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This month brings yet another installment of The Well-Stocked Kitchen, a series of posts in which we take a virtual tour through our kitchens and name off the items we reach for day after day, those gadgets and doodads that make cooking and baking that much easier, and enjoyable.

This month’s line-up: small appliances. Pretty much any small counter-top item that needs to be plugged in.

If you haven’t seen them yet, check out part 1: stovetop essentials, part 2: cooking essentials, part 3: baking essentials, and part 4: essential utensils.

the well-stocked kitchen

part 5: small appliances

crockpot: a staple of the busy mom, the crockpot or slow cooker is an incredibly easy way to get dinner done. Use it for stews, beans, pulled meat, soup, stock…pretty much anything that cooks best low and slow. Many items can cook for anywhere from 6-8 hours or more on low, which means you can get it set in the morning, leave for a day of work or errands, and return knowing that dinner is ready with little or no extra prep. Crockpots are also a great way to keep food warm at a party. Crockpots can come with fancy frills, like digital displays and programmable timers, but even the most basic styles get the job done.

rice cooker: rice cookers take the risk out of cooking rice, yielding perfectly cooked grains every time. Most rice cookers have programmable timers that adjust for varieties of rice (white, brown). For cooking and keeping rice warm (like for a party), or when a more involved meal means stovetop space is tight, the rice cooker saves the day.

pressure cooker (Instant pot): kill two, or three, or more, birds with one stone, skip the separate slow cooker and rice cooker, and get the multi-purpose Instapot. It yields tender, cooked foods in record times. Many swear by the improved flavor of food cooked under pressure. Personally, I prefer to use my dutch oven whenever possible, but if I need food cooked fast (like, a roast, or chicken breasts from frozen, or beans within the hour) or when stovetop space is tight, I reach for the Instapot. (For great and creative recipe inspiration, check out Amy + Jacky’s PressureCookRecipes.com.)

immersion blender: Transferring ladlefuls of burning hot soup from the pot on the stove into your blender and back again really isn't worth the trouble…especially when the steam causes the liquid to explode through the lid and onto the ceiling! Save yourself the headache and get an immersion blender. Not only can you puree soups directly in the pot, you can also use it to make a more stable whipped cream, smoothies and baby food, or to quickly pulse up things like oats.

toaster/toaster oven: If you want toast, you kind of need a toaster. And that’s pretty much all toasters are good for. Some look cooler than others, but even the barest of bare-bones toasters get the job done. Some more deluxe toaster models include warming racks on top which can also serve the purpose of warming up pastries or muffins or pieces of pizza, and that’s cool. But if you’re willing to sacrifice the counter real estate, and looking for an appliance with a little more purpose, a toaster oven is infinitely more useful. Toaster Ovens toast and roast, cook and bake, warm and broil, and some models even air-fry. It saves you from having to heat up the kitchen on a hot day for a small item. It means you can quickly bake up a few balls of cookie dough or a handful of pizza bites for a late-night snack. You can reheat your leftovers, and throw in a piece of toast, too.

kitchen aid mixer: I don’t care if you think you’re “not a baker,” you need one of these in your kitchen! Someday you’ll be kicking yourself for not having it. Kitchen Aid Mixers aren’t just useful for making cookies, cakes and frosting, with their various extensions, they also make kneading dough and shaping pasta so much more convenient, and therefore fresh bread and pasta that much more attainable. If you are a more serious baker, you’ll want to pay more attention to the model, capacity and style (tilt head or bowl lift) of the Kitchen Aid mixer you select. Many stores carry what appear to be “economy” lines of the Kitchen Aid, which are cheaper and more cheaply made. As for style, I prefer the bowl lift over the head tilt, because it seems more sturdy and heavy-duty. Likewise, I prefer the larger 6 or 7 quart capacity, but it’s a beast of a machine. The classic model (pictured) is a great machine and will serve you well.

blender: better at producing super-silky-smooth purees, I prefer the blender over the food processor for things like smoothies and hummus. Oster makes a good one that is easy to keep clean. There is also the Vitamix, impressive to behold and unparalleled for its crushing power (great for nut butters).

food processor: useful for chopping up veggies, nuts, shredding or slicing large quantities of foods quickly, and making purees, pesto, nut butter, pie crusts, doughs, and more. The Cuisinart is a classic here, with a wide range of styles and models. Look for one with a medium-to-large capacity with the various attachments included so it will work for a greater variety of food prep.

coffee maker: our family is a long-time fan of the Bunn coffee maker, which may seem like a steep price for your daily brew, but it’s well worth the money. The Bunn brews superior coffee. The model with a thermal carafe cost a little bit more, but it keeps your coffee warm without the risk of burning it. Even if you don’t drink coffee yourself, you do want to consider having some sort of a way to provide coffee for guests, even if it’s just a French Press or Pour Over option.

coffee grinder: if you drink coffee regularly, you know what a difference it makes to grind it fresh vs. buy it pre-ground. (It makes even more, perhaps THE difference, to roast it yourself, but that’s another story.) Burr grinders offer greater control and uniformity by grinding the beans instead of slicing them like your typical blade grinder. We like this conical burr grinder by Capresso.

waffle iron: if you’re going to make waffles, you need a waffle iron. It’s worth owning, even if you only eat waffles a handful of times a year. Because without it, there just aren’t any waffles. Make classic waffles, flavored waffles, buttermilk waffles, savory waffles, leige waffles…or waffle up other non-waffle foods. You can invest in a stately, highly-rated waffle iron (like the Cuisinart Double Belgian) but honestly? I love my simple Presto FlipSide.

countertop griddle: an electric griddle is incredibly handy when frying large batches of things that would otherwise take an endless string of batches in a pan on the stove. Think pancakes, pierogies, meatballs, grilled cheese for a crowd. An option with sides, like this one, is even more useful for things like deep frying and cooking down carnitas.

stay tuned for more posts in the well-stocked kitchen series!

If you haven’t seen them yet, check out part 1: stovetop essentials, part 2: cooking essentials, part 3: baking essentials, and part 4: essential utensils.