Over the past year I’ve been fortunate enough to do a lot of different small appliance reviews, and I’ve also tested out smart home devices, fitness watches, and even a toy or two. Being able to try them out, see how they work, and share that with other people really has given me a unique insight into devices and products you might only see online or on the shelf before you buy.
I love figuring out what’s great about that particular device, what might need to be improved, and how I would use it at home, and I really enjoying sharing what I’ve discovered via Best Buy’s Blogger YouTube channel and here on the blog.
With the end of the year rapidly approaching I thought it would be a great time to take a look at my five favourite appliance reviews and share them again. If you missed them the first time, they’re worth a look while you’re making your holiday lists.
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
It surprises me that there are still a lot of people who haven’t got on the pressure cooker bandwagon yet. I just sent a link to the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker out to a cousin I hadn’t talked to in a while because she had no idea how this one small appliance can make cooking so quick, easy, and delicious.
There are two Instant Pot’s available right now: the Instant Pot 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker and the Instant Pot 9-in-1 Pressure Cooker. The 7-in-1 is the model I have, and the 9-in-1 only recently hit the shelves.
Why do I love Instant Pot so much I was even asked to talk about it for a Globe and Mail article? I’ll give you a few examples. It makes an amazing roast in 45 minutes or less, you can layer an entire meal in the pot, turn it on for half hour, and you have a main dish and a few sides too. You couldn’t find an easier way to make perfect hard-boiled eggs, and if you make jam at home, your pressure cooker will seal your jars.
You really have to use it to understand how valuable this one small appliance will be in your kitchen, and there’s a treasure trove of pressure cooker recipes online you’ll want to try. I never have to worry about not having time to make dinner with an Instant Pot on my cupboard, and if you want to see it in action take a look at my video and review.
KitchenAid Precise Heat Mixing Bowl
I have my own KitchenAid Stand Mixer, and it’s one of my absolute must-have small appliances. I use it for everything I bake, whip, and mix.
But until this past year I hadn’t really taken a look at many attachments available for the KitchenAid Stand Mixer, and two of them are absolute gems as far as I’m concerned.
The KitchenAid Precise Heat Mixing Bowl is shaped like the standard KitchenAid bowl, but this bowl can do so much more. It tempers chocolate and keeps it at a precise temperature so you can dip strawberries, fruit, or cover your cookies in delicious melted chocolate. You can make soup, yogurt, or mix up your bread dough and let it proof right in the cozy bowl.
It saves you on cleanup and it does the job of many pots. You can even use it as a standalone unit right on your counter. Take a look at my review and video for the KitchenAid Precise Heat Mixing Bowl.
KitchenAid Spiralizer
While we’re on the subject of KitchenAid, I have one more favourite attachment I reviewed over the past year. The KitchenAid Spiralizer is an attachment that fits on the front of the KitchenAid Stand Mixer and it will slice or spiral your favourite fruit and vegetables.
There are several different attachment blades you can use to curl your veggies or peel your fruit. I’ve never had an easier time peeling and slicing apples for pie, and the carrot curls are a great addition to any salad.
If you have a KitchenAid fan to buy for this Christmas, you’ll want to take a look at my review and video for the KitchenAid Spiralizer.
Dyson Hair Dryer
This one isn’t a small kitchen appliance, but it’s still an appliance and for that reason it made my list. I tried out the Dyson Hair Dryer this past summer and I really wasn’t sure what to expect at first. A hair dryer made by the company that produces my favourite vacuum seemed like a great idea to me, and you really need to see this hair dryer in action to understand how great it is.
At first glance you just turn it on and it blows hot or cool air at your hair, but there’s a lot going on under the hood of this hair dryer. Dyson has packed it full of amazing technology that will actually smooth your hair while it dries, and it has an internal temperature gauge that will monitor the heat level 20 times per second so you never singe your hair.
It’s also light and easy to hold, which makes it much less likely you’ll get achy arms when you’re blow drying your hair. As someone who has to blow dry the curl out of her hair every day, the Dyson Hair Dryer was instantly a new favourite. Take a look at my video and review for the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer.
Dyson Ball Animal 2
I have my own YouTube channel and one of the things I found most surprising was how popular my vacuum cleaner reviews were. People are really interested in how they work, how well they clean, and what little extras they might have before they buy one, and that makes sense because a vacuum cleaner is an appliance you’ll want to keep around for years.
Out of all of my YouTube reviews for small appliances, one of the most popular is the Dyson Ball Animal 2 review. This vacuum cleaner glides like a dream over any surface and picks up every spec of dust and debris. I live in a farm house where everything from the outside seems to make its way in, but the Dyson Ball Animals 2 swooped in and sucked it all up.
There’s also some great attachments you’ll find with this vacuum, and I found the pet tool was my favourite. I included my dog Blue in the video to demo it, and although I should have taken the longer arm attachment off before I tried it, I managed to suck up a lot of fur balls he had attached to him. Given that he’s terrified of vacuum cleaners he wasn’t a fan, but it works quickly enough that I didn’t have to hold him for long.
Take a look at my video and review for the Dyson Ball Animal 2 and see what you think of this amazing vacuum cleaner.
Those are just five of my favourite small appliance reviews from this past year. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the reviews and watching the videos as much as I’ve enjoyed making them. You can check out all of the latest small appliances on Bestbuy.ca right now.
