I purchased my ice cream maker this way for $2.50, my new, in the box, fondue set for $3.00 and my new in the box toaster oven for $5.00, not to mention a plethora of expensive cookware and gadgets, invariably received as gifts and sold, unused, to a more deserving home.

Bread machine
Yes, you can get by without it. You can buy your bread or make it from scratch when you have the time, but there's nothing like having fresh, hot bread anytime you want it. Since getting a bread machine, we never buy bread anymore. Bread machines are amazing! You throw a few ingredients in (basics are flour, water, sugar, salt, oil and yeast) and in a few hours a hot loaf of bread "magically" appears. These machines will also make life easier when making doughs for pizzas, foccaccias, coffee cakes, etc. Throw in the ingredients, an hour or so later, take out the dough. Important features to look for in a bread machine are a timer (so you can put ingredients in the machine the night before, and wake up to bread that's just finished baking), a dough only function (there are times like the above examples that you will not want the bread to bake in the machine), and size (make sure your machine makes a 1 1/2 pound loaf).

Pasta machine
If you're a pasta nut, this machine will be a fun addition to the kitchen. This is one I can get by without, but there definitely is a difference between fresh pasta and dried.

Hot water tap
The ultimate luxury, boiling water from the tap anytime you want it. Necessary? Not even, but nice nonetheless.

Toaster oven
Great for heating small amounts of food, making pizza for one, or cookies anytime you want them (keep dough in the freezer and cook a few in the toaster oven whenever the mood strikes).

Small food processor
These mini-food processors are great for chopping small amounts of onion, garlic and other types of fresh herbs and spices.

Blender
Some people might have put this on one of the more essential lists. Personally, I hardly ever use mine, since my food processor can do most of the same tasks. Blenders are essential, however, for good frozen drinks and smoothies. Of the blender types, I would prefer an immersion type (Braun makes a good one). Immersion blenders take up less space and are more versatile in that you can blend right in the pot you're cooking in.

Ice cream maker
A wonderful gadget for making home made ice creams, frozen yogurts and sorbets. True, you may not use it all that often, but there's nothing like home made frozen desserts (and they're easy to make). It's easy to find ice cream makers at thrift stores (I got mine for only $2.50) since many people don't take the time to use them.

Rotisserie
Here's another item that's easy to find very inexpensively at Thrift Stores (you or your parents might even have one sitting in a box somewhere, a long forgotten wedding present). If you are a fan of chicken, this gadget might just go on your "essentials" list. Also, many ovens have rotisserie features built in. If you're not familiar with them, a rotisseries is basically a spit that keeps meat turning and cooking evenly. Vegetarians can skip this gadget.

Garlic roaster
Nice gadget for making roasted garlic, although not necessary as you can simply wrap the garlic in foil to roast it.

Gravy separator
A handy gadget when making gravy, it automatically separates the oil out of meat drippings.

Cheri Sicard is the editor of FabulousFoods.com, a content rich online cooking community. She lives in Los Angeles. http://www.fabulousfoods.com

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