There are a few tools and small appliances that every kitchen should have. These items help streamline the cooking process, help save valuable time in the kitchen, therefore making life a whole lot easier! Regardless of the size of your kitchen - If you can only fit five small electric appliances in your kitchen, choose these five.

1. A Food Processor

This is the one tool that can do so many things in the kitchen. A larger 12-cup or more capacity is really handy if you have a family to feed, or you like to double or triple whatever recipe you’re working on. But don’t discount how much you can do with a mini-prep food processor! For small jobs, I only use a three-cup food processor. It gets the job done, quickly!

Our Picks:

2. A Blender

A blender of some kind is an incredibly useful tool to have in the kitchen. But there’s a great debate over whether you need a countertop blender, or if you can get by with an immersion blender.

If you go the countertop route, it’s probably worth it to upgrade to a high-end model for the sheer power and versatility. But if you’re low on space and need a reliable, multi-functioning tool that’ll whip or purée with ease, an immersion blender is the way to go.

Our Picks:

Vitamix 5200 Blender Professional-Grade
Ninja BL 480D Nutri 1000
Breville BSB510XL Control Grip Immersion Blender
Immersion Hand Blender, Utalent 5-in-18-speed Stick Blender (less $$ than Breville)
Cuisinart Smart Stick 5-Speed Immersion Blender

3. An Electric Mixer

There are two options for an electric mixer: a stand mixer or a hand mixer. If you bake a lot, you should probably get a stand mixer. It’s the number-one recommended kitchen splurge for avid bakers, according to our readers. In short, it will make your life easier.

If you’re not a big baker, most home cooks do fine with just a hand mixer for the occasional mixing task — beating egg whites, making whipped cream, or getting a smooth cake batter.

Our Picks:

4. A Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot)

Yes! We have fully converted to the cult of the pressure cooker, so much so that we think it deserves a spot in every kitchen. It beats out the slow cooker in our view, especially if you’re tight on space. Then again, if you want the best of both worlds, get the Instant Pot! It totally lives up to the hype.

Our Picks:

Instant Pot DUO 7in1

5. An Electric Kettle

An electric kettle is one of those deceptively essential small appliances; you don’t think it’s necessary until you have one, and then you realize you use it all the time, possibly more than any other single small appliance in your kitchen. It’s more energy-efficient than boiling water on the stove, and 10 times as fast. If you drink a fair amount of coffee or tea or boil water for any other reason, it’s a game-changer. Jo-Anna and I agree, “an electric kettle is a wonderful thing.”

Our Picks:

So, there you have it — our picks for the five essential small appliances that should be in every kitchen. Ok, since there are many recipes for slow cookers...

The Cuisinart 3-in-1 Slow Cooker is a workhorse in any kitchen. It’s a huge time-saver and a fantastic tool for meal prep!

Here are a few of the recipes that we love making in a slow cooker:

Slow Cooker Lentil Chili

Slow Cooker Balsamic Roast Beef

Slow Cooker Energy Bars