When I pared down my kitchen tools last year, the Breville Smart Oven was among those that stayed firmly in place. It's a counter hog, no doubt about it, but I use this appliance nearly every day. More

The truth is, had Anjali not already taken the immersion blender and Emma the kitchen scale, I would been writing about one of those beloved and well-used appliances right now. But the more I think about it, the appliance I next turned to actually gets more use than anything else in my kitchen. It's the first thing I touch in the morning and, since I work from home, it gets regular use throughout the day. Praise be for my Chef's Choice Electric Kettle! More

In baking and beer brewing, my two biggest passions, precision matters. When my old, battered scale died an honorable death, I decided to upgrade to this bad boy. It measures down to the gram at lightning speed, and I wouldn't be too surprised if it could leap tall buildings in a single bound as well. More

I'll admit I initially wanted an immersion blender solely for the uni-tasking purpose of making pureed soups, as I was fed up with the messy, occasionally dangerous task of transferring hot soup to and from the counter top blender. But once I actually had it, I realized soups are only the beginning for this lightweight, easy-to-clean kitchen appliance. More

Q: I received a beautiful 4.5 qt stand mixer as a Christmas gift, and I can't wait to incorporate it into my cooking/baking routines. The problem is, I don't have any recipes that involve stand mixers! Can you share your favorite stand mixer recipes??

Sent by Amanda More

Q: I recently installed a new range-hood microwave, which is a "convection" microwave. Scientifically, what does this mean? Practically, what will this allow me to do that I could not do with a normal microwave?

Sent by Carolyn More

Q: What is your favorite brand of electric vegetable steamer? I have heard they are brilliant for steaming veggies while you cook the rest of the dinner because they can be set and forgotten and your never have over-cooked vegetables! We all want to eat more vegetables, don't we? So I thought I would research a good brand. Thank you!

Sent by Debbie More

Keurig, Schmeurig. Apparently what you really needed to buy that coffee lover on your holiday list was one of these Royal Coffee Makers. Once only available to European aristocracy (who, clearly, have ample countertop space to store them), these elaborate, whooshing specialty brewers are now available to commoners. Want to guess how much they cost? More

Q: What is the best introductory stand mixer for someone who is trying to get into baking bread on a budget? KitchenAid mixers seem to be the favorite but they also have a higher price tag than I'm willing to spend on something I'm not sure I'll use.

Sent by Travis More

Q: Can readers suggest a good all-in-one kitchen machine for my wedding registry? I have an Oster Kitchen Center that was a family hand-me-down. It's a stand mixer, blender and food processor. Unfortunately, they are no longer making this great device so it's hard to get replacement parts, plus I dropped it and cracked the housing. It still works, but since I know I have a few relatives who would love to buy an heirloom quality kitchen wedding gift I figured I'd look around for a good replacement.

Is there something out there that would serve all these functions in one machine with attachments? I know everyone loves the KitchenAid but I don't need a meat grinder or ice cream maker. I do need the food processor and blender and use them all the time. I know your readers would be just the people to know the pros and cons of the different options out there!

Sent by Kate More