10 Countertop Appliances To Make The Yummiest Snacks

Cut down on your food budget this winter and prepare your favourite snacks at home instead. These handy countertop appliances are designed to help you make all your favourite noshes quickly and easily from the comforts of home. Whether you’re craving French fries, pizza, smoothies, sandwiches, popcorn, or a sweet treat, there’s a machine that can do all the work for you. Here are 10 of the best! —Jennifer Cox

Cuisinart 4.5-quart Basket Air Fryer, $150

We use our air fryer almost daily. Whether we’re cooking something from scratch or reheating leftovers, this gadget can do it all. This model ensures healthier, crispy, and flavorful results, with a large cooking surface area for more even cooking plus four cooking functions, a toss reminder, and a convenient viewing window.

thinkkitchen Presso Panini Maker, $70

Whether it’s a classic grilled cheese or something more exotic (I love doing Greek pitas on naan bread), a panini press will up your sandwich game tenfold. The thinkkitchen panini maker is made from durable metal that is non-stick and is designed in such a way that it adapts to the thickness of your sandwiches and wraps. It also has an adjustable temperature control and drip tray for easy clean-up.

Vitamix Ascent X2, $550

You’ve never had a more perfectly blended smoothie (or, ahem, margarita) than what you get from this high-tech blender. I love my Vitamix! Its cool design combines an interface with a sophisticated look, and this model features a 48-ounce container, an automatic self-cleaning program, and three blend settings for smoothies, frozen desserts, and soups. You can even add SELF-DETECT containers and attachments to build a customized blending system designed to fit your needs.

Hamilton Beach Dual Breakfast Sandwich Maker, $90

With busy school mornings and a never-ending hockey schedule, we used to spend a lot of money picking up breakfast on the go. Not anymore – this gizmo allows us to make everything we need for a tasty, healthy, satisfying morning meal. Just put your ingredients in, close the lid, set the timer, and in five minutes you have two fully assembled breakfast sandwiches. Use your own fresh ingredients for endless combinations.

Chefman High-Heat Indoor Electric Pizza Oven, $500

Who doesn’t love pizza? It’s the perfect meal or snack, especially when you have the right gear to make delicious restaurant-quality pizza at home. Enter the Chefman – it reaches up to a sizzling 800°F, ensuring a perfect pizza every time. Designed for convenience, this sleek and compact pizza oven effortlessly fits on your countertop, and it has a user-friendly touchscreen interface that features preset options for Neapolitan, New York, Thin-Crust, Pan, or Frozen pizzas.

Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill, $130

Everything tastes yummier on the grill. Meet the Ninja Sizzle, the compact indoor grill that high-heat sears and sizzles your favourite meals right from your countertop. Reaching temps up to 500°F, you’ll achieve the perfect char-grilled marks with direct, edge-to-edge even heat. From crispy veggies to tender chicken breasts, prepare grilled snacks and meals everyone will enjoy.

Breville the Smart Scoop, $600

I scream, you scream… we all love ice cream! The Smart Scoop transforms the kitchen into your favourite scoop shop. This is the first ice cream maker that automatically senses the hardness of the mixture based on your selection and keeps your frozen flavours at the perfect temperature up to three hours. You can make all your favourite icy treats, from sorbet and frozen yogurt to gelato and ice cream. When the machine beeps, you can throw in your favourite add-ins like fruit, chocolate chips, and more.

Starfrit Electric Cupcake Maker, $40

If you have a sweet tooth like me, then you’ll adore this cupcake maker! In minutes you can prepare up to seven mini cupcakes or muffins, just like that! Its compact design makes it easy to tuck away in a cupboard, and it is made with a durable non-stick surface that’s super easy to clean. The ready-light indictor ensures perfectly prepared cuppies every time.

Ricardo Popcorn Machine, $30

Popcorn is a snack fave in this household, and we love making our buttery kernels in a machine like this one. Convenient and easy to use, it has a straightforward one-touch operation and produces as many as 12 cups of fresh, hot popcorn in only three minutes! It offers a healthy alternative to cooking popcorn in oil, using hot air to pop corn kernels quickly and effortlessly.

Salton S’mores & Fondue Maker, $60

Who said s’mores were for summer? Now you can make these delicious treats indoors all year round. The heating element has no open flame so there’s no need for a campfire, and the serving tray has enough compartments to fit all your s’mores kit ingredients. It also includes four roasting forks. It’s great for kids too.