I’m a pro baker and these are the best kitchen deals I’m shopping right now

Not only am I a fan of Ina Garten's approachable, homey recipes, I also love checking out her gorgeous kitchen and cookware. Some of her go-tos are admittedly out of my price range — Le Creuset, anyone? — but I was pleasantly surprised to discover this super-affordable skillet, a longtime favorite of mine, is also a staple in her kitchen. 

Lodge has been in the cast iron business since 1896, so it knows a thing or two about crafting sturdy pieces designed to withstand practically any cooking environment. This skillet is no exception; it can be used on all cooktops, is oven-safe and can even be placed over a grill or open flame. Lodge pans are so durable, people often pass them down to younger generations. I've only had mine for about 10 years, but it works just as well as the day I got it, if not better. Not bad for just 20 bucks!

Another thing I love about this pan? It's made of iron and oil — no PFOAs or PTFEs, which gives me peace of mind about cooking without "forever chemicals." No wonder it's one of 12 pieces of cookware Garten links to on her website.

Check out my full Lodge Cast Iron Skillet review for more. 

It's time to chuck all of your mismatched food storage containers and replace them with this heavily marked-down set. It comes with 12 round and rectangular containers, which are clear so you can easily see their contents. Since they're made of borosilicate glass, the containers are dishwasher-, oven- and microwave-safe (just not the lids), and their airtight silicone seals help prevent leaks.

"Absolutely love how versatile these containers are," wrote a buyer. "The glass is sturdy and [the] lids are easy to clean and do not stain. Both containers and lids did well in my top rack dishwasher without any warping. I put soup in the container and flipped it upside down on my counter just to test if it would leak, and not one drop escaped through the seal."

Check out our roundup of the best food storage containers for more. 

Fall is prime baking season, and at 4.5 quarts, this No. 1 bestseller can hold enough dough to make up to eight dozen cookies at a time (though it won't take up much room in your kitchen). This is the brand I use in my own home kitchen, and it comes with a beater, dough hook and whisk attachments for making practically any baked good under the sun. 

It'll give your arms a break by doing all of the mixing, and you can let it run while you prep other ingredients. While this isn't the lowest price we've ever seen, we'll happily take a $60 discount.

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 of your muscles and joints, and its nonslip bottom will stay put without sliding around. It's waterproof and easy to wipe clean, and this price is about as low as we've seen it marked down to.

"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."

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 — you're saving over 70%!

"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."

An 11-piece nonstick cookware set for 54 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," said 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. 

Henckels has been crafting knives for over a century, so the brand knows a thing or two about what makes a quality set. This bestseller comes with just about every type of blade a home cook could need: a 3-inch paring knife, a 5-inch serrated utility knife, a 7-inch santoku knife, an 8-inch chef's knife and an 8-inch bread knife. Also included: six 4.5-inch steak knives, a professional honing steel, kitchen shears and a hardwood knife block. Whew! 

This bestselling collection is majorly marked down from its list price of $345, though we've never actually seen it shoot that high. Still, this is a stellar price for a comprehensive set with such high ratings. 

"I had been used to ordinary knives until my brother, who is a chef, convinced me to upgrade to Henckels," explained a user. "I must admit, I was a bit nervous at first, worrying about cutting myself, but the grip on these knives keeps my hands from slipping. They are extremely sharp and do a great job in the kitchen."

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

A slow cooker allows for hands-free, low-and-slow cooking, allowing meat to stay juicy and tender. Now that the temps are dropping, it'll be perfect for serving up cozy classics like chili and stew, and you'll be able to keep your food warm until you're ready to serve. Also, how pretty is this looker from Drew Barrymore's cookware line? 

"The color is gorgeous," shared a five-star fan. "I love the additional options for meat, soup and chili. It has a timer of up to 24 hours when placed on high, low or warm. The added lid holder is nice and it has a spot to wrap the cable when not in use. The large capacity is great."

How sleek is this dedicated kitchen vac? Sold exclusively at Target, it's a very fall- and winter-esque dark green and weighs just over 2 pounds. No, you won't want to clean your whole house with it, but it's just right for zapping up crumbs from the counter and kitchen floor. It'll run for up to 20 minutes before needing a charge — enough time to get into those hard-to-reach nooks. 

"I was happily surprised [by] how easy this vacuum is to use and what great suction power it has," said a shopper. "The boost button really kicks it up a notch! It's a very attractive design, and the perfect size for my small children to use to clean up their area after dinner every night. It would be nice if it had a wall-mounted charging dock, but other than that it's perfect."

Every kitchen needs a good pair of oven mitts, meaning those hole-filled ones in your drawer need to go. These top-sellers are heat-resistant up to 500°F, thanks to their silicone coating — and not only that, their ribbed design offers better grip than cloth mitts, plus they're water-resistant to protect your hands from hot splatters. They come in over 20 colors, though prices vary. (This gray pair is nearly 55% off!)

"These oven mitts are a game changer in my kitchen," declared a buyer. "The ribbed silicone design provides a secure grip on hot pots and pans, giving me confidence when handling them. The soft inner lining is comfortable to wear and provides excellent heat protection. I appreciate that they are flexible and allow for easy movement of my hands, unlike some other oven mitts that can feel stiff and bulky. Plus, the set comes with two mitts, so I always have a backup when one is in the wash."

One Yahoo editor awarded this blade the title of best budget chef's knife after testing a slew of them. She says, "When I started culinary school, I was issued a curated set of knives and tools we would need to work with through our 600 hours of training in order to graduate. This Mercer Culinary chef's knife was the one we received that day and what we would use for 90% of our daily tasks. That should give you an idea of what this knife is capable of — and of its durability.

The Genesis may not be a flashy knife, but it is a real workhorse in the kitchen. This Western-style knife is forged from a single piece of high-carbon German steel and features a handle made from Santoprene (a rubbery material) that ensures a firm grip even in damp hands." 

It only dropped lower in price once this year ... so chop chop!

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."

Bring your crispy, crunchy culinary dreams to life with this Walmart bestseller. It can roast, reheat and dehydrate, all in one machine — and with little to no oil. Plus, it's compact but can accommodate up to 2 pounds of fries in its basket. Eat your heart out, Mickey D's. (Psst: This price is better than Amazon's!)

"It is the perfect size for my small family," wrote a shopper. "It has an easy-to-adjust timer and temperature gauge, along with an option to cook and reheat food. It has an easy-to-clean basket with [a] removable tray at the bottom. I can cook eight full-size wings in under 20 minutes and they turn out great every time."

Check out our roundup of the best air fryers for 2024. 

There's something so elegant about matte dinnerware, and while this set might look expensive, it's down to just $10 per setting. It comes with six stoneware dinner plates, salad plates and bowls, all of which are dishwasher- and microwave-safe. Now your holiday table will actually have cohesive place settings!

"This dinnerware is the best," raved a reviewer. "Huge dinner plates, which are great for dinner parties with a big meal. I use the salad plates for a light dinner. The soup bowls make a huge bowl of soup too. Beautiful addition to my dining decor."

Smelly fridge? Yeah, not so appetizing. But this unassuming odor minimizer works for up to 10 years (yes, you read that right) to keep things fresh. All you do is place it inside and, well, that's actually it. Sorry, baking soda — you've been replaced. This little doodad can also go in closets, drawers, your car ... anywhere that could use some stench removal. 

"Having boiled eggs and onions in the refrigerator at the same time can be horrific," said a fan. "Baking soda cannot mask the smells, so I bought this to try, and to my surprise, it actually does make the refrigerator smell fresh. ... I would give it 10 stars if I could."

Just looking at this beautiful stoneware set will make you excited to turn on your oven. Complete with six baking vessels of different sizes, you'll be able to make dishes sweet and savory, from casseroles and lasagna to pies and bread puddings. At nearly 50% off, this is the lowest we've ever seen it.

"Very nice cookware," swooned a shopper. "[It] cleans up easily without a lot of scrubbing. [You can] use it on top of the stove or in the oven and in the microwave. Glad I purchased them."

A dull knife just won't cut it when it comes to efficient (and safe) slicing and dicing. And if you'd rather not shell out for a whole new set of blades, you can hone the ones you already have courtesy of this nifty tool. It has coarse, medium and fine settings for sharpening and polishing, and you can even adjust the sharpening angle. This is as low as we've seen it marked down to, so chop-chop!

"It [was] very frustrating to cut tomatoes or chop using my dull knives," said a buyer. "The sharpener is easy to use and my knives are sharp and good as new. It has many angles to accommodate different knives, and I like that it references which angle to use on the product itself, [as] opposed to just the product instruction sheet which will be tossed away."

What sets this beverage machine apart from a manual model like the SodaStream is the fact that it's electrically powered — no work needed on your part aside from choosing your preferred settings. On that note, this machine lets you customize the amount of bubbles in your drink (if you want any at all) as well as the flavor.

It's down to one of its lowest prices of the year, meaning the time to buy is now. And while it still might seem like a splurge, just think of how much money it'll save you on canned or bottled soda and seltzer in the long run.

"This product has been great and has helped both myself and my wife cut back on our soda purchases!" exclaimed one happy user. "They give you a decent sample size of the flavors and they are all pretty strong. The customization options are really nice to have as well, in case you want more carbonation or flavor in your drink, or less. The option of mixing flavors is nice too!"

Spare yourself from lukewarm pumpkin spice lattes, thanks to this top-rated pair of double-wall insulated mugs. They'll keep the contents inside nice and hot, while the exterior remains cool enough for you to handle without burning your hands. (In the summer, they'll keep your iced drinks cold too.) This is as low as they've ever been on sale for, FYI!

"This product exceeded my expectations," shared a fan. "It looks good but it also works as intended. The cup is very durable and it feels high quality. I have also warmed up the cup in the microwave a few times, and the cup is still cool on the outside and hot on the inside. Lastly, the cup is big, so you'll get a good amount of liquid in the cup, which is a bonus."

Tired of finding your family members' dirty dishes mixed in among the clean ones you washed? Make the state of your dishwasher crystal clear via this genius magnet. Just move the slider to indicate whether the contents inside are clean or dirty so no one will have to guess. Oh, and we've never seen it lower than this. 

"This product has been very useful for me and my kids," wrote a parent. "They used to always ask if the dishwasher was clean or dirty, and now, with this, they never have to ask me anymore! It sticks very nicely, is a good size and the writing is very clear to read. I definitely recommend this gadget!"

If there's one thing I can't be without, it's a metal sheet tray. From roasting vegetables to whole chickens — and don't forget about baking cookies! — these kitchen superstars are incredibly versatile and durable. 

I also like to use sheet trays when I'm making lasagna or dishes that are at risk of bubbling over — I just place my cooking vessel on top of a sheet tray in the oven, so the tray can catch any cheese or sauce that escapes. Easier to clean the tray than scrape up caked-on messes from the bottom of the oven! This set has large, medium and small trays to suit all kinds of needs, and at $25 for four, it's a total bargain. 

If your ratty old dish towels have seen better days, this 100% cotton set is an excellent swap. The waffle weave pattern not only looks nice, but it also offers a bit of texture for more effective scrubbing. Our price trackers tell us this is the lowest they've ever been, so wipe — er, swipe — 'em while they're on sale. 

"These kitchen towels are a great upgrade from my plain old cloth ones," said a shopper. "They're super soft and comfortable to use, and they absorb water really well. They also seem pretty durable, so I'm expecting them to last a good while. Overall, I'm really pleased with them."