I absolutely love the smooth chicness of anything matte black, particularly in the kitchen. With so much that's already bright and shiny in that room — stainless steel appliances! Shimmering tile! Glossy ceramic plates! — I find matte textures a welcome diversion. They're understated yet still glamorous. Here are a few matte black kitchen and dining things I've had my eye on lately, from a simple faceted vase to a mind-blowing Bertazzoni range. (Guess which one I will not be purchasing anytime soon.)

Item: Vitamix 32-Ounce Dry Grains Container
Price: $144.00
Overall Impression: Not essential but extremely useful

A Vitamix is a hefty (yet worthy!) investment and if you've taken the plunge, you might now be wondering whether you really need to spend more on an additional Dry Grains Container. How different is it from the Vitamix's Standard/Wet Blade Container? Here's what we found... 

Item: Vitamix Professional Series 300
Price: $559.00
Overall Impression: Versatile, powerful, and worth the hype! 

The Vitamix has achieved cult-like status, but I always considered this high-end blender outside my price range. Plus I never cared for the industrial design, which is functional but not particularly stylish. Well, after putting the newer Professional Series 300 model through its paces, you can call me converted. The Vitamix Pro 300 has quickly become an indispensable and beloved tool in my kitchen — one that I would buy in a heartbeat, and possibly save in a fire. 

Q: I have a Kitchen Aid mixer. Do I need a food processor, or can I buy efficient, cost-effective attachments for the mixer that do the same thing? Such as slicing?

Sent by Victoria

My uncool kitchen tool is so uncool, it might just be cool again. With its discolored white plastic body and red, white, and blue, chunky sans serif logo, my Robot Coupe food processor is clearly showing her age. But when it comes to performance, reliability, endurance and, let's face it, quirky charm, she rates A+ across the board — even with a broken-off handle and a scratched work bowl. More

Last week we asked you, our readers, to share the one kitchen item you'd recommend splurging on. The response was overwhelming, but right on in our view. If you've ever wondered what's worth the money in the kitchen, read on for some valuable insight: More

Q: I have a VERY small kitchen, so I'm limited on space to store kitchen appliances and dishes. I would love to have a blender and a food processor, but really only have room for one. Is there any product that does both well? If I can get a 2-for-1 blender or processor, that'd be a great solution!

Sent by Lucy More

Q: I have a new Kenmore blender/food processor combo. I love it for chopping vegetables, but I just cannot get the hang of using it to grate cheese. All I get is a bunch of tiny "chunks" that are going to be very hard to get off my blades and the bowl. Please help!

Sent by Linda More

Item: Magimix by Robot-Coupe 12-Cup Food Processor (Compact 3200 XL)
Price: $299.95 to $349.95
Overall Impression: A well-built, powerful food processor with smart, cook-friendly design and easy cleanup. On the high end pricewise, but a value if you expect to use it frequently.

In my opinion, the best food processors are the ones that keep the lowest profile. No jumping and diving, no burning motors, no array of buttons. No drama, mama. It might not seem good to define a tool by its negative (here's what it isn't) but I think that in this case, this is exactly the right way to describe the Magimix 12-Cup Food Processor — it's pretty dreamy to use, but this really just means one major thing: No fuss, no hassle. It just works. More

Q: I'm a college student on a budget with limited storage space. I'd like to have a blender or food processor for making smoothies and since many recipes call for a food processor. Is it better to buy an immersion blender or a 3-cup food processor?

Sent by Audrey More