3 kitchen products worth the money and counter space

These tools will make cooking easier or be the perfect gift for any home chef
If you’re looking for ways to make cooking easier or searching for the perfect gift for the home chef in your life, our Hearst partners at Good Housekeeping have some suggestions. Our National Consumer Unit got a look at some of the top products in Good Housekeeping’s Kitchen Awards and taste-tested the results.
First up, the Hamilton Beach Sandwich Stacker. This new iteration of the breakfast sandwich maker can fit an entire piece of bread and cleanup is easy, said Nicole Papantoniou, the kitchen appliances lab director at the Good Housekeeping Institute. In the video above, Papantoniou demonstrates how to use it.
Another top pick in this year’s Kitchen Awards: Cuisinart’s Clearview Glass Basket Air Fryer. Papantoniou said testers like this specific air fryer because it’s one of the few models that allow users to see inside while it’s working.
ClearView 4-quart Glass Basket Air Fryer
Cuisinart
amazon.com
Prep, cook, serve, and store all in one basket. The Cuisinart ClearView 4-qt. Glass Basket Air Fryer redefines the traditional basket-style air fryer with a transparent glass basket that moves seamlessly from prep to cook to table to refrigerator.
Lastly, for dessert, Papantoniou showed us how to use the compact Cuisinart FastFreeze Ice Cream Maker. It’s more compact and lower-priced than some other ice cream makers on the market.
View the full list of Good Housekeeping’s 2026 Kitchen Awards.
Stay Connected With the National Consumer Unit
Get clear, actionable consumer reporting delivered across platforms.
Follow National Consumer Correspondent Allie Jasinski for real-time updates on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Have a question you’d like us to investigate? Email us at askallie@hearst.com
Subscribe to our twice-weekly consumer newsletter for in-depth explanations and practical guidance.

