So you’ve finally moved into your new place. Awesome!

And you’re excited that with a huge kitchen because you can now save money on eating out and have wholesome, healthy homecooked meals for the rest of your life. Double awesome!

And you’ve downloaded oh, about twenty million recipes on your iPad but you soon realize that every now and then, something needs to be whisked, or pureed, or grilled and all you have is a stove and a wok you inherited from your mum when you moved out.

Uh oh.

Every kitchen needs a certain number of basic equipment and you should see them as little investments as they’ll pay off in the long run. Here’s our top 10 list of must have kitchen appliances:

BLENDER

Blenders are god-sent, from making smoothies to pureeing soups to chopping up soft ingredients. Don’t buy those filmsy plastic blenders with thin blades because those types will easily break if you blend ice or harder vegetables such as carrots. Choose one with a powerful motor and a sturdy jar made of glass or heavy-duty polycarbonate. Most blenders today come with changeable jars depending on the volume of recipes or drinks that you intend to make. Make sure to clean and disinfect each time after use to avoid the smell from sticking to bacteria from growing

FOOD PROCESSOR

A food processor is one of the most expensive countertop appliances but it allows you to chop, slice, grate, blend, knead dough, puree, emulsify and so much more hence saving you a lot of time.

OVEN

There are tons of food you can make with an oven from french toast to mini pizzas to buns, bread, cookies and muffins. It’s also perfect for cooking steak and all sorts of  grilled goodness. Invest in baking trays and sheets if you plan to use it often.

MICROWAVE

This is a no brainer. Our old time friend from college here can reheat leftovers, defrost and cook simple dishes like baked potatoes or ramen. Word on the web is that microwaves (the waves that is) change the food’s structure drastically so consuming too much microwaved food is not highly recommended.

COUNTERTOP GRILL

The countertop grill gives a wonderful flavour to your food from chicken breasts to fish to steak to mushrooms and peppers as it brings out the natural sweetness of the ingredients you grill.

ELECTRIC KETTLE

An electric kettle boils water in a matter of minutes and is especially useful if you need to quickly make a cup of coffee or cup noodles.

RICE COOKER

When backpacking in Europe once, we bunked with a group of Chinese students and was shocked to discover that they would take turns to lug around a bag of rice and a rice cooker throughout their month long backpacking trip. Goes to show that Asians need their rice.

SANDWICH GRILL

Sandwich grills are a quick and easy way to add some oomph and crunch to your ordinary sandwich. All you have to do is to make sandwich the usual way and then pop them into the grill for a crispy outer layer! Add cheese if you dig melted cheese with every bite.

KITCHEN SCALE

Whether you’re baking or making stew, measuring the weight of your meat, veggies and flours are important so that you get the recipe right. Even the most experienced chef uses a scale as the random sizes of produce can impact the outcome of your recipe. Spring scales are cheaper than electronic ones but are less accurate.

SLOW COOKER

Slow cookers are great for working people who just want to come home to a great meal. Just throw in the ingredients for a great soup, stew or curry and let it cook slowly throughout the day. They come in different sizes so pick on that fits your household needs.

MORTAR & PESTLE

If you’ve always wanted to make sambal tumis or kangkung belacan the traditional way, this two piece stone set (they come in wood and porcelain these days as well). A mortar and pestle set grinds solids into fine powders or paste under conditions that are highly controlled as to not produce any heating effects.

There are plenty more appliances in the market like espresso machines and dishwashers but they’re not really needs but rather, wants. You don’t have to buy all these items at once but you can slowly accumulate them over the years. It may cost more but you should always get kitchen equipment that are solid and of high quality so that they’ll last longer.

Also, check on the product’s warranty as some parts may be pricey to replace. You don’t have to buy everything on this list so analyze your cooking habits and figure out the types of food you’d be interested to try out before actually making a purchase. Now whip up a fabulous meal for your family and friends this Christmas!