My top 10 kitchen tools

If you haven't noticed, I enjoy cooking because I love eating. In our late 20's we spent a huge chunk of our paycheck going out to eat from casual to fine dining. We knew we could make the majority of the food at home for a fraction of the cost but we were too lazy. We were DINKs and young so what did we care? Things have changed now that we have other priorities, I no longer work outside the home, and we have a small child. I have the time to prepare the meals plus DB at one point wanted to be a chef so between the two of us we can cook yummy meals.

To make cooking a breeze and enjoyable, you have to have the right tools. I believe it's important to buy the best you can afford. If you buy cheap, you'll end up working rather than having the tools work for you. Here are the top 10 kitchen tools and gadgets that I couldn't do without:

1. Set of sharp knives. We have had our set of Wusthof knives for 10 years and they are just as good as the day we bought them and worth every penny.

2. Microplane. When a recipe calls for minced garlic or ginger, I just grate them on the microplane which saves a lot of time. Since food grated is finer than minced, I reduce the quantity called for in the recipe slightly.

3. Blender. I broke the pitcher to our 10 year old krups blender (darn!) a few weeks ago so bought a Kitchenaid to replace it. I researched the various ones out there and this was rated high for quality and durability. I read that a Vita-Mix is the ultimate but it starts at $450 so it's a tad out of my budget. And what does a $450 blender get me anyways - time travel? That's a lot of money!

4. Food processor. I have a mini cuisinart we received for our wedding gift 10 years ago and it still works great. I want a larger one because I have made recipes where I have to mix in batches because it is too small. Update: I bought a Kitchenaid and love it.

5. Bowls - We got a set of stainless steel bowls with rubber bottoms at Costco. I really like the rubber bottom so the bowls don't move around.

6. Rice cooker - I always have a batch of cooked brown rice in the refrigerator. I like the cooker because you just toss in the rice with water and forget about it. It rings when it's done. You can spend a lot of money on rice cookers but I have a basic one by Oster I bought at Target and it's all I need.

7. Steamer - I use my steamer all the time. Actually, we have two - one that my MIL gave us years ago that we still use for small batches and the other one is bigger with 2 steaming trays that we bought recently at Target. Update: I recently started steaming food using one of my pots with the steamer component that came with it. It's much easier clean up than the steamers although I use the steamers for large batches.

8. Pots and pans - We have a set of stainless steel pots and pans we bought at Costco. They do the trick but one day I want a nicer set because the ones we have cook unevenly.

9. Mandolin - I use ours daily. When I bought it I didn't think I'd use it often so I bought an inexpensive Japanese mandolin by Benriner. I'm looking for one that can grate really fine, can slice different thicknesses, and is as safe as it can be so I don't slice my fingers off. If anyone has a suggestion, please let me know. Update: Bought a couple and ended up returning them. Eventually found one I love.

10. Coffee maker - DB told me to add it to the list since he finds it and his coffee bean grinder to be essential tools. I don't drink coffee so I didn't think to add it to the list.

What kitchen tools do you have that you can't do without?