I adore homemade bread. When I was a child, my mom would run her bread maker overnight, and I would wake to the delicious smell of a fresh loaf. It was on these mornings that my love for snacking on bread with good-quality butter was born.

Now, I make my own by hand (well, with a little help from a stand mixer), baking it in the oven to perfection. I usually use my best Dutch oven for the task, but I have always wondered if a bread oven, such as the Le Creuset Signature Oval Bread Oven, is worth the investment.

So, I put it to the test and talked to professional bakers to settle the bread oven vs. Dutch oven vs. loaf tin debate. The short answer is that if you have a Dutch oven, you do not need a bread oven, but there are some caveats. Here's what you need to know.

Since getting my Le Creuset Dutch Oven earlier this year, it has been my go-to for baking a simple, crusty loaf. The tight-fitting lid traps moisture while the heritage cast iron retains heat for a great crust. I have never had an issue, so long as I quickly remove the baked loaf from the pot and parchment paper to cool.

Then, I got the opportunity to test out the oval bread oven and personally found it to be a game changer. While I will write up a full review soon, I can share now that the low-profile sides made the loaf easier to manoeuvre without parchment paper, providing a super crisp base. The lid trapped moisture perfectly, and the loaf was one of the best I have ever made.

That being said, professional bakers argue that for the everyday home baker, the separate investment might not be necessary unless you are particularly bothered about the shape of your bread.

Carrie Barnard, Founder and Recipe Developer at Eating on a Dime, explains, 'In general, cast iron bread ovens will not produce vastly different results than a typical Dutch oven. The major difference is simply that bread ovens have a cloche you can remove to more easily get the bread out, whereas a deeper Dutch oven makes it harder to remove quickly.

'The main appeal of a cast iron bread oven is that it effectively traps moisture to brown the exterior of the bread without overcooking the interior, and it can be effectively preheated because cast iron is excellent at holding heat. Dutch ovens share these same features, so if you already have one, there is no real need to get a separate bread oven.'

Where a bread oven really earns its keep is if you do not have a large cast iron pot and have been using a loaf tin, which is better for sandwich loaves when you want a crisp crust, Carrie continues.

'Most loaf tins are made out of aluminum, aluminized steel, or heat-resistant glass, none of which have the exceptional heat retention of cast iron. They will tend to produce a less deeply flavorful bread, so that is one area where you will likely notice a real difference.'

Carrie is not the only one. Desislava Angelova, Baker and Founder of The Bake-Keeper, agrees. 'I bake in a standard enameled Dutch oven and on a plain baking sheet, and I have never owned a dedicated bread oven. A bread oven's shallow base makes it easier to lower the dough in, but if you already own a Dutch oven, your loaf will come out nearly the same.'

The trick? No matter which pot you are using, preheat first, Desi says. 'I preheat the pot for 475°F (245°C) for 30 minutes, then bake for 30 minutes with the lid on and 10 minutes with it off.'

All in all? While I personally love the look of the oval oven and the bread it produces, if you have a quality cast-iron lidded pot as a casual baker, you can skip the bread oven and spend the money on quality ingredients instead.

What Else to Shop

From artisan bread ovens to versatile Dutch ovens and bread-making essentials, I’ve curated a selection of thoughtful upgrades to elevate your home baking, along with gift-worthy finds for the baker in your life.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Meet the Experts

Want to make baking a little easier on the arms? I suggest one of the best stand mixers to make baking easier and more consistent.

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My closet is tiny, and I wish I were exaggerating. I have one short rail to myself, and a serious shopping problem that is simply not compatible with minimalist living.

With my fall and winter sweaters now taking up three-quarters of that space, I needed a quick fix to double storage space. The answer? These $7 hanger stackers from Amazon. Instead of five hangers on the rail, there are now five stacked vertically.

It’s the perfect way to organize my small closet affordably and quickly.

Despite decluttering my closet twice a year during my spring and fall wardrobe swaps, I still have a silly number of clothes. As I live in a rented home, I don't have the option to expand my existing closet space, so the rail is packed, and getting things in and out is a workout.

The problem is worse in fall and winter when my rail is dominated by heavy knits and thicker materials. I needed a way to organize clothes without donating the lot.

These $7 hanger hooks allow me to stack similar items together in a tiered line, rather than cramming several hooks beside one another.

I am not the only one who loves this quick fix, either. Isabella Flores, Professional Organizer at Sparkly Maid San Diego, explains, 'Connector hangers can be a great space-saving solution, especially for closets with limited hanging space. They allow you to take advantage of the vertical space beneath your closet rod, especially when you use them strategically for matching sets, lightweight pieces, or less frequently worn or accessed items.'

To make the best use of them, Isabella suggests, 'Instead of hanging heavier pieces like a wool coat, blazer, or other structured jacket on a connector hanger, try reserving connector hangers for lighter fall and winter clothes like cardigans, flannel, and long-sleeve shirts and tops or even pants.' This then creates a little more space for thicker materials without them being crushed.

'Always double-check hanger compatibility and weight limits before use (just because a connector hanger can technically hold five hangers, that doesn’t mean you should stack five sweaters!)' she adds.

What Else to Shop

I use a whole host of hacks to help keep my small closet under control. These are some of my favorite organizers for taming clutter and creating order, especially in fall and winter.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Meet the Expert

Switching over your seasonal clothing? We have some expert tips for storing clothes long-term to prevent damage.

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With temperatures where I live already down to 44 degrees Fahrenheit at night, I've started using my Bedsure 2-in-1 Comforter for the second year in a row.

While I tend to use a duvet insert that's suitable for year-round use, living in an old, drafty home (and generally not being a hot sleeper) can leave me struggling to get a good night's rest once the weather transitions from summer to fall.

The Bedsure 2-in-1 Comforter Set, available at Amazon, however, keeps me warm while I sleep all night long, with a machine-washable comforter and a soft and fluffy blanket that can be cleverly detached once spring arrives.

Layering a comforter and blanket is an easy way to make bedding feel warmer as winter approaches. In my experience, though, it often means waking up to find one layer has slipped off the bed. Tucking everything in too tightly can also become a bed-making mistake, restricting movement and making it harder to sleep comfortably. Both of these issues are solved with the Bedsure 2-in-1 Comforter Set, available at Amazon.

I first tested this set last year and was impressed by how cozy it kept me, even when temperatures dropped to 30°F. The fluffy blanket and pillowcases instantly make the bed feel more inviting, adding warmth to the room and layering comfort without leaving me feeling overheated. And if you tend to sleep warm, you can simply detach the blanket from the comforter and use either layer on its own, making it a versatile choice as temperatures fluctuate.

For such a fluffy finish, it's also conveniently easy to care for. Both layers are machine-washable, and the 2-in-1 design means there'll be space to store this comforter and blanket combo in even the smallest of linen closets.

I have mine in the Cream White colorway, which feels suitably wintery, but it's also available in a whole host of rich tones, from a deep olive green to navy blue and burgundy.

One recent review, written by Bryon, dubs it the 'best bedding [they've] ever bought.' 'This comforter set is everything in the description and more! It washed and dried nicely; both layers are so soft and comfortable,' they explain.

'The snaps are sturdy and well secured [...] The materials are very nice, and they’re lightweight when separate but plush and thick when buttoned together. Great value for the cost.'

Another adds that it's a 'soft, versatile comforter set,' and says, 'In everyday use, the comforter feels lightweight on its own, but the detachable fluffy layer adds extra warmth when needed. I like being able to switch between just the lighter layer or both together depending on the temperature; it makes it more flexible than a standard comforter.

'The material is soft and comfortable against the skin, and it doesn’t feel stiff or scratchy. The pillow shams and pillowcases match well, so everything looks coordinated without having to think about mixing pieces. It also lays out nicely on the bed and doesn’t take much adjusting. Even with the detachable layer, it still fits together in a way that feels simple once it’s set up.'

Paired with the perfect thermostat setting for sleep, it's my favorite duo to reach for when making the bed in colder weather. And if you have friends and family coming to stay over the holidays, it's the ideal addition to keep guests warm.

More to Shop

Below, I've handpicked six more cozy favorites for staying warm while you sleep throughout fall and winter.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

You may also wish to move your bed placement to stay warm at night.

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With the end of October nearing, my attention has fully turned to getting my home guest-ready for the holiday season. Before fluffing the cushions and lighting a candle, however, there's laundry to be done.

In fact, there are seven things that experts recommend washing in the remaining run-up to November, from curtains to throws, to get your home looking and feeling fresh and inviting.

Here, they share the items to tick off when doing laundry throughout the remaining week of the month − while there's still plenty of time.

1. Curtains and Drapes

This might feel like a big place to start, but washing and caring for your curtains and drapes is a task that shouldn't be neglected.

'Curtains are one of those things people forget to clean because they don’t look dirty,' explains Rechelle Balanzat, Founder and CEO of Juliette. 'But they collect dust, pollen, pet dander, and everyday odors over time. With more people coming into your home during the holidays, freshly cleaned curtains can make a noticeable difference in how your space looks and feels.'

To clean your curtains, Rechelle recommends always checking the laundry symbols or care label beforehand. 'Cotton and some polyester curtains may be machine washable, while silk, velvet, and lined drapes may require professional cleaning,' she says.

Then, remove any hooks and hardware, shake out the dust, preferably outdoors, and wash machine-safe curtains on a gentle cycle with cool water before air-drying to prevent shrinkage and wrinkles. To smooth out any remaining wrinkles, you may wish to use a steam cleaner, available at Amazon, 'provided the fabric is steam-safe,' adds Rechelle.

If your curtains aren't machine-washable, take them to your local dry cleaners to avoid any damage. If you're wondering how often you should wash curtains, experts recommend every six to twelve months.

2. Towels and Bathrobes

Putting a towel into your guest bedroom is an easy way to make a guest room feel more homey. But if they're scratchy and stained, they'll detract from the experience rather than add to it.

'If you’re the type of person who has towels and bathrobes only for guests, you’ll probably need to wash them so they’re nice and fresh before they arrive,' says Alex Varela, Cleaning Expert with Oakville Maids.

Importantly, don't use fabric softener when washing towels: It will coat the fibers, making them hard and rough. Instead, use dryer balls, available at Walmart, for a naturally fluffy feel. You can also wash your towels with vinegar to the same effect.

3. Throw Blankets and Decorative Pillow Covers

'Throw blankets and decorative pillows get used constantly, whether we’re relaxing on the couch, taking a nap, or entertaining friends,' says Rechelle. 'They can hold onto body oils, dust, pet hair, and food spills.

'I recommend refreshing them before hosting season begins, especially if guests will be using your living room or staying overnight.'

Washing, drying, and caring for blankets and throws is simple once you know how, and many are suitable for machine-washing. The same applies to pillowcases, though 'delicate wool, cashmere, velvet, and embellished fabrics may require special care or professional cleaning,' advises Rechelle.

If you are washing any at home, it's always best recommended to use a gentle detergent, like the All Free Clear Liquid Laundry Detergent, available at Amazon.

4. Pillows

Don't neglect to wash your pillows, either. 'It’s a good idea to wash them before November or December because most people don’t really wash their pillows, or at least not as often as they should,' warns Alex. 'And pillows absorb a lot of body oils, sweat, and dust mites.

'That being said, check the care tag first because not all of them are washing-machine safe, like memory foam pillows shouldn’t go in the washer for example. (Most) Polyester pillows or down pillows are washing machine safe, though.

'Always wash two at a time so they’re “balanced” within the drum. If you just add one, it would have too much “free” movement. Run an extra rinse cycle than you normally would and dry on low heat (full cycle). You may need two to three cycles until they’re dry on the inside. I recommend a fragrance-free detergent.'

Something like the Tide Free & Gentle Laundry Detergent, available at Walmart, will work well in this instance. Don't forget about cleaning your throw pillows, too.

5. Guest Room Bedding

Finally, it's not just your pillows that may need your attention − particularly if you're preparing your guest room for a flurry of guests.

As Rechelle says, 'Your guest room doesn’t need to be used every day to need a refresh. Bedding can collect dust and develop stale odors while sitting in a closed room.

'Washing your sheets and mattress protector ahead of time means you’re not scrambling to prepare a comfortable bed when family or friends announce they’re coming to stay.'

Take the time to wash your bed linen according to the care labels, and take extra care when washing a mattress protector to avoid any potential damage, as some may be counted among the things to never put in the washing machine.

Then, 'Store freshly laundered linens in a clean, dry space until guests arrive,' continues Rechelle, to keep them smelling fresh.

What to Shop

Below, I've curated six essentials to get your home looking beautifully guest-ready ahead of the holidays.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Meet the Experts

'I recommend that you don't wait until Thanksgiving week or Christmas to tackle these items,' reaffirms Rechelle. Start in October, and you’ll have a fresher home before the holiday rush begins,' allowing you more time to spend on perfecting your Christmas decor ideas.

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If holiday hosting is your love language, then there’s a good chance you’re familiar with the mess that materializes as soon as your guests arrive and shed their outdoor layers. While coats can easily squeeze into a closet, it’s the shoes that become a pain – kicked into a chaotic cluster that overtakes your entryway.

This precarious shoe pile is inevitable during holiday parties, but it can happen all year round, too. I know the struggle firsthand – as a frequent host who lives in a tight apartment, my small entryway looks like a dense mountain just seconds away from a landslide anytime I have guests over.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner, and lots of holiday parties planned at my place, I decided that it's time to address my entryway dilemma with a creative storage idea. And I have found just what I needed in Wayfair's Way Day sale: this surprisingly spacious and subtly chic cushioned storage bench.

This bench’s stylistic appeal is what first caught my attention. It doesn’t read too utilitarian – unlike a lot of the tiny entryway storage ideas I saw during my search for the perfect one. Instead, it yields a tasteful, modern farmhouse-inspired look with its fluted doors and painted frame. It’s one of those practical furnishings that works overtime to keep your space clean and looking chic.

That said, what sold me was its surprisingly spacious layout. It features three base cabinets, a side pocket, and even an underseat compartment for hidden storage. It’s a true workhorse for any entryway, providing space for shoes, grocery bags, an umbrella, gloves; the list goes on and on. It’ll keep your entryway clear of clutter any time of year.

Boasting a 4.6 out of 5-star ranking at Wayfair, this bench comes highly recommended by reviewers, with some remarking on its easy assembly, its sturdiness, and its attractive look. Plus, its price is hard to beat at less than $130.

While it’s already a stylish storage piece, I think this bench has the potential to be transformed into something even better. I’d reupholster the bench with a chic, durable fabric (Pepper Home’s Hadley Sky Performance Woven is my choice), I’d repaint the exterior in a fresh, inviting color, and I’d even replace its cabinet knobs with more exciting alternatives to give this bench a custom look.

Wayfair’s Cushioned Storage Bench is such a practical solution to make your entryway look nicer. Ahead of hosting season, it’ll give you a defined space for guests’ shoes so that while you’re hosting, a shoe pile will be the least of your problems. And at less than $130, it’s a steal for how helpful it’ll become in your home.

How I'd Style Wayfair's Cushioned Storage Bench

Aside from new upholstery and a fresh coat of paint, here's what I'd buy to make Wayfair's Cushioned Storage Bench a bit more exciting for the entryway.

Shop More Entryway Benches

Wayfair’s Cushioned Storage Bench isn't the only option I considered for my entryway. Below, find three more that are just as chic and practical for eliminating that inevitable shoe pile.

Although Wayfair’s Cushioned Storage Bench is helpful for keeping a cluttered entryway organized any time of year, I just know it'll come in handy during hosting season. But if you're looking for something larger that can benefit both shoes and coats, check out IKEA's NIPÅSEN Coat Rack and Bench, instead. This editor-approved find maximizes small entryways with its many functions and is perfect for organization when hosting this holiday season.

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With the start of November now just over a week away, I'm beginning to feel ready to transition my home from Halloween to the holidays. Christmas in my home begins on November 1st and, while the tree won't be up until December, my home scenting transitions overnight.

I've tried a wealth of seasonal candles, with notes of spiced orange, fir, and gingerbread, but something that I feel truly captures the holiday spirit is the fresh, peppermint scent of candy canes. This is the inspiration behind IKEA's new VINTERFINT Candle − and it costs just $4.99.

The affordable price, sweet seasonal scent, and nostalgic, playful design make it one of the very best candles to wrap as a stocking stuffer or light in the run-up to the big day.

There are several Christmas candles I return to each November − Diptyque's Sapin, NEOM's Christmas Wish, and Skandinavisk's Fjord, available at Amazon, to name a few. But while a real treat, my yearly rotation is certainly not affordable. Fortunately, IKEA's VINTERFINT Candle is.

With the iconic scent of a sweet and minty scent of candy cane, it's undoubtedly an essential to make your home smell like Christmas. The 20-hour burn time means it will last through plenty of festive days and evenings spent on the couch or hosting friends and family, and for just $4.99, I'd suggest buying a few to place in each room to make your entire home smell nice.

The playful design will look at home among any Christmas mantel decor ideas or maximalist Christmas table decor, particularly if you prefer the classic colors of traditional Christmas decor, with a modernized twist.

I'd pair mine with a similar reed diffuser, like this Wild Mint & Eucalyptus Reed Diffuser, available at Amazon, to boost the scent throw. Alternatively, use peppermint oil, available at Walmart, in one of the best essential oil diffusers to fill your home with fragrance, without the worry of flames. My favorite is the NEOM Wellbeing Pod Luxe, but if you're on a budget, the InnoGear Ceramic Essential Oil Diffuser, available at Amazon, has the same look for less.

In any case, I'm ordering a handful of IKEA's VINTERFINT Candles for myself, and an additional few for gifting to friends and family this Christmas − they make the perfect stocking stuffers. And once the candle is used up, you can reuse the candle jar (after getting the wax out) for seasons to come.

More to Shop

For home shipping, your IKEA basket must be over $35. I've rounded up some more festive favorites to add in, along with alternative recommendations for burning and gifting this season.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Get organized ahead of time with our new year home fragrance edit.

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It might feel a little early to be thinking about Christmas decor storage – after all, we haven’t even celebrated Thanksgiving yet. However, planning your storage solutions ahead of time can save you both money and stress once the festive season is over.

Certified Professional Organizer Jenny Dietsch of Getting It Done Organizing strongly supports this approach, urging, 'Buy your bins before the holidays, before stores run out of the good ones. The success of next year’s setup starts now. When you store décor thoughtfully, you’ll be able to decorate with intention next year instead of just reacting as you pull things out of boxes. Knowing what you have and where it is gives you complete control (and makes the process so much more enjoyable!).'

Shopping early means you can take advantage of peak sales periods to find great prices while getting everything in place before the post-Christmas clear-up begins. Rather than waiting for deliveries during the busiest time of year for mail, you’ll have everything you need to refresh your home storage and pack away the festive clutter as soon as the celebrations are over.

I’ve hunted high and low for the prettiest and most practical storage essentials to help keep Christmas clutter under control, whether you have a spacious attic to fill or need stylish, visible storage that works in a smaller home.

Christmas Decor Storage Tricks

When storing Christmas decorations, there are a few quick tricks and tips that can simplify the process and, more importantly, make decorating easier next year. I spoke to professional decorators and home organizers to learn their three most important tips for reclaiming your home after the holidays and making post-Christmas cleaning less overwhelming:

• Declutter as you go: According to Danica Carson, Professional Organizer and Co-Founder of The Uncluttered Life, 'Decluttering decor when storing things for the season is crucial. It’s also easy and accomplishes two things at once, so I highly encourage it. The end of the season is the perfect time to assess your decor before it’s out of sight and out of mind until next year. Realistically, you aren’t going to be getting out that seasonal decor to sift through it and declutter during the rest of the year, so it’s kind of a now-or-never situation when it comes to decor decluttering.'
• Beware of delicate decorations: When the post-Christmas blues hits, it is easy to fall into the trap of simply tossing items into a bin and calling it a day. For delicate pieces, however, Patricia Derpinski of Hudon Holiday Decor stresses how important dedicated storage is to preventing damage. Rushing the process can feel like a time-saver; however, pressure from stacking can cause cracks while exposing them to dust and moisture. Instead, she shares, 'I recommend using ornament storage boxes like the Sterilite or IRIS boxes [both from Amazon] for safe, organized storage.'
• Take your time: Barbara Brock, Professional Home Organizer, concludes, 'Resetting your home after Christmas takes time. This is the biggest advice I can give − allow enough time to undo the Christmas tree, store it away or discard, preserve strings of light, store ornaments and other things. Get out all the storage boxes, as storing your ornaments in dedicated boxes or in tissue helps preserve them for next year.'

If you want to save money and cut down on waste at home this season, there are plenty of household items you can use to store fragile decor.

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Thanksgiving is, at its core, about slowing down and spending quality time with family and friends. But when your home becomes the gathering place for the holiday, the pressure to get everything looking its best can quickly take away from the joy of hosting.

The good news is that preparing your home for Thanksgiving doesn’t have to mean deep cleaning or ruthlessly decluttering. A few simple, considered changes can make your space feel more organized, welcoming, and ready for guests, without adding another layer of stress to an already busy season.

We spoke to experts to discover how to simplify your home systems, focus on the areas that matter most, and host Thanksgiving with less effort. The result? A home that feels as warm and inviting as the occasion itself, leaving you more time to enjoy it.

1. Don't Clean The Whole House, Edit It

The secret to an elevated, effortless space is not thorough decluttering and cleaning; it is editing your home. Creating space for the eye to rest, to move without friction, and for your design to stand out can help to make your home feel more considered, with the added bonus of being easier to manage.

The first step is to reduce visual noise, starting in the living room where guests will gather, before working through to other key spaces such as the dining room, kitchen, and bathrooms. Work with the rooms that you will use, and ignore those guests will not see to preserve time and energy.

'In living spaces, fold and put away extra blankets, magazines, baskets, or other storage vessels that people may bump into (this too will make the space feel a bit bigger),' suggests Dianne O’Connor, CEO of Weston Table, who also recommends giving thought to a pared-back color scheme when using flowers or candles. 'In small spaces, less is always more.'

This might mean employing a few decluttering methods to help tackle piles on surfaces such as coffee tables and entryway credenzas, but keep it minimal. You do not have to declutter your whole house or eliminate all signs of life for one event.

When it comes to the dining space, Kate Rumson, Villeroy & Boch’s Hosting Expert, adds, ‘Let each element breathe; consider candles, seasonal foliage, and a few well-placed centerpieces,’ she recommends. ‘It's about creating a visual feast that complements, rather than competes with, the delicious dishes you're serving.’

If in doubt, ask yourself what you would focus your effort on if you only had two hours before guests arrived, and work from there.

2. Plan Ahead

It pays to plan your Thanksgiving party ideas well ahead of time. The longer you have to work, the less you will have to cram in the days or hours leading up to guests arriving. This means that you will have more time to spend relaxing with your friends and family on the day itself.

Start in the kitchen. Consider your Thanksgiving menu, plan your grocery list, check that your appliances and utensils are in good working order, and create a plan for storing leftovers neatly. With everything laid out, it will be easier to keep a kitchen tidy when cooking Thanksgiving dinner, too.

Wash your fancy dishes, glassware, and serving dishes. To polish cutlery, put some hot water and a few tablespoons of white vinegar in a bowl and submerge your cutlery to soak until the water is cool enough to handle. Then, using a microfiber cloth or tea towel, wipe down each utensil for a streak-free shine.

You can also set the table for Thanksgiving well in advance for effortless on-the-day hosting, suggests Devon Wegman, Design Director and Founder of Devon Grace Interiors. 'Keeping things simple is best. If possible, opt for benches instead of chairs at the table to maximize seating. On the table, placemats will crowd it too much, so opt for chargers under plates instead. Anything else on the table should do double duty as function and decor. Think decorative glasses for water and wine, a decorative pitcher for water, and decorative napkin folding to add texture.'

If you use fresh flowers or yard trimmings, you can put those in closer to the big day.

3. Consider Layout

You will likely have to rearrange furniture before hosting, especially if you live in a smaller home or apartment. You want to create easy walkways for guests so that no one is tripping over anything, while ensuring there is ample room for everyone to sit.

To organize a living room, Mary Jo Contello, Professional Organizer and Founder of Organized by MJ, explains, 'Making sure there is enough comfortable seating is very important, ensuring it is accessible for all of your guests. I then recommend targeting clearing the area of toys, paperwork, and clutter so guests can put drinks and small plates down without items teetering on the edge.

4. Concentrate on the Kitchen

With dinner the highlight of this holiday, the kitchen will become the inescapable heart of your home. Because of this, it is smart to spend time here before the big day so everything runs smoothly and your home appears effortless to guests. This is especially true if you are hosting Thanksgiving in a small space.

To make steady progress before Thanksgiving, experts suggest:

1. Decluttering the counters: It is essential to keep kitchen counters clear to maximize your workspace. Begin by decluttering your kitchen, removing non-essentials from the kitchen entirely. You will be amazed at how even just a quick clear-out can be perfect for making more counter space in a small kitchen
2. Doing a stock check: Di Ter Avest, Professional Organizer and Owner of Di Is Organized, says, 'Over time, pantries can get chaotic with expired food, misplaced items, or lack of organization. Start by taking everything out of the pantry and placing it on a countertop or kitchen table where you can clearly see everything you have. Then, go through each item one by one, discarding anything that has expired.
3. Planning the menu: With your pantry organized, Lauren Saltman, Professional Home Organizer and Founder of Living Simplified, suggests, 'Menu plan early [a menu grocery list pad from Amazon can help] and don't forget that your guests might be around before Thanksgiving, so be sure to have extra snacks on hand. Then, create a detailed shopping list and get to the grocery store before it gets crowded or runs out of an important ingredient.'
4. Dividing your kitchen into zones: Lina DaSilva, Cleaning Expert and Founder of Toronto Shine Cleaning, recommends, 'Divide your kitchen into zones based on activities – prep, cook, serve, and wash. This streamlines movement and ensures that tools and ingredients are at hand where needed. It also helps when it comes to cleaning up after hosting, too.'
5. Preparing cleanup areas: Keeping on top of your washing up over Thanksgiving will reduce your stress levels while hosting, as well as reduce visual clutter and banish bad kitchen smells. Designating a zone specifically for dishes and ensuring you have enough trash bags in advance can make cleanup easier on the day.

5. Edit the Entryway

As the first impression of your home, there is merit in designing a timeless entryway to welcome your guests into your space. The goal is to make this area feel welcoming, not just practical.

Yes, quality entryway storage will go a long way to corralling guest clutter and preventing clutter creep, but focusing on lighting, fragrance, and even the temperature can start your party off on the right foot.

To prepare your entryway thoroughly for Thanksgiving, we suggest:

1. Decluttering: Edit your collection of coats, shoes, and bags to make space for incoming guests' belongings.
2. Adding seating: Seating such as entryway benches is one of the things most organized people have in their entryway, making it easier for guests to put on or remove their shoes without tracking mud through your home. Using multi-functional entryway bench furniture is particularly helpful in small spaces.
3. Boosting storage: Preempt the inevitable rush of shoes, scarves, coats, and more by providing ample storage solutions, such as hooks or storage baskets. The self-adhesive Naittoop, Adhesive Hooks or the Command Medium Designer Hooks are great small mudroom ideas if you're looking to add extra coat space in a hurry.
4. Prioritizing functional decor: With high traffic expected, your decor needs to be minimal to prevent adding to visual clutter. Consider decorating front doors with door mats with seasonal motifs, from Amazon, to add a seasonal touch without cluttering sideboards, for instance.
5. Considering lighting: Tasteful entryway lighting ideas are essential to creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Consider floor or table lamps with soft, warm lighting. This will also make it easier for guests to see what they are doing as they come and go, preventing trips and slips.
6. Finding a fragrance: Our Home Fragrance Expert Ottilie Blackhall reminds us that our homes are often shut up against the cold in fall, trapping musty odors. She suggests using the best essential oil diffusers to scent the space and mask odors from shoes or cooking. Avoid candles, she adds, which could be knocked over in the bustle.

6. Bring Balance to Bathrooms

Guests are unlikely to spend much time in your bathroom, but they will be used at some point throughout the day. You do not need to spend lots of time here in advance beyond your usual bathroom cleaning routine and tidying away personal essentials.

As a general rule of thumb, it is best to stock the space with some designer-approved guest bathroom essentials; the idea being that your guests should not have to ask for anything while in your home.

Check the toilet paper stock, and ensure extras are kept in a tidy but obvious location. Swap out your hand towels for some pretty, freshly washed ones, and consider adding in a nice hand soap and a candle or diffuser to help mask odors and make guests feel more comfortable.

7. Don't Forget The Invisible Details

More often than not, making a home more welcoming is not about your design and hosting skills (although these certainly help), but about the tiny, invisible details that contribute to a comfortable home.

First and foremost, consider temperature. No one wants to be freezing cold or sweating while trying to enjoy their dinner. While the best temperature for a thermostat is a contested topic, experts generally recommend somewhere between 68-70 degrees Fahrenheit for everyday comfort in fall and winter.

Next, assess the lighting around your home, especially at the dinner table. Dining room lighting for hosting is a tricky balance to get right, begins Artem Kropovinsky, Interior Designer and Founder of Arsight. The room should be lit intimately, but not left so dark that your guests can't see what is on their plate. He suggests starting by lighting candles for a soft, warm light that makes your home cozy for Thanksgiving, and then layer more functional lighting from there.

Scent is next. 'You should never underestimate the power of home fragrance for setting the mood when hosting,' explains our Home Fragrance Expert, Ottilie. 'Making a home smell like fall, with comforting spices and warming notes, can make your home feel more welcoming, while masking any odors that might arise from a closed house, piles of shoes, and cooking dinner. Use one fragrance around the home to build intensity without it becoming overwhelming.'

Finally, consider music, using connected speakers around your home to play calming, seasonal music at a background level. Not only does this help to set a comforting yet elevated mood, but it can help to fill any quieter lulls in conversation.

FAQs

How Can I Make Hosting Thanksgiving Easier?

To make Thanksgiving hosting smoother, remember to ask for help, or never turn down help from guests. Just because you are the host doesn’t mean you have to juggle everything alone; get your guests involved to make the event more communal and bring people together. It could be something as simple as a guest getting the drinking glasses out of the cabinet for you. Any help is a big help.

How Can You Make Thanksgiving Guests Feel at Home?

Caroline Roberts, Professional Home Organizer and Owner of This Simplified Island, suggests ensuring your guests can help themselves as much as possible, especially if they are staying the night.

'Post the WiFi password somewhere visible, place towels in their room, display basic toiletries in the bathroom, put an extra blanket on the bed, and show them where the dishes are and how to make coffee. They will feel welcome, and you will have a little bit less to do.'

It can also be helpful to include a welcome sheet with any additional information, such as the locations of light switches, how to use the climate control and shower, and where to find refreshments in the house. Don't be afraid to lay out some gentle boundaries or rules here, too.

How Do You Plan a Thanksgiving Meal?

Caroline says, 'The Thanksgiving meal can feel overwhelming. Create your menu well in advance and test any new recipes you are considering for the big day.

'Write down the cooking temperatures and cooking times for each item. Note which items can be prepared far in advance and frozen, which items require thawing, and which items can be prepared a day or two in advance. Once you have this information, create a timeline of when things will be prepared and cooked.

'Remember that people want to help! Ask guests to bring sides, desserts, or drinks. You don’t have to do it all yourself.'

If in doubt about where to clean, consider using the guest scanning method to spot dirt spots before they arrive.

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The Deebot X11 OmniCyclone is Ecovacs' bid to do away with dust bags, pairing its first bagless auto-emptying Omni station with its most advanced roller mop yet (and a $1,099.99 price to match).

The bagless dock isn't its only trick. It's great at tackling hard jobs that most entries on our best robot vacuums struggle with, and its AI features make it easy to tailor to your home, even if its vacuuming doesn't always keep pace.

After four weeks of testing, the X11 OmniCyclone delivered on much of what Ecovacs promised. Read on for where it excelled and where it fell short.

Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone: Specifications

Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone: Setup

Setting up the X11 OmniCyclone is easy, even if it's your first robot vacuum and you've not done it before. Once everything is unboxed, click the ramp into the base of the station until you hear it lock in place, then position the dock against a wall on a flat, hard floor. Ecovacs recommends leaving around 2 inches of space on either side and roughly 2.6 feet clear in front. There's then a slot on the back for storing away any excess power cord.

The clean water tank – identified by the empty water droplet icon – lifts out of the station and fills from the faucet. The X11 then has two smaller tanks, beneath where the clean water tank sits, for two different cleaning solutions. You can choose Ecovacs' everyday cleaner ($49.98 for a pack of two), the Ecovacs $29.99 heavy-duty formula designed for greasy kitchen floors, or a pet-friendly Ecovacs solution for $25 a liter. All are sold separately and don't come in the box.

The Ecovacs Home app walks you through connecting it to your Wi-Fi and your wider smart home setup. My robot needed a firmware update before its first clean, which took about seven minutes. Thankfully, the brushes and rollers come pre-installed, so this saves a small amount of time. Plus, none of this needs tools, so the whole process, including the update, took no more than 10 minutes.

Once charged, the X11 set off on its first mapping run, working its way from room to room while the floor plan built up in real time in the app. The finished map wasn't the most detailed I'd seen, but it gave enough to make it useful without being overwhelming.

Each room is color-coded and automatically divided. The app did think my laundry room was a balcony, but the rest of the room mapping was accurate. The map also picks out different floor types, showing tiled and wooden flooring with different textures.

If it can't identify a room type, it lists it as a number instead, but you can rename all in a few taps as well as adjust room dividers, mark thresholds, and add no-go zones if the robot has got anything wrong. The map is saved under its own floor name too, so if you have a second level, you can map that separately, and the robot will recognize which floor it's on.

Once saved, the robot was then ready to begin deep cleaning my home.

Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone: Design and Features

At just 3.86 inches (9.8cm) tall, the Deebot X11 OmniCyclone is a low-slung, largely understated robot vacuum. Its black and silver design is only slightly broken up by the blue mop and vacuum brush, but the modern design can blend seamlessly into the modern home; the whole design blends seamlessly into the background like all good vacuums should.

Part of the X11's lower height is due to the fact that it doesn't have the raised LiDAR turret found on an increasing number of robot vacuums. Instead, its AIVI 3D 3.0 navigation sensors – which pair LiDAR with a camera to identify obstacles and trace their outlines – sit within the body. This lets it slip beneath sofas and beds that taller rivals nudge against without losing any of the mapping or navigating skills. A front LED switches on in dim rooms to help with this.

For thresholds, the TruePass system uses mechanical lever wheels rather than pre-scanning, climbing single ledges of 0.9 inches (2.4cm) and double thresholds of 1.6 inches (4cm). This should help avoid the usual reasons a robot vacuum gets stuck.

The OmniCyclone station is Ecovacs' first bagless, auto-emptying dock, and it uses 'dual-stage cyclonic separation' to empty the robot into a reusable 1.6-liter plastic container. Ecovacs estimates this saves 25 bags over five years, but the trade-off is that without a sealed bag to trap the dust in, allergy sufferers may have to be careful at disposal.

The top has a brushed, metallic-effect finish, and the station follows suit with metallic panels and a clear, removable cyclone chamber at the front. The clean and dirty water tanks sit on top for easy access and filling and emptying. The station itself stands 18.3 inches (46.5cm) tall and 19.4 inches (49.3cm) deep, including its ramp, so it needs enough room for the robot to maneuver in and out of, but has a relatively small footprint. Especially compared to the bulky Dyson Spot+Scrub's station.

Beyond emptying, the dock soaks and washes the roller mop in 167 F (75 C) water, dries it with hot air, refills the robot, and cleans its own wash tray. The two solution compartments switch automatically between the everyday and heavy-duty formulas, depending on the floor type and cleaning setting. Technically, you can use any non-foaming cleaner for these tanks (I use Zoflora), but Ecovacs does warn that it could invalidate your warranty if anything goes wrong after doing so.

On the underside of the robot is the OZMO Roller 2.0 mop, a nylon cylinder that spins at 200rpm. Eight nozzles rinse it with fresh water as it works, and a built-in scraper pulls the dirty water away into an onboard tank. It's a similar setup to the Yeedi S20 Infinity, from Ecovacs' sister brand, Yeedi, which is slightly cheaper than the X11.

Elsewhere, Ecovacs' TruEdge 3.0 technology pushes the roller up to 0.59 inches (1.5cm) outward to reach baseboards and corners. Ecovacs' Triple Lift System then raises the roller 0.39 inches (10mm) when its ultrasonic sensors detect carpet. These sensors also lift the brushes when the robot is working on wet spills to stop moisture spreading. Finally, a ZeroTangle 3.0 system pairs an anti-tangle side brush with a spiral main brush, which is great for hair and should appeal to anyone battling shedding season.

In terms of battery life, Ecovacs claims the X11 will run for up to 254 minutes in its quietest mode on hard floors, or 207 minutes in Standard mode. A full recharge takes around four hours but, through its PowerBoost feature, the station can restore 6% of the battery in three minutes while the mop is being washed. Ecovacs claims this lets the robot cover roughly 10,700 square feet (1,000 square meters) without a full recharge.

You have a number of options when it comes to controlling the X11 OmniCyclone. There is a small selection of onboard controls, but these are for basic actions like power and returning to the dock.

Everything else is controlled through the Ecovacs Home app or by speaking or typing to YIKO, Ecovacs' AI agent, which learns routines and builds cleaning plans around them and is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, as well as Matter, meaning it should connect to almost everything in your smart home.

Everything on the app is laid out simply. You can move between the robot and station settings in a single swipe, and everything sits under clearly labeled menus rather than buried in submenus.

Cleaning modes and the map live on the same page. You can easily set cleaning tasks per room rather than applying one setting across the whole home, or you can adjust suction and water flow by floor, room, or target area.

This offers a similar level of control to the Dreame Aqua 10 Roller, and the water flow levels option is one of the best parts of the Deebot X11 OmniCyclone, in my opinion. Especially if you want to avoid damaging your hard floors or don't want a swamp in your kitchen.

Auto-Empty and Do Not Disturb toggle from the advanced cleaning settings screen, and Auto Resume is a setting worth turning on if you have a larger home because it stops the robot from ending a clean early to recharge.

Maintenance features are built into the app too. You can check the condition of brushes and filters, see when parts need replacing, and order spares. Plus, it's a good place to start if your robot vacuum keeps getting stuck or isn't working as it should.

Following a recent update, Ecovacs now makes more of its assistant YIKO, turning it into an AI Agent where it didn't so explicitly before. When you select Agent Mode, you can describe your cleaning habits in plain language, and the agent turns them into instructions.

I told it that the corner beneath my kitchen sink gets messy and asked it to vacuum and mop there every day at 9pm. It confirmed the request and saved it as a standing preference. Suggested prompts, such as keeping the robot out of the bedroom after 10pm, give a sense of what else it can handle.

What Is the Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone Like to Use?

As with most robot vacuums I've tested, I did almost everything with the X11 OmniCyclone through the app. There is a button on the robot to start a clean or send it back to the dock, but whether I was setting up a schedule or tweaking how it cleaned a particular room, I reached for my phone.

Changing settings is easy enough. You pick whether you want it to vacuum, mop, or both, then set the suction, water flow, speed, and number of passes. That's a lot of control if you want it. If you don't, YIKO will think for you.

Around the house, the X11 mostly moves in neat, even lines. Now and then, though, it takes itself off on a route of its own before coming back to finish the job. It never missed anything as a result, but it's a bit baffling to watch in the app, and it's not something I saw from the Deebot T50 Pro Omni.

What it never did was get lost. Whether I moved furniture, picked it up mid-clean, or started it from a different room, it always knew where it was. I never had to remap, which I can't say for every robot I've used, like the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai. It was good with obstacles too, steering around shoes, messy cables, and the dog's bowl rather than pushing them across the floor. The only thing that caught it out now and then was a very thin charging cable, but that's true of almost every robot I've tested.

I have a high threshold between the Karndean flooring in my kitchen and the solid hardwood floors of my hallway, and the X11 got over it every time. Its lever wheels push it up and over without any hesitation, and while it does land with a small clunk, it's nowhere near as loud as some robots I've tested. It's also slim, with no LiDAR bump on top, so it slid under my sofa, dining chairs, and even the low dining room unit without getting stuck.

I wouldn't rely on any robot vacuum to deep clean your home, but for keeping on top of things day to day, the X11 does a good job. Crumbs under the dining table, grit by the back door, and the bits of food that end up around the dog's bowl were all cleared without me having to think about it. It's less thorough with fine dust, which sometimes needed a second run to shift completely, but on a daily schedule the floors rarely looked like they needed my attention.

Mopping is where it really earns its place. Floors come up clean and even with no streaks, and they smell fresh afterward rather than of whatever was spilled, which is more than I can say for plenty of robot mops I've tested. When it does come across something sticky, its stain detection sends it back for another go, so I found myself reaching for my own mop far less often. Dyson's Spot+Scrub Ai promises similar but didn't always perform as well as this Ecovacs model. Plus, because the roller on the X11 lifts on carpet, my rugs stayed dry even on combined vacuum and mop runs.

Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone: Vacuuming Tests

For the vacuuming tests, I put the X11 through our standard trio of messes on both laminate and carpet. That meant a quarter cup of sugar, a quarter cup of lentils, and a quarter cup of cereal, spread across each floor, with some deliberately pushed into corners and along the baseboards, where robots tend to struggle most.

Each one tests something different. Sugar mimics the fine dust and grit that settles on floors every day, lentils represent medium-sized debris like rice or dried pet food, and cereal stands in for the bigger crumbs that end up under a dining table.

Unusually, the X11 did its best work on the biggest mess. Cereal was picked up whole almost straight away, on both the laminate and the carpet, with very little of the crushing or flinging across the room I've seen from other robots. Even the pieces I'd pushed against the baseboards were cleared well.

Lentils took a bit more work, especially on carpet. Most came up on the first pass, but a handful were nudged ahead of the robot or left behind, particularly along the edges, and it needed a second run to clear them from the carpet completely.

Sugar took the most work of all. Traces of sugar remained on both the laminate and carpet after two passes. The only way to clear it properly so you couldn't feel it underfoot was on Max suction with the Deep Cleaning setting.

Pet hair testing went much better. The X11 cleared my dog's fur from both the hard floor and the carpet, and thanks to its ZeroTangle brushes, there was very little wrapped around the main brush afterward. I have to vacuum daily when Maisy is molting so this is a weight off my mind.

For everyday use, the X11 took over most of the vacuuming I'd normally do myself. I still used my cordless vacuum on carpets and stairs at the weekend, and I learned to set it to two passes on carpet to make up for its weaker pickup of fine dust. But for keeping on top of crumbs, grit and dog hair day to day, I could leave it to get on with the job.

I could also ask YIKO to do a double run on weekends to make sure the mess from my children was caught and removed.

Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone: Mopping Tests

To put the roller mop through its paces, I created two stains on my laminate floor. One was a quarter cup of ketchup and the other a quarter cup of mustard, which I chose because they behave so differently once they hit the floor. Ketchup is thin and spreads easily, while mustard is thicker, oilier, and prone to leaving a yellow tinge on lighter flooring.

Surprisingly, it was the mustard the X11 handled best. The roller lifted it cleanly on the first pass, leaving few smears or yellow residue and no sticky patch underfoot once the floor had dried. For a stain that has caught out plenty of the robot mops I've tested, including Ecovacs' own Deebot T50 Pro Omni, that's impressive. It's also interesting that between the cereal and mustard, the X11 is best at the harder tasks.

Ketchup didn't go quite as smoothly. On its first pass, the X11 smeared some of the stain across the floor rather than lifting it straight away. Its stain detection soon kicked in, though, and it went back over the area until every trace was gone. Better still, the floor didn't smell of ketchup afterward.

With many robot mops, a faint, tangy smell hangs around long after the stain has disappeared, because the pad simply spreads the residue around. Here, the continuously rinsed roller seems to take the mess away rather than move it around the floor.

After both tests, the roller came back from the dock clean, with no clumps of dried sauce stuck in the nylon, and the wash tray didn't need rinsing by hand. That's not always the case, even with the best robot mops I've tested, and it's a big part of what makes the X11 so easy to live with.

Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone: Maintenance

Once it's set up, the X11 needs very little attention because the dock takes care of most of the upkeep. After every clean, it empties the robot's dustbin, washes the roller mop in hot water, and dries it with warm air. Throughout my testing, the roller came back fresh and dry each time, with none of the damp, musty smell that can build up in cheaper robot mops.

Hair was rarely a problem either. The ZeroTangle brushes did a good job of shrugging off my long hair and my dog's fur, and while I checked the main brush every week or so, there was usually only the odd strand to pull free by hand.

Due to the bagless Omni station, instead of swapping out a full dust bag, you press a release button to lift out the dust container, hold it over the trash can, and press a switch to open the bottom and tip the contents out. Ecovacs says the 1.6-liter container can go up to 60 days between empties, but I found once every few weeks was plenty for my home and meant that any food waste or similar didn't sit and start rotting.

Similarly, I'd recommend emptying the dirty water tank after every clean; otherwise, you're left with rancid water.

Day to day, the clean and dirty water tanks lift out easily for refilling and emptying. The robot's filter and the station's sponge filter can both be rinsed under the faucet, although Ecovacs advises against scrubbing them with your fingers or a brush, and they need to be completely dry before you refit them. The roller mop is simple to remove too. Double-tapping a button on the robot releases the roller unit, and a second button lets you slide the roller out for cleaning.

Beyond that, it's mostly a case of following the app. It tracks the condition of the brushes, filters, and roller, sends reminders when something needs attention, and lets you order replacements directly. If something goes wrong, YIKO can walk you through fixing it. Knowing how to clean a robot vacuum properly goes a long way toward extending its life, so having that guidance built in is a welcome touch.

My only gripe with the in-app alerts is that they're quite dramatic. One alert said: 'Clean water tank error' with a large red exclamation mark, but when I clicked into it, it was just telling me the water was running low.

According to Ecovacs, the roller mop needs replacing every one to two months, the side brush and filter every three to six months, and the main brush every six to 12 months. The dirty water tank and the station itself should be cleaned monthly, while the clean water tank only needs attention every three months. In practice, a quick rinse and wipe every few weeks kept everything looking and smelling fresh.

None of this felt like a chore. Compared to robots that need their bags swapping or their mop pads rinsing by hand, the X11 asks very little of you beyond emptying the container every so often.

How Does the Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone Compare?

At $1,099.99, the Deebot X11 OmniCyclone sits toward the top of Ecovacs' range, and it faces stiff competition, including from within its own family.

The closest rival is the Yeedi S20 Infinity, from Ecovacs' sister brand, Yeedi. It shares much of the X11's hardware, including the bagless Omni station, 19,500Pa of BLAST suction, the OZMO Roller 2.0 mop and PowerBoost charging, but typically costs around $899.99. What you don't get is Ecovacs' AIVI 3D 3.0 navigation or the YIKO agent. If the smart features don't matter to you, though, it's a lot of the same robot for less.

If you'd rather save more, the Deebot T50 Pro Omni costs $399.99 and, in my testing, was a more consistent vacuum. It cleared sugar and lentils more thoroughly than the X11 and covered rooms more methodically. The trade-off is its circular mop pads, which smeared mustard and needed my help to finish the job, whereas the X11's roller lifted it the first time. It also uses a bagged dock, so you'll need to budget for replacement bags.

At the other end of the scale, the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller costs $1,599.99. It's one of the best roller mops I've tested and handled everyday stains brilliantly, but like the X11, it was less consistent on carpet. It also has a larger dock. The X11 matches it on mopping for much less, with the added convenience of no dust bags, so unless you want the Dreame's extras, I'd save the $500.

Ecovacs has since launched the Deebot X12 OmniCyclone, which increases suction to 22,000Pa. If you want the latest model, the X12 is the one to look at, but with the X11 now regularly discounted as a result, it's still likely to be the better value for most homes.

How I Tested the Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone

The X11 OmniCyclone was my household's main robot vacuum for four weeks, cleaning a mix of hard floors and carpet in a busy family home with a dog, children, and all the crumbs, fur, and spills that come with them.

As well as running it daily, I put it through our standardized vacuum tests. For vacuuming, I spread a quarter cup each of sugar, lentils, and cereal across both hard floor and carpet to see how it coped with fine, medium, and large debris. To test the mop, I poured ketchup and mustard onto my laminate floor and watched how well it lifted each stain.

Throughout testing, I kept an eye on how it navigated and moved between rooms, how the bagless OmniCyclone station managed emptying, washing, and drying, and how noisy each stage was, using the DecibelX app. I also tested the Ecovacs Home app for scheduling, room selection, and cleaning logs, and set up routines using YIKO to see whether the AI agent made day-to-day cleaning any easier.

Next, learn how to choose the best vacuum for every home and budget.

My first air fryer was a dual-drawer Ninja model, and I’ve sworn by the convenience of a double-drawer setup ever since. So, when I heard Ninja was launching a glass version of this kitchen workhorse, I knew I had to try it for myself.

The Ninja Crispi DualZone Glass Air Fryer brings together the convenience of two separate cooking drawers with all the features we loved from the original Crispi Pro. Designed for everything from batch cooking to feeding a family with different tastes, I can safely say that it is one of the best non-toxic air fryers on the market.

After putting it through its paces for several weeks, I’ve found plenty to love, and it’s made a strong case for becoming my go-to air fryer for the foreseeable future. Here’s how it performed in my kitchen, along with the few minor snags worth knowing about before you buy.

Product Specifications: Ninja Crispi DualZone Glass Air Fryer

Design and First Impressions

The Ninja Crispi DualZone Glass Air Fryer looks incredibly chic and, like the Ninja Crispi Pro, solves the main hang-up I had about the original Ninja Crispi we reviewed, with a main head that stays in place, rather than lifting off and on.

Inside the box, you’ll find the main unit, two glass baskets with ceramic-coated crisper trays, and two basket lids that turn the vessels into convenient food-storage containers for leftovers. Everything arrived neatly packaged, although I’d recommend having someone nearby to help lift the unit out safely during unboxing, as the components are heavier than you might expect.

I love the look of this air fryer. While it is a decent size, it didn't feel like it overwhelmed the counter. The glass baskets and lighter colorway I chose meant it didn't feel as blocky or 'heavy' as my old jet black air fryer did. It looks as stylish, which is more than what you can say for most large kitchen appliances.

The two thick glass baskets make this a particularly weighty appliance, so it’s not one you’ll want to move in and out of a cabinet every day. I store mine on a lower shelf when it’s not in use, as I don’t reach for it daily. However, if you have a weaker grip or find heavy appliances difficult to lift, you may prefer to leave it on the countertop.

The baskets slot into the unit easily, settling into place and clicking securely without much adjustment. They’re designed to pull out at an angle, allowing you to reach behind and grip the heat-resistant plastic handles while keeping your hands away from the hot cooking surfaces. I found this straightforward enough, although I felt a little uneasy reaching beneath the heating element while it was still warm. I didn’t burn myself, but it’s something to bear in mind if you’re considering letting older children use the appliance independently.

Once unboxed, it is as simple as wiping out the baskets and plugging the unit in.

Cooking Performance

Using the Ninja Crispi DualZone Glass Air Fryer is simple. Once plugged in and switched on, you select which basket you are using, set the cooking mode, temperature, and time, and press the dial to start.

The match setting turns both baskets on at the same time, while the sync setting allows you to set two different cooking programs and have them finish simultaneously. I loved the sync setting, allowing me to cook two different foods such as chicken nuggets and chips and have them finish at the same time for plating. It really uncomplicates cooking, making convenience food actually convenient.

There’s also a helpful flip reminder, which sounds a single beep halfway through the cooking time to prompt you to turn any food that needs it. The air fryer continues cooking in the meantime, so you can simply ignore the alert if your food doesn’t need turning.

One thing to bear in mind is that the heavy baskets and snug fit mean you can’t shake them to redistribute food as you might with a traditional drawer-style air fryer. I’d recommend keeping a pair of silicone food tongs (available at Amazon) handy instead, so you can turn or rearrange ingredients.

Across all my tests, I found that food cooked evenly and crisped up well, without sticking or burning. The glass-sided baskets also let me keep an eye on everything as it cooked, making it easier to judge when food was ready without repeatedly opening the drawers.

One thing to note is that there was a slightly odd smell on the first use. I washed the baskets and trays as directed, and dried them before use. On the first test, there was a strange odor that didn't affect the flavor, but it did have me opening a window. I assume this was just some factory dust, but if you are concerned, maybe run an empty cycle for a few minutes before putting your food in. The smell disappeared after this first use.

• Chicken Nuggets and Fries: My go-to first test for any air fryer; I put some vegan battered chicken nuggets in one basket and thick potato wedges in the other. I used the sync setting to ensure that everything finished together and pressed start. The air fry setting crisped the nuggets perfectly, while the max crisp function created extra-crispy edges on the wedges that snapped and revealed a fluffy, steaming interior. It's everything you want from an air fryer.
• Roasted Vegetables: I removed the crisper plate and filled one basket with two generous servings of chunky vegetables, tossing them in oil and spices before setting the air fryer to cook for 30 minutes. When the flip reminder sounded, I gave everything a good mix. The result was beautifully softened vegetables with a little char in places, which paired wonderfully with couscous.
  I’d packed the basket quite full, so I was particularly impressed by how evenly everything cooked, with no undercooked or overdone pieces.
• Chicken Breasts: I love to quickly cook some spiced chicken breasts for rice bowls in the air fryer, using foil to catch any juices to pour over the final dish. I made good use of the '+1 minute' button for this, having to add a little time when some of the larger chunks hadn't quite cooked through. It made adjusting cooking times quick and simple. The end result was juicy, well-cooked chicken that shredded nicely.
• Breaded Salmon: Breading has a bad habit of coming loose and flying around an air fryer basket, but I am happy to report that the Crispi DualZone didn't have an issue with this. I placed two salmon fillets I had breaded myself into the basket and watched as they crisped up evenly. I didn't flip these, but the bases crisped too and did not turn soggy as the air circulated evenly. The exterior was crisp, and the fish was flaky. It was perfect.
• Proofing Bread Dough: It is important to note that this feature is not available on the US version of the Crispi Dual Zone. Unique to UK and international units, this feature drops the basket temperature to as low as 77°F (20°C) to help bread dough rise. This ended up being one of my favorite additions, so I am sad to see it not included in the American specification. My dough doubled in size after 45 minutes in the oiled glass dish, and the machine was silent in the process. The resulting bread had a light, airy crumb that I would not have been able to achieve otherwise in my freezing cold kitchen.

Cleaning and Maintenance

The air fryer baskets and ceramic trays are dishwasher safe, but I had no issue hand washing them in my sink once they had cooled down. The plastic handles are easy to hold, and resting the basket against the side made washing them out simple.

The problem came when trying to dry them. The plastic structure designed to hold the basket is not removable, and I found water getting stuck between that and the base of the basket. I could not get a towel into these gaps to dry them out, meaning they had to sit on the counter for a long time to dry completely. This area does not touch food, but I did think it is a design oversight that was rather annoying.

I did like that the baskets came with lids, however. The snap-on plastic means the baskets double as quick food storage, allowing you to transfer food from the counter to the fridge without dirtying another container or dish. The baskets are large, however, so you do need decent fridge space to fit one in, let alone both.

What Shoppers Say

Overall customer reviews for the Ninja Crispi DualZone Air Fryer are overwhelmingly positive, with an average of 4.8 stars on SharkNinja and 4.6 stars on Amazon.

Shoppers appreciate how easy it is to learn to use, the self-explanatory control buttons (I myself did not find myself needing the manual at all), and the Match and Sync cooking settings.

Of the one-star reviews, a few customers say that it stopped working on both or one side after a few uses; however, I am yet to experience any performance issues. I will report back should this happen to me at any stage. Another user was not a fan of the fact that the baskets get hot in use, calling it a burn risk. This is certainly something to consider, especially if you allow children to use the air fryer. I did not have an issue personally, but for those with less stable hands, it might be one to use oven gloves for.

Should You Buy The Ninja Crispi DualZone Glass Air Fryer?

All in all, I would absolutely recommend the Ninja Crispi DualZone Glass Air Fryer. The double basket space makes it the perfect air fryer for couples, families, and batch cookers. The UK model's Proof setting also makes it perfect for home bakers who struggle with cold kitchens.

It brings all of the best features from the Ninja air fryers we already know and love, while doubling the cooking space for increased convenience. It is a little large and can be tricky to dry after cleaning, but these are only minor snags.

At $379.99 at the time of writing, it is not the most affordable air fryer on the market. It is almost $80 more than the standard Crispi Pro model, but I would say that the extra is worth it for the extra basket and increased flexibility. If you love glass air fryer cooking but do not have the budget, however, we tried and enjoyed the smaller, single-basket Cuisinart ClearView Air Fryer, available at Amazon for just $159.95.

I have kept this unit and plan to use it as my main air fryer for years to come.

How We Test Air Fryers

When looking at air fryers, we consider several things. Firstly, we look at the materials, looking for potentially toxic coatings and prioritizing non-toxic products for peace of mind. Then, we focus on exceptional cooking performance. As a team of trained cooks, product testers, and appliance experts, we rigorously test each model by air-frying frozen fries, chicken wings, and roasted vegetables. During our taste tests, we seek food that’s perfectly crispy on the outside and tender within. Having tested the market leaders, we’re familiar with the industry benchmarks.

Ease of use is key, so our tests evaluate the intuitiveness of controls, basket design, and the accuracy of recipe presets. We also explore special features, like grilling and dehydrating, to assess versatility. While cooking, we make notes on capacity – essential for those looking for family-sized air fryers.

Since cleaning can be a hassle, we check if the removable parts are easy to wash, whether by hand or in the dishwasher. We also examine materials' durability, as this is a key criterion for long-lasting, non-toxic items. After testing, we scour the web for the best and worst customer reviews to assess the air fryer's reliability and overall customer satisfaction.

You can go behind the scenes and read more details on our How We Test Air Fryers page.

What Else to Shop

From other gems in the Ninja Crispi lineup to the essential air fryer accessories I would not be without, these are the must-haves to consider for convenient cooking.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Now that you have switched out your air fryer, we have a host of other tips for making a kitchen less toxic.

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Your cookware is just as important as the ingredients you use, and upgrading to pieces that will last a lifetime can feel like a real kitchen rite of passage. I’ve traditionally relied on non-stick cookware, but with so much praise for stainless steel skillets and their versatility and durability, I was keen to put one to the test for myself.

The Hestan NanoBond Titanium Skillets are made of NanoBond, which is created by bonding stainless steel to patented titanium, and Hestan claims that this material is 400% stronger than typical stainless steel cookware. This NanoBond material is also chemical-free and resistant to staining and scratching, which are all things you want to hear when you’re buying a pan at this price point. These skillets also have sealed rims, which make them dishwasher-safe.

I put them to the test in my home kitchen to decide if this premium non-toxic cookware is really worth the price. The short answer? Absolutely, particularly if you are a confident home chef who cooks to impress regularly. Here's how I got on.

Product Specifications: Hestan NanoBond Titanium Stainless-Steel Skillet

Design and First Impressions

Upon opening my Hestan package (which included the 8.5-inch and 11-inch Hestan NanoBond Titanium Skillets), I was immediately impressed by how shiny the pans looked, though I did notice the absence of lids, which stood out for this price point.

There was also very little additional plastic or packaging material, and the included product guide provided some context about the company. In particular, Hestan Culinary is committed to making highly durable, high-performance cookware that cooks beautifully and lasts for years to come, and all of that feels evident in the design.

With a quick wipe out, they were ready to use.

Cooking Performance

When testing out the Hestan NanoBond Titanium Skillets, I followed the instructions to heat the pan to medium to medium-high heat and add vegetable oil.

As with any stainless steel cookware, there was a little bit of a learning curve to prevent food from sticking, and I had to experiment to find the right temperature for each item I was cooking. I also watched a few videos about how a stainless steel pan needed to be used, which eased some of the anxiety of using such an expensive pan for the first time.

• Onions: I was able to caramelize the onions by cooking them on medium heat, but some of the onions weren’t as soft as I’d like all the way through. Some of the onions weren’t as colored as I’d like despite stirring every minute.
• Pasta sauce: Using medium heat, I made a homemade pasta sauce with a can of crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, pasta water, and onions that I had caramelized. It took less than five minutes for the sauce to simmer, and the sauce bubbled evenly across the surface. Nothing stuck to the bottom of the pan when cooking, which was a big plus.
• Steak: To test this, I cooked a rib-eye steak, which I cooked on medium-high heat. Once the pan was hot enough that the water beads slid on the metal surface of the pan, also known as the Leidenfrost effect, I added olive oil. Once I added the steak, I waited until it released from the pan, which took two minutes per side, and it didn’t stick. I also added herb butter to the pan, which I used to baste the steak. The steak was juicy with a nice even crust, and I found it even easier than the non-stick pans I usually use. The handle wasn’t hot, so I was able to touch it while cooking.
• Fried eggs: I used vegetable oil to cook two eggs over easy, which took three minutes. I used the 8.5-inch pan, which was the perfect size. The bottoms of the eggs were nice and crispy with a jammy yolk, and I was able to flip them with most of the egg intact. There also wasn’t much residue left in the pan, which made for easy cleaning, but I did notice that the pan handle was hot to the touch.

Cleaning, Storage and Maintenance

The Hestan NanoBond Titanium skillet was easy to clean when I used hot water and a Scrub Daddy sponge, which was ideal for scrubbing off burnt bits like an egg with a little elbow grease.

The pan is also dishwasher-safe because it has fully sealed rims, which is helpful if you want the benefits of a stainless steel pan without worrying about cleanup. If you start to see discoloration from high heat and oil residue, you can use the Hestan NanoBond® Professional Grade Cleaner, but I didn’t feel the need to use it as long as I washed the pan after using it.

The pans are metal utensil-safe, which is ideal for those looking for the perfect professional chef experience, but it also makes them easier to store as they are scratch-resistant. As with cleaning and caring for any cookware, however, we still suggest pan stackers (available at Amazon) or a cookware organizer to keep cabinets neat and prolong the look and lifespan of such an investment.

How Does the Hestan NanoBond Titanium Stainless-Steel Skillet Compare?

The Hestan NanoBond Titanium skillet comes at a high price point, which may be worth it if you’re looking for a pan that’ll last. If you could forgo the NanoBond material but still want a skillet made with a durable material, try the Hestan ProBond Luxe skillet, which is made of stainless steel and retains many of the design elements that make it ergonomic to use. If you’re looking for a more affordable skillet that’s still versatile and has a low-stick surface, try the Lodge Skillet, which is significantly more affordable.

On Hestan Culinary’s website, the Hestan NanoBond Titanium Skillet has an average rating of 4.9 across 2,000 reviews, and an average rating of 4 stars across 350 reviews on Amazon. Customers praise the pan for its durability, ease of cleaning, and high-end construction, which makes it a worthwhile investment for your kitchen.

In particular, customers say that they can get a great crust on their steak and fish and that it looks as new as the day they purchased it, even after repeated use. Lower reviews mention that the pan handles get too hot to hold, and that it requires polishing to prevent discoloration.

My Verdict: Should You Buy The Hestan NanoBond Titanium Stainless-Steel Skillet?

Overall, the Hestan NanoBond Titanium Skillet is worth the investment if you’re willing to learn how to use and care for stainless steel cookware. Its versatility makes it particularly useful for recipes that move from stovetop to oven, while its high-heat tolerance adds to its appeal. It’s not the only stainless steel skillet on the market, but it’s a compelling option if the price fits your budget.

The small details are where this pan shines, and it feels like a love letter to the art of cooking. This is evident in the rivets that are flush against the pan to prevent food buildup and ease of storage, flared rims for ease of pouring, and a 20% greater cooking surface than competitors’ skillets.

I’d recommend this skillet to confident home cooks, or anyone keen to develop their cooking skills and willing to get to grips with stainless steel. If you’re used to non-stick cookware, there’s a learning curve, particularly when it comes to preheating the pan correctly so food releases more easily. However, once you get the hang of it, the experience can be well worth the effort.

The biggest drawback is the price, especially as the pan doesn’t come with a lid. Still, if cooking is a passion and you’re looking for cookware built to last, it could be a worthwhile investment. The smaller 8.5-inch skillet is a practical choice for smaller households, although those cooking larger portions may prefer a bigger size, which comes at an additional cost.

How We Test Cookware at Homes & Gardens

The best cookware has to tick all the boxes: Versatility, manageable weight, safe materials, brilliant cooking performance, and, crucially, ease of cleaning.

You can read more details about how we test cookware at Homes & Gardens, including how long we vet each piece for and specifically which recipes we trial.

We test all cookware in our own homes under real-world conditions – usually mid-week meals cooked after work, putting the pans through regular use over a range of recipes to get a good understanding of how these pans perform and fit into the everyday, hard-working home.

What Else to Shop

To help organize pots and pans and prevent damage, I have rounded up a selection of top organizers and care tools to make the most of your new investment cookware.

All prices were correct at the time of publishing.

Still not sure where to start when outfitting your kitchen? We have a guide to choosing the best cookware to simplify the process and ensure your money is well spent.

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I've been an admirer of Le Creuset's Signature Roaster for a long time – since childhood, to be exact. It was one of my mother's most frequently used cookware items, responsible for making the beef roasts and baked vegetable dishes my taste buds still remember so fondly.

When I moved into my own place, I decided that I needed a Le Creuset Roaster for myself – if not to aid in the creation of tasty meals, but to remind myself of home. And luckily for me, I had an opportunity to test one for myself. Of course, I questioned if $300 was too expensive for one piece non-toxic cookware; however, I remembered that my mother has had her roaster for nearly 30 years. There must be something good about it.

Having had my Le Creuset Signature Roaster for a few months now, I can confidently say that it has completely changed the way I cook. Before, I struggled with college-era, flimsy cookware that made me feel like an amateur in the kitchen. Now, I feel like a seasoned chef at a 5-star restaurant, cooking all sorts of delicious dishes with confidence and success. Here's why I think you should consider getting one, too.

Product Specifications: Le Creuset Signature Roaster

Design and First Impressions

Oddly enough, I remember the exact moment when my Le Creuset Signature Roaster arrived. I had just moved into a new apartment, and the box was delivered the same afternoon as my housewarming party. Although I had intended to slide it into my closet to open after my guests left, they insisted that I unbox the roaster then and there so we could revel in the beauty of high-quality cookware together. That's exactly what we did.

The roaster was packed very efficiently – placed within a folding box, surrounded with bubble wrap, and packaged inside a larger box for safe transit. The folding box opened to reveal the roaster itself, which fit snug inside, along with a detailed manual explaining how to care for your cookware.

My friends and I took turns passing around the roaster, gawking at its sleek design. Most of us were shocked at its weight – nearly 10 lbs. I knew it would be a heavy piece of cookware, but I was definitely taken aback by how substantial this roaster felt.

The roaster's Shallot color – a cross between lavender and soft gray – made it all the more impressive to me. Although Le Creuset discontinued this color in the beginning of 2026, it's still available at some retailers, including Le Creuset itself. Plus, the roaster comes in over 15 different colors, including the iconic Flame, the evergreen-inspired Foret, and the classic White.

Before even putting it to use, my friends and I all agreed that this roaster seemed well worth the expensive price tag. I couldn't wait to give it a try.

Cooking Performance

After removing the sticker on my Le Creuset Signature Roaster and giving it a thorough wash (which was incredibly easy considering this cookware is dishwasher safe), I was able to put it to work.

I decided to start with something easy – stuffed peppers. Most of this recipe is completed on the stovetop, so I only used the roaster for the final bake. I figured it would be the perfect meal to make to familiarize myself with a new cookware product.

Truthfully, I had a moment of panic when placing the roaster in my oven for the first time – it just fit, with literally no room to spare. However, my New York City apartment kitchen is tiny, meaning my oven is much smaller than standard models. If a Le Creuset Roaster can fit in mine, it can definitely fit in yours. And despite barely fitting into my oven, the stuffed peppers cooked exactly to my liking – hardly sticking to the pan or turning too soggy.

With that easy recipe complete, my next bake was a side dish – roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts. As one of my favorite vegetable duo dishes, I make roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts a lot. I know it can be tricky to get these vegetables to the perfect level of crispiness, but I had little to no problem doing so with my roaster. I seasoned them with oil, salt, pepper, and oregano, left them in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, and they turned out just how I like them. Though some of the vegetables stuck to the bottom, I had no problem scraping them off with a silicone spatula.

Baked ziti was my next endeavor, which, as expected, proved to be incredibly easy thanks to my Le Creuset Signature Roaster. Having previously made this recipe in a cheap baking dish, I was pleasantly surprised to see how simple it was to assemble the ziti in a real, high-quality roaster. Measuring about 12" wide and 3" tall, I was able to evenly fill the roaster with the ziti mixture, ensuring a thorough cook.

My most recent creation with the signature roaster was a baked pesto chicken dish. As someone who doesn't cook chicken often, I was most nervous about how this would turn out. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my roaster performed exceptionally well with cooking the chicken thoroughly and evenly. Using my Thermapen Meat Thermometer to check, the chicken cooked to the perfect temperature – needing no extra time in the oven.

Since I live alone, I don't use the roaster to cook elaborate roasts or bakes. But with Thanksgiving around the corner, I promised to bring this handy roaster to my sister's house to help us meal prep for the holiday.

Cleaning, Storage, and Maintenance

Cleaning and maintaining my Le Creuset Signature Roaster has been much easier than anticipated. Prior to its arrival, I thought it would require seasoning like traditional cast iron cookware. However, since it's enameled, this roaster can be cleaned like a normal baking dish.

After use, I let it cool down, and then I use warm water, mild soap, and a soft sponge to clean it. Because of the weight of the roaster, it can be difficult to clean by hand with just one person. However, it's dishwasher-safe, so if handwashing is too much of a challenge, just place this dish in the bottom rack of your dishwasher for a thorough, easy clean.

The roaster's weight and size influence its storage capabilities. Because I live in an old New York City apartment with a very small kitchen, there's not much space for me to store my Le Creuset Signature Roaster, and it's too wide to fit in my cabinet shelves. So, I've decided to put it to use instead of just stashing it in a closet somewhere. When I'm not using it to cook, my roaster doubles as kitchen storage – acting as a makeshift bread basket on my dining table (as shown above). It helps that the roaster itself is chic – making my bread look elegantly organized.

How Does the Le Creuset Signature Roaster Compare?

For years, I've been using my college-era cookware – that is, baking sheets, roasters, pots, and pans that I bought for nearly nothing at the local hardware store in my college town. Switching from a $20 baking dish to an over $300 roaster was certainly a major change for me, but in my mind, it was exactly what I needed.

Le Creuset's Signature Roaster performs so much better than other baking dishes that there's hardly any competition. For starters, few dishes are as sleek as this roaster – which is available in several different colorways. Plus, its enameled coating makes it easy to clean and extra durable.

I know Le Creuset cookware is incredibly long lasting, too – my mother's 30+ year old roaster is proof. If given a choice between an affordable, questionable-quality roaster that may or may not need to be replaced in five years or a Le Creuset Roaster, I'm choosing Le Creuset everyday.

My Verdict: Should You Buy A Le Creuset Signature Roaster?

After using Le Creuset's Signature Roaster for a few months to make various meals, I can confidently say that this dish is absolutely worthy of a spot in your kitchen.

By no means would I consider myself a great cook, but when I use this roaster, I feel like one. With it, cooking simple dishes becomes even easier, and cooking complex meals feel like a walk in the park. Its heat retention and distribution promises even and thorough results every single time. Even its stylish design makes me feel like I'm a chef at a fancy restaurant while cooking my humble weeknight dinners.

I've only been able to find a few downsides to this roaster: the weight, the clunkiness, and the price. As for the weight and clunkiness, these are things I've gotten used to. Now, I don't mind exerting energy to lift this roaster; I think of it as an unexpected but much-appreciated arm workout. And while the roaster is too big to fit anywhere other than my dining table when not in use, I'm sure it could easily find a home in cabinets of a kitchen larger than mine.

At just over $300, Le Creuset's Signature Roaster isn't an impulse buy. This is a very expensive piece of cookware. However, I expect to have this roaster for decades to come, so in my mind, it's absolutely worth the steep price tag.

What Else to Shop

Looking to spruce up your cookware collection ahead of the hosting seasons? I have curated a selection of the best Le Creuset cookware to elevate your table settings, and some more affordable alternatives if you cannot quite stretch your budget.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Looking to expand your Le Creuset collection ahead of the holiday season? Allow me to introduce you to the newly released Le Creuset Fondue Set – a sure-to-be guest favorite for making cheesy dips or chocolatey treats.

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There's something about the colder weather of fall that leaves me wanting a sleep space I can truly cozy up in − a quality the Brooklinen Down Alternative Mattress Topper makes easy to achieve.

With a soft and fluffy finish, it adds a layer of warmth and comfort to my mattress, without any added height, heat, or weight. That being said, that lack of height also results in a lack of pressure relief or edge support − this isn't the topper to choose if you're stuck with a sagging, uncomfortable mattress.

But, for making your favorite mattress that little bit more luxurious, it's a perfect pick. Here's how I got on during the testing period, and why I'd recommend it as one of the best mattress toppers for adding a cocooning layer you can sink right into.

Brooklinen Down Mattress Topper − Specifications

Brooklinen Down Mattress Topper − Unboxing and First Impressions

As much as I'm stressing that this mattress topper isn't the ideal pick for making an uncomfortable mattress more comfortable, I knew this from the off. On the website, you can see that it's more of a thinner, plushy profile type pick, and this was obvious when it arrived, too.

It came in a small, lightweight box, easy for me to carry on my own, and was packaged in a zippable, durable bag that I'll reuse for storing sheets and duvet inserts. There was nothing non-recyclable or non-reusable, which I always appreciate when opening a new product to test.

Putting it on the mattress was easy and very quick, and there was no off-gassing to speak of. As it has a slim profile, my bed sheets fitted easily over the top of it, and it was ready to sleep on that night, without the need to leave it to expand or breathe.

What's It Like to Sleep On the Brooklinen Down Alternative Mattress Topper?

Lying on the Brooklinen Down Alternative Mattress topper, you immediately feel the plush comfort, with a sink-in surface that welcomes better sleep. That soft feel, though, means it would be unfair to rate this mattress on our usual categories, outlined in our guide to how we test mattress toppers, of pressure relief, edge support, and motion isolation: there's none to speak of. Instead, it's a topper for adding a pillowy layer of comfort, and that's where it really does sing.

There's also not much thermoregulation to comment on, either, though the topper does feature a cotton shell, which naturally regulates temperature. I'm not a hot sleeper, and temperatures are dipping as we head towards winter, but I haven't found myself too cold or too hot when sleeping on it.

Delivery was also a breeze, arriving conveniently packed in a small box straight to my door. It's light and easy to carry, so you won't need help from a friend or family member, unlike the Nolah AirFoam Luxe Mattress Topper I've reviewed, or Brooklyn Bedding Microcoil Mattress Topper, which I also recently reviewed. You also won't need to leave it to off-gas or expand, so it's ready to use straight out of the box.

Who Would the Brooklinen Down Alternative Mattress Topper Suit?

• All sleep positions, depending on your needs: As the Brooklinen Down Alternative Mattress Topper is soft and plush, though not particularly thick, it won't affect any sleep position. It's therefore suitable whether you sleep on your back, side, or stomach, though it won't offer any added support if you need added comfort for an aching back, shoulders, or knees. It depends on what you need − for simple, additional comfort, it's the perfect pick.
• Hot sleepers: As the topper features a cotton shell, it's naturally thermoregulating and won't trap heat. That said, it's not an actively cooling pick, and it doesn't claim to be.
• Children and people with pets: These aren't categories we usually include here, but as the topper features a waterproof barrier and is soft and squishy, yet not too thick, I'd suggest it as a good pick for adding cozy comfort to a child's bed. In this instance, I'd still put one of the best mattress protectors over the top, though. The same applies to adults who often share their bed with pets.

What Shoppers Say About the Brooklinen Down Alternative Mattress Topper

With a 4.2 out of five-star rating, the Brooklinen Down Alternative Mattress Topper is well-rated by shoppers.

For example, Cvetanka deems it a 'must-have,' adding, 'I started with one, then went back to get one for every bedroom! Can’t go back to not having this mattress pad. I wish they made it for a twin-size bed, too.'

Another similar review, from Lorna, echoes, 'Could not believe how much more comfortable this made my bed. I did not want much additional height on my lumpy mattress, so [I] thought loft sufficient to make that mattress comfortable was not possible. I was wrong. This is an amazing product. Thank you.'

A few reviews do also mention the ability of this topper to keep a bed cool, which is a good sign for any hot sleepers considering making the purchase.

I do have to mention that there are a few more negative reviews, but these are in the minority compared to the 181 five-star ratings.

The one-star reviews typically reference the flat profile of this topper, though, as I've said, this was obvious to me before I tested it, just from looking at the pictures and details on the website. A few also mention that it's not as straightforward to clean and care for this mattress topper. As I'm yet to wash mine, I can't comment, but I will update this page once I do.

As I always stress, anything that impacts your sleep space is subjective − what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa. Therefore, if you are considering making a purchase, I'd always suggest reading a few well-informed reviews and even going into a store to feel and see it in person where possible.

My Verdict

Overall, I've been thoroughly enjoying the Brooklinen Down Alternative Mattress Topper. It makes my bed feel cozy and luxurious as the fall weather gets colder, and I've found it's a simple and relatively affordable way to enhance a mattress while adding plush comfort.

If you've spotted any signs you're sleeping on a bad mattress, however, this won't be the right option for you. It's not a miracle fix for lumps and bumps, and won't add any extra support. If that's what you need, I'd recommend opting for the Saatva Graphite Mattress Topper instead, which has a medium-firm feel and is infused with graphite to actively draw heat away from the body as you rest.

More to Shop

If you'd like to browse alternative mattress toppers, shop from a selection of top-rated favorites below.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

If an ultra-soft option like this isn't what you're browsing for, you can make a mattress firmer by turning your mattress or placing a plywood board beneath it.

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It's not quite the holiday season yet, but it is just around the corner. I'm already looking to cozy up my interiors for impending guests, focusing on creating an inviting sleep space that will suit a whole host of my friends and family.

One essential to any welcoming bedroom is a blanket or quilt − and I'm shopping the Sleep Number Plush Blanket to add a layer of luxurious warmth as temperatures drop.

It's a tasteful, top-rated way to keep you warm while you sleep, and the festive Rose colorway is now 50% off on clearance.

Making a guest bedroom feel more homey always begins with the bed. It's where people who come to stay will rest and recharge, so it's important that it's cozy and comfortable. And if there's one thing that will seriously disrupt any chance of a good night's sleep, it's being too cold.

A removable layer − just like the Sleep Number Plush Blanket − offers guests a comfortable addition to make bedding feel warmer, without overheating or feeling weighed down, particularly if they're a typically hot sleeper.

Once added to the bed to keep guests warm, it will add texture and layering to make a guest bedroom look beautiful, with a fluffy finish that welcomes relaxation. If you prefer to use more neutral colors in your home, the White Chevron colorway lends the look of a cable knit blanket, while the Gray Rib Knit is a stylish fall throw blanket for embracing the colder seasons.

Every color is also OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certified, which guarantees the absence of over 1,000 harmful substances.

With a 4.84-star rating across 1,651 reviews, this Plush Blanket has proven popular with shoppers, too. Deziree describes it as 'Soft cloudy goodness.' 'This blanket is incredibly soft, and the way it falls and lies is like a cloud,' they say. 'It heats me quickly, which [I don't know] why I wasn't expecting it to be that warm. It's definitely a great winter or very cold house-type blanket.

'It doesn't shed, which is nice, and I washed it, and it came out with the same softness. I will be getting a twin size to use as an oversized blanket for the couch. I promise you will not regret this purchase.'

This admission that the Plush Blanket is easy to wash is important. Your throws and blankets see far more use, of course, in fall and winter than they do in spring and summer. Like everything in a home, it's crucial to wash, dry, and care for your blankets and throws correctly to keep them ready for use and lasting for years to come.

Another review adds, 'Soft and snuggly blanket. I love this blanket! It’s so soft and comfortable… the material is so breathable!

'It’s warm, but the weave of the fabric allows just enough of the heat to escape for a perfect sleep. Awesome design!'

For an easy way to add the layers of a cozy bedroom, you can't go wrong with this pick. It's simple yet stylish, and with a 50 per cent reduction in the Rose colorway, it's relatively budget-friendly, too.

More to Shop

Below, I've handpicked six more beautiful picks from Sleep Number's Holiday collection. Each makes a cozy addition to a guest bedroom space or a gift idea this holiday season.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Learning how to style throw blankets to make cozy spaces look more expensive is an easy way to elevate your home.

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When I’m hosting friends and family, my first priority is always the main course. It’s usually the most time-consuming part of the meal, taking up the bulk of my energy and, more often than not, most of the space in my oven. By the time it comes to dessert, there’s rarely room left to bake anything else.

That’s why this year, I’m considering moving more of my baking to my non-toxic air fryer. The glass Lékué Air Fryer Dishes, available at Amazon, look like just the thing for preparing perfectly portioned desserts without competing for precious oven space.

Available in a range of sizes for everything from mini loaves to round cakes, these glass dishes offer a flexible way to bake smaller batches with less fuss, making all the difference to my dessert prep.

In case you did not know, yes, you can bake a cake in an air fryer. While it's far from the traditional method, if your oven is stuffed full already, this countertop essential is the perfect backup for quick bakes.

The key is picking the right air fryer liners for the task. The glass Lékué dishes, also at Wayfair, are non-toxic and use silicone tabs for easy removal, so you do not have to worry about squashing or damaging sponges or crumbles as you lift them from the tray.

Better yet, the glass dishes are incredibly versatile, suitable for the oven, air fryer, and fridge, for baking and setting a wide range of sweet treats for any occasion. With plain glass sides, they can also go straight from the oven to the table for serving, making kitchen cleanup after dinner easier.

With hosting season rapidly approaching, I love the idea of having a dedicated set of dishes for air fryer baking, especially when oven space is at a premium. These glass essentials make it easier to turn out everything from individual puddings to small-batch cakes, helping ensure dessert is still on the menu, even when the oven is already working overtime.

What Else to Shop

I’ve rounded up a selection of alternative air fryer dishes and essential baking tools to help you perfect your recipes and get ahead of the busy hosting season.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

I have also curated a list of other air fryer accessories I wouldn't be without to help prepare you for the busy hosting season.

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Whoever designed the kitchen in my New York City apartment way back in the '60s clearly was not thinking about the needs of someone living there six decades later. It's literally a square (a tiny one at that) with a sliver of countertop space, three overhead cabinets, and hardly any storage.

Since moving into the place, I've become well-versed in all sorts of kitchen storage ideas – from adding extra shelves within my cabinets to mounting magnetic storage to my fridge door. However, the lack of a proper pantry has been the hardest struggle – most of my snacks, spices, and spare cooking supplies end up piled on top of my kitchen table.

For a while, I thought I'd just have to accept that my small kitchen would always be slightly disorderly. But then I found my dream storage idea to maximize my kitchen's organization and amplify the room's aesthetic appeal: Wayfair's Corner Cabinet.

This corner cabinet is a big piece of furniture, yet it does such a remarkable job of organizing my small kitchen that I hardly notice the floor space it takes up. Its triangular shape is to thank for that – this corner cabinet can sit flush between two walls so it's pushed out of the way. It's not clunky or cumbersome; instead, it's neat, compact, and thoughtfully designed. Plus, its tall height helps make use of the walls for storage rather than the floors.

The modern farmhouse-inspired design is what drew me to it in the first place. It can add such character to a kitchen, and as it slides so neatly into a corner, it can look like a custom-built piece – tastefully balancing rustic charm and practical organization.

Although I envision it in the kitchen in my apartment, many reviewers have used it elsewhere. 'It fits perfectly in a corner of our bathroom that was wasted space,' one reviewer wrote. Another mentioned how they added it to their laundry room to organize detergents and household cleaning supplies. Beyond that, I see this cabinet – its storage capabilities and its rustic appeal – benefiting an awkward corner in a bedroom, the corner of a staircase landing, or even an empty entryway.

How I'd Style Wayfair's Corner Cabinet

For kitchens without a pantry, this corner cabinet is such a lifesaver. It'll help you organize your space, provide ample storage, and look good while doing so. Here's how I'd style Wayfair's Corner Cabinet to make the most of it.

Shop Similar Kitchen Storage Units from Wayfair

Whether your kitchen is small or not, having extra storage cabinets can help you make the most of the space – giving everything from spare pots, extra dinnerware, and food a proper place to live. Aside from the Corner Cabinet, here are three more top-rated storage units from Wayfair that are great for maximizing kitchen organization.

Wayfair's Corner Cabinet is a reminder that unused corners can become convenient storage zones for your home – it just takes the right furnishing to make that happen.

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A laundry basket is one of the household essentials you use so regularly they usually just fade into the background of a busy home life. They are also often, and not unfairly, renowned for being a bit of an eyesore, pushed to the perimeters of a room yet never quite seamlessly suiting any space.

One of our favorite options for a hamper that isn't has long since been the Tota from Joseph Joseph, and with the Tota 2, available at Amazon, it's just had an upgrade.

It's a laundry room essential that unusually looks good enough to leave on show, and it's already proving a hit with shoppers.

We've previously tried and loved this Joseph Joseph Tota laundry organizer for sorting laundry, and dubbed it the secret to quick laundry. The Tota 2, available at Amazon, is an enhanced, improved model, but still includes everything we rated so highly about the original model.

Just like the original, it's designed to make sorting clothes for laundry easier than ever, and features separate sections comprised of three spacious 30-liter fabric tote bags. Each bag has convenient, easy-carry handles for one-handed transport to the washing machine, and a helper handle on the bottom for quick emptying. Each bag also self-locates back into the basket after use, making them easy to put away, and the whole thing is quick to assemble in about five minutes.

What sets this model apart from the original is the newly updated lid. Designed from chic felt, it cleverly conceals laundry before washing and conveniently docks onto the side of the basket during use.

As one Amazon customer explains, alongside a five-star review, the Tota 'turns one giant laundry pile into three ready-to-go loads.'

'Laundry has a funny way of looking like one big pile until I actually decide to wash it,' they say. 'Then I suddenly realize there are whites mixed with colors, towels buried underneath everything, and something I definitely don’t want going through the same cycle hiding at the bottom.

'The Tota 2 lets me do that sorting a few seconds at a time throughout the week instead of turning laundry day into a floor-covered organizational project.

'The felt lid does a surprisingly good job of making the whole thing look more polished. Dirty laundry disappears instead of sitting visibly in an open basket, and the lid docks along the side while I’m using the hamper, so I’m not constantly removing it and looking for somewhere to put it.

'At 23.5 by 16 by 29 inches, it’s substantial, but the footprint makes sense for something holding 90 liters and three separate categories of laundry. I actually prefer having one organized hamper in a fixed spot rather than scattering several baskets around the room. It keeps the whole setup looking much cleaner even though I’m still separating everything.'

As they go on to acknowledge, $149.99 is a lot for an indoor laundry accessory. But for a laundry basket that genuinely looks good and is equally as functional, it's a small price to pay for an option that won't leave you scrambling to hide your laundry basket.

More to Shop

Shop a selection of top-rated and tried-and-tested laundry essentials below, including more Joseph Joseph favorites.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Your laundry basket is useful for more than washing your clothes − the laundry basket decluttering method is a simple way to clear your space ahead of hosting.

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When we think of fall, shades of burnt orange, burgundy, and rich brown usually come to mind. Blue, by contrast, is more often associated with summer. Le Creuset is changing that, however, with the return of one of its most sumptuous colorways.

Relaunching Nuit, a deliciously deep, inky blue, the heritage brand has expanded the 2024 colorway across even more of its best non-toxic cookware. Reminiscent of those early twilight evenings, this atmospheric shade offers a sophisticated alternative for anyone ready to move beyond traditional fall tableware colors.

From hearty, wholesome bakes to slow-roasted casseroles, these hardworking pieces are designed to handle everything from everyday cooking to seasonal entertaining. It's the perfect investment for fall and winter hosting that will look just as beautiful on the table throughout the rest of the year.

This endearing color has been inspired by the 'mystery of the night sky,' Le Creuset explains. 'This luxurious, velvety color swirls from black to true blue.'

The color quickly adds depth and drama to any fall table decor or winter festive tablescaping. Its inky finish feels particularly beautiful by candlelight, adding a rich, atmospheric touch to seasonal gatherings without relying on the usual fall and winter colors.

The relaunch also introduces the new Centennial Crucible Knob, a silver-toned adornment inspired by the industrial crucible used to melt the raw materials that become Le Creuset’s iconic enameled cast iron. Set against the velvety blue finish, it feels like a star glinting in the night sky, providing the perfect celestial touch.

I've already put the mini cocottes on my Christmas list (a little early, I know, but I'm dreaming of serving indulgent desserts at a New Year's dinner party). There’s something about this deep, almost otherworldly blue that makes even the simplest pieces feel special, and it's a colorway I simply can’t resist.

Shop The Collection

Fancy something a little lighter? The timeless Le Creuset chateau launch is the perfect soft gray for a year round table.

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When you’re making coffee for the whole family, brewing several cups at once is far more practical than preparing individual servings. And if you love waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee, a programmable coffee maker lets you schedule your brew in advance, so you can walk into the kitchen to find a fresh pot ready and waiting.

The Aiden Precision Coffee Maker from Fellow offers just that, and it looks pretty good on your counter too. Fellow is committed to making beautifully functional tools for any kitchen, and this non-toxic coffee maker delivers on that promise.

While it won’t keep your coffee hot for too long, it offers customizability through Brew Profiles, which are probably more of interest to coffee aficionados than the casual coffee drinker, but this machine is still user-friendly for someone who’s new to using it.

Product Specifications: Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker, 10-Cup

Design and First Impressions

The design of the Aiden Precision Coffee Maker was sleek on the counter, especially in the all-black matte design I chose. Compared to my other coffee makers, which have a mix of metal and plastic parts, this one felt like a sleek black box, less clunky than many I’ve seen on the market. When in Sleep mode, only the time is visible on the full-color LCD display, but once you click the dial, you can use it to navigate through the settings and brew coffee.

The coffee maker comes with several key components, including a removable side-mounted water tank, a thermal carafe, a blue brew basket for flat-bottom filters, and a green single-serve basket for cone filters. Descaling powder is also included, along with 15 cone filters and 15 flat-bottom filters to get you started.

When it’s time to replenish your supply, the machine is compatible with Melitta #2 cone filters and Melitta 8–12-cup basket filters.

The machine has two modes: Instant brew and guided brew, with the latter including cold brew. Instant brew works similarly to an instant coffee maker and is ideal when you’re in a rush, whereas guided brew enables you to select the roast type (light, medium, or dark) or the cold brew option.

To set up the coffee maker, I started by running a flush cycle and descaling the machine using the supplied descaling powder. I filled the water tank with the descaling solution, inserted the empty batch-brew filter basket, and selected Descale Mode. The cycle took around 16 minutes to complete.

I also found the descaling video tutorial on Fellow’s YouTube channel helpful, particularly for following the process step by step. The channel features other useful how-to videos, too, making it a handy resource if you need guidance while setting up or maintaining the machine.

The coffee maker can also be used with the Fellow app (available on iOS and Android), which can be used to schedule the coffee maker to start at a set time and create Brew Profiles for different members of your household. With each Brew Profile, you can customize temperature, bloom ratio, bloom temperature, and number of pulses. There are also default Brew Profiles, which were sufficient for my preferences as an everyday casual coffee drinker.

Brewing Performance and Set Up

To make my first pot of coffee, I followed the steps in the Get-to-Know-You guide. These included inserting a filter, selecting a brew profile and serving size, then weighing out the recommended amount of pre-ground coffee before adding it to the brew basket.

I used a kitchen scale to measure the grounds and achieved good results from following the recommended quantities for my chosen brew. The machine also has a small selector switch inside, marked with a single green dot for single servings and three blue dots for larger batches. Each setting corresponds to its own color-coded basket: Green for single servings and blue for multi-serving brews.

In practice, I found myself reaching for the multi-serving basket most often. However, having to switch between two separate brew baskets depending on the amount of coffee I wanted to make felt a little cumbersome, and I would have preferred a more streamlined setup.

The main drawback is that the coffee maker does not have a built-in hot plate to prevent the coffee from turning bitter, but the insulated carafe did keep the coffee hot for about 30 minutes. That said, I did have to warm up my coffee if I didn’t enjoy it immediately, which wasn’t a dealbreaker for me but could be for someone who wants hot coffee ready to go all day.

To test the timer feature, I set up the coffee maker to finish brewing six cups of coffee at 8 a.m. and added the brew basket with coffee grounds the night before so it would be ready to go. I woke up to the smell of coffee when I went downstairs, which was a really pleasant experience. It was especially nice when my spouse had to leave for work early because she could drink coffee without having to fuss about preparing it before leaving.

I also used the scheduling feature to make cold brew, which reduces an overnight steeping process down to just 90 minutes. This was easy to set up the night before, and we had a pot of cold brew waiting in the morning. I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the cold brew flavor was, and I was able to make a batch that lasted us a week.

Overall, I found brewing coffee with the Aiden Precision Coffee Maker refreshingly straightforward, and the ability to schedule a brew in advance made the experience even more enjoyable. For anyone who appreciates a more hands-on approach to coffee, the option to create a custom Brew Profile tailored to their tastes adds another layer of appeal and could help to justify the higher price point.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Cleaning up was remarkably simple. Once the brew cycle was over, it was as straightforward as removing the basket and coffee filter and rinsing it out. The carafe is also easy to wash by hand with warm water and a mild dish soap. Note that none of the parts are dishwasher safe; however, I did not think that this was at all an inconvenience.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the brew baskets are designed not to leak when a brewing cycle is over, so there were no drops on the machine after a completed brew cycle, making cleanup even smoother.

What Shoppers Say

The Aiden Precision Coffee Maker has an average rating of 4.6 stars on over 1200 reviews, with the average review on Amazon coming in lower at 3.7 on over 600 reviews.

Customers praise its ability to make both single-cup brews and cold brew and ease of setup. Many reviewers appreciate the personalization, especially the ability to schedule their coffee to be ready when they wake up. While the carafe is insulated, some reviewers note that it doesn’t keep coffee hot for very long, which is why some people only make one serving at a time.

Reviewers were more split on appearance, with some praising the sleek design and professional finish and others wishing that it had less plastic. And on Amazon, more customers noted the high price point as a negative and reported issues with broken parts needing replacement, which is where a longer warranty came in handy. This is not an issue I had with the machine.

Should You Buy The Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker?

This coffee maker is ideal for coffee aficionados, especially those who would enjoy creating customized brew profiles to their taste. That said, it works equally well for casual coffee drinkers who want the ability to make a reliable cup of coffee or cold brew that’s ready when they are, though you can find cheaper coffee makers that offer this functionality.

The Aiden Precision Coffee Maker is one of the most expensive coffee makers I’ve seen on the market, but it also has quite a few advanced features like the ability to schedule coffee in advance using an app or the device itself, create customizable brew profiles, and the option of making cold brew in 90 minutes. For coffee aficionados who appreciate this level of customizability, this coffee machine is a great option if you want to fine-tune all the details of your drink.

For those looking for a more affordable coffee maker that still makes drip coffee, even if it lacks extra features like scheduling, customizability, or brew profiles, check out the OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker, which gives you the option of brewing two to four cups or five to eight cups. And if you’re looking for a programmable timer, blooming function, and a hot plate at a lower price point, you may want to consider the Zwilling Enfinigy Drip Coffee Maker.

How We Test Coffee Makers

At Homes & Gardens, we have a rigorous testing process for all of our coffee makers. This enables us to score coffee makers both individually and against other models on the market.

Once we have researched the best coffee makers on the market, we test at home, as it means we can use the appliance in our regular routines. This helps me uncover advantages (or most likely, pain points) I would never discover with a one-hour session in the test kitchen.

After unboxing, we'll let you know whether we get any extra accessories and what our first impressions are of the coffee maker. Here's where we'll talk about the size, style, build quality, and anything else that jumps out at us aesthetically.

Next, we'll get brewing. We make notes on how easy the coffee maker is to set up and start using. After each brew, we assess the flavor of each cup, the range of the machine, how long it keeps coffee warm for, the ease of cleaning, and the all-important price. Where applicable, we experiment with special features, such as integrated grinders and milk frothers.

Once we are happy that we've tested everything that we can, we'll take a step back and think about how the coffee maker compares to other models. We'll read through online reviews to get a sense of what customers are saying and then, bringing all that information together, our team will let you know who we think it suits and whether it's good value for money. As you can see, we leave no stone unturned.

If you’re interested and want to find out more, you can read all about the process in our how we test coffee makers page.

What Else to Shop

From extra accessories to countertop organizers, I have rounded up everything you need to flesh out your new home coffee station.

All prices correct at time of publication.

Now that you’ve upgraded your morning routine, be sure to check out the most common coffee maker mistakes you might be making, so you can get the very best out of your new machine.

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It's not every day a new mop lands that could be considered exciting, or even innovative. It's no surprise, though, that when one does, it's from the brains behind Joseph Joseph − introducing the UltraClean Mop & Bucket System.

We're all well acquainted with the familiar tale of mopping floors and soon finding that you're 'cleaning' with dirty water, leaving streaks, marks, and your flooring often worse than it looked before. This is the problem that this new mop system aims to solve, and after trying it out for myself, I can confidently say it delivers.

Now, the Joseph Joseph UltraClean, available at Amazon, is my secret weapon for mopping floors the right way, without wasting any extra time and effort.

I'm well aware that it's unnecessary to clean floors daily, but it's still a household chore I, like most people, regularly undertake. I usually do this with a traditional mop and bucket (the O-Cedar EasyWring Spin Mop & Bucket System, available at Walmart, is another of my favorites), but I couldn't wait to put the Joseph Joseph UltraClean, available at Amazon, to the test once I heard about the release.

With a revolutionary SprayClean mechanism that cleans and refreshes the microfiber pad every time you rinse, it promises sparkling floors without streaks. A clever design separates the dirty water as you go, so you're always mopping with clean, fresh water.

First impressions count, though. Fortunately, I found the UltraClean system easy to assemble, with helpful instructions. The design looks tasteful, too, which isn't a make-or-break when it comes to cleaning tools, but it does make a pleasant difference.

Once fully assembled, there was minimal leakage out of the side of the bucket, something which I was concerned about, and the microfiber pad never got too wet, which meant my floors didn't get soaked and streaky. This is particularly appreciated as my kitchen flooring is boards, rather than tiles.

There is one thing to note: I found that you do have to fill the water tank full, which allows you to clean up to 70 square meters, or the mop won't get wet. This is no problem, but it does mean if you're mopping a smaller area of floor or just doing a quick touch-up, you'll still need to use a whole bucket of water, and the relative dilution of your preferred cleaning solution, too. I like the method Hardwood Floor Cleaner, available at Amazon.

The rectangular design of the microfiber cloth easily got into corners and crannies, and it's conveniently machine-washable, so long as you're clued up on how to wash microfiber cloths. This sustainable feature helps reduce household waste and saves you money in the long run, too.

Once my floors were mopped and clean, the instructions provided everything I needed to know about emptying the bucket, removing the pad, storing the system with the Joseph Joseph CleanTech Wall Mounted Mop & Broom Organizer, available at Amazon, which I also have and use at home, and cleaning the scraper mechanism that prevents the cloth from becoming overly wet.

When emptying the bucket, I saw just how well the separation tanks had actually worked. The water I was dipping my mop in was perfectly clean, while the smaller tank was filled with satisfyingly dirty water.

I then left everything upside down outdoors to dry thoroughly before storing away, but in bad weather, this can be done over a sink or with a wipe of a kitchen towel instead.

This mop and bucket system may be $90, but I'd certainly deem it a cleaning tool worth the splurge.

More to Shop

For more floor cleaning essentials and recommendations, shop a selection of top-rated and tried-and-tested picks below.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

This clever, all-natural baking soda solution trick leaves flooring streak-free.

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Is there anything cozier than sitting around a table with friends, sharing good food and even better stories during the holiday season? I certainly don’t think so.

That’s why I’m so excited about Le Creuset’s new Alpine Fondue Set, launched just in time for gifting season. This all-inclusive starter set comes with everything you need for a fondue night, including a fondue pot with a stand and base, fondue forks, and a grooved stainless steel collar.

Made from the same heritage enameled cast iron as their other best non-toxic cookware, it’s a beautiful piece designed to be enjoyed for years to come. Whether you’re buying it for your own table or gifting it to someone special, I can’t think of a more charming way to create new holiday traditions.

Whether you favor cheese recipes or decide on a sweet, chocolatey treat, the Alpine Fondue Set is designed to tackle both.

The pot itself is crafted from thick enameled cast iron, designed for even heating and fantastic heat retention, keeping the contents warm and delightfully gooey, perfect for dipping. It arrives ready to use with no seasoning, and from experience with their best Dutch ovens, I can testify to how easy the enameled interior is to clean after use, making this messy dish quicker to clear away after use.

The set comes with everything you need to get started, including individually colored fondue forks and a stainless steel collar with grooves for holding each in place between dips. When you're finished, each piece nests together neatly for compact storage, making it an option even for those of us with small kitchens.

When planning for hosting and gifting season, I can’t think of a better pick for adding a little extra interest to your table. With free shipping, it makes a wonderful gift for the comfort-foodie in your life, or a charming centerpiece for after-dinner drinks following Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas lunch.

It’s a timeless investment that turns even the simplest of gatherings into a special occasion, and one you’ll look forward to bringing out year after year.

What Else to Shop

From alternative fondue setups to elegant serving essentials, I’ve curated a selection of beautiful picks to elevate your hosting table this cozy season.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

We have compiled a list of alternative chef-approved gifts for your foodie friends to consider before the holiday period.

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