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The best small kitchen appliance deals for back to school 2024
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As the new school year begins, it’s the perfect time to upgrade your kitchen or door room with essential small appliances that make life easier on busy mornings and quick meals. Whether you’re setting up a dorm room, preparing for the first day of school or just looking to streamline your kitchen routine, Amazon is offering great deals on must-have kitchen gadgets. From air fryers to efficient coffee makers, there’s something for everyone.
CBS Essentials’ shopping experts have scoured Amazon to find the best deals on top-rated small kitchen appliances for back to school, all with four-star ratings or higher and glowing reviews.
We’ve rounded up the best Amazon small appliance deals to help you start the school year off right.
The best Amazon deals on small kitchen appliances
Right now, Amazon is offering deals on Keurig coffee makers, air fryers and more dorm essentials.
Instant Vortex Plus (6 quart): $120 (25% off)
Instant Pot via Amazon
Unlike many traditional air fryers, the Instant Vortex Plus has a window. Instead of opening the air fryer every 10 minutes to see if your food is crisping, watch it get that delicious crunch while it’s air frying without letting all the heat out of your device.
The Instant Vortex Plus can also roast, broil, bake, reheat and dehydrate food. What’s unique about this device is that it features a progress bar and will display a message when it’s time to add in the food (after pre-heating) or flip it over for maximum crisping. It can reach up to 400 degrees.
“I really like that I can check on my food without disturbing the cooking process,” CBS Essentials senior writer Lily Rose says. “This machine is easy to use, but I do wish that it had a few more functions or accessories.”
This air fryer is currently on sale for $120 (regularly $160).
Why we like the Instant Vortex Plus:
- We love the little window and that the machine alerts you at all the right times.
- The basket and tray are dishwasher safe.
Nespresso Vertuo Next espresso maker: $145 (31% off)
Amazon
The Nespresso Vertuo Next allows you to brew single-serve coffee or espresso at the touch of a button. The espresso maker can brew three different cup sizes and offer an ultra-fast, 25-second heat-up time.
“I found myself spending close to $35 per week on coffee at Starbucks. Not anymore,” one Amazon reviewer writes. “The Nespresso machine generates a beautiful thick espresso by centrifugal force which gives the end result a nice layer of crema. Totally worth the money to get the milk frothed as well for a nice latte or cappuccino.”
The bestselling espresso machine typically retails for $209 on Amazon, but right now it’s marked down to $145.
Why we like the Nespresso Vertuo Next espresso maker:
- The espresso machine is only 5.5 inches wide, making it a compact option that is good for small spaces.
- It offers six cup-size options.
- It comes with a 37-ounce water reservoir so that you can make several cups without having to add more water.
Keurig K-Elite: $149 (22% off)
Amazon
The Keurig K-Elite coffee maker makes a single cup of coffee at a time but features a 75-ounce water reservoir so you can make cups of coffee for everyone in your family. The 4.7-star-rated device has a strong brew button, an iced coffee setting and hot water on demand, perfect for making tea and hot chocolate on cool summer nights.
“I’m so pleased with this Keurig. [It was] so easy to set up and use. I love the iced coffee feature [and] how it gives different cup sizes also. Definitely worth the money,” one verified purchaser on Amazon says.
Why we like the Keurig K-Elite coffee maker:
- It offers five brewing size options, from 4 to 12 ounces.
- The coffee maker includes a large 75-ounce water reservoir so you don’t need to refill it in between brews.
- The K-Elite features a strong coffee button for a stronger pour via K-cups.
Keurig K-Duo Plus coffee maker: $199 (13% off)
Amazon
The Keurig K-Duo Plus coffee maker allows you to use single-serve K-cups or brew a larger serving with ground coffee. The coffee maker features a 60-ounce water reservoir, so you don’t need to refill in between every brew. There is also a pause feature that allows you to stop the machine for 20 seconds while brewing a pot of coffee so that you can pour yourself a fresh cup right away. It’s rated 4.5 stars on Amazon.
“I am absolutely thrilled with the Keurig K-Duo Plus coffee maker. This versatile machine has revolutionized my morning coffee routine and has become an indispensable part of my kitchen,” one verified Amazon purchaser says.
Why we like the Keurig K-Duo Plus coffee maker:
- You can use K-cups to make individual cups of coffee on demand or brew larger pots with grounds.
- The auto-brew setting allows you to schedule a brew up to 24 hours in advance, so hot coffee is waiting for you when you wake up.
- The adjustable multi-position water reservoir can be positioned to the left, right or back of the brewer.
Cosori Air Fryer Pro LE (5 quarts): Save 20%
Cosori via Amazon
The bestselling five-quart Cosori air fryer features nine cooking functions that prepare your food at the best temperature and time. It can reach temperatures of up to 450 degrees. The non-stick air fryer basket is removable and dishwasher safe.
“I like the fact that, in addition to the nine pre-set temperatures and times for various foods and tasks, you can also manually adjust times and select a temperature right up to 230℃, which is close to the ‘max crisp’ temperature setting offered by one of the leading models in the market,” one Amazon customer says.
Why we like the Cosori Air Fryer Pro LE:
- This air fryer can get really hot, really quickly.
- It offers nine versatile functions.
- Its basket is dishwasher safe.
Keurig K-Mini coffee maker: Save 40%
Amazon
If you’re running out of counter space in your kitchen, adding a new appliance can be difficult. But you probably won’t have that problem with the Keurig K-Mini — this single-serve pod coffee maker measures just 4.5 inches wide, 12.1 inches tall and 11.3 inches deep.
The compact Keurig comes with a small one-cup water reservoir and a removable drip tray that can accommodate travel mugs up to 7 inches tall. You can brew a 6- to 12-ounce cup of coffee in just minutes.
Keurig K-Mini coffee maker is now $60 (reduced from $100).
Why we like the Keurig K-Mini coffee maker:
- It’s compact and fits neatly on any countertop.
- It can accommodate both mugs and travel mugs
NEW YORK — Drones have been banned from flying over several New Jersey towns, the Federal Aviation Administration confirms to CBS News.
The FAA order covers nearly two dozen towns, including Jersey City, Harrison, Edison, Bayonne and Camden. It will be in effect until Jan. 17.
The order says no unmanned aircraft can operate below 400 feet within one nautical mile of the airspace specified in each area. Additionally, it allows the government to use “deadly force” against the drones if they pose an “imminent security threat.”
“Pilots of aircraft that do not adhere to the procedures in the national security requirements for aircraft operations contained in this section may be intercepted, and/or detained and interviewed by federal, state, or local law enforcement or other government personnel,” the order reads in part.
Several of the zones are centered around infrastructure, like power substations. Others cover areas like the Kearny, New Jersey port and airspace around military installations like Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in South Jersey, or airports such as Newark-Liberty International Airport.
Earlier this month, the Florham Park, New Jersey police chief told residents drone sightings had been reported above “water reservoirs, electric transmission lines, rail stations, police departments, and military installations.”
Where are drones banned in New Jersey?
North Jersey:
- Cedar Grove
- Bridgewater
- North Brunswick
- Metuchen
- South Brunswick
- Edison
- Branchburg
- Sewaren
- Jersey City
- Harrison, Essex County
- Elizabeth
- Bayonne
- Clifton
- Kearny
Central Jersey:
South Jersey:
- Burlington
- Evesham
- Camden
- Gloucester City
- Westampton
- Winslow
- Hancocks Bridge, Salem County
See the full order from the FAA here.
Mysterious drones over New Jersey and beyond
Drones sightings have been reported all month long, first over Morris County, New Jersey and then over several other East Coast states.
Federal, state and local officials have been demanding more information about where they are coming from and what’s being done to stop them. The FBI is leading the investigation and tells CBS News it has received thousands of tips.
While the White House says there is no known threat, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy recently sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking for more federal resources.
On Wednesday, a push from Sen. Chuck Schumer to give local law enforcement more ways to track drones was blocked in the Senate.
Check back soon for the latest updates on this developing story.
contributed to this report.
Two highway crashes in southeastern Afghanistan killed a combined total of 50 people and injured 76, a government spokesman said Thursday.
One was a collision between a bus and an oil tanker on the Kabul-Kandahar highway late Wednesday, said Hafiz Omar, a spokesman for the governor of Ghazni province.
The other, also late Wednesday and in the same province, was in a different area of the same highway, which connects the Afghan capital with the south.
MOHAMMAD FAISAL NAWEED / AFP via Getty Images
Hamidullah Nisar, the provincial head of the Taliban-run Information and Culture Department, told the Reuters news agency the other accident involved a cargo truck, adding that some of those injured in both collisions were in critical condition.
Omar said many of the injured were taken to hospitals in Ghazni and patients in more serious condition were transferred to Kabul. Women and children were among the casualties, he said.
Authorities were in the process of handing over the bodies to families, Omar said.
MOHAMMAD FAISAL NAWEED / AFP via Getty Images
Crash survivor Abdullah Khan, who was being treated in a Ghazni hospital, said he didn’t know how many people had either died or were injured.
“I got out from the bus myself and heard the sound of moaning. There was blood everywhere. Some people had head injuries and others had hurt their legs.”
MOHAMMAD FAISAL NAWEED / AFP via Getty Images
Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, mainly due to poor road conditions and driver carelessness.
MOHAMMAD FAISAL NAWEED / AFP via Getty Images
CBS News
France’s President Emmanuel Macron tours cyclone-battered Mayotte, meets survivors pleading for help
Mamoudzou, Mayotte — France’s President Emmanuel Macron traveled Thursday to the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte to survey the devastation that Cyclone Chido wrought across the French territory as thousands of people tried to cope without bare essentials such as water or electricity.
“Mayotte is demolished,” an airport security agent told Macron as soon as he stepped off the plane.
The security agent, Assane Haloi, said her family members, including small children, are without water or electricity and have nowhere to go after the strongest cyclone in nearly a century ripped through the French territory of Mayotte off the coast of Africa on Saturday.
KWEZI/AFP/Getty
“There’s no roof, there’s nothing. No water, no food, no electricity. We can’t even shelter, we are all wet with our children covering ourselves with whatever we have so that we can sleep,” she said, asking for emergency aid.
Macron got a helicopter tour of the damage and was to spend Thursday night on the far-flung French territory. After flying over the destruction, he headed to the hospital in Mamoudzou, Mayotte’s capital, to meet medical staff and patients.
Wearing a traditional Mayotte scarf on his white shirt and tie, sleeves rolled to the elbows, the French president listened to people asking for help. A member of the medical staff told him some people hadn’t had a drink of water for 48 hours.
Some residents also expressed agony at not knowing about those who have died or are still missing, partly because of the Muslim practice of burying the dead within 24 hours.
LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP/Getty
“We’re dealing with open-air mass graves,” Mayotte lawmaker Estelle Youssoufa told reporters. “There are no rescuers, no one has come to recover the buried bodies.”
Some survivors and aid groups have described hasty burials and the stench of bodies.
Macron acknowledged that many who died hadn’t been reported. He said phone services will be repaired “in the coming days” so that people can report their missing loved ones.
French authorities have said at least 31 people died and more than 1,500 people were injured, more than 200 critically. But it’s feared hundreds or even thousands of people have died in total.
Abdou Houmadou, 27, said emergency aid was needed immediately, not Macron’s presence.
“Mr. President, what I’d like to tell you… is I think the spending you made from Paris to Mayotte would have been better spent to help the people,” he said.
Another resident, Ahamadi Mohammed, said Macron’s visit “is a good thing because he’ll be able to see by himself the damage.”
“I think that we’ll then get significant aid to try and get the island back on its feet,” the 58-year-old said.
LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP/Getty
Macron’s office said four tons of food and medical aid, as well as additional rescuers, were aboard the president’s flight. A navy ship was due to arrive in Mayotte on Thursday with another 180 tons of aid and equipment, according to the French military.
People living in a large slum on the outskirts of Mamoudzou were some of the hardest hit by the cyclone. Many lost their houses, some lost friends.
Nassirou Hamidouni sheltered in his house when the cyclone hit.
His neighbor was killed when his house collapsed on him and his six children. Hamidouni and others dug through the rubble to reach them.
The 28-year-old father of five is now trying to rebuild his own house, which was also destroyed.
He believes the death toll is much higher than what’s officially being reported, given the severity of what he lived through.
“It was very hard,” he said.
Mayotte, located in the Indian Ocean between mainland Africa’s east coast and northern Madagascar, is France’s poorest territory.
The cyclone devastated entire neighborhoods and many people ignored the warnings, thinking the storm wouldn’t be so extreme.
Mayotte has more than 320,000 residents according to the French government. Most are Muslim and French authorities have estimated another 100,000 migrants live there.
Mayotte is the only part of the Comoros archipelago that voted to remain a part of France in a 1974 referendum.
Over the last decade, the French territory has seen a massive influx of migrants from the neighboring islands – the independent nation of Comoros, which is one of the world’s poorest countries.
