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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
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NASA researchers combined years of data and new imaging techniques to learn more about a “tipped over” black hole that is moving in an unexpected way.
The black hole is located in a galaxy called NGC 5084. Researchers have been aware of the galaxy for years, NASA said in a news release.
New analysis techniques developed at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California helped researchers see four long plumes of plasma emanating from the galaxy. Most galaxies don’t have plumes, and when they do, only one or two are present. The plumes suggested the galaxy might house a supermassive black hole, NASA said. Spotting both pairs, which formed an “X” shape, led researchers to focus more on the area.
Using archived data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Telescope based in Chile, researchers found that the galaxy also had a “small, dusty inner disk” rotating at the center of the galaxy, again suggesting a black hole there. Even more surprisingly, both the disk and black hole were rotating at a 90-degree angle relative to the rest of the galaxy, meaning both features are essentially “lying on their sides,” NASA said.
NASA/STScI, M. A. Malkan, B. Boizelle, A.S. Borlaff. HST WFPC2, WFC3/IR/UVIS.
“It was like seeing a crime scene with multiple types of light,” said research scientist Alejandro Serrano Borlaff, who will also publish a paper about the discovery, in the news release. “Putting all the pictures together revealed that NGC 5084 has changed a lot in its recent past.”
It’s not clear what caused the change in the galaxy. It may have collided with another galaxy and formed a chimney of superheated gas, creating the X-shaped plasma plumes. Further research will have to be conducted to learn more about the circumstances.
“Detecting two pairs of X-ray plumes in one galaxy is exceptional,” said Pamela Marcum, an astrophysicist at Ames and co-author on the discovery, in the news release. “The combination of their unusual, cross-shaped structure and the ‘tipped-over,’ dusty disk gives us unique insights into this galaxy’s history.”