Sales of small appliances rebounded in 2010

Small appliances had a big year in 2010, boosted by sales of drip coffeemakers, blenders, stand mixers, electric grills/griddles, hand mixers, waffle irons and rice cookers. According to the NPD Group, which sells its data to various businesses, sales of small kitchen electrics exceeded 2007 pre-recession levels, and that's good news.

"The kitchen's still the heart of the home, regardless of economic climate, and kitchen appliances appear to have actually benefited from the economic downturn," said Debra Mednick, the NPD Group's executive director. "It also didn't hurt that people were bombarded with celebrity names—Paula Deen and Rachael Ray have become household names beyond the cooking channels—and many small appliances were heavily marketed on TV and in stores."

Sales of other home electricis were basically flat in 2010 versus 2009, but there were some winners including heaters, humidifiers, vaporizers, bare floor cleaners, robotic and workshop vacuums. "With portable heaters, we believe it was the cold weather and consumers' perception that it's more economical to run a space heater and not a furnace," said Mednick. "And if your heat's on a lot, you might want to run a humidifier more often."

Find ratings of large and small appliances as well as heating equipment, in our Appliance section.

—Reporting by Gian Trotta

—Aaron Bailey