How we work
Most reviews are written in the first week of ownership. We're interested in month six.
The problem we're solving
Buying a $700 espresso machine or a $1,500 grill means an evening of tabs: fifty Amazon reviews, three Reddit threads, two YouTube videos that were sent the product for free, and a forum post from someone whose unit died in month thirteen. Most people give up and buy the one with the most stars. Sometimes that's a lemon.
We do that evening of reading for you, carefully, and write down what we found.
Where the information comes from
For each product we read the places owners go when something goes right or wrong: the subreddit, the enthusiast forum, the Better Business Bureau file, the one- and five-star reviews at the big retailers, and the brand's own support pages. We look for the same experience reported by different people, in different places, over time. Every guide lists its sources with the date we read them, so you can check our work.
We don't accept review units, we don't run sponsored posts, and no brand sees a guide before it's published.
What a guide gives you
One answer, up top: the product we'd buy, with a link. Then the reasons, in order: what owners report, what tends to break and what it costs, where to buy it (and where not to), and the shortlist of what to buy instead if the hero isn't right for you. We'd rather you buy once than twice.
How we make money
Links that start with /go/ take you to Amazon, and if you buy something there we earn a small commission at no cost to you. The recommendation is written before the links go in, and we regularly point to the cheaper product when the owner evidence says so. The full disclosure is here.
Why there's a lemon in every photo
A lemon is the product you regret. We put one in every picture as a reminder of what we're here to help you avoid. Also, they're nice to look at.
Who we are
Lemonleaks is an independent publication based in Los Angeles, run by people who have bought enough expensive kitchen equipment to have opinions. Send us a tip.