The Best Espresso Machine for Beginners: Breville Barista Express Impress Espresso Machine
This is an outstanding espresso machine. With a built-in grinder, tamper, and smiley face that illuminates when the grounds level is correct, it’s ridiculously easy to use. It’s harder to make bad espresso with this model than it is to make really, truly good coffee. Right now, it’s $200 off.
The Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven: Breville the Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro
If you want a do-it-all toaster oven (toast, air-fry, bake, roast, broil!), this Breville model is the one to get. Its digital control panel and knobs make this oven easy to use, too. It's a Serious Eats editor-favorite, too, with many preferring it over their standard ovens. Right now, it's 25% off. This Breville oven (which lacks air-frying capabilities) is also on sale.
The Best Kitchen Scale: OXO Stainless Steel Food Scale with Pull-Out Display
We rarely see this kitchen scale go on sale—and it's absolutely worth scooping up before holiday baking season. It's been our top pick for many years due to its accuracy, quick response time, easy conversions, and pull-out screen that's large and bright.
The Best Sous Vide Machine: Breville Joule Turbo
We rarely see our favorite sous vide machine on sale. The Breville Joule Turbo heats water quickly and quietly and keeps it at the same temperature no matter how long you're sous vide-ing for. Its magnetic base even keeps the Joule Turbo upright in compatible pots (like a Dutch oven). We also really love its app, which is packed with helpful recipes, tips, and videos.
A Deeply Discounted Vitamix: Vitamix A3300 Ascent Blender
With a touchscreen, LED display, a built-in timer, and container recognition, this is one snazzy blender. It works well, too, and is a good example of why we love Vitamix blenders: no matter which one you get, it's going to be wicked powerful.
One of the Best Rice Cookers: Cuckoo Rice Cooker and Warmer
This is one of our longtime favorite rice cookers. If you want customization, it has it in spades. You can even tweak the cooking temperature! The Cuckoo looks pretty sleek, too. (While not our winner, this Zojirushi rice cooker is on sale and still very good.)
Another Excellent Breville Espresso Machine (with a Touchscreen!): Breville the Barista Touch Espresso Machine
We haven’t tried this specific model, but we’re huge fans of Breville’s espresso machines in general. This one has a built-in grinder and a touchscreen that’ll walk you through making all sorts of espresso drinks. It bears a very strong resemblance to our favorite touchscreen espresso machine from Breville, the Barista Touch Impress (which is also 20% off!).
A Great, Budget-Friendly Wok: Joyce Chen Carbon Steel Wok
In our tests, this wok has a smooth surface that nothing stuck to—not even fried eggs. We liked its wooden main and helper handles, both of which stayed fairly cool. Right now, it's 23% off.
The Best Budget Blender: Breville The Fresh & Furious Blender
This budget blender not only performs impressively, but it's a looker, too. We even liked some of its presets (like green smoothie and ice crush). For October Prime Day, all of its colors are on sale.
A Compact, Still Powerful Blender: Vitamix Explorian Blender
This is another Vitamix deal worth considering. The Explorian has 10 speeds and an interface that strongly resembles the 5200. Its smaller capacity makes it a good starter blender. This on-sale model is certified refurbished.
The Best Stand Mixers for Casual Bakers: KitchenAid Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
This stand mixer is strong enough to whip, knead, mix, and beat most any baking recipe—and its tilt-head makes it easy to scrape down the mixer's bowl. For October Prime Day, it's $100 less. Our favorite bowl-lift stand mixer (also from KitchenAid!) is on rare sale, too.
One of Our Favorite Air Fryers: Ninja Air Fryer
This air fryer has a spacious basket that, in our tests, resulted in super crispy fries and wings. Its relatively small footprint makes it a good fit for a lot of households and we thought its control panel was labeled well and easy to use.
The Best Pepper Mill: Peugeot Paris Pepper Mill
This is our very favorite pepper mill. It’s even owned and adored by a few Serious Eats editors. The Peugeot has simple-to-adjust settings and a comfortable grip, and looks really sleek. In our tests, it showed impressive grind accuracy. It's currently nearly 50% off.
A Super Powerful Sous Vide Machine: Anova Culinary Precision Cooker Pro
If you’re looking for a ridiculously powerful and accurate sous vide machine that can be controlled via its onboard display and a compatible app, this discounted Anova model is the one to get. It aced our tests and we also appreciated how quiet it was when running (just a gentle hum!). It’s 40% off at the moment.
A Beast of a Blender from Breville: Breville Super Q Blender
When we tested blenders, we were honestly amazed by how quiet this one was. It has five presets, 12 variable speeds, and a sleek, intuitive digital control panel. Right now, you save 36% on select color models.
The Best Vacuum Sealer: Anova Precision Culinary Vacuum Sealer Pro
For furthering your sous vide journey, snag a vacuum sealer. This one has built-in bag storage and a bag cutter, and no refractory period (the time between sealings). During our tests, its seals held up to long sous vide and freezer times.
A Portable Pizza Oven: Ninja Woodfire 8-in-1 Outdoor Oven
$300 for an outdoor pizza oven?! We were stunned to see this winning oven had dropped $100 in price, and we're willing to bet this deal won't last long. We think this is the best pizza oven for beginners because the steady temps make it harder to burn pies.
A Great, Affordable Chef’s Knife: Mercer Culinary Genesis Chef’s Knife
The Mercery Culinary chef’s knife is a longtime recommendation of ours. It has a grippy handle and is a great starter blade. In fact, it’s commonly used in culinary schools.
The Best Flat-Top Grill for Smash Burgers And More: Weber 36-Inch Gas Griddle
We braved the summer heat and humidity to test flat-top grills and were rewarded for our effort by finding this fantastic griddle from Weber. It's fast to heat, spacious, and gets ripping hot—perfect for making ultra-thin smash burgers. Right now it's $100 off.
A Really Great Bread Machine: Zojirushi Home Bakery Mini Breadmaker
This bread machine doesn’t take up a lot of space, but still makes great, well-proofed loaves with tender crumbs. The Zojirushi’s display is easy to navigate, too. Right now it’s about $50 off.
A Hybrid Piece of Cookware: HexClad Hybrid Nonstick Frying Pan
We actually like HexClad cookware. It’s neither nonstick nor stainless steel, but successfully combines the qualities of both. If you want to try it for yourself, this 8-inch pan is on sale for October Prime Day.
The Best Instant Pot: Instant Pot Pro Pressure Cooker
This has been our top-recommended Instant Pot for years, and for good reason. Not only does it pressure cook impeccably, but it’s super easy to use. The handles on its cooking pot prevent the pot from swirling around when you stir and its pressure release switch is much easier to use than a valve you have to prod with a spoon.
The Best Immersion Blender: All-Clad Stainless Steel Immersion Blender
Our longtime favorite immersion blender is a whopping $50 off at the moment. It’s impressively strong and fast, pureeing soup in the blink of an eye. Its head is easy to twist on and off, too, for easy cleaning and storing.
A Temperature-Controlled Mug for Coffee Lovers: Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug
This Ember mug keeps coffee a set temperature between 120 and 145ºF for hours so you can sip coffee slowly without it getting cold. It’s the coffee mug for people who despise hot coffee gone cold! You can now snag it for more than 30% off.
A Very Fancy Rice Cooker: KitchenAid Grain and Rice Cooker
This rice cooker can cook any grain and even beans! So it's more multicooker. It has a digital control panel that's easy to navigate and it's nearly 30% off for October Prime Day.
A Great Pair of Pot Holders: KitchenAid Ribbed Soft Silicone Pot Holder
Everyone needs a good pair of pot holders. This set from KitchenAid is impressively grippy and excellent for grabbing onto skillet handles and Dutch oven knobs. Right now, they're nearly 50% off (be sure to clip the coupon!).
A Great Soda Maker: SodaStream AquaFizz Sparkling Water Maker
This soda maker comes with two glass bottles and a CO2 cartridge. We liked its cradle bottle-loading system, since we always knew the bottle was secure.
The Best Budget Deep Fryer: Chefman Deep Fryer
This is a no-frills deep fryer that does its job really well—especially given its reasonable price. It heats up quickly and has a large capacity for crispy, crunchy food.
Our Budget Waffle Maker Pick: Krups 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker
This is our longtime favorite (budget!) waffle maker. It makes tender, fluffy waffles that are still pleasingly floppy. We like that it churns out four at a time, too.
A Powerful Air Fryer That Won't Hog All Your Counter Space: CosoriLite 2.1-Quart Mini Air Fryer
Air fryers typically take up a lot of counter space (not the most demure of appliances!). But this 2.1-quart superhero from Cosori plays nicely with the rest of your kitchen gear. It has four straight-forward settings, and is plenty big for a batch of chicken nuggets or a serving of salmon.
The Best Budget Flatware Set We've Tried: Lenox Portola 65-Piece Flatware Set
This flatware set from Lenox includes a generous 65 pieces—much more than most other sets we've tested. The forks, knives, and spoons are well balanced from handle to tip, and they're pleasantly heavy. If you need extra flatware for holiday entertaining, now is a good time to buy: This set is almost 50% off.
The Best $20 Cast Iron Skillet You'll Ever Buy: Lodge 10.25 Inch Cast Iron Pre-Seasoned Skillet
We've been testing cast iron skillets for years, and we've gotta tell you: You really won't find a better combination of performance and value than this old standby from Lodge. It comes pre-seasoned, so you can use it straight outta the box. It's already over a hundred dollars less than many other cast iron pans, and right now it's 42% off.
A Hot Water Dispenser for Tea, Ramen, and More: Zojirushi Panorama Window Micom Water Boiler and Warmer
Hot water dispensers keep boiling water at your desired temperature for hours—no small feat. Our winner from Zojirushi also had a bunch of useful features, like multiple timer options and an alarm to let you know water's up. It's currently steeply discounted at 31% off.
Pretty Cloth Napkins That Never Wrinkle: Ruvanti Cloth Napkins
A bit of polyester is the secret to keeping these cotton napkins wrinkle-free. They come in loads of colors, and each set contains 12 napkins. These napkins earned the title of Best Budget Napkins in our recent review, and now they're on sale for about 40% off!
A Fantastic Compressor-Style Ice Cream Machine: Whynter Ice Cream Maker Machine
If you're really into making ice cream, a compressor-style machine makes it incredibly easy to churn a pint on a whim. This impressive offering from Whynter lets you do just that; in our tests, it mixed up ice cream that honestly tasted better than anything you can buy at the store. And it's currently an impressive 31% off.
A Grill Press for Crispy Bacon: Bellemain Cast Iron Grill Press
You don't have to be a diner cook to appreciate a hefty grill press. When we reviewed them, we especially liked this one from Bellemain because it covers a large surface area and has a tall handle that kept our hands safe. It's awesome for bacon and burgers.
The Best Splurge Water Filter Pitcher: LARQ 8-Cup Water Filter Pitcher
This durable water filter pitcher is slim enough to tuck in the fridge, and comes with filters that are NSF- and ANSI-certified to reduce lead, chlorine, and PFAs. It's currently 20% off for October Prime Day.
The Best Large Cooler: Orca 58-Quart Cooler
This massive cooler will fit everything—and keep it ice cold. In our tests, it kept ice frozen for over 60 hours and was super easy to drain. Right now it's $40 off.
An Expandable (!) Kitchen Drawer Organizer: Pipishell Bamboo Expandable Drawer Organizer
Most kitchen drawer organizers are "good enough," but this one was so outstanding, it won the top spot in our review. It's waterproof, expandable, and has two slots long enough for serving utensils. It's an impressive 36% off right now.
An Outstandingly Discounted Copper Cookware Set: Viking 4-Ply 9-Piece Copper Cookware Set
Copper cookware is fast, responsive, revered in professional kitchens, and... not cheap. So the fact that one of our winning copper cookware sets is almost $400 off right now is a big, big deal. We named it the best set for everyday use because it's very easy to clean.
The Best Baking Pan for Brownies and Blondies: Nordic Ware 8 x 8 Square Cake Pan
To prove we take testing very seriously, we made about a billion (give or take a few) batches of blondies and cake when we reviewed cake pans. The heavy gauge metal, rolled edges, and even heat distribution earned this pan the top spot. Knock a couple dollars off the price for Prime Day and stock up on more than one.
A Comfy Mat for Food Prep and Cleanup: Gorilla Grip Anti Fatigue Cushioned Comfort Mat
Anti-fatigue mats are more than just kitchen decor. The best can reduce pain and discomfort, and improve balance. This mat aced our tests and comes in plenty of colors that are on sale now, including black, brown, and charcoal.
A Slow Cooker for Cozy Stews And More: GreenPan Elite 8-in-1 Programmable 6 QT Electric Slow Cooker
This slow cooker heated up quickly and produced creamy, tender beans and luscious pulled pork. We liked that the exterior stayed cool throughout the duration of cooking—something that can't be said of most slow cookers. If you're into cozy, low-effort stews and braises, we think this a worthy investment, especially now that it's 24% off.
A Pro-Kitchen Approved Nonstick Skillet: Tramontina 10-Inch Professional Aluminum Nonstick Restaurant Fry Pan
We've said it before and we'll say it again: You shouldn't spend a lot on a nonstick skillet. This one is oven-safe up to 400˚F, and has a removable handle cover that keeps your paws safe. Snap it up for almost 50% off.
Our Favorite Dish Rack: KitchenAid Large Capacity Dish Rack
Replace that soggy towel with a sturdy dish rack that can hold a whole dinner's worth of dishes. Our winner from KitchenAid kept dishes neatly in place and was easy to clean. It's currently 20% off for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.
A Box Grater With Built-In Storage: KitchenAid Box Grater
Isn't it annoying when you lift your box grater and an avalanche of shredded cheese explodes all over your cutting board? This clever design from KitchenAid gets rid of that headache: There's a catch bin that fits right underneath the grater. Even better, you can pop on the lid and store any extras in the fridge. It's on sale for $10 off.
A Shaved Ice Attachment for Your Stand Mixer: KitchenAid Shave Ice Attachment
Betcha didn't know your KitchenAid stand mixer could make shaved ice! This attachment is the most space-efficient way to have shaved ice any time of year, and it's currently on sale for 35% off.
The Best Mop for Clean Kitchen Floors: O-Cedar EasyWring Microfiber Spin Mop & Bucket
This mop from O-Cedar will change the way you clean your floors. It comes with a bucket that actually wrings out liquid from the mop head (a whopping 74% of the soaked-up water—we measured!)—no more soggy mops that slosh water everywhere. Now it's on sale for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.
A Stovetop Pressure Cooker That Brings the Heat: T-fal Clipso Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker
If you're into canning or want to cook dinner STAT, a stovetop pressure cooker is a great kitchen gadget to consider. Stovetop pressure cookers reach higher pressures faster than electric multicookers and are easier (and safer) to use than you might think. And, right now, one of our winning offerings from T-Fal is a whopping 40% off.
FAQs
How long is Prime Big Deal Days 2024?
Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days lasts for two days! It started October 8 and ended yesterday (October 9).
What is Prime Big Deal Days?
You can think of Prime Big Deal Days like an October Prime Day. During these two days, Amazon slashed prices on millions of items in its deals hub, with new discounts dropping every five minutes.
Do you have to be a Prime member to shop Prime Big Deal Days?
You do! As a Prime member, you’ll also score free shipping. You can sign up for a free 30-day trial here.
Why We’re the Experts
- Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the associate commerce editorial director at Serious Eats.
- She’s been with the site since 2021 and has been reviewing kitchen equipment professionally for more than six years.
- Riddley’s tested thousands and thousands of products and is passionate about a good deal.