Small appliances include refrigerators and freezers, medical or industrial research refrigeration equipment, room air conditioners, and other items that are fully produced, charged, and hermetically sealed in factories with five pounds or less of refrigerant. The primary benefit of modest kitchen gadgets for many home cooks is the time they save. Modern appliances return to the cook what they value most: their time. Instead of making tuna salad over a 10-minute period, all the ingredients can be placed in a food processor and processed in 30 seconds. Every day, the market for small but necessary kitchen appliances improves, becomes more high-tech, and becomes more accessible. As a result, even entry-level items are now considerably more dependable than they ever were.
