13 Smart Kitchen Appliances That Are Actually Worth The Splurge

They're very smart investments!

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

1. A sous vide precision cooker for cooking your plastic-bag-covered meats to perfection by circulating heat in a slow and steady fashion and giving you the ability to manipulate temperature levels right from your phone.

amazon.com

Promising review: "Worth every penny! If you have ever wondered how high-end restaurants turn out consistently juicy and perfectly cooked steaks/chops consider yourself now informed. With so much information and recipes available on the internet, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't make this investment or feel confident that you can use this equipment just like the pros. Quite simply put: This machine is easy to use and on par with any sous vide machine used in any restaurant — it just handles smaller batches, which is great for the home cook." —Jeremiah

Get it from Amazon for $79.99.

Read our full review of the sous vide precision cooker here.

2. A very beautiful trash can (yes, they're out there!) that'll open its lid when you: a) say "open can" or b) wave your hands in front of its sensor — perfect for those times when you don't have an extra hand to do it yourself.

amazon.com

Promising review: "Yup, this thing really works and it is wonderful. Who woulda thought? A voice-operated trash can? Nobody *really* needs such a thing. Must be just for people who must have the latest gadget/toy. Well, this is for real: It is beautiful, well engineered, and very useful. And, it does exactly what it is supposed to do. Not only is it fun to have the lid magically rise (super fast) simply by uttering 'OPEN CAN' (it works for everybody in our family without any training; just plug it in and it is ready to go) ... but voice activation is the best way to use it. Much faster, smoother, and natural than waving over the top with your hand (which also will cause the lid to rise). SimpleHuman provides bags for wet garbage in the right compartment and a blue pail on the left that you take outside to your recycling can — no wasted bag for recycled stuff. Each of the compartments are not particularly large, but they are large enough for our family. This beauty replaces two separate bulky and ugly cans that we had previously. We have one of those houses where the kitchen is part of the living room. The whole house looks so much tidier. Thank you, SimpleHuman." —Fred Fandango

Get it from Amazon for $249.99 (available in five colors).

3. A convection oven, if you're turned off by the steep price of a June oven but do want an intuitive contraption that'll make your reheated leftovers taste first-day delicious.

macys.com

Promising review: "I am not as young as I used to be but I have tried many brands over the years. Breville may cost more but you will get years more of great service from it. It is great in the summer when you don't want to heat up your kitchen to bake chicken or a pizza or a pie or many other things. It has a larger interior to accommodate a small to medium pizza. I have baked cookies, a pie, and a cake in there. I have had mine for over five years now and never a single problem. I have begun to give them to my children as gifts now." —HappyShopper

Get it from Bed Bath & Beyond or Macy's for $269.99.

4. A blender that syncs to an app and uses its built-in scale to send a breakdown of calorie and nutritional information about the beverage you just created.

amazon.com

Promising review: "Very impressive! Product includes a scale that tracks calories, fats, carbs, sugar, fiber, etc. This blender is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I have NEVER been able to make morning shakes for lack of knowing my protein/carb/sugar intake — until now! I have lived a low-carb lifestyle for years and love it! Thank you, NutriBullet, for coming up with this awesome product — I couldn’t have asked for more! To all those low-carb'ers out there, the NutriBullet Balance is a must-buy! And of course, for those that want to live an overall healthier lifestyle, this is a life-changer! I’m not one to write product reviews often...however, there’s nothing like this product on the market and worth every penny!!!!" —Renne

Get it from Amazon for $129.

And check out our picks for the best blenders on BuzzFeed Reviews.

5. An air purifier to rid your cooking space of lingering odors and update you on the quality of the air via mobile app.

amazon.com

Promising review: "I found this air purifier really helpful when cooking. A few weeks ago we cooked fish, and my kitchen started to smell fishy very quickly. After I turn on the purifier with speed 4, the odor is definitely disappeared in less than 15 minutes. Usually the house reeks of fishy smell for some time, and I can smell no foul odor when I am moving from one room to another anymore. This has been repeated several times with different kinds of cooking and we are very happy with the result." —Casey Won

Get it from Amazon for $349.99 (available in white and blue).

6. A trusty thermometer, if your least favorite part of cooking is never knowing with absolute certainty whether you are about to get very, very sick from eating undercooked meat.

amazon.com

Promising review: "I don't know why for years I have allowed myself to worry if the meat I am cooking is JUST RIGHT. You don't need a college degree to figure this out, it seems. Just an iDevice. I used to probe the meat several times upon finishing the cooking process — which works, but you watch all the juices from the meat escape when you remove the probe. And it's always a guessing game as to when to start the other dishes you plan on serving with the meat. With this device, you gets results throughout the whole cooking period, allowing better meal planning. The device works great and makes me a champion when cooking meats of all types." —Bbqsmoke

Get it from Amazon for $91.84.

7. A super-thorough vacuum robot, because cleanup shouldn't be the deterrent that keeps you out of the kitchen — just fire this baby up, sit back, and watch it do its magic.

walmart.com

Promising review: "The iRobot Braava Jet 245 is an amazing little cleaning bot. It gets into hard-to-reach places and it cleans superbly. I was a little skeptical because you only use water and no cleaning solution, but it really does a fantastic job. It comes with three types of disposable cleaning pads. It uses three options: wet mopping, damp sweeping, and dry sweeping. When you use the wet mop option the iRobot uses a triple-pass cleaning pattern; it has a vibrating cleaning head to remove dirt and stains. I love this option because I don't get to mop as often as I want. This option thoroughly removes dirt and stains. When you use the damp sweeps, the iRobot uses a single cleaning pass, which requires less water than the wet mopping. It cleans dust and dirt, and this is a great option as well. The last cleaning option is dry sweeping, where no water is used. The iRobot sweeps the floor and cleans dust, dirt, and pet hair." —2bras

Get it from Amazon for $169.

8. A handy scale that'll help new to moderately experienced bakers measure out ingredients and pitch in with a database of recipes when necessary.

amazon.com

Promising review: "Life-changing system! It makes baking so easy and fun. You can pour ingredients directly on to the bowl on the scale. No pre-measuring needed. Just pour the flour directly from the flour bag. The accurate 'pro' scale will notify you when you have added sufficient amount and will automatically move to the next ingredient. I also love the ability to add your own recipes to the app so you can also use the same super-easy 'no measure' technique." —sleeping thru the night

Get it from Amazon for $79.99.

9. An electric smoker, if you're looking for a way to give fish, red meats, or even nuts a delicious kick without having to stand guard all day. (Imagine being able to whip up some smoked salmon for your bagel whenever you please — or preparing dinner, period.)

amazon.com

Promising review: "I purchased this smoker after a considerable amount of research. If you have a budget under $500 and want electric to be your source of heat, I can’t see any way you could do better than this unit. Mastbuilt got it right with this smoker and I must admit the Bluetooth app is pretty cool with this thing; when you’re paired with the app it’s neat to be able to monitor what’s going on with the smoker. I love smoking meat almost as much as I love eating it, but sometimes I have things to do that do not allow me to babysit my offset all day for a 12-pound brisket. This smoker makes that possible." —B Mann.

Get it from Amazon for $299.99+ (available in 30-inch and 40-inch).

10. A coffee bean grinder that might actually make you want to start preparing your own fresh coffee at home — its smart dosing timer ensures your morning cup is consistently prepared at the strength and grind time of your choosing.

amazon.com

Promising review: "This grinder changed my coffee game. I went through all of the phases of coffee drinking: Starting out clueless drinking sugary Starbucks crap. Then progressing to drinking actual coffee by getting my own drip coffee maker. Then realizing maybe a French press was better. And then, oh snap — I need to grind the beans fresh. Then progressing to espresso and getting an espresso maker before quickly realizing my $20 Mr. Coffee grinder wasn't going to cut it and that the grind is incredibly key. Enter: this Breville grinder. DANG. It made a profound difference — being able to dial in the grind specific to whatever device you're using to brew was a game-changer. So much so that we ordered two more. Proper coffee degenerates here. The electronic display screen is super handy and the hopper is a great size — fits an entire 14-ounce canister of fresh beans." —Katie DiBenedetto

Get it from Amazon for $199.95 (available in brushed stainless steel and cranberry red).

11. A Wi-Fi-enabled Crock-Pot if you've resisted the craze because you're convinced you'll somehow manage to burn your meal to a crisp by leaving it unattended. Good news: Now you can manage heat settings from your device.

amazon.com

Promising review: "Absolutely LOVE this Crock-Pot! As a working mom, commuting at least 1.5 hours each day, with a family of four, this has been a lifesaver! I was recently introduced to freezer meals by a friend and while the very few that required to be cooked for 10-12 hours worked, I tried a few that needed only seven or eight hours, only to come home and find dinner burned to a crisp when using my standard Crock-Pot with just the manual switch for off, low, or high. With this I was able to easily set up the app on my iPhone and now in the mornings I just dump a meal in and set an alarm on my phone for when I need to turn on the app." —Breanne

Get it from Amazon for $146.52.

12. A countertop garden that'll give your kitchen some nice ornamental greenery and a hefty supply of herbs and veggies for your next homemade meal. (Even if you have a terrible track record with keeping plants alive, it'll be pretty hard to mess this one up.)

amazon.com

Promising review: Taking up counter space comparable to a loaf of bread, this is a cool, zero-hassle product that quickly grows three small, healthy organic plants at a time. My basil seeds (that came with the smart garden) started sprouting in less than three days. It's nice to have a few plants growing in the kitchen." —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $99.95 (available in beige, gray, and white).

13. And a miracle-working smoke alarm, because forgetting to turn off kitchen appliances before heading out for the day happens to the best of us — and now you can be notified via app before things get ugly.

amazon.com

Promising review: "I purchased my first Nest Protect product about a year ago. My son told me, 'Mom, a smoke alarm doesn't do you any good unless you are HOME to hear it.' One week before Christmas my Nest alarm sounded on my phone and iPad with a loud alert at 8:45 a.m. I looked at the phone and it said 'Smoke in Den.' I live close to where I work so I rushed home. Sure enough, there was smoke in the house and I could see it burning through the ceiling tiles — an electrical fire in the attic. Called the fire department at 8:52. At 9:07 a.m. I received another alert from Nest that the smoke was clearing. The fire department, my neighbors, and insurance agent were amazed at how quickly the fire was discovered and contained. Without the Nest alert, the fire would not have been discovered until it burned through the roof of the house. The $99 one-time cost is nothing compared to losing your house and pets. I bought three more for the other rooms in my house. Whether you own or rent, this is a MUST-HAVE product." —OBAR4707

Get it from Amazon for $119.

Read our full review of the Nest smoke detector here.

Happy smart-kitchening!

Hanna-Barbera Productions

Some reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Looking for more ways to upgrade your kitchen? Look no further:

* 28 Useful Kitchen Products That Aren't Unitaskers

* 27 Holy Grail Kitchen Gadgets That Live Up To The Hype

* 22 Kitchen Products For Anyone Who’s Always Exhausted After Work

* 30 Kitchen Gadgets On Amazon That'll Actually Make You Want To Cook In 2018

* 16 Sous Vide Recipes So Good You'll Side-Eye The Oven

Looking for the perfect gift for any occasion? Check out all of BuzzFeed’s gift guides!

Allison Krausman / BuzzFeed