Kitchen Must Haves

There are a few items/gadgets/appliances that I love and find very useful in my kitchen.  They make my life so much easier and help cut down on preparation time.

Good, quality knives.  To me, this is the most important kitchen item that you need.  A good, sharp knife is key to so many things.  You don't have to spend tons and tons of money either.  We have some from QVC, Henkel, Calphalon and recently purchased a pair of ceramic knives from Ikea about a month ago.  The ceramic knives are my current favorite.

Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.  I have the artisan 5 quart and I love it.  I use it at least once a week.  I also have the scraper paddle and an extra bowl. They both come in handy.

Cuisinart Rice Maker.  This is the best rice maker we have ever had and we have had quite a few.  Joe loves rice and I think would eat it with every meal, every day if I let him.  I have made all different kinds of rice in this machine and they all come out great.  It also has a steamer basket so you can steam your vegetables and cook your rice at the same time with no worries.

Stainless Steel and Non-Stick Cookware.  A mix of stainless steel and non stick cookware is a must in my book.  Both have their pros and cons and are useful for a multitude of recipes.  I have non stick pans from Calphalon, pots from QVC and all of my stainless steel is Emerilware from All Clad.

Le Creuset Dutch Oven.  I love this pot.  I have the 5 or 6 quart (don't remember) and it is so versatile.  I make my pasta sauce, soups, stews, roasts and so much more in it.  It can be used on the stove top and in the oven.  I know there is other enameled cookware out there but I don't think many of the others are as good as this brand.  It is pricey but well worth it in my book.

Food Processor.  Mine is the Kitchen Aid one and I love it.  I have also heard really good things about the Cuisinart one.  It comes in handy for so many things from crushing nuts, cookies and crackers, slicing potatoes for chips or scalloped potatoes, shredding carrots for carrot cake.  I could go on and on.  Mine also comes with a juicer attachment but I haven't tried to use that yet.

Blender.  Mine is a no name one but it gets the job done.  Good for making ice cream base, frozen drinks, milkshakes and smoothies.  This probably gets the least amount of use in my kitchen but it is still important to have.

Ice Cream Maker.  I love my ice cream maker.  It is really very easy to make your own ice cream and it tastes sooo much better than the stuff you can get in the grocery store.  If you have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer I highly recommend the ice cream maker attachment.  If you prefer a stand alone machine I have heard very good things about the Cuisinart model.