TUCSON, Ariz. - Testers for Consumer Reports have put hundreds of small appliances through their paces. Here are some standouts that are worth sharing with your friends and family.
What to get your favorite caffeine-lover? The Bella coffee maker is a Consumer Reports Best Buy, based on its performance - scoring better than coffee makers costing twice as much. And its price: just $40. It has a comfortable, balanced carafe, and got "Excellent" marks for its clear, convenient controls.
If you’d like to be invited for morning waffles, gift a CR Best Buy: the Chefman Anti-Overflow Belgian Waffle Maker. It features a groove to catch batter overflow, so no messy counters. Testers gave it top marks for browning, and it performed well on all of it’s settings.
Got a baker on your list? Cuisinart’s Power Advantage hand mixer whipped the competition when it came to mixing cookie dough. It has five speeds and the beaters easily pop in and out for cleaning.
And if you want to be remembered for generations to come, give your cook the gift of cast iron! The 12-inch, pre-seasoned skillet from Lodge does an excellent job of searing and browning foods. Testers gave it “Good” marks for baking cornbread as well.
