The Best Kitchen Appliances Of TIHS 2024

The Inspired Home Show (TIHS) never fails to attract a range of innovative products to its annual home and housewares show. This year's thousands of vendors are no different. Standing out among the crowd, however, are the advanced machines that make home cooks' lives easier, faster, and tastier.

For some, the ambitious inventions show how far nonprofessional equipment has come. For example, today's portable, searingly hot pizza ovens would make past generations of pizzaiolos green with envy. Other appliances, like hands-free juicers and smokeless indoor grills, pluck the best technologies the industry has to offer and package them into neat, countertop contraptions.

Though not every electronic fits the needs of a busy household, there's a good chance these sophisticated tools will open up new avenues for culinary adventure. Whether you're a DIY homemaker or all about beverages, you'll find these machines raise the bar. These are some of the best kitchen appliances at TIHS 2024.

The perfect pizza oven is a personal choice that depends on time constraints, budget, space, and tastes. However, vendors at TIHS made it clear that there's a thoughtfully developed device out there for every aspiring pizza maker. One standout is the Ooni Volt 12 Electric Pizza Oven. Capable of heating to 850 degrees Fahrenheit in 20 minutes, the design encourages quick and easy baking and crispy crusts.

"Electrics is the future," Kristian Tapaninaho, Ooni founder and co-CEO, said. "There's a huge amount of innovation we can pack in and show you can make fantastic pizza in an electric oven." Tapaninaho notes that the oven allows cooks to control the heat, which likely appeals to those getting into the craft. Of course, he adds that the other models, which run on gas or solid fuel, aren't going anywhere.

Apartment dwellers will be happy to know the smokeless grill category is increasingly crowded with compact, versatile options. The GreenPan Premiere XL Smoke-Less Grill & Griddle stands out as particularly helpful for breakfast and brunchers, as its dual surfaces allow for simultaneous sausage grilling and egg or pancake frying. The odor reduction is an added benefit when preparing smoky ingredients.

The machine's four pre-set smoke reduction settings are based on culinary science and the smoke points of poultry, beef, fish, and pork. The smart appliance's sensors detect and maintain the grill top's surface at or below those temperatures to avoid odors (though there is a setting for searing, too). Jan Hoekstra, chief of design for Cookware Company, said, "People think hotter is better, but that's not true." He disagrees with the idea of sealing in juices, instead arguing that for fish and chicken in particular, the more important goal is caramelization, which you can achieve without a ripping hot pan.

A quiet blender that extends the life of drinks sounds almost too good to be true. The Kuvings Professional Vacuum Blender CB1000 claims to do just that. Equipped with vacuum suction, the blender reduces the beverage's contact with air as it spins. This helps prevent fruits and vegetables from oxidizing during their 30-second blitz, which means they maintain their bright colors. Juice enthusiasts may also get a kick out of the brand's Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10, which allows cooks to dump a serving of anything from produce to nuts into the machine and let the cold press do the rest. 

"People are so surprised by how good and smooth the juice is without sugar," said Hazel Mangurali, digital marketing specialist at Kuvings, about the cold press process. "They're used to the store where it's sweetened." One TIHS attendee stopped to marvel at the juicer as it expelled dry pulp — a sign it extracted all it could — while others shouted out alcohol suggestions to pair with the green juice samples. Mangurali says Kuvings team and customers are similarly eager to experiment not only with juice recipes but with the fruits themselves. They push the juicer to its limits, testing the juice-ability of avocados, okra, bananas, and much more. Ultimately the juice, at least for this unconventional produce, wasn't worth the squeeze!

Homemade plant-based milks can feel daunting, especially when compared to the ready-made options at the store. The Soyabella Plant-Based Milk Maker SB-130/132 offers an intriguing alternative. Equipped with a strong blade and motor, the machine can heat and grind a variety of nuts, seeds, and grains. To use it home cooks load the ingredients into a strainer compartment, fill the kettle with water, and choose one of the machine's three functionalities. The cold feature is best for raw nut milks, whereas the hot milk setting cooks grains and cereals before grinding and straining them into milk. The final warming setting is helpful for steeping spices like cinnamon in rice milk or heating soups.

Jenny Ross, director of sales and marketing at Tribest, says one of the benefits, is that the raw function completes in 10-second cycles and can be repeated a few times for maximum creaminess. The machine allows cooks to customize and control their drink's ingredients, too. In addition to making the usual suspects, like almond and oat milk, she suggests using pumpkin seeds, which are higher in protein, as a favorite plant-based milk in her house. The added benefit is the seed won't trigger her son's nut allergies, and, she said, "It's actually a little creamier than almond milk."

"It's the most versatile milk maker on the market," Ross added. "Usually, you have to blend and strain as you make it. This is a one-and-done, which is really nice."

The handheld, cordless electronic spice grinder FinaMill's newest and soon-to-release compatible pod, the GT, won the show's Global Innovation Award's Kitchen Electrics award. It attaches to and releases from the motorized base with a push, locking in and out of place with ease. The spice pod joins the company's line of FinaPods, chambers that you can fill with spices and quietly grind. Each pod contains its own blade designed to pulverize certain types of herbs and spices. The new GT is for hard spices, roasted nuts, and more tough-to-mill fresh seasonings. The spice and herb chambers attach to both older models and new models of the device, which evolved from battery-powered to rechargeable and are increasingly quiet.

"'GT' stands for 'grater' not 'grinder,'" explained Ellen Lanicca, a representative who works with the FinaMill team. The pod eliminates the need for a box grater or zester, and it can make it easier and less intimidating for cooks eager to use fresh whole pods. "When you get to the end of grating a hard spice, you end up with cut fingers or bloody knuckles," she explained. "This is a safer way to grind."