9 swoon-worthy non-smart appliances (pictures)
These traditional appliances don't fit the smart-home mold, but that doesn't mean they won't make smart additions to your home.
These non-smart appliances aren't dumb
While there's a lot of focus on app-connected smart home devices these days, we haven't forgotten about their more traditional counterparts. Here are nine non-smart products that we wouldn't mind having in our homes.
Ball Freshtech Automatic Home Canning System
This $300 home canning kit is pricy, but takes a lot of the active time out of the equation. Where you might have spent hours hovering over your stovetop in the past, Ball's handy appliance can achieve the ideal water bath temperature on its own.
Bunn My Cafe MCU Multi-Use Brewer
Bunn's $169 single-serve brewer is so versatile that it doesn't even call itself a coffee maker. You can use K-cup-shaped pods and ground coffee to make your drink and it even comes with an attachment for making hot water for tea or oatmeal.
Crock-Pot Cook & Carry Digital Slow Cooker
If you're looking for a reasonably priced slow cooker that performs on par with more expensive models, this $60 Crock-Pot is for you. It comes with lid-securing travel latches and stays true to standard slow cooker cook times.
Cuisinart CSO-300 Combo Steam + Convection Toaster Oven
While we really liked Panasonic's quirky $150 FlashXpress Toaster Oven, Cuisiart's $300 model offers a larger capacity and many more features. The most interesting option is the steam mode, which uses a water reservoir to make your steam-cooked favorites.
Dacor Renaissance 30-inch Double Wall Oven
While this $5,000 Dacor double oven is unquestionably high-end, we wouldn't exactly call it over-priced. That's because it consistently made great food. We were most impressed by the whole roasted chicken results, which were duplicated in many other ovens but never came close to matching the results of this highly-rated cooking pro.
GE Profile Series 2.2 Cu. Ft. Countertop Microwave Oven
We all want our microwaves to be able to reheat leftovers well, but this $359 GE model's sensor reheat feature shamed the competition. From pizza to enchiladas, it was able to judge the exact amount of time needed to reach optimal temperature.
Hoover Platinum Collection Linx Cordless Stick Vacuum
Stick vacuums are known for their mobility, but tend to fall short on suction. This $180 model is an exception. It's reasonably priced, light-weight, and comes close to matching the power of more expensive traditional uprights.
Ninja Ultima Blender BL810
This $260 blender held its own against two industrial-strength models -- the $529 Vitamix 7500 and the $454 Blendtec Designer Series WildSide Blender. That makes this still-pricy blender a pretty good value. Bonus: It comes with two serving-sized blender attachments that can double as your very own smoothie travel containers.
Philips Clear LED Bulb
Most LEDs are finished with frosted glass, but the Philips Clear puts emphasis on design with a fresh take on traditional filament bulbs. This 470-lumen LED fits squarely in the 40W replacement category and is expected to be priced comparably ($5 to $10) when it hits retail stores later this year.