8 Best Small Kitchen TVs to Liven Up Your Cooking Space [2022]

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It’s pretty rare to see a house with a kitchen television, and I really don’t understand why they’re not more popular.

There are of course times during a recipe when you have to devote all your attention to the cooking itself, but there are just as many times where you’re doing something tedious like stirring or dicing and would like to have some entertainment. Even if you can’t be looking directly at the kitchen TV, having something on in the background is often nice – and that’s not even to mention audio-centric programming like concerts or speeches.

best small kitchen tvs

Plus, don’t forget about instructional cooking shows, which are so helpful that there’s a whole channel dedicated to them. A kitchen television is not just a good way to make cooking more entertaining, but also an educational tool that will provide you with tons of instructional step-by-step cooking content you can apply to your recipes as you watch.

Of course, not just any TV is right for your food prep area. Cooks generally want a small kitchen TV, something not too imposing. They also want something durable that can withstand the harsh conditions of a well-used kitchen. In this post, I’ll share my recommendations for kitchen TVs, and hopefully it will help convert you make your time in the kitchen even more enjoyable.

8 Best Small Kitchen TVs

In this table, I’ve put together my personal favorite kitchen TVs for eight different categories. Below the table, I give each model two or three paragraphs to explain why it came out on top!

CategoryModel Name
OverallSamsung 24 Inch Class H4500
Budget24 Inch Insignia
SplurgeNo products found.
SmartNo products found.
PortableNo products found.
Display24″ Insignia Class F20 Series
SoundNo products found.
CountertopNest Hub Max with Smart Display

1. Overall: 24″ Class H4500

by Samsung

24″ Class H4500 LED Smart TV

In my opinion, this is the best kitchen television out there; I have one in my kitchen, in fact. The main reason I love it is because of how great the sound is even though it’s nice and compact. Usually small TVs have pretty abysmal internal speakers, but the DTS studio sound advertised really does come through.

The so-called “Smart Hub” on this model is really nice too, especially for a kitchen TV. It puts icons for all the best streaming services, music platforms, and even websites on one panel so you can navigate around quickly without having to fumble through menus. And believe me, when you have something going on the stove and you don’t have much time to spare, you’ll be glad you have that feature.

This isn’t the cheapest option for a small kitchen television, but it has solid features and good durability that will last you for years. If they don’t Samsung has top-of-the-line customer service.

2. Budget: 24″ Insignia

by Best Buy

Insignia 24″ Class N10 Series LED HD TV

Speaking of the cheapest option, this model is probably the least you can spend on a kitchen TV while still getting a good product. The picture quality on this TV is clear and bright, and it’s a perfect size for the kitchen; not too big, not too small.

It’s pretty basic in terms of outputs, but if you’re not very techy like me, then you’ll probably see this as a good thing. When I used to have one, it was supremely easy to set up add-ons like my Spectrum cable or my Chrome stick. The menus on the TV are simple too, so configuring a controller (for example) is a cinch. It’s almost as if the TV was made for people who love simplicity.

The one complaint I have is that the internal speakers are not terribly loud, so it’s hard to hear them during louder activities like dish washing or stir frying. If you hook them up to external speakers, this obviously won’t be a problem. That being said, I don’t think it’s a huge sacrifice considering the rock-bottom price.

3. Splurge: 32″ Class The Frame QLED HDR Smart TV

by No products found.

No products found.

This kitchen TV costs a lot, but the crystal clarity of the picture makes up for it. Samsung claims the screen can project over a billion hues, which makes anything playing on the TV look like a window into whatever’s happening rather than a bunch of pixels dancing on a screen. It’s hard to describe the vividness of the experience until you try it yourself.

When the 32” TV is not actually playing something, you can turn it into a digital frame for a photo or painting. Because of how incredibly detailed the screen is, though, it won’t look like a computerized image, like is the case with most digital picture frames, but instead like an actual piece of art hanging on the wall. This illusion is aided by the colored bezel around the edge of the screen, which looks exactly like a wooden picture frame.

You can also mount the screen with no gap between it and the wall. The result really is a classier look than any other kitchen television out there.

The TV is packed with other features, too. It has voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or Bixby, the smart application is very powerful, and the sound is great. I could go on about all this model can do, but I really couldn’t do it justice.

4. Smart: 24″ Vizio

by No products found.

No products found.

TVs with smart hubs and voice control usually come at a premium price, but not in this case. The small kitchen TV actually has Apple AirPlay and Chromecast built in, and it also includes lots of free on-demand shows from cable networks including cooking programs. It’s supremely easy to navigate the menus or just speak into the remote to tell the TV what you want to put on. And the picture quality is just beautiful.

My major complaint with the TV is the sound. As I mentioned, I think sound is pretty important for a kitchen television, and the internal speakers on this model deliver a shallow and tinny noise quality. That being said, I bought my friend one of these for his birthday and he bought a soundbar to go with it, and now he’s completely happy with his system.

5. Portable: Milanix 14.1″ Portable Widescreen LED TV

by No products found.

No products found.

This model is battery-powered, so you can carry it with you and put it down wherever you want using the fold-out stand built into the TV. It weighs less than 3.5 pounds, too, so you don’t have to break a sweat lugging it around.

My kitchen is rather large, so being able to quickly move the TV to whatever part I’m using is very nice. You can even slip the device into your purse or a backpack.

Despite its size, this very small kitchen television has tons of outputs that make it compatible with almost all modern cables and hook-ups. My sons sometimes take it from the kitchen to go on road trips, and their game consoles hook up to it easily.

6. Display: 24″ Insignia Class F20 Series

by Best Buy

24″ Insignia Class F20 Series

For $120, the picture on this model is absolutely amazing. It’s fully HD, and it definitely shows. It has lifelike details and vividly contrasting colors that you usually only see on TVs that are at least twice the price.

The smart capabilities are great, too. The kitchen TV is fully integrated with Amazon Fire, which means there are over 1000 titles available for free right out of the box. The voice control on the remote (a very important feature for a kitchen television) works especially well, too, and it allows you to launch apps, play music, or switch inputs in addition to playing all those Amazon shows.

7. Sound: 22″ LG

by No products found.

No products found.

As I’ve said, I feel the sound is the most important thing for a kitchen TV to get right.

This model certainly does not disappoint in that regard. It’s surprising given the fact that the television is relatively small, even for a kitchen TV, at 22 inches. The internal speakers have great volume and crisp bass. Once this model is in your kitchen, you’ll be able to hear what’s going on on TV clearly even if you’re not right in front of the device.

8. Countertop: Nest Hub Max with Smart Display

by Best Buy

Nest Hub Max with Smart Display

This is the one entry that’s more of a tablet than a TV. That means that in addition to a great picture, clear sound, and all the features of a smart TV including voice control, the Nest Hub Max can do the things a high-end wifi-connected tablet can do. Things like watching Youtube videos, surfing the web, controlling your home’s smart devices, and checking on other cameras set up around your house.

I usually recommend cooks mount their kitchen TV on the wall to save space, but this is one of the few instances where I think keeping the “TV” on the countertop and bringing it around with you is a better choice.

Kitchen TV FAQ

No matter what kitchen television you choose, you may have some more questions about how to make it look like a part of the room. Those questions just might be answered below.

What is a good size TV for a kitchen?

My preference is 24 inches. Anything larger than that feels too imposing for the kitchen, with the only exception in my mind being the exceptionally tasteful “The Frame” Samsung TV I mentioned earlier in this post. Any smaller than 24 inches can make it hard to perceive the picture or audio properly, unless you have a very small kitchen or you’re able to pick up the television and move it around the kitchen.

Where should a TV be placed in a kitchen?

Most kitchens have an island or a stretch of counter where the majority of the tedious tasks like chopping vegetables or beating ingredients is done. You’ll want to mount your kitchen TV on the wall at a spot that can be viewed from that workspace. If it’s also viewable for the dishwashing area, that’s a big plus. You don’t want it to be too close, because watching TV from just a foot or two away is bad for your eyes. You also don’t want to place it in a location where you’ll have to contort your neck to catch what’s going on onscreen. Of course, if you have a portable kitchen television like the Milanix or the Nest Hub discussed in this post, you don’t need to worry about it.

Is it tacky to have a TV in the kitchen?

It does look a bit tacky to have a kitchen television if it is not blended into the surroundings in any way. The ideal situation is to have an indent in the wall or a shallow cupboard that the TV can nestle into. This makes the television look more natural in the room, like it really belongs. It also helps to put the TV amongst other appliances on the wall like ovens or built-in wall coolers. If you can make it look like just another one of your kitchen appliances, you’re probably golden. The aesthetics of the TV can definitely help it to fit in as well. Some higher-end TVs look like pieces of art hanging on the wall, and it’s easier to prevent those models from looking tacky.

Can you put a TV on a microwave?

Technically, yes. Microwaves might interfere with wifi signals, though, so it’s not a great idea to place the two appliances close by if you have a smart TV or if you want to use web-enabled add-ons like Apple AirPlay or a Chrome Stick. There’s a reason microwaves have vents, too. They emit particles of food residue over time, which is why your microwave has vents and the areas around them get dirty over time.

How can I hide a tv in my kitchen?

Find a shallow cabinet that matches the design scheme of your kitchen and put it in there! If you want to go a step further, you could even pay a bit more money to have a contractor put a shallow indent in one of your kitchen walls in which to mount the TV. The other option is to display your kitchen television proudly but use it as a digital picture frame when it’s not in use.

Something to Show

Cooking is a fantastic hobby to have. If you can grow to enjoy working in the kitchen, you’ll be able to provide your household with a constant supply of delicious food.

I personally love cooking. It brings me endless hours of joy, and the food I have to show for it makes my friends and family just as happy as me.

A kitchen TV may be the bridge you need to enjoy your time in the kitchen more, too. I hope that my recommendations can help you find out for yourself.

Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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