The Counter · Guide
The 5 kitchen tools worth their counter space all summer
From poolside frozen margaritas to last-minute backyard appetizers, these are the five machines that actually earn their plug between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Our picks
- 01Best for poolside frozen cocktails:Ninja SLUSHi Frozen Drink & Slushie Machine with RapidChill Technology | 88 oz. Easy Fill Vessel | 5 Preset Programs | Make Margaritas, Frappés, & More | With Dishwasher Safe Parts | Black | FS301
- 02Best for last-minute appetizers:Cosori 9-in-1 TurboBlaze Air Fryer 6 Qt, PFAS-Free Ceramic Coating, 90°–450°F, Precise Heating for Even Results, Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Broil, Dry, Frozen, Proof, Reheat, Keep Warm, 120V, Dark Gray
- 03Best for the cookout:Lodge Cast Iron Combo Cooker - PFAS-Free 2-in-1 3.2 Quart Deep Pot and 10.25 Inch Skillet Set - Dutch Oven with Skillet Lid for Sourdough, Frying, and Camping - Made in the USA
- 04Best for post-hike smoothies:Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System, 1400 WP, 5 Functions for Smoothies, Chopping, Dough & More with Auto IQ, 72-oz.\* Blender Pitcher, 64-oz. Processor Bowl, (2) 24-oz. To-Go Cups, Grey
- 05Best for backyard birthdays:Ninja NC301 CREAMi Ice Cream Maker, for Gelato, Mix-ins, Milkshakes, Sorbet, Smoothie Bowls & More, 7 One-Touch Programs, with (2) Pint Containers & Lids, Compact Size, Perfect for Kids, Silver
Best for poolside frozen cocktails
Ninja SLUSHi Frozen Drink & Slushie Machine with RapidChill Technology | 88 oz. Easy Fill Vessel | 5 Preset Programs | Make Margaritas, Frappés, & More | With Dishwasher Safe Parts | Black | FS301
If you host outdoors at all, the SLUSHi is the single most-used piece of summer gear in this guide. The built-in compressor is what sets it apart from older slushie machines — you pour in 88 ounces of margarita mix, frosé, cold brew, or lemonade, set the program, and roughly an hour later you have café-grade frozen drinks on tap. No pre-freezing a bowl the night before, no salt-and-ice rigs, no blender-batch-then-refill cycle that always strands one guest with a watery drink. The trade-offs are real: it's $260, it takes up serious counter space, and 88 ounces is a party-scale vessel, not a Tuesday-night-for-two appliance. But if you throw more than three or four backyard gatherings a summer, it pays for itself in goodwill and avoided blender cleanup. Dishwasher-safe parts seal the deal.
Best for last-minute appetizers
Cosori 9-in-1 TurboBlaze Air Fryer 6 Qt, PFAS-Free Ceramic Coating, 90°–450°F, Precise Heating for Even Results, Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Broil, Dry, Frozen, Proof, Reheat, Keep Warm, 120V, Dark Gray
The air fryer is the appliance that keeps your kitchen from heating up when guests show up unannounced. The Cosori TurboBlaze hits 450°F, which matters — most air fryers cap at 400°F, and that 50-degree spread is the difference between properly crisp wings and sad, pale ones. The 6-quart basket fits enough for four to six people without batching, and the PFAS-free ceramic coating sidesteps the nonstick worries that have made a lot of cooks nervous about this category. We'd reach for it for frozen dumplings, chicken wings, halloumi, shishito peppers, and the bag of tater tots you keep in the freezer for emergencies. At $100, it's the most-recommendable piece in this lineup. Skip it only if you already own a high-end air fryer or a convection toaster oven that does the same job.
Best for the cookout
Lodge Cast Iron Combo Cooker - PFAS-Free 2-in-1 3.2 Quart Deep Pot and 10.25 Inch Skillet Set - Dutch Oven with Skillet Lid for Sourdough, Frying, and Camping - Made in the USA
Sixty dollars for a piece of cast iron that will outlive most of the appliances in your kitchen — and probably you — is a quietly excellent deal. The combo cooker is two pans in one: a 3.2-quart deep pot for chili, beans, or oil for frying, and a 10.25-inch skillet lid that doubles as a standalone pan for smash burgers, cornbread, or peach galettes. What makes it a summer pick is the grill. Cast iron handles the grates as well as it handles a stovetop or an oven, which means you can sear scallops, blister shishitos, or bake a deep-dish anything over live fire without worrying about coatings or warping. It's heavy (about 13 pounds), and the learning curve on seasoning is real if you're new to cast iron. But it's the only tool here that works equally well indoors, outdoors, and over a campfire.
Best for post-hike smoothies
Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System, 1400 WP, 5 Functions for Smoothies, Chopping, Dough & More with Auto IQ, 72-oz.\* Blender Pitcher, 64-oz. Processor Bowl, (2) 24-oz. To-Go Cups, Grey
A blender earns its summer keep on the mornings after — the post-beach, post-hike, post-late-night recovery smoothies, plus the frozen virgin daiquiris for the kids while the adults are using the SLUSHi. The 1400-watt motor pulverizes frozen fruit without the chunks that ruin a smoothie, and the included food processor bowl means it also handles salsa, pesto, and quick-chop prep for crudités platters. The two 24-ounce to-go cups are the underrated feature here: blend, twist on a lid, hand it to someone walking out the door. We rank it fourth not because it's a weaker product — it's the highest-rated item in this guide — but because it overlaps with gear most people already own. If your current blender struggles with ice or you don't have a food processor, this is the upgrade. If you've got a working Vitamix, sit this one out.
Best for backyard birthdays
Ninja NC301 CREAMi Ice Cream Maker, for Gelato, Mix-ins, Milkshakes, Sorbet, Smoothie Bowls & More, 7 One-Touch Programs, with (2) Pint Containers & Lids, Compact Size, Perfect for Kids, Silver
The CREAMi is the specialist pick on this list, and we mean that as a compliment. It turns a frozen pint of base into gelato, sorbet, or a smoothie bowl in about two minutes — which makes it the move for a kid's birthday party where you want to offer three flavors without buying three half-gallons that nobody finishes. Sorbet from leftover summer fruit is its other quiet superpower. The catch is the 24-hour freeze time, which means it requires planning. This is not a spontaneous-dessert machine; it's a Saturday-host-mode machine. The pint-sized output also caps it at small gatherings unless you cycle multiple containers. If you entertain kids regularly or you've been wanting an excuse to make sorbet from the peaches at the farmers market, it earns its spot. Otherwise, a half-gallon of good ice cream from the store does most of the same work.
In closing
Common questions
- How did we rank these?
- We weighted frequency of use between Memorial Day and Labor Day, how many guests each tool can feed without bottlenecking, and whether it solves a summer-specific problem like heat, melting, or unexpected visitors. Year-round versatility was a tiebreaker, not a primary factor.
- Do I really need a dedicated frozen-drink machine if I have a blender?
- Honestly, no — a blender will make a frozen margarita. But a blender makes one batch at a time, requires re-blending as drinks melt, and turns into a cleanup chore after three rounds. A dedicated machine like the SLUSHi only makes sense if you host frequently enough that the convenience and steady texture justify the counter space.
- Is the top pick worth more than four times the budget pick?
- Only if you'll use it. The SLUSHi at $260 and the Lodge combo cooker at $60 solve completely different problems, so it's not really a head-to-head. If we had to pick one piece of gear to put in every summer kitchen regardless of hosting style, it would be the Lodge — it's the most versatile dollar-for-dollar buy in the guide.
Friday morning
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