Thanks Joann, Okay, this is a REALLY dumb question, but what then is a "food processor" used for? I have seen people use them, even for cookie dough (I think). I guess I don't really pay attention after all, otherwise I'd recall. But yes, a stand mixer. Thanks didn't know what to call the kind that sits on the counter and the bowl spins (or something) on. I recall my Grandma using one when I was a kid. She would also make cake batter in one too if memory serves. I took a look at KA's website and ooh some nice stand mixers ! :) I have to find a place for it to live if I get one. I do plan on putting up a pots and pan rack. I had one in my last home and LOVED it. I see no reason to not put one here in the new place. It would free up lots of cupboard space, but I just like being able to hang up stuff and let it air dry and not have pots "touching" each other and all. I'm weird I guess. Also, I plan to put some kind of slider storage or something to help utilize the vertical space in my one large lower cupboard that clearly has lots of wasted space right now. Then I would have a place for a stand mixer to live :) And then I could make cookies way easier. Not something I really need though :) :) But I LOVE to bring them to potlucks or to get-togethers. I have always had fun experimenting with different flavors and mixtures of chips and such. I once got obsessed with making the "perfect" chocolate chip cookie that suited my tastes (not too sweet, not too rich)... With baking your own I found it fun. Albeit I wasted alot of them when they didn't turn out the way I wanted. But it was fun. Gotta see if I pick up this habit again :) Thanks for the info about mixers. I guess if I were to get one, I practically wouldn't need a hand mixer any more? Or for small jobs are they good to keep around? Also, I guess I could make smashed potatoes as well in the stand mixer? I do find that when I want to make really creamy heavenly mashed potatoes I do find the hand mixer faster and easier. I have also many times made them with the hand masher. I got out of the habit of making them though. It was something I very commonly made when my ex was going thru cancer treatment. I guess we kinda od'd on them after awhile. But I had bought a "ricer" thingee to try but then never got around to trying it before I fell out of the habit. Also, can you use different mixing bowls of different sizes in the mixer stand? Or do mixers come with a bowl i.e. a SS bowl it seems? Or are there bowls that are mated to go with a stand mixer that you buy separately? Right now I do own several different mixing bowls. They're plastic, the kind with the rubber bases and the cool handles to grip it with. Probably not very advanced but you have to understand I've made cookie dough in a Tupperware bowl when I didn't know any better. I also tend to dislike the "feel" and noise of metal bowls. But I guess if one uses only wooden spoons or things like this funky rubber scaper/spatula thing I have I would avoid that? Thanks for answering all my dumb questions. I am very cooking and baking challenged :( Cheers, --jans

This thread is totally fascinating to me, because it highlights the fact that what you value most in kitchen items is so heavily dependent on who you are as a cook. For example, if someone gave me a rice cooker, it would end up on a shelf in a closet somewhere, because I've been making rice the same way for thirty years and it turns out exactly the way I want it to, every time. On the other hand, I'd be lost without my mandolin slicer and my OXO garlic chopper, because those save me a ton of time. I rarely use my pretty santoku knife, but couldn't live without my 5" Wusthof Classic serrated. Some people use their food processors to grate everything, while others prefer the control of an old-fashioned box grater. I think if you're a newlywed or just setting up your first "grownup" kitchen, it's probably best to stick with the basics until you develop your own cooking personality. A basic set of the best knives you can afford, plastic and glass mixing bowls in graduated sizes for prep and mixing, a good selection of sturdy spatulas/wooden spoons/whisks, a couple of basic half-sheet and quarter-sheet pans with lips on all edges, at least two cutting boards, a good set of pots and pans with well-fitted lids including a few non-stick, measuring cups/spoons, a few glass baking dishes, a sieve that adjusts to fit over your sink, and a decent hand mixer should get anyone started. Oh - and a decent vegetable peeler! If I had to narrow the things in my kitchen down to the single most critical item, I'd have to say that would be my whetstone. It's not an expensive or glamorous item, but if you don't keep your knives sharp, everything you do in the kitchen is more difficult and frustrating than it needs to be. And those electric sharpeners usually do more damage than good to an expensive knife.

How about - it's okay to be on the counter if I put it on there but otherwise no - get your junk outta here! I have the toaster, coffee pot, fresh fruit bowl, knife block (which I too would like to get rid of) and paper towel holder and napkin stacker. That is what I have on there. What else is there? No less than 6 water bottles, 2 phone cords (I'd love to kick charging to the curb but dh insists on using the kitchen for his stuff even though we have other spots for it) a pair of sunglasses, an outdoor tool flier and on and on. So how many knives do you all have? I think my knife collection is limited but I could use more steak knives. We had a family gathering and we didn't have enough so I need more but then I need to store them. Any other knife storage pics to share?

I'm not susceptible to electric kitchen gadget fads...I do have a 40 year old crock pot that saw a lot of use when I was married and working. I've used it more recently for things like keeping turkey dressing or mashed potatoes warm while prepping holiday meals, as well as caramelizing onions or making a batch of applesauce to freeze or can. But even those days are about over. I don't have a rice cooker, instapot, GF grill, breadmaker, juicer or any of those type trendy (for most people) items. The one thing mentioned here that I do have, that I cannot live without, is a Cuisinart - my first purchased over 40 years ago. I use it nearly every day. I hate to chop, so I chop most everything in it. I have a mini I use for things like a few cloves of garlic or a small quantity, like making salad dressing; otherwise I use the large one. Probably the least used is a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker that I bought to make ice cream with my grandson and his friends. It was fun, but we eat so little ice cream that it sits unused.