I've got a cute little baby food processor by Cuisinart and I use it to grind coffee and spices, to make hummus or pates, and to grate foods (like carrots for carrot cake).

My mom has a bigger model but she told me she prefers the little ones because they are easier to clean.

I've had mine for two years and my only complaint is that lately the lid does not seem to lock into place like it used to and I've had a situation or two where food flew all over the kitchen. I've emailed the company and it sounds like they might stand by their product. In the meantime, it still works just fine and I still use it.

Le Creuset is expensive but worth it in my opinion. You do not need to buy many pots and pans from them - just one or two that you can use for many purposes.

I use my soup pot for just about everything. For a year, it was literally the only pot or pan I owned, but it was enough. Cast iron distributes heat evenly and the enamel makes for a non-stick surface and easy clean-up after you finish cooking.

As stated above, Le Creuset is second to none for quality, and cast iron distributes and retains heat extremely well. I like to cook with cast iron because it adds iron to my food.

I own one knife: this one. I've had it for over two years and I haven't sharpened it yet (I probably should) but it's still going strong.

Wusthof knives are extremely high quality, and the santoku knife is made to serve a variety of purposes (which is why I can get away with owning just one knife, instead of a bread knife, a paring knife, etc).

I got my pressure cooker as a (very generous) gift. Pressure cookers are a "nice to have," although I certainly got along fine without one for years. If you eat a lot of dried beans and grains, you'll appreciate the ability to cook black beans in 10 minutes instead of an hour.

My one complaint with pressure cookers is that they are unforgiving. You need to follow the instructions for the amount of liquid to add or else you will burn your dinner.

My blender was another generous gift. While you might not want to splurge on a Kitchenaid, a good blender is a nice tool for the kitchen for making smoothies and drinks. I even use mine to blend any batter for baking if I am using firm tofu as an egg replacer.

I just got a dehydrator for $5 used, so this one here isn't the one I have. It looks a lot nicer, and it looks like something that will last a while.

I've liked using my dehydrator since I've had it. I've used it to dry tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and fruits and I've had good luck with everything. I plan to dry fresh veggies this summer so I can eat them out of season all year round.