Philly Food Guide

Ten coffee grinders compared. The four blade grinders here have zero grind settings between them — and two of them cost more than a 28-setting burr grinder.

Ten single serve machines compared. Six brew loose grounds and four never will — and the cheapest machine here and the most expensive are both the pod-locked kind.

Ten French presses compared. The category splits exactly in half by material — and nothing here above 34 ounces is glass, because glass cannot hold heat across a long breakfast.

Ten pour over brewers compared. Four incompatible filter sizes appear here plus two proprietary formats — and the paper is a recurring cost while the dripper is not.

Ten cold brew makers compared. The number on the pitcher is concentrate, not coffee — and five of these ten put a shipping weight in the capacity field.

Ten crepe makers compared. Seven ask you to sweep batter thin with a spreader; three dip the hot plate into the batter instead and remove the skill entirely.

Ten yogurt makers compared on the spec that matters — how far either side of 110°F they go. All ten rate 4.5 stars, so the reviews will not choose for you.

Ten egg cookers compared. None has a timer or a thermostat — the water you pour in is the entire doneness control, and the stated capacity fields describe water, shipping weight or nothing at all.

Ten popcorn makers compared across hot air, hot oil, stovetop and microwave. The air-versus-oil choice is really a seasoning choice — and two hot air machines here ship with a butter tray that proves it.

Ten stovetop pressure cookers compared. Four seal from inside the rim and are sold in litres; six clamp over it and are sold in quarts — and only four publish the pressure they actually run at.

Ten pressure cookers compared on what actually makes soup — whether they brown, how the pressure comes off, and what happens after. Two of the ten state no sauté function at all.

Ten cabinet range hoods compared with sones converted to decibels. The hood that moves the most air is also the quietest here — and the two loudest move the least.

Ten small range hoods compared. The phrase covers two different appliances — plug-in countertop units at 95 CFM and fitted 20 to 24-inch hoods up to 600 — and the weakest ones are the loudest.