genesis looks and feels rock solid. And I’m not just talking about the outside.

The two dual-row PureBlu burners are designed to deliver heat evenly across the cooking surface, and the raised ports that keep the flame above the tube, which minimizes both clogs and corrosion. Plus, the flavorizer bars do a great job of catching and vaporizing juices, keeping grease away from the burners to minimize flare-ups.

Then there’s the porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grates. I like that they heat up quickly and retain heat, which is great for searing. These grates flip over to handle other grill accessories, such as a Griddle, Pizza Stone and Grilling Basket (all $99). I tried the latter with mixed results; more on that below.

Test No. 1: Sriracha BBQ chicken

For my first test I wanted to make some barbecue chicken, and normally I like to marinate it in sauce. In this case I picked Trader Joe’s Organic Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce.

After letting the chicken marinate for 30 minutes, I fired up the Genesis E-325 and it got to 400 degrees within a few minutes. For this meal I put the cooking grates on the flat side, as that’s recommended for chicken. I used the peaked side for grilling steaks later.

Granted, this was just my first time using a Weber, but I was impressed with how evenly the chicken cooked. I noticed some of the pieces got more of a char towards the back of the 513-square inch cooking area and just moved a couple of the breasts around.

Once the chicken was done I paired it with some jasmine rice and mixed vegetables, and it was time for the family to weigh in.

The best endorsement came from my 18-year-old-son, who usually doesn’t say much more than “thanks for making it.”

In this case I got a “this is really good” — unprompted. My wife also approved, commenting that the chicken was juicy on the inside and had a nice crispy crunch on the outside. I’ll take that as a win.

Test No. 2: Ribeye steaks, filets and roasted vegetables

For my next test of the Weber Genesis E-325 I tried something a bit more complicated. I grilled some ribeye steaks and small filet mignons while also attempting to roast some broccoli and sweet potato slices on Weber’s Crafted Grilling Basket ($99).

To prep, I hit the steaks and filets with a combination of Season All, Spice Lab’s Smoked Butcher’s Blend and Dan-O’s Seasoning.

My wife helped with the veggies, preparing the broccoli with roasted garlic and chili oil, salt and pepper, onion powder and crushed red pepper flakes. And she drizzled the sweet potato medallions with roasted garlic algae oil, hot honey, salt and pepper and hot honey dry seasoning.

Sounds like the recipe for success, right? Well, mostly.

The Genesis E-325 did a fantastic job searing the ribeyes with its dedicated Sear Zone, which gets up to 750 degrees. After I got those perfect marks, I moved the steaks over to the left and cooled the right side down to 350 degrees to roast the vegetables.

Unfortunately, I overcooked the broccoli and it got a little too much char, but the sweet potatoes were spot on. I should have waited a bit longer to add the broccoli to the grill basket.

The ribeyes, however, came out practically perfect. I got the sear I wanted without losing the juices on the inside. And the filets I cooked were nice and tender. I put them on the top shelf while the bigger steaks finished cooking.

Overall, this meal was a home run with the family despite my messing up the broccoli. We just sprinkled some cheese on top to mask the burning, and it still tasted great.

Cleaning: Where I messed up

The biggest mistake I’ve made with the Weber Genesis E-325 is not reading the instructions before cleaning. You’re not supposed to use a wire brush, as it can strip the enamel, and Weber suggests you let the grill cool before you clean.

I’m accustomed to using my Grill Rescue brush, which on other grills you dip in water and leverage the heat of the grill to steam clean. I made things worse, making some residue harder to get off.

I learned my lesson. You’re supposed to let the grill cool, then use a Nylon bristle brush to clean the grates. For deeper cleaning, you can use a sponge and hot soapy water to clean the grates.

Accessories: Lots of options

As mentioned, the Weber Genesis E-325 can accommodate a range of custom-fit grillwork. This includes a Pizza Stone, Grilling Basket (good for veggies) and Griddle (great for breakfast items or smash burgers). These are all $99.

It doesn’t stop there, though. The Genesis has a side table you can drop accessories into and side rails for clipping on other add-ons. You can get everything from a basin with cutting board lid ($39) to a bottle holder ($12.95).

Outlook

So far I really like the Weber Genesis E-325. I’ve only tried it with a couple of meals so far, but the food has been delicious and evenly cooked, and I’m happy with the overall build quality.

I also love having a dedicated Sear Zone for steaks, and even though I’m used to 6 burners, there’s plenty of cooking area on this 3-burner grill for me and my family. I think larger parties could be a challenge, though.The only thing that’s thrown me so far is the cleaning for the Genesis E-325. But now that I know the proper technique I don’t think it will be an issue. Would you invest this much in a grill? Let me know what you think in the comments and if you already have a Weber please feel free to share your experience.

It’s in everything. It was in your baby bottles, the sneakers you took your first steps in, your elementary school lunchbox, the pens you chewed during high school exams. One study even reports there’s as much as 5g in our cerebral organs.

The average kitchen contains a lot more than 5g of the stuff. Take a look at your kitchen appliances: which are constructed entirely from plastic, and which are metal or glass? Refrigerators, air fryers, blenders, coffee machines — they’re all plastic.

Slowly but surely, though, the attitude towards plastics is changing. According to Google Trends, 2026 alone has seen a 5,000% increase in searches for “plastic-free coffee maker”. To put this into perspective, let’s compare: an increase of 5,000 is the size difference between a mouse (7cm long) and the Eiffel Tower (33,000cm tall).

So what’s causing this shift, and why? I spoke to Moccamaster, a leading coffee maker brand, and Beth Gardiner, author of Plastic Inc., to find out.

What is plastic?

Beth Gardiner describes plastic as an “incredibly complicated petrochemical, meaning it's a chemical that comes from petroleum products.”

“The raw ingredients of plastic are basically derivatives and byproducts of oil and gas. We use the word plastic as a singular, but there are many different kinds of plastics.”

“What you end up with is a petrochemical.”

Essentially, plastic is fossil fuels that have been heated, pressurized, had molecules reconfigured via a series of highly complex chemical processes, and been added to.

Despite this, plastic isn’t inherently evil. In some cases, it’s the only plausible material — single-use medical equipment, for example.

What’s a microplastic?

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic. Anything from 5mm to 1 nanometer counts as microplastic. Most microplastics are invisible to the naked eye — 1 nanometer is 10 million times smaller than a centimeter (25.4 million times smaller than an inch).

Contrary to popular belief, microplastics can shed from any type of plastic. Even proudly BPA-free or PFAS-free plastics can degrade, eventually becoming microscopic microplastics. And when you introduce hot water or heating elements into the equation? BPA-free, virgin plastics might not leach carcinogenic compounds into the water, but they will degrade over time.

While researching for this article, I discovered my trusty tea bags leach billions of nanoplastics and microplastics, according to a 2019 study at McGill University. Honestly, I’m still reeling. How many microplastics are floating around inside me thanks to my English Breakfast tea addiction?

I’ll have my coffee with creamer, sugar, and… plastic?

How many cups of coffee have you consumed today? Four? Five? Do you know how many microplastics were in each one? No, of course not. But that doesn't mean plastic coffee makers are inherently wrong.

Take Moccamaster, for example. If Moccamaster were to make a glass brewer, I’m guessing shipping costs from production in the Netherlands would be astronomical. Plastic is light, durable, and cheap. Glass is heavy, delicate, and expensive. Would the average person be able to afford it?

Even so, other brands are offering low-plastic machines. Simply Good Coffee, Aarke, and Ratio are brands already whetting the appetite of the anti-plastic brigade, and I don’t blame them.

As evidenced, the general hunger for “plastic-free coffee maker” is experiencing the highest spike.

Even though consumers seemingly want plastic-free products, the onus shouldn’t be on consumers to reduce plastic usage. We’re not asking for plastic in all our appliances — we’re served it. “Plastic is being pushed into markets,” says Beth Gardiner, author of Plastic Inc. “If you go to the supermarket to buy some bananas, they're wrapped in a plastic bag, and you buy them.

Economically speaking, you did not demand a plastic bag. Your economic demand was for bananas.”

Of course, consumers can find completely plastic-free bananas, but this produce is often double, triple, or quadruple the price and much less convenient.

“The reason why plastic is in such wide use, particularly in terms of packaging and cheap products, like toys and appliances, is that it is super, super cheap.”

Moccamaster isn’t shying away from using plastic, though. Will Etherington, Director of Sales at Moccamaster, says that the “plastic components in the coffee and water-brew path comply with European food-contact requirements, including EU Regulation 10/2011.”

This means that all the virgin plastics used in Moccamaster’s line — including my favorite drip brewer, the KBGV Select — are “evaluated for chemical and material migration under repeated boiling-water-use conditions, using standardized tests designed to represent, and, where applicable, exceed, the time and temperature encountered during daily brewing."

So what are we supposed to do?

Unfortunately, as consumers, there’s very little we can do. If we want a coffee maker, we go and buy one. More often than not, we’re restricted by how much we can spend on said coffee maker.

“Moccamaster does not introduce products simply to follow trends,” says Will Etherington. This comes in light of the huge uptick in plastic-free brewers released recently — the aforementioned Ratio Four (Series 2, 2025), Simply Good Coffee Plastic-Free Brewer (2026), and the low-plastic Aarke Coffee Maker (released in 2024). However, none of these brewers are accredited by the SCA, while the Moccamaster is.

“The current narrative can sometimes suggest that any product containing plastic is inherently harmful, unsafe, or poorly made, but that is simply not the case," says Etherington.

"What matters is how the material is selected, where it is used, whether it complies with applicable food-safety standards, and how it contributes to the product’s performance, durability, and longevity.”

Gardiner corroborates this, stating that the fundamental problem is disposability. “Disposability in the broad sense, not just throwaway cups and packages, but also the sort of approach to consumerism where goods are so short-lived and so incredibly abundant.”

“If you're substituting wooden forks instead of plastic forks, pretty quickly you're chopping down forests to make more wooden forks.”

“Why not use a metal fork and wash it and use it a thousand times?”

Simply put, why not buy something once and use it over and over?

I believe that plastic coffee machines aren’t any worse than all the plastic most of us ingest every day. Take Moccamaster, for example: The plastic brew basket is replaceable. On top of that, the Moccamaster is produced in the EU, which has extremely tight health regulations.

My takeaway

First things first, I’m going to look into my teabags. That statistic has made me feel nauseous. Am I inviting billions of microplastics into my precious body just by drinking tea?

I’ve already replaced most of my food storage boxes with glass. I bought a 10-pack of glass containers in July and now shudder whenever I remember my old predilection for heating soup in plastic bowls.

The bottom line is this: to be as safe as possible, you should buy plastic-free products, especially if those products involve heating. However, plastic isn’t inherently evil. It’s how it’s used and maintained.

I put petrol-derived Aquaphor on my lips every single day. There’s no such thing as a plastic-free world anymore. At this point, everything we do is merely harm reduction. And investing in a well-made, durable product is the best thing you can do for yourself. Whether that’s the lifetime-repair-warranty Moccamaster or the plastic-free Ratio Four is up to you.

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• I tested the iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max side-by-side: Should you upgrade?
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I don’t think much about my microwave. I mainly use it to defrost bread, soften butter and heat up hot drinks that have gone cold. But since I’ve been testing Ninja’s Crispi Microwave, which combines reheating with air fry technology, I’ve changed my mind.

All I need to do is convince my husband it’s worth the real estate on my kitchen countertop, and the $449 price tag.

I’m currently testing Ninja’s first-ever microwave with an air frying function, and I’m impressed so far. The No. 1 selling point is the FusionCrisp feature. It lets you heat food in microwave mode, then switch to air fry so your meal doesn't turn out soggy.

You’ll have to wait a little longer for my full review, where I’ll get hands-on with cooking a whole chicken and other dishes. But for now, here are my first impressions of Ninja’s Crispi Microwave.

Make some room...

My current microwave sits quite innocently on my countertop and measures 17 (W) x 12.5 (D) x 10 (H). However, the Ninja is over three inches wider, five inches deeper and four inches taller. You can’t help but notice it.

If you lack countertop space in your kitchen, I recommend checking your measurements before investing. You also need to think about clearance space. SharkNinja recommends six inches on the sides and 12 inches on the top.

The appliance I’m testing is currently sitting below a wall cabinet, with only five inches of clearance. I think I can get away with it, since I'm not using the appliance long-term, but do make sure you've got enough surrounding space for safe operation.

The controls look complicated, but they're not

At first, I was a bit concerned that the appliance seemed complicated to use. You can choose FusionCrisp — a combo of microwaving and air frying — or use the microwave and air fryer separately.

You’ll need to sit down for a few minutes with the instructions, or watch the setup guide that you can find by scanning the QR code on the appliance.

It walks you through reheating pizza, cooking baked potatoes and using the controls.

After using the appliance just once, I felt confident and have only referred to the Quick Start Guide to check timings. That can be an issue when using FusionCrisp. Unless I followed a recipe, I wasn’t sure how long to microwave and then air-fry the food. I expect this will get easier with time.

Cooking a fruit crumble using FusionCrisp

For me, the main attraction of Ninja’s Crispi Microwave is the FusionCrisp function. It lets you heat food in microwave mode, then switch to air fry to get a crisp texture.

The appliance comes with a fairly comprehensive Quick Start Guide, including recipes. I was instantly drawn to the classic apple berry crumble recipe — one of my favorite cozy-season puddings.

I used the recipe in the guide, swapped the apples and berries for plums, and made my first crumble in the appliance.

Using the glass basket

You need to use the accompanying glass basket with the FusionCrisp function, and place it on either the bottom or top shelf of the appliance. If you’re cooking something of height, such as a whole chicken, place the basket in the base, but since my crumble had a low profile, it was fine to put it on the top shelf.

I did find that the glass basket was really heavy; you’ll need two hands to hold it. What’s more, it’s also substantial. If you’re using it to make a recipe for one or two, you’ll end up with a huge portion. My family is still eating its way through the crumble!

And there lies another problem. If you’ve got leftovers and don’t want to transfer them out of the glass basket (some meals are messy), you’ll need a spare if you want to cook again before you finish everything.

It ditches the turntable

You’ll notice when you look inside the appliance that it ditches the turntable. This gives you even more space for cooking. Ninja claims it offers 40% more space than a standard microwave, and that it will fit an 8lb chicken. That’s ½ lb larger than the maximum size chicken that you can fit in the Ninja Crispi Pro air fryer, with a 6-quart container.

I already regularly cook whole chicken in my Corsori TurboBlaze air fryer, and will try it out in the Ninja Crispi Microwave over the coming days.

It can microwave and air fry too

Besides using the FusionCrisp function, don’t forget this appliance still offers a separate microwave and air fry function.

I tested it out by using the microwave to heat chicken soup. It has a handy preset function that ran for 2 ⅕ minutes. The soup came out piping hot, and I didn’t even pause and stir it halfway through.

I then used the air fry function to make a grilled cheese sandwich. I placed the crisper plate in the glass dish and positioned it on the top shelf. To save guessing the time and temperature I had a look online, before choosing the Max Crisp setting, at 240°C for 8 minutes. I paused the appliance and turned the sandwich over halfway through.

I was pretty pleased with the result, well my son was, and the bread was crispy, and the cheese was beautifully melted.

I’ve since played around with more grilled cheese toasties and have used the Air Grill Air Fryer setting, which needed a little less time.

My verdict so far

I’m enjoying using the Ninja Crispi Microwave and discovering what it can do. I’m still not sure whether it’s worth ditching your current microwave and air fryer for one appliance, so I’d love to know your thoughts if you’ve already made the investment (you can leave your comments below).

It is a large appliance, so if you are looking to save space, don’t underestimate the real estate it will take up.

For now, I'm going to get back to testing, and hopefully convince my family that it's one to keep.

Discover what I really think of the Ninja Crispi Microwave in my full review.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tested the Ninja Crispi for a week and it made me rethink everything I knew about air fryers
• The Ninja Creami makes it so easy to make ice cream, it’s dangerous
• Best microwaves in 2026

As I head into the holiday season, I’ll be hosting, cooking and needing everything to be as fast and as easy as possible. I want — nay, need — the Ninja CrushBOSS by my side. It’s the best blender I’ve ever used, and you’ll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

I’m impressed by the level of control you get with this blender, which has become my go-to for everything from meal prep to daily breakfast smoothies. It has exceptional blending performance that takes on the toughest ingredients. It’s very stable when blending at full speed, has a large capacity and is easy to clean.

What more do you want? You can find out more by reading my full Ninja CrushBOSS review.

Ninja CrushBOSS review: Specs

Ninja CrushBOSS review: Price & availability

The Ninja CrushBOSS is available to purchase from Amazon U.S. for $169 and from Amazon U.K. for £154. The blender comes in a variety of colors, including Midnight Blue & Gunmetal, Onyx, Emerald Green & Champagne, Stone & Gold, Mocha & Gold.

You can also buy the blender as part of a three-in-one bundle with a tumbler and food processor, as well as the large pitcher. This version of the blender will cost you $279 from Amazon U.S. and £239 from Amazon U.K. The additional blend cups are a good option for anyone who will be dealing with small quantities or using the blender for meal prep.

The Ninja Detect Power Pro is also around the same price at $179 and is incredibly powerful too. This blender comes with smaller blend cups and has similar controls, with a dial at the front and the same preset modes, but the CrushBOSS is just a little more powerful and costs less. Why would you spend more?

I recently tested the Nutribullet Power Core, which is priced at $99, and for $70 more, I can’t believe the step up in performance you can get with the CrushBOSS. If you can’t tell, I’m in awe of this blender.

For something with more control, such as the 10 variable speeds that come with the CrushBOSS, I would usually recommend something like the Vitamix Ascent X2. However, that will cost you $549, and you can’t justify paying that when the CrushBOSS is ripping through ice and creating the smoothest hummus I’ve ever seen with complete ease.

Ninja CrushBOSS review: Design

The Ninja CrushBOSS looks futuristic, but so are its capabilities. The blender is pretty tall, measuring 17.87 x 10.16 x 8.98 inches. I found it easy to move around since it only weighs four and a half pounds. The blade in the pitcher is tall, kind of like a tree with six blades.

The pitcher has handy measurements on the side so you can see how much liquid you’re adding to your smoothies and mixtures. The lid has a release button, and a handle pops up, making it easy to remove. The corner of the lid also lifts up to reveal a pour spout.

The motor base has suction cups on the bottom to keep the machine glued to the countertop, and trust me, this thing is not moving an inch. I even struggled to remove it when I was done, but that’s much better than having a blender that jumps around on your countertop.

Controls

The controls of the Ninja CrushBOSS are very easy to get to grips with. The blender has two small buttons for power and pulse at the top of the motor base and a large dial with an LED screen, which you twist to select the mode you want from the smart menu.

You can select prepIQ, which has presets for all sorts of meal prep, including mince, small chop and large chop. I liked having these settings because they gave me a lot of control, and more than I’d get from the pulse button. Smooth Sense uses smart sensing to determine how long the pitcher's contents need to be blended to become smooth, which I found most useful for frozen ingredients. You can also choose from 10 variable speeds if you want to be in control of the blending.

Ninja CrushBOSS review: Blending performance

To test out the blending performance of the Ninja CrushBOSS, I carried out my usual blender tests of smoothies, sorbet and hummus. This time I also added a quick chop side salad to test out the preset modes.

I was blown away by the blender. It’s so fast, and those blades are so sharp I’m convinced it could obliterate anything you throw at it. It made light work of completely frozen fruit and more tricky ingredients such as dates.

Smoothie

Firstly, I made a batch of tropical smoothie which consisted of frozen mango, peaches, pineapple and passionfruit, and I added two bananas and four dates with a splash of oat milk. I used the Smooth Sense setting, and this only took 90 seconds to fully blend and displayed a handy countdown on the screen.

As you can imagine, it tasted amazing, but I’m worried about how it felt. All of the fruit was completely broken down. Not a seed or pip in sight, and the dates were blended so small that they could easily move through a straw. It’s difficult to blend dates because of their sticky texture that gets stuck in the blades, but that wasn’t an issue for the CrushBOSS.

Sorbet

Next, I made sorbet using the Smooth Sense setting to see how well the blender copes with completely frozen ingredients and no liquid. It absolutely obliterated the mango. It was very impressive, and I’ve never seen a blender work so quickly before.

Even though I knew it wouldn’t hurt me since the lid was off, after what it did to the frozen mango, I was wary each time I reached my hand into the blender. In under two minutes, I had a smooth sorbet with no lumps or clumps.

Chop salad

To test out the chopping presets, I made a quick chopped salad to go on the side of meals. This included cucumber, red onion and tomato. I used the Small Chop setting, and the blender made light work of the ingredients.

It took less than 10 seconds to blend. It was pulsing, and in just 1, 2, 3, it was all done. An incredibly fast meal prep that I’ve been able to use to top my meals and add to wraps with minimal cleanup.

Hummus

Finally, I made a quick hummus. This included two tins of chickpeas, olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper. I decided to use the Custom Speed settings here, as making hummus requires more control, and went with speed 4.

This is the smoothest hummus I have ever made. I’m talking grocery-store-smooth. It was seriously impressive to watch, and since the blades climb the pitcher, no chickpeas were missed.

Ninja CrushBOSS review: Storage & maintenance

I found the Ninja CrushBOSS surprisingly easy to clean despite its large size. Everything except for the motor base is top rack dishwasher safe. This means that once you're done, you can throw it in the dishwasher and forget about it, making the cleanup process feel non-existent.

I opted to clean the pitcher by hand since it’s so big, and this was very easy to do. My only advice is that if you decide to clean the blades by hand too, you should be careful with your hands, as the blades are very, very sharp.

Ninja CrushBOSS review: Verdict

After some thorough testing and serious thinking, I don’t have a bad word to say about the Ninja CrushBOSS. In fact, I can’t think of anything negative about it at all.

It has an exceptional blending performance, making light work of tough ingredients like sticky dates and frozen fruit. The controls are also versatile, with variable speeds that give you the final say over your blends and presets that make prepping for cooking faster than ever. The suction on the bottom of the motor base makes it incredibly stable while blending, and the cleanup process is easy. It also helps to have a large 72-ounce capacity so I can make large quantities, but performance isn’t hindered even if you make small batches.

The CrushBOSS does everything a blender should do, does it exceptionally well, and won’t break the bank.

When it comes to toasters, I firmly believe in the old adage of ‘buy cheap, buy twice’, except for me it’s been a case of ‘buy cheap, buy six times’. I’ve had my fair share of cheap toasters, and they’ve mostly been utter crap. So I was pretty excited when KitchenAid offered me its Pro Line (or Artisan, here in the U.K.) toaster.

The KitchenAid Pro Line offers some impressive features to back up its enormous price tag. It boasts a premium design, promises even toasting, and packs a range of features like hands-free lowering/rising and an automatic keep warm mode.

Alas, it isn’t perfect. While it’s a good toaster, I wouldn’t say it toasts bread any better than a toaster half the price. And the included toasted sandwich cage kinda sucks.

Still, if you value ease of use and have some cash to spare, this has to be one of the best toasters out there.

KitchenAid Pro Line Toaster review: Price & availability

There’s no getting around it, the KitchenAid Pro Line is extremely pricey, at $299 for the two-slot toaster — the only model available in the States. Here in the U.K., the Pro Line is called the Artisan, with the two-slot model costing £269 and a four-slot model (unavailable in the U.S.), costing £399.

While pricey, the Pro Line is more or less on par with other premium toasters, namely the Dualit two-slice Classic, which costs $299. The KitchenAid Pro Line offers way more features than the Dualit Classic, so is the better option if you want reheating, auto up/down, and a bagel mode. In my experience, though, the Dualit Classic tends to toast more evenly, and unlike KitchenAid, Dualit offers the four-slice model Stateside — if those are priorities, it’s Dualit all the way.

The Pro Line is available in various colors: white, black, red and silver (which is essentially gray). In the U.K., the Artisan is available in a whopping 10 colors, including a rather fetching pistachio green. There’s also an “empire” red, ‘cos y’know… we are the British after all. Somewhat tone deaf naming there, KitchenAid.

KitchenAid Pro Line Toaster review: Design

The Pro Line is, in my opinion, absolutely beautiful, sporting a timeless art-deco design. It’s simultaneously stately yet understated, adding a touch of class to your counter but never drawing too much attention. Every time I notice it, I think “huh, now that is a pretty toaster.”

Size wise, the Pro Line is an absolute unit. The four-slice measures 12 x 13 x 9 inches and weighs 18.7lbs — it’s definitely one to be avoided if you’re short on space. The two-slice measures a slightly more manageable 7x 13 x 9 x inches and 12lbs, but it’s still large for a two-slice toaster. As you can see, neither is a featherweight either, and I genuinely had difficulty getting both out of their styrofoam packaging.

The upside to all this is that the Pro Line is built like a tank. There’s barely a hint of plastic in sight. Everything is essentially either enamel-clad steel or shiny chrome. I’m not sure I could break it even if I wanted to. This is a toaster to pass down to your grandkids.

KitchenAid Pro Line Toaster review: Performance

My favorite thing about the Pro Line is its array of automatic features and useful cooking modes. It has an automatic up/down mechanism that senses when food is in a slot and lowers/raises it accordingly, with a satisfying ping to let you know your toast has begun and ended. There’s not much use to this, although it’s a very smooth, steady mechanism, so avoids the classic ‘toast popping out and landing on the floor’ scenario.

Much more useful is the ‘keep warm’ setting. If the sensor detects that toast hasn’t been removed after cooking, the Pro Line will automatically lower it back down on a gentle heat to keep it warm. So no more spreading butter over cold toast if you happen to be busy or away from the toaster when it pops up. This will cook the toast ever so slightly, but I haven’t yet had burnt toast from a previously unburnt piece on account of keeping warm.

There’s a bagel mode, which is handy, only toasting one side of each bagel half, while only warming the top. You need to ensure you’ve got your bagel the correct way round, though, lest you cook the top and just warm the bread side. Thankfully there's a diagram on top of the toaster showing you which way to insert the bagel.

Naturally, there’s a defrost mode for heating frozen bread. And there’s a fourth mode which, confusingly, KitchenAid’s marketing images don’t show. On the promo shots, the toaster has a mode called “A little longer” to toast for a short time. On my two- and four-slice units, however, there’s a toasted sandwich setting instead. I guess the model online is an older version.

Anyway, the toasted sandwich setting is sucks, even using the sandwich cage — in all my tests, it simply burnt the outside of the bread while leaving innards cold and cheese unmelted.

I really like that the Pro Line’s slots are deliberately capacious, though, allowing you to toast lots of different bread styles and thicknesses. Often I struggle getting extra thick slices of bread into my parents’ Dualit Classic, but with the Pro Line I had no issues with super thick granary bread. I still had to cut flatter, longer sourdough slices in half, but that’s to be expected.

Finally, I love the toast setting slider. It's smooth, with no hard stops on each setting, so you can dial in your exact cooking time. And it features LED cooking lights, which count down to zero so you can see how long is left before your toast pops up — handy for time management when doing other stuff in the kitchen.

Toasting tests

Alas, the Pro Line’s core toasting performance was a little disappointing. Not awful, but for this much money, I want perfectly cooked toast. I ran my tests on the four-slice unit, at the middle setting of '4'.

With thinner slices of bread, the Pro Line cooked pretty evenly on both sides, with each slice of bread in each slot looking similarly toasted. As you can see, though, the toaster left the upper half and top corners less cooked. I'd expect to see less cooking at the top, as it's cooler near the opening. But there's quite a big discrepancy here with the upper section being undercooked cor my liking. These weren't tall slices of bread, either — the crusts were well and truly submerged into the toaster.

To see if this was just an issue with the elements not having time to heat up properly, solvable by longer cooks, I left two slices in the toaster until they burned — as a sort of stress test. As you can see below, the top elements will start to cook the upper areas of bread, but a corner still gets left undercooked in comparison.

With thicker slices of bread, I found the Pro Line always heated the sides unevenly, resulting in toast being perfect on one side and either under- of overcooked on the other, depending on the slots used. Slots 1-2 tended to undercook a side while slots 3-4 tended to burn a side. As you can see below, there was always a discrepancy between sides. Now, you want this for a bagel, but for normal toasted bread I wish the Pro Line cooked more evenly. The Dualit Classic is much better in this regard.

Time-wise, the Pro Line takes just over 2 mins to cook at the middle setting of 4. At the lowest setting of 1, it took just under 30 seconds and at the highest of 7 it took just under 2-minutes 45 seconds.

I wouldn’t say this is particularly quick, but it isn’t slow like those awful conveyor belt toasters you find at European hotels. The combined cooking and buttering time was about right for brewing and steeping a cup of tea to wash down my toast.

KitchenAid Pro Line Toaster review: Storage & maintenance

The Pro Line is very easy to keep clean externally. The sturdy, premium design and enamel finish don’t hold onto fingerprints and grime, and are easy to wipe down. I have the toaster positioned next to my stovetop, meaning it’s constantly getting sprayed with food and oil. My old toaster held onto this and its body needed degreasing regularly. The Pro Line’s enamel looks as good as new with a quick wipe.

Unfortunately, the crumb tray is a little laughable. It’s tiny and super shallow, meaning it gets full up very quickly and can be fiddly to remove if there are big crumbs in it. It’s also easy to spill crumbs when moving the tray from toaster to food waste.

KitchenAid Pro Line Toaster review: Verdict

The KitchenAid Pro Line (or Artisan in the U.K.) is a decent enough toaster. It’s styled and built beautifully, easy to clean and packs tons of useful features — the keep warm setting is a total gamechanger for those who perennially forget about their toast.

Holding the Pro Line back from our top scores are some major annoyances, though. It’s pricey, and for this money I’d expect evenly cooked toast on both sides. The crumb tray is also inexplicably small for a toaster this bulky. But if you value convenience and features over pure toasting performance, the Pro Line is still definitely one to shortlist.

Today is international coffee day! It's a great opportunity to make sure your brews are the best they can be, as this holiday coincides nicely with Amazon's early October Prime Day deals. (Don't forget to sign up for an Amazon Prime membership to scoop up those savings.)

My biggest recommendation today is the Ninja Luxe Café Premier Series Espresso Maker for $499 at Amazon. We awarded it 4.5 stars in our Ninja Luxe Café coffee maker review, and if that wasn't enough to convince you, it's now on sale for its lowest price ever with $100 off.

• shop early Prime Day deals at Amazon

In her Ninja Luxe Café coffee maker review, our tester said: "Hands down, this is the best beginner-friendly espresso machine I’ve ever tested." So if you're just getting into making espresso for the first time, there's pretty much no better deal to pick up this year on International Coffee Day.

This machine does it all — espresso, milk steaming, and cold brews — and is extremely easy to use, delivering near-perfect results every time. It consistently produced a rich, flavorful espresso with a healthy layer of crema in our tests.

It also deserves props for its quieter-than-average running volume, and its cold foam feature. It'll froth up espresso into a super thick cold foam that won't heat up milk, and is perfect for experimenting with delicious new drinks. Our reviewer, Camryn, wrote: "I could make an amazing caramel macchiato using these features, and I think it’s actually better than the ones I get at the coffee shop."

That's right, better than the coffee shop! If you're a regular visitor to Starbucks or Dunkin', this machine will get you better drinks and save you money in the long run. Make sure to snap up this deal before it sells out.

At Tom’s Guide, we always keep an eye out for the latest IKEA launch, as this retailer excels at offering customers design-led products at affordable prices. And its latest product drop doesn’t disappoint.

IKEA’s newest introduction is its new VARDAGEN series of cookware, bakeware and dinnerware — served up just in time for those hearty fall and winter suppers. I already know which item I’ll add to my basket.

IKEA has added three new enameled cast-iron pots to its VARDAGEN collection, which is dedicated to providing “traditionally designed cookware and dinnerware that is perfect for everyday use”. They also come at everyday prices — an attractive proposition, since you won’t find much under $200 at Le Creuset.

My favorite addition is the light pink VARDAGEN enameled cast iron pot with lid, $34 at IKEA. I can definitely picture this shallow 2.6-quart pot on my own induction cooktop.

That’s the beauty of cast iron: you can use it on multiple cooking surfaces, and since the material is magnetic and conducts heat, it's also suitable for induction cooking.

If you’re looking for something a little larger, IKEA has also launched a 3.2-quart, round, dark-gray-green oval enameled cast iron pot with a lid, retailing for $39, and a 4.2-quart, light yellow, oval enameled cast iron pot with a lid, retailing for $49.

All three new cast iron pots have sizeable handles and matching silver knobs, with an attractive ridged design on the lids, and since they are enameled, there’s no need to season the pans before use.

If your budget won't stretch to Le Creuset prices, I think these IKEA cast iron pots could be a winner this season.

More from Tom's Guide

• The best cast iron skillets: Tested and rated
• I ditched my non-stick pans for cast iron cookware — here's why I’m not going back
• I tested IKEA's portable induction cooktop — and it's a game changer for small spaces

There are more than 120 species of coffee plant, but only two dominate the market: arabica and robusta. Spend a few minutes perusing the coffee aisle in your local store, however, and you’ll observe that only one is worn as a badge of pride.

Many brands proudly proclaim their 100% arabica origin. By contrast, robusta is conspicuous by its absence; a term relegated to shadowy small print, if at all.

Let's dive into the differences and explain a little bit about this ongoing debate across the coffee community.

Is arabica inherently better than robusta?

Traditionally, the two were deemed to be yin and yang. Arabica became shorthand for fancy coffee. Robusta for the cheap stuff. Historically, that stuck — of the two species, arabica has always been considered to be the more refined option of the two.

But as the two names became a differentiator of quality, a vicious circle emerged: producers simply put less effort into the cultivation of robusta and so its tastier talents were never truly appreciated. It was mass-produced, quality control was low and the end product was relegated to jars of instant coffee — or blended with arabica beans to cut costs.

And it does taste different: whereas arabica can produce a wide spectrum of wonderfully sweet, floral and complex fruit flavours, robusta tends towards more intense flavours. Think huge, thick, smoky, dark chocolate nuttiness. But with the right soil, careful farming and judicious roasting, be in no doubt: it can be every bit as satisfying as a top-class arabica.

The reality is that growing great quality coffee takes time, care and effort – skimp on any of these factors, and any species of coffee will fail to reach its potential. And both species can taste terrible: work your way through that supermarket shelf and you’ll find bags of both arabica and robusta beans which, if the tasting notes were honest, would feature descriptors such as “bottom of the ashtray” or “soggy bonfire”.

Why is robusta becoming popular again?

Its name provides a clue. Discovered in the 1800s, it earned its name because of its resilience to both climate and pests. It’s a plant that also thrives at lower altitudes; a complete contrast to the mountain-loving arabica varieties. In today’s shifting climate, that explains why producers in some parts of the world are beginning to shift their crops to hardier robusta plants. They can grow in lower altitude fields that are easier to access, and the crops are less liable to fail when the weather goes bad — or when pests and fungus attack.

Naturally, the bulk of that crop still goes towards mass-produced blends and instant coffee. However, the steady increase in production means that an increasing number of artisanal coffee roasters are beginning to rehabilitate its reputation by producing coffees from the increased supply of high-quality robusta beans. You can identify these by looking for the terms Fine Robusta or Super Fine Robusta. These are the beans that have been selected for professional grading by the producers.

The process is rigorous. A certified grader from the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) inspects the green, unroasted beans for defects such as mould, stones or sour fruit — if it passes that stage, the beans are lightly roasted, brewed and taste-tested to a specific range of scored criteria. Depending on the final tally, the highest scoring beans will be designated as "Fine Robusta" — and the exceptional as "Super Fine Robusta". In short, if you see those terms on a bag, or featured in a roaster’s marketing spiel, you know you’re looking at the good stuff.

How do I find the best quality robusta coffee?

Ultimately, the key to buying good coffee is far less about species and much more about where you buy your coffee. In the main, that means abandoning your chain stores entirely. Seek out your local coffee roasters, or take your search online, and find the roasteries that take time and care to select great quality beans and roast them to perfection.

There’s a simple test: if a bag of coffee is inscribed with a roasting date, then it’s probably good coffee — and it means that the roaster cares enough about coffee to tell you exactly how fresh it is. If a packet has nothing more than a best before, then you best beware — as it means the producer doesn’t want to admit how stale it is. In all likelihood, it could be months old and well past its prime.

So don’t make that mistake: start every cup with coffee that’s been grown, graded and roasted with care, and you’re already on the path to a better-tasting cup. And if you like the idea of a big, creamy, chocolatey espresso-style kick, then add a good-quality robusta in your next order — you might be pleasantly surprised.

More from Tom's Guide

• 5 coffee makers worth swiping up before October Prime Day: up to 28% off my top picks
• Best coffee maker 2026: we tested over 90 machines, and these are the top 7
• What's the difference between drip and espresso? Ask Tom's Guide's coffee expert in live Q&A

There are certainly worse ways to test new bakeware than standing in a kitchen next to Nancy Silverton making her “life-changing” peanut butter cookies.

Yet that’s exactly how I got my first look at HexClad’s new Hybrid Bakeware collection. The $399 6-piece set, available as of October 1, is the brand’s first attempt at transferring the same stainless steel-meets-nonstick technology from its very recognizable frying pans to the oven.

The new 6-piece Hybrid Bakeware Set includes a 10 x 15-inch medium baking sheet, a 9 x 13-inch rectangular pan, an 8 x 8-inch square pan, two 9-inch round cake pans and a stainless steel cooling rack.

Look, this is not casual bakeware. And I am, at best, a casual baker. So I wanted to know whether HexClad’s hybrid construction actually makes a noticeable difference in the oven — and, more importantly, whether it feels worth the premium.

What makes HexClad bakeware different?

HexClad Bakeware uses the same general hybrid concept popularized by the brand’s high-heat pans, featuring stainless steel peaks sitting above nonstick valleys. (Although the bakeware has a medium-gray finish rather than the distinct darker surface used on HexClad’s cookware.)

As with the cookware, you can use metal baking tools directly on the surface without worrying about scratching the pan, but HexClad says they also lift food ever so slightly off the surface. The idea is that this creates a tiny amount of airflow underneath whatever you’re baking, helping heat circulate more evenly and reducing the chance of scorched bottoms.

The tri-ply construction also gives the pans a nice heft, while the curved handles are designed to be gripped more comfortably while wearing oven mitts. In other words, these do not feel like the flimsy sheet pans you accidentally bend and warp while pulling them out of a jam-packed kitchen cabinet.

And these pans can take some heat. They’re oven-safe up to 900°F, which is obviously far beyond anything you’d need for cookies, but does make them useful for everything from cakes to high-heat roasting and focaccia.

Putting HexClad Bakeware to the test with Nancy Silverton

A lot of the use-case suggestions came from Nancy Silverton during our demo session. The chef, baker, restaurateur and frequent Top Chef guest judge (which I only mention as it is my all-time favorite reality TV show) released her cookbook The Cookie That Changed My Life in 2023 inspired by the very peanut butter cookie we baked on HexClad's sheet pan.

The cookies came out evenly golden across the batch, including on the bottoms, with nicely baked edges and soft centers.

Although the taste is, quite arguably, life-changing, what impressed me even more was how easily they came off the pan. Cleanup was equally painless.

HexClad specifically said not to use PAM or other aerosol cooking sprays on its bakeware. Those sprays can build up a residue and compromise the nonstick performance. If you do need to grease the pan, HexClad said to use a stick with butter or a neutral oil instead.

Is HexClad bakeware worth $399?

There's no doubt that this is expensive bakeware. So if you bake twice a year and your current sheet pan is doing just fine, I don’t think you suddenly upgrade your gear.

But I can see the appeal for someone who bakes or entertains often and is tired of buying pans that warp, scratch or lose their nonstick coating with regular use. Furthermore, if I were making any kind of gift registry, I'd add this immediately.

The whole collection feels substantial and extremely well made, and the combination of easy release, metal-utensil compatibility and HexClad’s lifetime warranty gives it a much stronger longevity argument than your average nonstick baking set. After actually baking with it, I understand the appeal more than I expected to.

HexClad says it plans to expand the collection, too. There’s no Bundt pan on the roadmap right now, but personally, I think that needs to change.

More from Tom's Guide

• I cooked every meal over an open fire for 2 days with Hexclad pans
• My honest verdict on HexClad pans after 3 years of use
• Cast iron versus carbon steel cookware: Everything you need to know

When will the obsession with hot bean juice end? Well, I hope it doesn't end. There's little I love more than making coffee — my years as a professional barista can attest to that. If there were an extra day in the week, I would, without a doubt, want to spend it behind the bar in an independent cafe.

But now I'm Tom's Guide's in-house coffee expert, meaning I've tested over 50 coffee makers, tried all the weird "hacks", and consumed enough cups of coffee to give even an elephant the caffeine shakes. Of course, I'm going to share all that knowledge with you, our readers and members, on International Coffee Day.

Ever wondered if the famed Moccamaster is worth the investment? What the difference between a light roast and a dark roast bean really is? If the best coffee grinder truly is the most important part of your coffee setup? How to get delicious, thick crema like all those TikToks? I'll answer all of that — and anything and everything else you might want to know — right here, right now.

I'll be here today (Oct 1) answering questions live until 12 pm ET, and I'll be back tomorrow (Oct 2) to answer everything else. You can submit questions any time until midnight on Oct 1 (ET).

You can ask anything you want: which espresso machines are actually worth it, the best camping coffee setup, what coffee jargon actually means, or even how to choose the right beans!

As a reminder, please keep all questions appropriate and on-topic. We want this to be a space where everyone feels safe and respected, regardless of whether you're a coffee expert or a total beginner.

If you've never commented on Tom's Guide before, then you may need to sign up to ask questions. Signing up is free and will unlock a multitude of Tom's Club member benefits, like rewards and savings, the ability to earn badges and enter giveaways, participate in popular conversations and all Live Q&As, and reveal hints for our quizzes and puzzles.

I can't wait to hear your questions.

More from Tom's Guide

• I’ve just found a better way to remove bathtub stains fast, and you just need these two items in your kitchen
• 5 coffee makers worth swiping up before October Prime Day: up to 28% off my top picks
• Love Fall color spotting? Test your knowledge of this season's trees, plants and blooms in our photo quiz

Cooking has never been quicker, and if you're anything like me, an air fryer has probably become one of the hardest-working appliances in your kitchen. Thanks to Amazon Australia's Prime Big Deal Days sale, now's a great time to upgrade your current model or finally see what all the fuss is about.

I've tested my fair share of kitchen gadgets over the years, and few have made a bigger impact on weeknight cooking than a good air fryer. They heat up faster than a conventional oven, use less energy and make everything from chips to chicken wings far less hassle to prepare.

The category has come a long way, too. Today's best air fryers offer larger capacities, smarter cooking modes and dual-basket designs that let you cook different foods at different temperatures simultaneously. That's a game-changer when you're trying to get dinner on the table without juggling multiple appliances.

That's what makes this year's Prime Big Deal Days air fryer deals worth a look. Amazon AU has discounted models from some of the biggest names in the category, including Ninja and Philips, with standout offers seeing the Ninja DoubleStack XXXL 9.5L Air Fryer reduced to AU$170.05 from its AU$499.99 RRP — an all-time Amazon low. Meanwhile, the Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer has is down 57% to AU$170.05 versus its AU$399 RRP — just a tenner shy of its lowest-ever Amazon price back in July.

Those savings are calculated against each model's full recommended retail price, and while it's fair to say that most air fryers rarely sell at full ticket price these days, these Amazon sale discounts are still among the most competitive prices I've seen on highly rated models from trusted brands.

Of course, those are just some of the top air fryer deals I've spotted during Amazon's sale — you may find other options which are better suited to your needs below, or alternatively check out the current best-selling air fryers at Amazon to see what everyone else is buying.

More from Tom's Guide

• Blink and you'll miss it: this 70% off 4-pack camera deal will have your indoor and outdoor home security sorted
• Early Amazon Prime Day Skechers deals — shop up to 56% off men's and women's sneakers, sandals and slides

I love coffee. Whether it's hot or cold (or iced), as long as it's sweet, there isn't a cup of joe I don't enjoy. Something I like even more than coffee, though? Saving my spare change by making it at home with one of the best coffee machines.

De'Longhi is a brand synonymous with great automatic and manual coffee makers, and this particular Prime Big Deal Days discount on its stunning La Specialista Arte has me reaching for my wallet. Not only is it an impressive 41% off, but it also comes in a vibrant yellow colourway that will be the centrepiece of any kitchen it lives in.

• Shop Amazon's Prime Day sale here

If you're keen on nabbing a new coffee machine, this De'Longhi deal is hard to beat. Better yet, it's International Coffee Day, so now's the perfect time to invest in a new caffeine crafter.

Do note, though, that this De'Longhi discount won't last long, and it will only stick around while stocks last or until Prime Day comes to a close next Monday, October 5.

Now, I know yellow isn't everyone's favourite colour — it comes in Black Metal and White too — but this sunshine-inspired option is the only one that scores the full discount.

That said, if a fully automatic machine is more your speed, or you want to browse more of De'Longhi's range, I've selected six of the best Prime Day deals below.

If you're looking to upgrade your home coffee game, or are just sick of the expense of regular takeout espresso, then investing in a high-quality coffee maker is a good idea. You'll be able to make endless cups of delicious Joe for a fraction of the cost of frequent trips to a barista.

One of the brands to look out for is Casabrews, which specializes in making compact, well-built coffee machines that don't cost the Earth. As it is now International Coffee Day, we thought it made sense to round up some of our favorite models, such as the Casabrews Tornado Basic Conical Burr Coffee Grinder which comes in at under $100, or the more feature-packed Casabrews Ultra Espresso Machine with its handy steam wand.

Check out these six machines below and have a happy International Coffee Day!