1. Urban Cultivator ($2,499)
Martha Stewart swears by hers — which she uses to give her summer garden a head start. Programmed to supply plants with light, water, and a steady temperature, it can be used to grow herbs and microgreens year-round. Buy it at Urban Cultivator.
2. Instant Pot ($80)
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It's no wonder this pressure cooker has inspired a craze: "It's as user-friendly as a slow cooker — except that it gets dinner on the table a day or so faster." Think spare ribs in 20 minutes and fork-tender lamb shanks in 40. Buy it at Amazon.
3. Zera Food Recycler ($1,199 for pre-order)
It looks like a "very classy" kitchen garbage can, but the Zera is more like a miracle in-home composter: It turns food scraps — including meat — into garden-ready fertilizer in just 24 hours. It's due to ship in October. Buy it at Zera.
4. Panasonic FlashXpress ($118)
This "groundbreaking" toaster oven remains unique in its use of both quartz and ceramic heating elements. The instant infrared heat ensures even browning and reduces cooking time on muffins or frozen pizzas. Buy it at Amazon.
5. Samsung AddWash ($2,499)
Don't you hate it when you start a load and then find an extra sock? A hatch door on this washer makes late additions easy. An "excellent" machine all around, it's "loaded with features," including a speed-wash option. Buy it at Amazon.
Editor's note: Every week The Week's editors survey product reviews and articles in websites, newspapers, and magazines, to find cool and useful new items we think you'll like. We're now making it easier to purchase these selections through affiliate partnerships with certain retailers. The Week may get a share of the revenue from these purchases.
-
How China is battling the chikungunya virusUnder The Radar Thousands of cases of the debilitating disease have been found in the country
-
Deep thoughts: AI shows its math chopsFeature Google's Gemini is the first AI system to win gold at the International Mathematical Olympiad
-
Book reviews: 'Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji' and 'Blood Harmony: The Everly Brothers Story'Feature The surprising history of emojis and the brother duo who changed pop music
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
