Author: TopPicks

A cast iron skillet might be the best value in your kitchen. It sears steaks better than almost anything, goes from stovetop to oven without a second thought, bakes cornbread and cobbler, and — with a little care — lasts for literal generations. A well-seasoned one is also naturally nonstick.

The good news is that the best ones are surprisingly cheap. Here are five we’d buy, from the affordable workhorse most people should own to a lightweight premium upgrade.

How we picked

We leaned on extensive testing from America’s Test Kitchen, Wirecutter, and others, favoring skillets that sear and release food well, heat evenly, and offer good handles and pour spouts. The 12-inch size is the most versatile. Lodge dominates the category — and for good reason — so our list reflects that, with a value alternative included.

Best overall

1. Lodge Chef Collection 12-Inch Skillet

Best for: most cooks who want the best-performing Lodge without going premium.

The Chef Collection is Lodge’s lighter, smoother skillet, and it’s the top pick of nearly every major test kitchen. It’s about 15% lighter than the classic Lodge, has a smoother cooking surface, improved handles, and sears and releases food beautifully. It outperforms pans costing several times more, making it the sweet spot of the whole category.

Best value

2. Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron 12-Inch Skillet

Best for: getting genuine, lifetime-quality cast iron for the least money.

The classic Lodge 12-inch is the one that’s been in American kitchens for over a century, and it delivers nearly the same performance as pricier pans for around $30. It arrives pre-seasoned, and the more you cook with it, the smoother and more nonstick it gets. Unbeatable value with a lifetime of use ahead of it.

Best everyday size

3. Lodge Classic 10.25-Inch Skillet

Best for: everyday cooking for one or two — eggs, a steak, a batch of cornbread.

The 10.25-inch is the most popular cast iron size for a reason: it’s big enough for a couple of eggs, a steak, or a personal skillet cookie, but light and maneuverable enough for daily use. If a 12-inch feels like too much pan, this is the one to reach for constantly.

Best budget (alternative brand)

4. Utopia Kitchen 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet

Best for: the lowest price on a solid, pre-seasoned skillet.

If you want to spend as little as possible, Utopia Kitchen’s 12-inch delivers the cast iron essentials — good heat retention, pre-seasoned and ready to use — at a rock-bottom price. It’s a great way to try cast iron or outfit a first kitchen without much outlay.

Best lightweight / premium

5. Lodge Blacklock 12-Inch Skillet

Best for: cooks who want cast iron performance in a lighter, smoother pan.

Cast iron’s one downside is weight. Lodge’s Blacklock line is triple-seasoned, noticeably smoother, and roughly a third lighter than the classic — much easier to lift, pour, and maneuver while keeping the searing power. It’s the premium pick for anyone who finds standard cast iron too heavy.

What to look for

Size. A 12-inch is the versatile all-rounder for searing and baking; a 10.25-inch is easier to handle for everyday one- or two-person cooking. Bigger pans are heavier.

Weight & surface. Standard cast iron is heavy with a slightly pebbly surface that smooths with use. Lighter, pre-smoothed pans (Chef Collection, Blacklock) are easier to handle and release food sooner.

Pre-seasoned. Nearly all modern skillets come pre-seasoned and ready to use. The seasoning — and the nonstick surface — improves the more you cook.

Care. Rinse with hot water (skip lots of soap), dry thoroughly, and wipe with a thin layer of oil. Don’t soak it or run it through the dishwasher, and it’ll last for generations.

The bottom line

For most people, the Lodge Chef Collection 12-inch is the best all-rounder — the top pick that performs above its price. Save with the classic Lodge 12-inch, go 10.25-inch for everyday cooking, choose Utopia to spend the least, or the Blacklock for a lighter, smoother premium pan.

Check the current price before you buy.

An air fryer earns its counter space fast: crispier leftovers, quicker weeknight dinners, and far less oil than a real fryer, with almost no cleanup. The trick is picking one that’s the right size and genuinely easy to use.

Happily, you don’t need to spend a fortune. Under $100 covers everything from compact single-servers to family-sized baskets from the brands that actually do this well. Here are the five we’d buy.

How we picked

We stuck to established brands — Cosori, Ninja, and Instant — that build in real safety features and stand behind their products. We weighed capacity, ease of use, cleanup, and how consistently each one crisps, and we favored models with strong, high-volume owner reviews.

Best overall

1. Cosori TurboBlaze 6-Qt (9-in-1)

Best for: most households that want one do-everything air fryer.

The TurboBlaze pairs a roomy 6-quart basket with genuinely useful controls — five fan speeds, a wide temperature range, and precise adjustments — plus a PFAS-free ceramic coating that’s easy to clean. It earns top marks from independent testers and tens of thousands of owners alike, and it’s the one we’d recommend to almost anyone.

Best for families

2. Ninja Foodi 7-Qt (MegaZone, DZ071)

Best for: cooking for a family or batch-prepping meals.

Ninja’s reputation for reliable, even crisping shows up here in a bigger 7-quart basket that handles a full bag of fries or a tray of wings in one go. The controls are dead simple, the basket is nonstick and dishwasher-safe, and it’s a trusted name built to last.

Best for beginners

3. Instant Vortex Plus 6QT

Best for: first-time air-fryer owners who want simple and foolproof.

From the makers of the Instant Pot, the Vortex Plus keeps things approachable: clear one-touch programs, reliable results, and Odor Erase tech so your kitchen doesn’t smell like last night’s salmon. It’s the easy on-ramp if you’ve never owned an air fryer.

Best for small kitchens

4. Instant Vortex Slim 6QT

Best for: full capacity without hogging the counter.

The Vortex Slim fits a full 6-quart basket into a narrower footprint, so you get family-sized capacity that still tucks into a tight kitchen. It’s quiet, quick to preheat, and a smart pick for apartments and smaller counters.

Best compact & portable

5. Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 (glass)

Best for: small households, dorms, or cooking and storing in one dish.

The Crispi is a clever, compact take: glass containers that go from freezer to air fryer to table, with a powerful crisping lid on top. It’s perfect for one or two people, and the cook-and-store-in-one design means fewer dishes.

Keep in mind: Its containers are smaller than a standard basket — great for singles and couples, less so for a crowd.

What to look for

Capacity. 3–4 quarts suits 1–2 people; 6 quarts is the family sweet spot; 7+ quarts handles big batches. Bigger baskets need more counter and cabinet space.

Ease of use & cleanup. Look for simple presets, a dishwasher-safe basket, and a nonstick or ceramic coating. PFAS-free coatings are increasingly common and worth having.

Footprint. Air fryers are countertop hogs. Measure your space — and the clearance above it, since they vent hot air — before buying.

Brand & safety. Stick with names like Cosori, Ninja, and Instant. They include auto-shutoff and overheat protection as standard, unlike sketchy sub-$30 listings.

The bottom line

For most kitchens, the Cosori TurboBlaze is the best all-rounder. Big families should size up to the Ninja 7-quart, beginners will love the Instant Vortex Plus, and tight kitchens should look at the Vortex Slim or the compact Ninja Crispi.

Check the current price before you buy — these go on sale often.

If you upgrade one thing in your kitchen, make it your chef’s knife. A single good 8-inch blade handles the vast majority of prep — chopping, slicing, dicing, mincing — and a sharp, comfortable one makes cooking faster, safer, and genuinely more pleasant.

The best news: you don’t need to spend a fortune. Test kitchens have recommended sub-$50 knives for decades. Here are the five we’d buy, matched to how a knife feels in your hand.

How we picked

We leaned on decades of professional testing plus real-world use, favoring blades that arrive sharp, hold an edge, feel balanced, and stay comfortable to grip through a long prep session. An 8-inch blade is the do-everything size, and we kept every pick under $50.

Best overall

1. Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

Best for: almost everyone — the no-frills workhorse pros have trusted for decades.

The Fibrox Pro has been the top budget recommendation of serious test kitchens for nearly thirty years, and for good reason. It cuts effortlessly, arrives and stays sharp, and its grippy, comfortable handle suits hands of all sizes. It won’t win a beauty contest, but it’s a genuine professional-grade knife at a bargain price — the one we’d hand most people.

Best budget

2. Mercer Culinary Millennia 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

Best for: the lowest price on a knife that genuinely performs.

A staple of culinary schools, the Millennia delivers a sharp, durable blade and a safe, textured grip for around $20 — a huge step up from junk-drawer knives without asking for much money. It’s the smart first real chef’s knife.

Best forged

3. Mercer Culinary Genesis 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

Best for: cooks who want the heft and balance of a forged blade.

If you prefer a weightier, traditional feel, the forged Genesis delivers: high-carbon German steel, a full tang, and a full bolster that acts as a finger guard and balance point. It feels like a much more expensive knife and is a favorite of culinary students who need reliability.

Best Japanese-style

4. imarku 8-Inch Japanese Chef Knife

Best for: those who want a thinner, razor-sharp blade for precise cuts.

For a different feel, the imarku uses harder Japanese-style steel ground to a thinner, keener edge that glides through vegetables and proteins with minimal resistance. It’s a hugely popular pick for cooks who love a razor-sharp blade — just treat it with a bit more care than a tough German knife.

Keep in mind: harder Japanese-style steel takes a sharper edge but can chip if used on bones or frozen food — stick to normal cutting tasks.

Best for smaller hands

5. Victorinox Fibrox 6-Inch Chef’s Knife

Best for: cooks who find a full 8-inch blade too big to control.

Not everyone is comfortable with a big blade. This 6-inch Fibrox brings the same trusted Victorinox quality in a shorter, nimbler package that’s easier to control for smaller hands and detailed work. It’s the pick if standard chef’s knives feel unwieldy.

What to look for

Blade length. An 8-inch blade is the do-everything size for most people. Go to 6 inches if a full-size blade feels too big or you have smaller hands.

German vs. Japanese. German steel (Victorinox, Mercer) is heavier, tougher, and forgiving — great all-rounders. Japanese-style steel is harder for a thinner, sharper edge, but can chip if abused.

Comfort & balance. How it feels in your hand matters more than any spec. Favor a handle and weight you’d be happy holding for an hour of prep.

Care. Hand-wash and dry your knife (skip the dishwasher), store it safely, and hone it regularly. A cheap knife you maintain beats an expensive one you neglect.

The bottom line

For most people, the Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8-inch is the best all-rounder — the workhorse pros swear by. Grab the Mercer Millennia to spend the least, the forged Genesis for heft, the imarku for a razor-sharp Japanese-style edge, or the 6-inch Fibrox for smaller hands.

Check the current price before you buy.