In cramped New York City apartments, every square foot is valuable. That means appliances had better make good use of the space they require. If you don’t cook all to often, you might think that having a stove in your kitchen isn’t all that reasonable. But what’re you to do the few times that you do want to bake something? You’ve got to think creatively.

That’s just what this Sharp R-820BW - Convection Microwave Oven does. It’s a microwave, sure, but it’s also a convection oven, allowing you to cook a crispy pizza without resorting to a gas oven. It’s nice and compact, fitting on your countertop, doing the job of two appliances at once. You simply choose which type of cooking you want it to do, and it’ll either microwave or bake whatever you put inside to perfection. So why give up those precious square feet of kitchen space to an oven you’ll never use? Consolidation is the name of the game.

Who has time to vacuum these days? With all the other things on your plate, can you really be expected to wrangle a vacuum cleaner all over your apartment on any type of regular basis? And who has room for a full-sized vacuum in their closets? It just doesn’t make sense.

What does make sense is the Roomba 56001 iRobot 560 Vacuum Cleaning Robot. It’s a Vacuum Cleaning Robot, people. What else are you looking for? This thing learns the layout of your apartment and will periodically go out and clean up after you while you’re at work. Simply stick the “Virtual Wall Lighthouses” around the walls and the Roomba will know just where to go, cleaning one room at a time before returning to its base station to charge back up. The result? You come home to an apartment with far fewer Dorito crumbs and stray hairs on the carpet and a closet that you have room to keep your shoes and clothes in. Everybody wins.

There are people who like their coffee, and then there are people who take their obsession with coffee to a new level. People who treat coffee like wine, like something that is only worth enjoying if it’s the best quality possible. For people like that, they need something a bit more than a cup of Chock Full O Nuts.

If you’re one such coffee devotee, allow me to introduce you to what’s sure to be at the top of your Christmas list this year: the Saeco S-PTP Primea Touch Plus Super Automatic Espresso Cappuccino Maker. This thing can make you the perfect espresso, cappuccino or latte without any of the messy work that usually goes into brewing such drinks. You can make two cups at once, and all you need to do is put in some high quality beans and it’ll take care of the rest. No more slumming it at Starbucks for you; nope, you’ll have the perfect coffee shop sitting right on your kitchen counter.

If you want to be able to make hot beverages whenever you want without the horrible, horrible hassle of boiling a kettle on the stove and scooping some powder into a cup, I feel your pain. It’s hard! And why should you be expected to do such work when your life is so full of trials already? You deserve a break.

Well, a break is just what the Braun Tassimo TA1200 Hot Beverage System will give you. All you need to do to make a hot cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or other flavored hot beverages is to stick in a T-Disc, insert a mug, and hit the start button. Within 30 seconds you’ll have a piping hot, perfectly measured cup of your favorite drink with no mess and no effort. It’s like having a coffee shop in your kitchen that doesn’t require you to pay a full-time worker, which is really the problem with such setups.

Love cooking outdoors but the weather drives you indoors? The Hamilton Beach Indoor Contact Grill is made for you. It grills most meals in 10 minutes or less, and offers unprecedented flexibility in cooking method. Either close the top for heavenly grilled cheese sandwiches or open flat for a scrumptious T-bone steak. Close the top for juicy hamburgers and open the top for Mom’s traditional meatloaf.

And have we mentioned that cooking with the indoor grill is low-fat? The grease runs away from food and is caught in a handy reservoir. Removable dishwasher-safe grids make cleaning up easy. The auto-shutoff timer guards against charred meals.

As often is the case at J&R, a low price is the most appetizing feature.