Independence: the rules
- We buy everything at retail. Full price, our own money, no press units, no "reviewer discounts," no manufacturer contact during selection. A free unit sent unasked goes in the trash unopened — and we'll tell you it happened.
- No sponsored placements. Rankings are not for sale at any price, to any manufacturer, in any form.
- No pre-publication review. No manufacturer sees, approves, or "fact-checks" a review before it publishes. Embargo deals don't exist here.
Testing integrity
- The protocol is public before the testing starts. You can read exactly how we test in how we test — including this launch phase, where picks are research-backed and labeled as such.
- Research and testing are never mixed up. A launch article says "research-backed, hands-on protocol pending." A tested article says exactly what we measured. You'll never have to guess which one you're reading.
- Flaws stay on the record. Every pick gets real cons; failed gadgets stay published with their failures documented. We don't delete bad reviews — dead products stay on the record.
Corrections
- We correct publicly and promptly. A wrong spec, a bad link, or a claim that doesn't hold up gets fixed within 48 hours of verification, with a dated note in the article's update log saying what changed.
- We don't stealth-edit. Substantive changes to conclusions are noted; typos and formatting aren't. You'll never wonder whether a recommendation quietly moved.
Funding
- Affiliate commissions, and nothing else. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission — at no extra cost to you. It never affects our picks, rankings, or scores. Full details in our affiliate disclosure.
- No display ads on review pages. No banners, no popups, no sponsored content boxes next to the verdict. The page you read to decide what to buy is ad-free.
— Maya Reyes, founder, KitchenAudit · Last updated: 19 October 2026