After Testing Hundreds of Appliances, These Are the 3 Smeg Products I'd Tell People to Buy

I’ve tested 10 toasters in the Kitchen Lab, including the most recent round to update our guide to the best toasters. I was so impressed by the Smeg, I swapped my previous toaster for this model and use it daily.

HOW WE TEST: For each toaster, I made toast on five settings (low, medium-low, medium, medium-high, and high) to see the range of shades it can produce. I then made five consecutive batches of toast on the medium setting to assess how well the toaster moderates heat and time to produce identical-looking slices as the toaster slot gets warmer.

HOW THE SMEG TOASTER PERFORMED: This toaster scored top marks for evenly cooking bread with a uniform color from crust to crust, back and front. It also produced a nice range of colors from the lowest to the highest setting without burning a single crust. It only took slightly longer than other models (2:22 on the middle setting; we give top marks to toasters that take less than two minutes).

In our consecutive toasting test, the bread was evenly colored from the first slice to the last. The toaster adjusted the cooking time appropriately; the first slice took 2:25, and the last took less than two minutes.

This toaster also earned high scores for ease of use, thanks to its responsive, straightforward controls and handy features like defrost and bagel. The slots are wide enough to accommodate a thick bagel, though you can’t fit a long slice of artisan bread in this toaster. I like that the shade setting dial has half-stops so you have 11 shade choices to choose from.

My first task every morning is to make two extra-hot cappuccinos for my husband and me using my De’Longhi Rivelia automatic espresso machine and my Smeg milk frother in a heated mug. I’ve used dozens of milk frothers over the years in my search for one that makes fluffy, stiff foam and isn’t a pain to clean. I found it in this Smeg model.

This electric carafe-style frother has a removable stainless steel pitcher that’s dishwasher-safe. I love that the carafe is easy to rinse and clean; milk doesn’t stick or burn, even with back-to-back cycles, which is an issue with other frothers that are nonstick-coated.

HOW WE TEST: GH Deputy Editor Sarah Gregory tested this milk frother in the Lab. She frothed whole milk and almond milk to assess the foam temperature and texture (we look for silky, uniform foam with tiny bubbles). When there’s a function for it, we also make hot chocolate to see how evenly the machine can melt and integrate chocolate into whole milk.

HOW THE SMEG MILK FROTHER PERFORMED: This model produced lovely, fluffy whole milk foam that was warm and held up well when poured over espresso. While it didn’t do quite as well with almond milk, the machine does make silky-smooth hot chocolate.

This frother does not include additional accessories (which is a plus in my book; fewer pieces to keep track of), but it does have seven settings for hot and cold foam, as well as hot chocolate and options for light and thick froth. There’s also a manual mode if you want to play barista and be more precise about your morning beverage.

This frother uses induction heating to evenly and gently warm milk. It’s never scalded my milk, and it also does a great job with cold foam for iced drinks.

A powerful citrus juicer can be a major time saver for big batches of margaritas, lemonade, and marinades. Electric models, like the Smeg, can also save you some elbow grease.

HOW WE TEST: In the Lab, we process lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits using each model and calculate the juice yield by weight. We also consider how long it takes and how the juice tastes, as well as ease-of-use factors like how easy the machine is to clean and whether it’s straightforward to operate.

HOW THE SMEG JUICER PERFORMED: This juicer produced more juice by weight than all but one of the models we tested for our guide to the best juicers. Lab Analyst Eva Bleyer, who tested the Smeg juicer, reported that “it completely cleaned out each lemon.”

She found it very easy to operate; when you press a fruit on the reamer, it automatically circulates and juice pours out of a spout on the side of the machine. She noted that you may have to remove pulp collected in the spout after a few lemons.

This juicer has a stainless steel reamer that’s a good size for everything from a lime to a grapefruit, and though it doesn’t have a juice collection vessel, it does come with a lid to cover the reamer during storage.