While your dishwasher, refrigerator, and oven and cooktop (or range) are likely to be the workhorses in your kitchen this holiday season, your countertop appliances can be real work savers. To get the most from this gear, follow these tips from Katherine Alford, test kitchen director for Food Network Kitchens.
Note: If you’re in the market for new countertop appliances, use our free buying advice for each product (listed below). Ratings are available to subscribers.—Kimberly Janeway
Coffeemaker
• To make a great cup of brewed coffee, buy high-quality beans and grind them right before you make the coffee.
• Don’t make too much coffee at a time. After about 15 to 20 minutes, coffee can lose flavor and become bitter.
• If your coffeemaker has a thermal carafe, warm the vessel before you brew by pouring hot water into it. (Pour out the water before you make the coffee.)
Learn how to choose a coffeemaker. Then check our Ratings to find the model that’s right for you. Also read our review of espresso makers.
Food processor and blender
• Use the feed tube on your food processor to make emulsified sauces, such as salad dressing or mayonnaise.
• If you’re making a pie from scratch, use the processor to make the crust—the blade is ideal for this task. Note that the sealed container of a food processor means this appliance isn’t good for whipping cream.
• Chop whole fruits and vegetables into chunks before you place them in the processor.
• When chopping nuts in a food processor, use the pulse button; otherwise, the nuts might get oily.
• When using a blender, put the liquids in first, then add the solids. The mixture will move around the blades more easily.
• Before you turn on a blender when pureeing hot foods, hold down the lid. Heat and pressure could build inside the carafe and explode—onto you and all over your kitchen.
Learn how to choose a food processor and blender. Then check our Ratings of food processors and blenders to find the models that are right for you. Try our tasty recipes you can make with a food processor, which were created by a Culinary Institute of America graduate. They’re ideal for the holidays.
Kitchen knives
High-quality knives are expensive but can last a lifetime if you take care of them.
• Store knives in a knife roll or block or on a wall magnet.
• Wash knives by hand in warm, soapy water. The water pressure of a dishwasher can dull the blade and he high temperatures can damages a wood handle.
Learn how to choose kitchen knives. Then check our Ratings to find the knives that are right for you.
Microwave
• Use the microwave to melt butter or chocolate when baking. Cover butter so it doesn’t spatter. Put chocolate in a medium-size bowl. Melt it at 50 percent power until soft—about one minute. Stir the chocolate, then continue microwaving until it’s completely melted, about one to two minutes.
• Instead of roasting garlic in the oven, do the job in your microwave—you’ll get the same soft texture in a small fraction of the time. Break the head of garlic into individual cloves. Pierce the skin with a knife but leave intact. Place the garlic in a bowl, cover, and microwave until soft, about 30 seconds.
Learn how to choose a microwave oven. Then check our Ratings to find the model that’s right for you.
Toaster oven
• Don’t overfill your oven when using it to cook. Moisture can build up in the oven if you place too much food in it. That might be good for keeping fish moist or warming bread and rolls, but not if you want your roast chicken to be crisp, for example.
• Use your toaster oven to bake a small batch of frozen cookies—perhaps your own homemade dough—for an afternoon snack or dessert or when guests come by unannounced during the holidays.
Learn how to choose a toaster. Then check our Ratings to find the model that’s right for you.
I recently stopped by our InfoCenter, a great resource for Consumer Reports editors. As part of some housekeeping they're doing, the folks in our library are giving away bound copies of past issues of Consumer Reports. I grabbed a few tomes, including the one from my birth year, 1963. 
