Category
Kitchen & Appliances
3 reviews in this category. All long-term tested.
Ninja Creami Deluxe (2026) review: a clever machine that asks for more freezer space than your kitchen has
Three months and roughly 60 pints later, we're impressed by the texture and frustrated by the workflow.
The 2026 Ninja Creami Deluxe is a real improvement over the 2022-era originals — quieter, faster, and with a redesigned lid that finally seals reliably. The texture it produces is genuinely impressive: closer to a small-batch ice cream shop than to a home churn. But the workflow remains awkward. Each pint requires 18-24 hours of freezer pre-freeze, and the nine pints we keep in rotation occupy a noticeable chunk of a standard household freezer. We recommend it for serious dessert hobbyists and people on restricted-ingredient diets, not for casual buyers.
Breville Barista Touch Impress 2 review: the prosumer espresso machine that finally tames the grind
Four months at the kitchen counter, several thousand shots in, and one stubborn opinion: the assisted tamp is the real upgrade, not the screen.
The Barista Touch Impress 2 is Breville's most polished prosumer machine to date. After four months of daily use we believe the assisted-tamp mechanism, not the redesigned touchscreen, is what makes the difference for a home barista. It is not a flawless machine — the puck-prep step still occasionally over-doses, and Breville's choice to keep a single boiler limits back-to-back milk drinks — but it is the one we'd put in a kitchen with both a serious enthusiast and a partner who just wants a flat white before work.
Instant Pot Pro Plus (2026) review: a refined multi-cooker in a category that has run out of ideas
Five months testing the latest flagship from a struggling brand. The hardware is solid; the software still feels like 2018.
The Instant Pot Pro Plus is a competent, slightly improved electric multi-cooker from a brand that emerged from bankruptcy in 2023 and has spent three years stabilising rather than innovating. The 2026 model adds a brighter display, sous-vide accuracy improvements, and Wi-Fi connectivity that finally works without the company's much-criticised app — but the cooking results are barely distinguishable from the 2020 Pro. We recommend it for buyers replacing a dead older Instant Pot, and we recommend against it for buyers entering the category fresh.