[Dmitry'smom]

I like to cook and bake and have done WW before. I do have a kitchen aid and a food processor. I bake a lot so I use the mixer pretty often but I don't use either one as much as other cheaper items. I bought one of those steamers from pampered chef a few years ago and use it almost daily for steamed veggies. I second a decent knife and cutting board. Crock Pots are very useful and there are a lot of WW recipes for crock pots on line.

Nice nonstick pans are a good thing because you can use less butter or oil and make your points less for each meal. I use a garlic press almost every day as well as a lemon juicer since both add flavor without fat.

[adoptingourfirst]

I couldn't live without my KitchenAid mixer either!! It is so handy - especially this time of year! Whoever posted the comment about it whipping up cake batter like none other is right on! It is so awesome! My husband loves it too! We have a ton of the attachments. I'll wake up on Sunday mornings and he'll be making homemade hashbrowns in the shredder, making some sort of bread in the mixer and he is almost giddy!

I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (and I know...their pricey) Longaberger pottery for baking! Their pie plates, casserole dishes, and cake dishes are the best! Everything comes out cooked to perfection and the cleanup is the best part. You know how when you cook certain casseroles, like potatoes augratin and it sticks all around and you have to spend an hour with a brilo pad scratching all of the "stuff" off the side of the pan - I am not kidding you - you will not have to do that with any of Longabergers pottery! It's an investment though.

One other thing we have in our kitchen that we couldn't survive without...our George Foreman grill. Go ahead and laugh...but it is awesome! You can cook a frozen chicken breast in like 8 minutes! For those nights when you are running way behind and don't have time to fix a gourmet meal, it works! We have a bigger one and I would definately recommend the ones that the grill part is removable so that you can throw it in the dishwasher!

[binkybear]

Ha ha! Hub would miss being fed way too much, he can make toast, eggs and canned soup..he'd starve on his own. (poor thing)

Marshall's is great for Kitchen Ware...GREAT prices and clearance you can't beat. The foodsaver cost us about $130 several years ago. I think we found it at Kohl's too...and we get the bags there when they do big sales, coupons, etc. It's probably one of the best things I've bought, totally paid for itself in the end. Tips for using...pre freeze certain items so the don't "squish" in the sealing process. Like breads, meats, etc. If you freeze them for about an hour before sealing they won't flatten out and squish on yah!

[loveajax]

More great stuff!!! Dmitry, I had a steamer once, but I didn't use it...I may have to think about it again (esp with WW and wanting steamed veggies).

Adopting, I think whatever I buy I want to be an "investment." And man do I hate scrubbing the pot after a casserole (this is how I will justify the cost!).

Thanks, Binky! I like Kohls too (are you in New England? or are Kohls and Marshalls national?)....plus Kohls always has those massive sales/coupons...I'll keep my eyes out. DH can come visit!!!

[mondk]

I've got a lot of stuff already mentioned...but one no one has mentioned yet that I have and love is my wok. My mom had an electric wok but I never liked it. The one I have now is like a regular teflon pan except for the sides which makes it a wok and not just a pan. I not only fix fresh veggies stir fry's, but I will also steam side dish veggies in it. It gets used a lot here! I think maybe some WW recipes involve Chinese cooking if you like that type of food.

Oh, and we have 2 blenders. I bought one a long time ago but Brad forgot we had it and told one of the grandparents that he wanted one to use by himself so Great Grandma bought him a really nice one (way better than the one I'd bought) but he uses his to make milkshakes in and virgin strawberry daiquiris. He is already a great cook before age 12; he makes the best homemade pizza (no help from me I swear); he will make a fabulous hubby someday!

Blessings, Michelle

[jalapeno]

Thank you Michelle - I can't believe we made it to the second page before someone mentioned a wok. I use my wok at least 3 times a week. Just a sprinkle of olive oil and teriyaki sauce and I've got veggies my kids might actually eat. For my veggies I nearly always use one of three things - my wok, my veggie steamer, or my baking sheet to roast them.

[Fe2002]

I only bake once, maybe twice a year and it's the same thing - homemade coconut cake. So it was hard to justify spending $250 on the Kitchen Aid. I did buy a Kenmore mixer for $90 at Sears - it works well.

I couldn't live without my Wusthof knives - a chefs and a paring. Good cookware is good too. I have a couple of Le Creuset pots that I use often and Calphalon pans.

WW sells these serving spoons that dish out exactly 1/2 cups and 1 cup servings. I love those... it makes it easy to determine how much food you are eating... oh yeah and a food scale. I love it. In fact, I consider that essential. Didn't really care for the one that WW sells, I have an electronic scale made by Salter.

[oceanica]

Love I am domestically challenged and the hubby does almost all the cooking and he says good pots and pans are a must. Not cheap ones. He always buys the heaviest things and then I have to pick it up to put it in the dishwasher with 2 hands.
2 years ago I had to have a food processor. He bought me a fancy one - might be kitchenaid - with a super big tube attachment so you can put bigger vegetables in it. In the 2 years, about 4 or 5 times I've taken out the shiny sharp blades to look at them and looked at the directions for how to put it together and finally had to put it back in the box. It's never been used.

[MamaS]

I have an electric cooker that is a steamer-type. The water goes in the bottom and you put the rice in a permeable "basket" above the water, cover and set the timer. When the rice is done the timer turns the heat off, but keeps it warm for about two hours without drying out. You can also steam anything else in the basket -- I have done shrimp, asparagus, broccoli, and ears of corn cut in half. I am sure it will do brown rice, but I have never tried. It did wild rice at Thanksgiving.

[spicedmama]

Brown rice cooks excellently in a rice cooker. I would rather cook in a rice cooker than on the stove any day.

[humanpitchpipe]

I can't live without my knives and my heat proof spatulas/scrapers (they don't melt like the cheap ones do). I would recommend using good quality non stick pans if you are new to the kitchen, plus they are healthier to cook with because you don't have to use so much oil. I would also recommend a digital probe meat thermometer. Mine was about $20 and it has a long wire attached to the probe. An alarm will sound when the meat reaches the right temperature. Oh and I love tongs! I use them all of the time.

[Vogi2002]

I have been cooking all WW meals for a couple years. I was on it & now my dh is on it & i am just maintaining. I swear it is the reason I have kept off the weight.

I plan my meals 2 weeks at a time, and go to the store all at once to make sure I have all the ingredients. Google recipes, lots of sites have easy ones. I also premeasure out all my recipes by serving size, this will prevent you from eatting more than you should. I also put all save all my leftovers & use them for lunch. PM me if you want more hints.

Tools I use for my WW meals: Chef's knife, measuring cups / spoons (important for WW meals), big skillet (try to find one with a lid, you will also want non-stick as most WW meals call for little oil), saucepan, cutting board, 9 x 13 pan, 8 x 8 (or 9 x 9) pan, spatula (heat proof, one to mix things), colinder (sp?).

Let me know if you want some easy recipes! I have my faves. I don't buy the WW cookbooks or use them as much as I use the online recipes & googled recipes.