Best Early Black Friday Deals on Kitchen Gadgets and Organization Essentials
Stock up and save on essential kitchen tools before the holidays
By Anna Kocharian, Samantha B. Gordon
Whether you’re looking to bring a little more order to a pantry or cut down on single-use plastic in the kitchen, there are plenty of tools and accessories that can get the job done. And with Black Friday less than three weeks away, we’re seeing more and more sales on items that also happen to make great gifts.
We’ve tested everything from pantry organizers to mandolines and citrus squeezers to help you find the best options. And we track the prices of all of them so we can alert you when the best ones go on sale.
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Kitchen Tools
Dash Safe Slice Mandoline
If “safety first” is your motto, this stand-up mandoline from Dash can’t be beat. Its safety features are great for people who fear traditional mandolines or have mobility issues. Unlike other mandolines where the blade is stationary and exposed, this mandoline has an internal guillotine that slices your food, not your fingers.
Why it’s a good deal: This model is $5 less than the lowest price we’ve seen in months in gray and aqua.
Chef's Choice Model 4643 AngleSelect Professional Manual Knife Sharpener
The Chef’s Choice 4643 knife sharpener looks like the analog version of the brand’s electric sharpener, but it works a bit differently. It has two basic sharpening settings, one for sharpening knives to 15 degrees and another for sharpening knives to 20. A third stage polishes the edge of any knife, regardless of which sharpening angle you choose. Like the brand’s electric sharpener, the 4643 feels well designed, with grooves that hold your knife at the perfect angle as you slowly draw it through.
Why it’s a good deal: This sale price is the best we’ve seen all year.
Label Makers
Phomemo D30 Label Maker
The Phomemo D30 Label Maker was the choice label maker in our evaluations. Using an app, you can produce labels in under 10 seconds or connect it to your printer for more elaborate jobs. The Phomemo offers extensive font options and a preview of what they will look like as well. The lithium battery comes charged and ready to print, and you can even print pictures, bar codes, and date and time stamps. The easy-tear labels can be separated with just one hand, and the device is smart enough to calibrate the paper roll to the proper position if you don’t align it perfectly.
Why it’s a good deal: With the on-page coupon, this is the best price we’ve seen for this label maker.
Phomemo M110 BT Label Maker
The Phomemo M110 is the bigger, bulkier version of the Phomemo D30 above and offers a bit more flexibility with the size of the label you’re creating. It uses the same app as well, and has a wide variety of fonts, styles, and images, with quick creation and easy label cutting. Its size, compared with the smaller Phomemo, makes it a bit less portable, and its alignment isn’t as precise when it comes to cutting the label exactly on the cut line compared with the other label printers. But it’s still a solid option for a durable label printer.
Why it’s a good deal: With the on-page coupon, this is the best price we’ve seen for this label maker.
Cricut Joy
For serious crafters, the Cricut Joy label maker is a must. Highly regarded as a go-to splurge item in the crafting and scrapbooking world, the Cricut Joy is large and almost 4 pounds. It can print on vinyl and can be used for extensive crafting and labeling beyond the basic label printers—which means you can also use it for lunchboxes, T-shirts, hats, and so much more. The device’s labels are meant to be extra durable; they’re full vinyl adhesives, which are likely to last a bit longer than other label makers.
Why it’s a good deal: Cricut devices don’t go on sale often, but we have seen this model sell for as little as $99. So you may want to wait to see if the price drops again closer to Black Friday.
Citrus Squeezers
Zulay 2-in-1 Lemon Lime Squeezer
The Zulay 2-in-1 citrus squeezer is meant to serve as a versatile device that can work with lemons and limes. In our at-home evaluations of the best citrus squeezers, we found that this model was somewhat easy to use, though it still required a bit of effort and wasn’t as mess-free as other devices. That said, the double flaps make this one conducive to squeezing citrus of varying sizes.
Why it’s a good deal: With the on-page coupon, Amazon has the best price we’ve seen for this squeezer.
Zulay Stainless Steel Citrus Squeezer
In evaluating the best manual citrus squeezers, this stainless steel Zulay Kitchen lemon squeezer proved to be easier to use with more ripe lemons, and little pulp made it into the cup. Its sleek composition makes it ideal for storing in compact drawers, and it’s dishwasher-safe.
Why it’s a good deal: This is just $3 more than the lowest price we’ve seen.
Vacuum Sealers
Anova Culinary ANVS01-US00
The Anova Culinary is the smallest of all the vacuum sealers we’ve tested, and it’s also the quietest. It seals quickly and can handle moist sealing with aplomb. The only thing holding it back? Its lackluster ease-of-use score. Only the bottom gasket can be removed for cleaning, and the catch basin must be cleaned in place. Of the seven models we tested, this is the only one that doesn’t come with a bag roll, though you can buy one separately. There’s no onboard storage for a bag roll, a trade-off made to reduce the size of the unit.
Why it’s a good deal: This is within $5 of the lowest price we’ve seen.
Geryon E2900-MS
Earning top marks for dry-food sealing and speed, the Geryon E2900-MS is a relatively quiet vacuum sealer. While it lacks storage for plastic rolls, it comes with them for making custom-sized bags. The device’s control buttons are sensitive to the touch, and it features an accessory port and hose for vacuum-sealing containers with special lids.
Why it’s a good deal: With the on-page coupon. this is the best price we’ve seen in weeks, and just $2 more than the lowest it’s ever been.
Black+Decker Premium BD8173
This vacuum sealer from Black+Decker is a great option. It gets high scores in CR’s lab tests for speed and dry-food sealing, and its performance for wet-food sealing (e.g., marinated foods) is almost as strong. It does get a lower than average score for noise, but that’s fairly common for this sort of kitchen tool.
Why it’s a good deal: This model originally cost $130 and typically retails for closer to $100, and this discount makes it even more appealing.
Storage and Organization
Stasher Reusable Silicone Bag
In our silicone food storage bag at-home evaluation, we looked at both flat bags and stand-up bags, and the Stasher did a stand-up job of preventing leaks and resisting food stains. We loved the ease of heating up food in this bag, which can stand up equally well in a pot of boiling water and in a microwave without splattering sauce.
Why it’s a good deal: These reusable bags are an affordable and sustainable way to prep healthy snacks to grab on the go.
iDesign Linus Pantry Bins
The key to a neater fridge or an organized pantry can be as simple as using a streamlined storage bin like this iDesign version. Its minimalist composition means you can easily stack them—either side by side or on top of one another—while the clear plastic build makes it a cinch to see what’s inside. It’s versatile enough to hold fruits, veggies, and even dry goods like chips or bags of flour, and corralling your pantry staples is made much easier with these containers.
Why it’s a good deal: This sale price is a couple of dollars less than usual, so it’s a great value if you want to upgrade your fridge storage.
Chef's Path Cereal Container Storage Set
When it comes to pantry staples bought in larger quantities—such as cereal, oats, and rice—stackable canisters or basic jars can help maximize shelf space. This Chef’s Path storage set comes with four 4-liter airtight containers that are primed to keep your dry goods neatly in place and easily accessible.
Why it’s a good deal: This is $1 more than the best price we’ve seen for this set.
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