All you really need to create great meals is a good knife some pots and pans and a stove, but what are some appliances and gadgets that you’d just love to have?  Here is some info on my favorites.

My oven recently broke down, and at around $900 for our desired replacement it’s going to be a while till I have a new one.  These items saved my sanity, while helping me prepare meals for the fam.

1.  Crock pot.  I stick to stew type dishes in this.  Foods cook for a long time at low temps.  Meats are tender and fall apart.  I’ve had mine forever, but a new one can be had for as little as $20.00.
2.  Grill.  Another item I’ve had a while.  We have a gas grill which makes cooking a healthy weeknight meal a cinch!  And a covered grill acts a lot like and oven.  If you practice you can do pizzas, roasts, whole chickens, ribs, the possibilities are endless.  Grills are pricy, but affordable models can be found.
3.  On the subject of grills…Panini press.  With the rain we get sometimes, outdoor grilling isnt always possible.  My panini press does triple duty as a press, grill, and griddle.  Cost about $50.00, but was worth it for when I’m craving burgers and there’s a hail storm outside.
4. Toaster oven.  To be honest, this didn’t work for us, our oven timer ticked and drove the dog nuts, but a toaster oven is good for baking or roasting small portions.  Can be had for around $25.00.
5. NuWave oven.  This one is pricey, but well below what a new full size oven would cost.  I got mine for about $100.00 at qvc.com.  It roasts wonderfully, browns meats and sausages, can cook multiple items at once.  Really cool!  The commercials claim a lot of fat drains off roasting meat when a rack is used, which sounds good to me. 

Obviously, I had these kitchen wonders before the oven broke (except the NuWave), just pointing out it’s good to have flexibility in the kitchen for when these emergencies come up.