Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photo: Retailer
Every year when Amazon Prime Day rolls around, it’s equal parts exciting and overwhelming. We love a good sale here at The Strategist — and it doesn’t get any better than the two days of deals you’ll find during this megaevent. But there’s also a massive amount of stuff and not many truly good deals, which means scrolling, sorting, and decision-making can be a challenge. That’s where we come in. Our team has spent days gathering the very best markdowns across every department, including my personal area of expertise: the kitchen.
I’ve pulled some of the top picks from my Best in Class guides, like the high-end electric Technivorm Moccamaster coffee maker, which is the lowest price it’s been all year. I dug deep into our archives to find the tools and cookware professional chefs and recipe developers swear by, like a set of super-durable Nordic Ware quarter sheet pans and a pair of small-but-mighty kitchen scissors. I kept my eyes peeled for all-time Strategist favorites, like the reusable silicone Stasher bags we’ve been writing about for years. And I selected some intriguing pieces that we haven’t featured before, but that caught my eye for one reason or another (like a strawberry huller from a brand that really nails kitchen unitaskers).
There are sizable discounts on high-ticket items, like our favorite Instant Pot air fryer and Zojirushi rice cooker. My advice: Take the plunge now, because it won’t get any better. There are also some essential items it makes sense to stock up on, like solid sets of both wine stoppers and mixing bowls. In every case, I’ve made sure the deal is truly worthwhile.
I’ll be monitoring this post all day today and tomorrow — ensuring information is up to date and adding more great products as I find them. Keep checking back to stay on top of everything. If you want more deals — kitchen or otherwise — check out our hub of all the best Prime Day deals. And in the meantime, sign up for our newsletter so you never miss out on a good sale on any day.
Breville’s espresso machines are built at the perfect intersection of user-friendly and pro-approved (meaning, they make top-notch shots). This one comes with a built-in coffee grinder and milk frother for a full setup. They’re also usually very expensive — so Prime Day is the opportune time to get one.
Vitamix has quite a few good deals on its blenders. This one comes recommended by multiple pros who prefer a manual dial that lets them have optimal control (as opposed to a digital interface that also features preset functions, as is the case with some other models). No matter which you go with, these powerful and durable machines will last you years.
This is my favorite air fryer, and I’ve tried many. It’s quite sleek looking for such a big machine, features an easy-to-use interface, heats evenly, and has a clear window so you can peek at your food as it’s cooking.
I initially tried this vacuum sealer to test it out for a story, but I loved it so much that I’ve kept it around. (And that’s really saying something, as my kitchen real estate is limited and precious.) The machine is so easy to use, even if you’ve never touched a vacuum sealer before. It allows me to freeze various portions of meat and fish, and it can be used to extend the shelf life of dry goods and to sous vide.
Not all electric coffee makers are created equal, and many coffee experts love this one, pointing to its stable temperature control and even water distribution, meaning it brews a balanced-but-still-nuanced pot. (Not to mention it comes in so many pretty colors.) Right now, at more than 30 percent off, it’s the lowest price we’ve seen all year.
If you’re more interested in a pod-based machine, this single-serve Keurig is a very good deal, marked down 40 percent. It’ll fit snugly on your counter, brews in a matter of minutes, and can fit up to a 12-ounce travel mug for taking coffee on the go.
This thoughtfully designed coffee grinder from OXO is nearly half off. It has an integrated scale that allows you to weigh the exact amount of beans you need: You simply fill the hopper, set your desired weight, set your grind size, and press a button.
Or opt for this simpler version. The Krups doesn’t have any bells and whistles, but it still features a burr blade that grinds beans consistently (a nonnegotiable according to professionals). At only $38, you really can’t ask for a better deal on a solid grinder.
An immersion blender is useful for blending soups directly in a pot, whisking salad dressings, making quick work of emulsions like aïoli, and more. This one is ultra-durable and strong (one chef told me he uses it in his restaurant kitchen regularly and even prefers it to the larger blender they have there).
The Zojirushi rice cooker is widely considered the best you can buy. This is mostly because it is so supremely consistent, yielding perfect rice and other grains every time you use it (even if you’re a bit variable with the amount of water or leave it for a long time to keep warm). This one is on the smaller side, perfect for a household of two, but the larger model is also on sale if you regularly feed more people.
The Breville Smart Oven is a workhorse: It can toast, bake, roast, broil, reheat, and warm food. (Plus it has specific settings for pizza, cookies, and bagels.) It’s intuitive to use and heats evenly.
All food processors let you chop and dice, but this one, on sale for nearly 40 percent off, gives a dialed-in level of control. You can vary the speed and drop foods through a small or large chute at the top. It also comes with a variable-thickness slicing disk and a compatible mini bowl for smaller tasks.
“Mini” is a bit of a misnomer here: At 3.5 quarts, this stand mixer is big enough to handle most tasks, suitable for anyone who likes to bake but isn’t consistently doubling recipes or making huge layer cakes. The smaller size is also easier to store. Right now, it’s the lowest price it’s been all year.
At this point, the Instant Pot needs no explaining. (But gentle reminder that it makes quick, set-it-and-forget-it work of dinner.) Now’s your moment to buy one for 35 percent off.
This expert-recommended juicer features a wide tube (so you don’t have to do too much chopping or cubing). There’s a centrifugal blade that shreds your produce into pulp before pushing the separated juice through a mesh screen. And it handles several pieces of fruit at once and works quickly.
Nugget ice is my very favorite type, usually reserved for soda machines. But with this machine, discounted $200, you can make some in your very own home. Fun.
This Krups waffle-maker makes four waffles at a time — a great thing if you’re consistently turning them out for more than just yourself. It has plates that pop out and can go in the dishwasher, and one recipe developer told me this hasn’t degraded them at all, even with years of use.
All-Clad is the best of the best when it comes to stainless-steel cookware, the most common brand used in restaurant kitchens and beloved by recipe developers and cookbook authors, too. This well-rounded collection will cover pretty much all of your cooking bases for $100 off.
If you’re in the market for a nonstick set, consider this (pretty green!) ceramic-coated set from Caraway, also marked down 20 percent. My colleague has owned the skillet for over a year and says the surface is sleek as can be, still in great shape — so all the other pieces are bound to be, as well.
Don’t let the size of these kitchen shears fool you: They’re strong and sharp enough to cut through fish and chicken-rib bones. Still, the short blades and stout handles make them nimble enough for delicate tasks, like snipping herbs. And of course they come in handy for random tasks like cutting through plastic food packages, twine, and kitchen tape for labels.
This is an incredibly good deal on a robust knife set. It has all the essentials: a paring knife, chef’s knife, and bread knife. There’s a santoku knife (similar to a chef’s but slightly smaller and thinner and therefore easier to wield on subtler cuts), as well as a shorter serrated knife perfect for slicing through tomatoes and baked goods. It also includes six steak knives, a honing steel, and a pair of kitchen shears.
While these aren’t hugely discounted, they come out to a really great price for a set of indispensable quarter sheet pans. Nordic Ware is my favorite maker for these workhorse trays, and the size comes in handy even more than half sheets, I think. They are, of course, perfect for smaller quantities of food. But they also allow you to use your oven for multiple components in a larger meal, rotating pans in and out of your oven.
A set of nesting mixing bowls is great to have. They only take up as much space as the largest size and come in handy for whisking batters, tossing salads, and more. These ones also feature a pour spout and handle.
Le Creuset is known for its Dutch ovens, but the enameled cast-iron skillets are just as useful. This exact one sits on my stovetop at all times. I absolutely love the color (there are a few other shades on sale, too), and I appreciate the size, which is smaller and lighter than my 12-inch fully cast-iron pan.
If you don’t have a solid citrus juicer, now’s your moment. This one has a comfortable handle and stainless-steel insert that helps press all the liquid out of lemons and limes.
A strawberry huller might not come up as a need as much as a citrus juicer, but Chef’n makes some of our favorite less-obvious unitaskers around (we’re particularly fans of their greens stripper and garlic chopper). For a few bucks, it’s a great tool to have around.
If you’re outfitting your kitchen from scratch, or still living with the dinky kitchen utensils from your first apartment, consider this highly discounted set from OXO. It comes with all the essentials (whisk, rasp grater, tongs, spatulas, can opener, vegetable peeler), plus some fun extras like a potato masher, pizza cutter, and ice-cream scoop.
Wash-and-dry lettuce and other vegetables with this salad spinner. The stainless steel exterior cleans up beautifully, the push-down spinning mechanism is easy to use, and the lock button keeps the plunger depressed for easier storing.
Zojirushi’s insulated stainless-steel travel mug can be used for keeping drinks ice cold or hot for hours on end. (Carla Lalli Music has used hers as a water bottle at the beach and says the ice didn’t melt, even after a full day in the direct sun.)
Or opt for my personal water bottle of choice, a Hydro Flask. It holds more than the Zojirushi above, so it’s great if you drink a lot or need to be out and about all day without the chance to refill. You can also buy a pretty cheap straw lid to go with it, which I find easier to sip from than the fully open wide mouth.
Everyone in my life knows I’m obsessed with this kitchen trash can. I’ve owned mine for a couple of years now and it’s still in great shape (guests compliment me on it all the time). I love the sleek white and stainless-steel design. And the best part? It hides extra garbage bags.
Certain items are undeniably part of the Strategist canon — and Stasher’s reusable bags, which we’ve written about so many times over the years, are one of them. They come in a bunch of useful sizes (all of which are on sale, either individually or in bundles), they don’t leak or stain, and you can throw them in the dishwasher.
These bag sealers were recommended to us several years ago and have remained part of the Strategist kitchen canon ever since. Unlike traditional chip clips, they sit across the entire open threshold of a bag and seal it completely, ensuring your food actually stays fresh. (They even keep food airtight enough to put in the freezer without it getting freezer burn.)
There are many fancy meat thermometers out there that have tons of sensors or are compatible with an app on your phone. But I prefer this one: a simple model that gets the job done. It takes an accurate read, is compact, works on the grill over live fire, and has a backlight for easy reading.
Our deputy editor uses these bamboo dinner plates for her kids and loves them. But they’ll also work for outdoor dining, no matter your age.
We’re deep in iced-coffee season and a dedicated cold-brew maker is a decidedly nice thing to have around. This one brews 32 ounces of concentrate, which you can then seal and keep in the fridge.
A grill press comes in handy for smashing burgers and potatoes, grilling sandwiches, getting crispy skin on fish, searing meat, and more. This one has a wood handle that stays cool to the touch.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
