The best end-of-summer kitchen deals to shop, according to a professional baker

So, your outdoor space is too small for a grill, and you’d really like to avoid a house full of smoke — but you’re still craving a nice char. This indoor grill sears proteins and veggies like a champ, but its smoke control system means you won’t be breathing in soot while you cook. In addition to a grill plate, it comes with a flat-top griddle (smash burgers, anyone?) and you’ll be able to fit up to six steaks at a time on its roomy cooking surface. Bonus: It comes with a food thermometer for accurate results every time, and you won’t have to deal with mosquitoes, either. Plus, you’ll be able to keep grilling once the temps drop. It rarely ever goes on sale for less than it is now. 

“I honestly like meat and poultry grilled on this better than on my outdoor grill,” admitted a shopper. “I am able to control the temperature better. The meat is much juicier. It’s just easier to use and I’m not standing outside in the heat in the summer. I love the griddle function. Boneless chicken breast is so tender and delicious like this! I was stunned!”

Check out our roundup of the best grills of 2024 for more. 

Enjoying a warm breakfast on a busy morning has never been so easy, thanks to this contraption that’ll make a bacon, egg and cheese without you having to wait at the drive-through. Just fill each tray with the essentials and any toppings you’d like, and it’ll cook everything so that it’s nice and melty by the time you’ve gotten dressed. This appliance doesn’t go on sale very often, so grab it while you can save a few bucks. 

“Breakfast is always a problem in my house,” shared a user. “We all love breakfast sandwiches, but we also prefer to sleep in and do the bare minimum before we have to leave. I’ve done freezer sandwiches … but sometimes fresh just tastes better. … This is not only super easy to use, but I can set it and forget it for five minutes and use that time making sure the backpacks are packed. Or I have all [the] things I need. Or getting shoes and coats on.”

We don’t “wing” it here at Yahoo: We put 15 models to the test and awarded this one “Best Air Fryer Overall.” According to Yahoo’s Kristin Granero, who conducted the tests, this one “boasts substantial cooking room, minimal required maintenance and an easy-to-master learning curve, all while looking non-clunky.” Its LED display has five cooking functions to choose from — air fry, roast, bake, broil and warm — as well as five preset options for popular foods like fries, wings, frozen snacks and vegetables. Other cool components include its interior light and see-through doors, which allow you to keep an eye on your food while it cooks, as well as a “toss reminder” that’ll alert you when it’s time to flip your food in the basket. This price is just about as low as I’ve ever seen it.

Check out our roundup of the best air fryers for more. 

At 56% off, the slice is right when it comes to this sleek knife collection. And you can go ahead and cross “sharpen knives” off your to-do list, because this savvy set will do it automatically. These knives come housed in an attractive wooden block with slots that hone each blade every time you use them. Included are an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 6-inch utility knife, a 5-inch santoku knife, a 3.5-inch paring knife, kitchen shears and the aforementioned block. The triple-riveted handles are contoured to feel comfortable in your hand, allowing you to chop more confidently, and each tip is labeled so you’ll know which knife you’re reaching for.

“Wonderful,” raved a fan. “If you want a good knife set, I recommend this. I’ve had it for two years now and still as sharp as ever.”

Check out our roundup of the best knives and knife sets for additional options.

An 11-piece nonstick cookware set for 60 bucks? There’s gotta be a catch, right? Nope! This top-seller comes with two frying pans, two saucepans, a sauté pan, two silicone lids, two fridge storage lids and — wait for it — two removable handles to save space when storing. This is close to as low as we’ve ever seen this clever collection.

“I got these to make some more space in my cabinets,” wrote a buyer. “These take up a quarter of the space my old pots and pans used. They work great on my glass stove top. They are so easy to clean and have not scratched, dented or stained!”

Check out our roundup of the best pots, pans and cookware sets for more. 

If you spend lots of time in the kitchen, your feet deserve a cushy surface to stand on during all of that cooking (and dishwashing). This highly rated anti-fatigue mat is made from a comfy foam to help take some of the pressure off your muscles and joints, and its nonslip bottom will stay put. It’s waterproof and easy to wipe clean, and this is within a few dollars of the lowest price we’ve seen.

“Better than insoles,” wrote a reviewer. “I do a lot of meal prepping for the week on Sundays, so I am on my feet in the kitchen for 8-10 hours a day some weekends, and around an hour each day during the week. I used to wear my gym shoes with cushioned support when I was cooking for long periods, but even then the resulting back pain was on another level. These mats are a complete game-changer … I could stand on these mats for hours and still be comfortable.”

Talk about a multitasker! This 6-in-1 smokeless indoor grill also functions as a toaster oven, air fryer, dehydrator and more, meaning you can use it to make practically any meal of the day. Pancakes? Yup, there’s a griddle pan for that. Fries and wings? That’s what the crisper basket is for. Roasted veggies? Throw ’em on the baking tray! At nearly 65% off, this is the lowest price we’re seeing for this bestseller — it rarely goes lower. That gets a “Bam!”

“Really nice indoor grill and air fryer,” wrote a shopper. “It truly is smokeless technology. We love the ability to use the oven portion to roast vegetables and grill burgers on top at the same time. The extra-wide capacity helps create a dinner for four in half the time with half the appliances and none of the kitchen heat or headaches. The appliance is super easy to clean up and care for.”

This sleek appliance might look like a million bucks, but it’ll set you back just $20, thanks to this deal. It’s by Target’s in-house kitchen line, which isn’t often on sale, and features setting knobs on each side so you and your significant other will be able to brown your toast to your liking at the same time. It also has a handy auto-shutoff feature, juuust in case. 

“This is a beautiful toaster!” swooned a user. “The matte finish is great because it doesn’t show drips or fingerprints. The pinstripe chrome adds a perfect touch of elegance. I toasted a roll and it turned out perfectly!”

Butterfingers, unite! Stainless steel mixing bowls are where it’s at for clumsy bakers like me, since they’re shatterproof. What I love about this set is that each bowl comes with a lid — that way, if you’re making, say, bread dough that needs to rise, you’ll have a cover for it without having to waste plastic wrap. Plus, you’ll be able to pop any leftovers right into the fridge, and at $4 per bowl, this set is a steal. 

“They are so much lighter than my regular mixing bowls and so much easier to handle,” said a home baker. “I used to feel I was jeopardizing my life whenever I took my ceramic bowls down. I highly recommend.”

If you’ve been coveting the under-cabinet lighting that seems to be in every house on HGTV, there’s a near-instant way to achieve the effect without hiring an electrician. These bestselling battery-operated LED strips are magnetic and stick right onto metal surfaces, but included adhesive also allows you to attach them to wood, among other things. Oh, and they’re motion-sensor lights, which will come in handy when you go to get a midnight snack. Our price trackers tell us these haven’t dipped lower all year. 

“These are fantastic!” exclaimed a fan. “I have them in every closet that doesn’t have an overhead light and my pantry. They are charged right out of the box and hold a charge forever. Easy to install and the brightness is perfect — you can adjust that too. I love how you can pop them off the magnets and use them like a flashlight. My friends and family loved them so much that they bought them too.”