Amazon Prime Deals to Avoid (And What to Get Instead)

SKIP: Ninja Luxe Café Premier Series

This big 3-in-1 machine brews good espresso but has an overcomplicated design. Although we liked the idea of its unique automatic grind-size assistance, it didn’t consistently grind beans to the set specifications, which meant we often threw out doses of coffee. In addition to espresso, it has the ability to brew what we deemed mediocre hot drip and cold-brew coffee.

GET INSTEAD: Breville Barista Express

Luckily, our winning espresso machine is also on sale. It’s easy enough for beginners to pull a shot from but also allows for maximum customization for those who like to tinker. A powerful boiler heats up water quickly, so you don’t have to wait. All in all, this is a great time to invest if you’re in the market; we see this selling out quickly.

SKIP: KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment & Whynter Stainless Steel Ice Cream Maker

This attachment is compatible with most KitchenAid tilt-head and bowl-lift mixers. Unfortunately, we found it difficult to hook up to the mixer. Its fussy two-part paddle design makes it hard to fill the bowl without spilling. Its high horizontal blades let clumps of sorbet and ice cream spin around on top unmixed, which forces you to stop the machine often to scrape down the bowl or take the dessert’s temperature.

The Whynter Stainless Steel Ice Cream Maker has a lid that’s hard to lock into place and a big, bulky base that eats up counter space. It takes a while to churn batches of frozen desserts, and you need to pause it to take temperatures. 

GET INSTEAD: Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker

This reliable ice cream machine makes frozen desserts that are “even-textured,” “velvety,” and “delightful.” It has a lightweight, compact design and a simple one-button operation. The paddle blades stay fully submerged in the base to ensure thorough mixing, and there’s enough space to check the temperature without turning off the machine.

SKIP: Breville Juice Fountain Plus

This juicer makes juice that’s unpleasantly gritty, and it does a poor job processing kale. It flings whole kale pieces into its pulp catcher without juicing them and produces only a paltry 2.7 ounces of juice from a pound of kale. For comparison, other machines yielded 5.6 ounces. 

GET INSTEAD: Breville Juice Fountain Cold

Our winning centrifugal juicer is on sale and is a much better alternative. It’s easy to assemble and operate, and it efficiently produces smooth, delicious juice out of any produce you can think of. It was among the easiest to clean out of the centrifugal juicers we tested, and it contained debris fairly well.

SKIP: Instant Pot Rio 6-Quart Multicooker

This multicooker didn’t slow-cook well, and it was hard to brown foods using the sauté function, which seemed underpowered. The pot lacks handles, so it’s harder to lift in and out of the base, especially when hot. And its interface is crowded with unnecessary buttons, leaving less real estate for larger displays that would give clearer progress indications.

GET INSTEAD: Instant Pot Pro 8Qt

Our winning multicooker is currently 24% off. It’s easy to use and has a “favorites” feature that lets you save recipes. We liked that the unique pressure-release switch keeps your hands away from the hot steam when it’s time to vent during pressure cooking, and the steam disperses more gently than with other multicookers.

SKIP: Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Oven

This toaster oven has a quirky, squat design meant to save counter space, but at about half the height of our favorite models, it was simply too small to work effectively. It couldn’t accommodate a whole chicken (as our winners could), and it only produced toast at a medium level of doneness, despite offering light and dark toast settings as well. Its handle also isn’t as functional or easy to grasp as the handles of other models, and we burned our hands a few times as we got used to it. 

GET INSTEAD: Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

Our favorite air-fryer toaster oven, which is also on sale, is spacious and has intuitive controls, clearly labeled knobs, and a digital interface that clearly displays the time, temperature, and cooking setting. It makes excellent toast and beautifully roasted proteins and vegetables.

SKIP: KitchenAid Classic Forged All-Purpose Kitchen Shears

These shears are not pleasant to use. They have wide blades that feel clumsy and awkward to maneuver. The cutter blade is dull and the low level of tension between the blades only gets more slack over time, providing less and less power for cutting through food.

GET INSTEAD: J.A. Henckels International Take-Apart Kitchen Shears

With relatively long, narrow, sharp blades, these ambidextrous take-apart shears are nimble and make nice smooth cuts on all foods. Lots of tiny microserrations on the anvil blade edge help ensure a secure grip on slippery foods. And its plastic finger bows are comfortable for hands of all sizes.

SKIP: Chef’n PalmPeeler Vegetable Peeler

This peeler is an accident waiting to happen. This model, which is worn like a ring, has a big plastic shield that protects your palm as you swipe across vegetables to peel them. While the blade is reasonably sharp, the peeler itself is frustrating—you simply cannot see what you’re doing. The peels often jam and clog in this peeler, so it’s both hard to use and hard to clean. 

GET INSTEAD: Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler

Inexpensive, effective, agile, and easy to use, our longtime favorite Y peeler holds up well in the test kitchen; we’ve used this model for more than a decade. It’s lightweight and has a carbon-steel dual blade that stays sharp. Slim and flexible, the blades glide smoothly whether peeling carrots or rock-hard butternut squash. Nearly an inch of space between the blade and peeler body prevents peels from jamming and gives you excellent visibility as you work. Note: Carbon steel may rust if left wet, so wash and dry the blade promptly; an occasional wipe with mineral oil will keep it in top shape.