Kitchen Appliances (Small)

A really good set of knives. You need at least one 5" utility (a couple will be better), a small santuko (maybe a large one, too), and a maybe a chef's and a 3" utility. A good set of knives makes everything easier!

A food processor can take the place of a stand blender and stand mixer - go with a good hand mixer and maybe an immersion blender (for drinks and soups).

I also really like my toaster oven. It's more convenient for quick things - and if it's just you, it'll be faster for a lot of things.

Also - totally agree with BeenThere - a digital thermometer is essential! I don't overcook chicken and pork any more.

How about a cooking class? Find a class that will help you to learn how to streamline the process.

Remember food is love. When we prepare good healthy meals for our family we are loving them. I love to cook and feed my family nice meals. But I have learned over the years how to streamline the process and keep the prep work down to a miminim.

Food processor and if that is too expensive, a food chopper. I really liked the one from Pampered Chef. It made dicing vegetables, nuts, chocolate etc. really easy. I rarely use it now that I have a food processor but the food chopper was just $20.

Stand mixer and immersion blender.

My digital thermometer has improved my cooking about 30-40 percent. Now I don't over cook meats. I watched The Chew for about a year and that really helped (now not as good). Rachel Ray is great to watch for Week in a Day.

Without knowing everything you have..... here are my favorites..

Great set of knives.. I have Henckels, top of the line. I received them as my first Mother's Day gift and they still are in perfect shape. Henckels has a great warranty... hubby broke a knife (his fault) and they still replaced it free.

My All-Clad top of the line pots and pans. They are about 6 yrs old now, still look knew. I LOVE these.

Cast iron cookware. There is nothing like a great seasoned piece (or few) of good cast iron.

I have a KitchenAid toaster oven. My hubby laughed at me and said it was a waste of my $200 but you know what... that thing is used DAILY and he now agrees that it was one of the best $200 I ever spent.

We have a regular Stainless 2 piece toaster that is used often.

Digital Thermometer... LOVE this little gadget. Make sure you get a good quality one.

I do not use a blender or food processor. My daughter occasionally makes smoothies for herself with the blender and that is the only time it is used.

I have a standard small electric Kitchen Aid mixer I use a lot.

My small electric Oster chopper is wonderful!!

I have a great heavy duty garlic press.

I like my kitchen counters cleared off.. (no clutter) even though I have ample space. I only have my toaster and toaster oven out because they are used on a daily basis. Everything else is stored away and pulled out when I use it.

I have a crockpot and it might get used once a year if that much. I prefer the prep myself. I have a couple of coffee pots but we rarely brew any coffee.

That said, I love to cook.... I buy the highest quality utensils, cookware and gadgets that I need. Hopefully this list will give you a couple of ideas.

Toaster oven and good knives.

Kitchen aid makes a kit with an immersion blender, whisk whipper attachment, and a handy chopper. It's very versatile. I use the immersion blender for bisque soups (tomato, roasted red pepper, butternut squash). Also, I use it to puree steamed veggies to sneak into the kids' food! The handy chopper is great for making homemade salsa, pesto, olive tapanade, and chimichurri sauces. It's a good prep tool too - can chop onions, carrots, celery for soups, etc. I use the whisk for fresh whipped cream, quiches, omelets. I think the kit was about $60 - not outrageous considering how handy it is.
The other tools I use a lot are good spatulas (scrapers & flippers), whisks, a 7" chefs knife, a long serated bread knife, and a 3" paring knife, a good set of cutting boards, air bake cookie sheets, a set of high sided mixing bowls with gripping rubber on the bottom.
A fun addition I got last year is a set of 6 oz. ramekins. They're a good size for creme brulee, individual pot pies, tiny appetizer soup or sauces.

I love my stand mixer.

A good set of knives, a glass cutting board and a thermometer. I also like my mini food processor.

Stand mixer, food processor, blender, crock pot, good pots, good quality 8' chefs knife and utility knife (Wusthof Trident is my favorite). Prep time is much more fun with good knives.

Other things of use in our house: food mill, whisk, tongs, large stockpot, sieves, spatulas, wooden spoons, set of plastic cutting sheets that can go in dishwasher, lots of small/medium bowls for mise en place (prepping cut veggies/stuff).

I just got an immersion blender for Christmas. That will come in really handy for blended soups! I'm tired of using the big blender.

I would love a toaster oven or a toaster/convection oven, but we don't have enough room.

I'm the baker/sweet maker: Kitchenaid Mixer & really good spatulas, measuring cups
Hubs is the chef: He says - cheese grater (uses that for cheese, potatoes, veggies) and good knives.

We both love the various sized pyrex measuring cups with the spouts. We have a one cup, 2 cup & a huge one that has a lid for stuff like pancake batter.