Best benchtop kitchen appliances

Kitchen gadgets have come a long way since your mum’s cake mixer. Now, there are benchtop appliances for every conceivable cooking purpose. What are your favourites?

Bench space is hotly contested in most people’s kitchens, but some things deserve to be kept in easy reach.

Whether you’re making a quick snack, a full meal or doing the washing up, these are the best and most useful kitchen benchtop appliances we’ve come across.

Air fryer

It’s hard to talk about benchtop appliances without mentioning the air fryer. They’ve taken the world by storm in recent years, offering the taste and crispiness of deep frying, but without the oil and fat.

Virtually anything can be cooked in them, from your chicken nuggets to cakes to a full Sunday roast. They’ve become so popular that you’ve probably noticed a lot of foods now come with air fryer cooking instructions.

Air fryers come in a range of sizes and prices, depending on your space and budget. At the top end, you’ve got models like the Philips Premium Collection XXL Air Fryer, which has a 7.2L capacity and boasts the ability to fry, bake, grill, roast and reheat just about anything.

However, it’s a massive unit, weighing in at almost 11kg and requires a fair bit of space. It’s also not cheap, retailing at $479.

But you don’t have to spend that much, or sacrifice that much bench space. Models like the Tefal Easy Fry Classic get similar reviews to premium models, but at just $89. It has half the capacity of the Philips model, but a considerably smaller benchtop footprint.

Rice cooker

Cooking rice in a pot on the stove is obviously doable, but it’s very inefficient, especially when compared to using a rice cooker.

Not only is it easier than cooking in a pot, but the rice also almost always turns out better. There’s a reason most Asian households have a rice cooker going virtually 24/7.

Like any appliance, you can spend many hundreds on a rice cooker but there’s really no need to. Sunbeam’s Rice Cooker and Steamer is a budget-friendly, compact model for just $59.

If you’re willing to spend a little more, Beville’s Smart Rice Box ($199.95) is lauded as the ‘perfect all round’ rice cooker, and uses automatic temperature adjustments at different stages to get rice perfect.

Benchtop dishwasher

Air fryers and rice cookers are pretty much benchtop staples at this point – but did you know you can also get benchtop dishwashers? They’re a godsend for anyone living in rentals, an old house without a dishwasher or an apartment with limited space.

Just as the name suggests, they’re a miniature version of a traditional dishwasher that sits directly on your benchtop and connects to your kitchen tap for water. The fully portable units can be put away or moved as needed.

They’re obviously a bit smaller than a traditional dishwasher, and have less capacity than their big brothers. You’ll also need to check whether your plates will fit before buying one, as their sizes can vary quite a bit.

They can be a little pricey, depending on your budget. You can spend more than $700 on a top of the range model, but you can also find quality in the $300-$400 price range. Popular models include the Esatto White Benchtop Dishwasher ($599) and the Devanti Benchtop Dishwasher ($398.95).

Microwave Toastie Maker

Last but certainly not least on this list is the latest TikTok sensation – the microwave toastie maker. The Kmart item has become the must-have item of winter, promising to deliver crip, warm toasties in a fraction of the time for just $15.

I know you’re thinking a toastie done in the microwave sounds appalling, but hear me out. The clamshell device is made of heat-resistant silicone and has two aluminium hotplates on the inside that actually come into contact with your sandwich.

The heat from the microwave heats the hotplates and instead of being the soggy mess you’d expect from a microwave toastie, you get something on par with the most expensive café press.

Which benchtop appliance can’t you live without? Do you own any of the appliances on this list? Let us know in the comments section below.

Also read: How to create the ultimate outdoor kitchen