Gear

10 Premium Products Every New Homeowner Should Invest In

Family cooking in kitchen with Brava Oven in background

Courtesy of Brava

When you’re moving into a new apartment, condo, or home, it can feel like you’re stocking up your own modern-day Noah’s Arc, corralling goods in pairs for when the first one inevitably goes.

Well, here’s a thought: Why not invest in quality home goods that’ll last you close to a lifetime? It sure as hell beats buying chintzy appliances you’ll have to replace every six months.

Recycle the hand-me-downs, bargain buys, and dorm room gear you’re still storing. We’ve put the spotlight on 10 kitchen and living room essentials that you’ll use every day. Best of all, these pieces maximize space, so they’re perfect for single guys living in studio apartments or big families nestled in suburbia.

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Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute (Copper)

You don’t need us to tell you Dyson’s leading the charge on revolutionizing the vacuum. You might need help choosing the right model, though, and in that case we’d recommend the V10 Absolute. It’s packing a digital motor—the most powerful of any cordless vacuum on the market—with 14 cyclones that suck and hurl particles as big as cereal and as microscopic as pollen and bacteria into its main chamber. Its versatility is unrivaled as well, with three suction modes and a variety of tool heads to reach crevices, clean fragile surfaces, suck dirt and hair from tightly knit fabrics, and clean carpets or hard wood floors. We especially like the extended battery life, the bin’s quick-release mechanism (it shoots all the debris into the bottom of your garbage bin), and the fact it expels clean, filtered air while in use. You’ll find yourself vacuuming messes—real and imagined—all the time.

[$700; dyson.com]

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Apple TV 4K

If you’re tempted to cut the cord and ditch your cable provider, get yourself a media streaming device that has it all: Get Apple TV 4K. You’ll enjoy a cinematic experience—without stepping foot on a theater’s sticky floors. Apple just announced tvOS 12, a powerful operating system bolstered by Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos audio. With 4K HDR (high dynamic range), visuals are exceptionally crisp and clear: 4K delivers 4x as many pixels as standard HD, and HDR provides a greater number of colors. The audio is more immersive, too. From a convenience standpoint, you get total access and ease of use; Apple TV has the largest range of movies with apps like iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.

[$149; apple.com]

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Food52 x Staub Round Cocotte

Your kitchen needs a French oven. These durable, enameled beauties aptly braise meat, bake bread, and serve as the perfect vessel for stews, soups, and casseroles. This classic round cocotte, a collaboration between Staub and Food52, has little nubs along the cover that naturally baste your food while cooking. Its cast iron base ensures even temperature regulation and keeps your meal hot, even after you’ve taken it off the stove or pulled it from the belly of the oven. Get the Food 52 x Staub Blue colorway with a stainless steel knob while you can; other color options include grenadine, cherry, graphite, and matte black.

[$284-$359; food52.com]

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Nespresso VertuoPlus Deluxe Black Bundle

A short list of people Nespresso’s VertuoPlus Deluxe Bundle is great for: those who live alone; couples who like to individualize their coffee; latte and cappuccino lovers; humans who enjoy coffee, period. The VertuoPlus takes a variety of capsules from Nespresso’s Vertuo line, including espresso, double espresso, lungo (5oz), coffee (8oz), and alto (17oz). You just pop one in and press a button—no tamping or cleaning—stellar if you prefer the unfussiness of a single-serve coffee machine. The accompanying Aeroccino can whip up hot or cold milk froth for specialty coffee shop-style drinks. One thing to note: Milk can be temperamental. In my experience, some cartons just won’t froth (maybe something to do with freshness of the milk?). It’s not the fat content that makes a good froth, though, which is great if you use plant-based milks. This will make your morning…afternoon…and, hell, night.

[$269; nespresso.com]

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Viking Copper Clad 3-Ply Mirror Cookware

Whether you want some sharp-looking cookware to hang over your range or professional-grade staples that’ll blow every other affordable set out of the water, Viking’s Copper Clad 3-Ply Mirror collection is a good place to start. Every piece has an aluminum-alloy core for maximum heat conductivity surrounded by heavy-gauge stainless steel to help control heat transfer all topped off with a copper exterior for even heating (and a refined look). We especially like Viking’s ergonomic handles; they’re longer than average, have a finger guide, and a heat break to prevent overheating. The volume measurements inside the vessel and tempered glass lids are also thoughtful design features (especially if you’re prone to boilovers). Use it on the grill, stovetop, or oven—these are as versatile as it gets for a new home owner. Comes with 8qt + 4qt + 3 qt + 2.25 stock pots and lids; pasta insert; 5.25 qt sauce pan with helper handle and lid; and 10″ + 8″ fry pans.

[$360.12; samsclub.com]

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Zwilling Pro 9-pc Knife Block Set

A high-grade knife set is the cornerstone of a great kitchen—and Zwilling’s Pro 9-pc Set is next-level. Each knife is crafted with the patented one-piece Sigmaforge construction, which provides greater balance, stability, and sharpness. Let’s repeat that last one: These suckers are incredibly sharp—efficient, but cut-your-finger-off-sharp. You’ve no need for electric knives and carvers. You gain better control from the triple-riveted handles and the tang design (what connects the blade to the handle). It’s a seamless taper that lets you use the appropriate pinch grip without taxing your fingers. As for the blades, they’ve undergone an ice-hardening treatment; the steel’s been frozen to -94°F to produce a durable, corrosion-resistant blade.

[$449.95; zwillingonline.com]

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Insta Pot Ultra 10-in-1

Not really sure what a pressure cooker is…or if you need one? Consider this: You can cook a meal from scratch two to six times faster than conventional means. And with the Insta Pot Ultra 10-in-1, you have that capacity across 10 different mechanisms—a pressure/slow cooker, a rice/porridge/cake/yogurt maker, sauté/sear, steamer, warmer, and sterilizer—plus 16 smart programs. Might seem a little overwhelming, but that kind of limitless usage is just what you need when maximizing counter space.

[$149.95; instantpot.com]

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Bluesound Pulse Soundbar 2i

Mount Bluesound’s Soundbar under your flat screen or prop it on your TV stand; either way, it’ll enhance the wimpy speakers you’re currently working with. While it took some putzing around for the speaker to connect—and stay connected to WiFi—this was a dream come movie night. For starters, you need an HD TV and preferably a fairly large one since the speaker is 42.25” x 5.5” x 2.75”. Six integrated high-performance speakers and two passive radiators work to deliver bold, beefy sound with 24-bit resolution and impressive bass response. The app makes customization a cinch, allowing you to tweak listening modes for music, TV, and movies.

[$699-799; bluesound.com]

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Brava Oven

If you’ve picked up on the buzz about Brava Oven, you’ve likely heard people compare it to an Easy Bake Oven. Sorry, but that toy doesn’t have shit on this smart oven. It slashes cooking and preheating time—so much so that you can cook steak and potatoes simultaneoulsy in 15 minutes. Rather than heating the air around your food to cook, Brava harnesses infared to transfer energy (heat) directly into your food. Six lamps heat three cook zones at different times to perfectly sear salmon while blistering tomatoes and caramelizing onions so they’re all done at the same time. Their protein thermometer delivers immediate feedback up to a tenth of a degree to let you know how quickly your food’s cooking, then dynamically adjusts the temperature up or down. The coolest feature is its machine vision. There’s a camera that recognizes color, texture, and sear marks indicative of a food’s doneness. Thousands of trials have taught Brava to recognize when a food is perfectly toasted and cooked (read: not over- or underdone). There’s even a touchscreen interface that lets you choose individual ingredients or sync full recipes from Brava Meal Kit. This beauty can replace your microwave and will likely get more use than your traditional oven if you’re cooking for one or two. It’s also great for small spaces (i.e. New York City apartments).

[$995; brava.com]

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Ninja Intelli-Sense Kitchen System

It would be a disservice to yourself not to get Ninja’s Intelli-Sense Kitchen System. Rather than lugging out individual appliances, one smart base expertly controls four attachments: a blender (pitcher), food processor, individual smoothie maker, and a spiralizer. Use the touchscreen to toggle through chef-created recipe creations within the 12 smart programs; the base recognizes each vessel you attach. Whirl together protein shakes, make pizza dough, and churn out zoodles with absolute ease.

[$269.99; amazon.com]

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