I don't have any of these. D:

I also have none of these. We have timers on our microwave, oven & phones. I've thought about buying a scale but it's so not necessary, we have hand mixer... and don't eat meat (or make candy). So there goes all of that!

scales and thermometers are also not necessary but very helpful for baking.

I don't know if I would call an immersion blender a "handheld mixer." To me, a handheld mixer has beaters and is what I use to mix up, say, whipped cream. (Also, immersion blender bottoms are not nearly as friendly for the inevitable post-mixing licking-of-the-beaters!) I would just call that an immersion blender, or a stick blender. It's handy for pureeing soup and so on, but it doesn't do all the same things as a mixer.

That said, I have one of them! It's a Cuisinart and it's great.

My kitchen scale is an OXO, and it's a new addition - a very welcome one! It's great for baking, as Niamh said. I don't have a digital timer or a digital thermometer - an old fashioned "ding" timer works just fine for my purposes.

Admittedly, we've found the scale most useful in converting British recipes, and since my husband is from England we use them frequently. It's also nice for weighing food for calorie counting purposes, and lately I've been using it to measure etsy products to calculate postage!

Our Semi: As for the thermometer, it's definitely an occasional use thing. But when I do need it, it's indispensable. We also don't eat meat, but I do make a lot of fondant at home.

I also don't have any of these - this is clearly a baker's list! But I LOVE my toaster oven and rice cooker. It's Zojirushi, bought at the local korean grocery store. It only has one button and somehow it knows the difference between white rice and brown - magic! But my kettle has to be number one. Electric kettles are much faster than stovetop. I'm a convert. Number 4 . . . coffee maker. And while I'd probably keep my blender and electric mixer (not frequently used, but difficult to replace when you want pesto or whipped cream) I also really love the little gadget that froths my milk ;)

Maybe a raw food kitchen could be without some of these. That's not my kitchen though, and these are all on my birthday list. I was hoping I had at least one of the recommended gadgets. haha nope. Maybe soon.

@robink, I have a Zojirushi rice cooker too and use it all the time. They're great!

I have to agree with ericasullivan, I think of a handheld mixer and an immersion blender as two different things. What's pictured above is an immersion blender, but when I hear "hand mixer" I think of something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-62695V-Power-Deluxe/dp/B00004X12R/

which is probably useful, but I'd take an immersion blender any day.

I actually have a scale that has a built in timer, which is great because space in my kitchen is VERY limited, so two-in-one gadgets are great! It's sort of like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Salter-Glass-Electronic-Kitchen-Scale/dp/B000XS31LO/

Also not to be too nitpicky, but... when you said "especially if you're following a recipe that uses weight measurements instead of metric units" did you mean weight instead of volume? Recipes are usually given in either English volume units (cups, tbs, etc) or in weight units (which could be either English (oz, lbs) or metric (grams)). Minor detail though.

I don't have any of these things either. Somehow I've managed to survive, and eat.

Niceties, perhaps, but not essentials. I begin to think that it is time for the editors of this site to mose it from La La Land to practicality, at least at times.

I have managed to cook quite successfully for decades without these items, though work in food service has strongly encouraged the use of a probe thermometer. Mine, by the way, is analog, not digital and costs a LOT less than you "necessity."

Big dittos re: handheld mixer vs. immersion blender. Very different. I'm not sure I'd want batter made with the latter :-/.

On the other hand, most commenters seem to discount the scale. Big mistake. A good (digital) scale is truly essential. Recently Ruhlman's new book, Ratio, makde that very clear.

Alton Brown also highly recommends a scale, and thermometer(s).

I could not live without my VitaMix blender or Cuisinart food processor. I've also become quite fond of the mandoline slicer.

Gotta agree with the first three. My kitchen timer broke a few months ago and it is driving me nuts not having one! I really should pick one up. MY bf bought me some digital scales, which I never really had much of an interest in but they are so handy! I use them for baking and to separate meat into portions to be frozen. I don't have an immersion blender but every time I make soup or feel like a smoothie I really with I did...

I have that thermometer and the battery got used up before I could use it twice. My new kitchen timer is driving me nuts. Your choice is similar to an older one I have that works pretty good. I like that it doesn't have the flat buttons.

I have the KitchenAid handheld mixer... I'm sure it is just the same... love it! Lumpy pudding is a thing of the past!

Gadgets I use either daily, or semi-daily:
1) Cuisinart Food Processor (7-cup)
2) Taylor Digital Cooking Thermometer with Probe and Timer (my husband is color deficient, and this allows him (and me!) to check meat for done-ness safely--as well as using the alarm to bake/roast to temp while I am doing other things)
3) Microwave
4) Dishwasher
5) Zojirushi BBCCX20 Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine
6) Oster 6-Slice Convection Toaster Oven

Other useful gadgets:
1) Crock-Pot (4 quart)
2) Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer
3) Soehnle Digital Kitchen Scale (both metric & Imperial)
4) Chef's Choice M130 knife sharpener
5) Full-size upright deep-freeze
6) Stainless steel electric kettle
7) Norpro 1 Gallon Stainless Steel Compost bucket
8) Oven fan that vents outside
9) Lee Valley Stainless-Steel Rasp and Zester
10) heavy-duty kitchen shears

But in truth you don't *need* any of this stuff.

I should add that I was always one of those, "Oh, who really NEEDS a scale, anyway; it's just one more thing to clean" people, but now that I have one, it's been so helpful. My bread is better than ever before!

Get a combination timer/probe thermometer and save yourself a little drawer space!

Some immersion blenders come with a beater attachment.

Does anyone know of a good scale with more accuracy. More along the lines of a balance? I have a nice scale but if I want to measure spices, I need 10th or 100th of a gram.

I have one and a half, kind of. I have a digital scale that includes a timer.. oh, and it has a digital thermometer, but the thermometer is a bit slow, at least to me.

I've got three of them. I don't need the thermometer at all (I honestly don't cook that much). I bought the scale when I was on a diet and now it's so useful to me because I cook for myself and I never know how many spagetthis I should boil just by looking at them, for example. Weighting them works better for me.
About the timer, yeah, I could do it with my phone, but the timer is stuck on the fridge, so I always know exactly where it is. And it was very cheap.
And about the hand mixer, I've just bought it this week because I haven't had one in months and there are some recipes I can't make without it. I suposse everyone have their basics in the kitchen depending on what they eat and how they cook it. That's all.

Are you kidding me? This post is a joke. I dont own a single one of these gadgets and I have fed a family of 6 for the past 10 years.

I love my digital scale! It's great not just for baking...it's perfect for weighing yarn! No more running out of yarn for the second sock!

I agree with the post - I use three of the four gadgets all the time. The thermometer is a must if you want to serve meat at just the right temperature. You need scales for most European recipes. An immersion blender is great for soups, egg whites and hollandaise. It is only the timer I don't need as I have several built-in to gadgets in my kitchen as well as one on my phone. The other two gadgets I use daily are an ordinary balloon whisk and a palette knife.

my iphone is a dandy timer (plus the oven one), and I already have it.
Scales? I had those when I shared a house with someone who often measured in grams for her business. 4:20.
my must-haves are a couple high quality knives, wooden spoons, chopsticks (great for whisking and tong use) and a great cutting board, a cast iron pan, a pot for veggies/pasta and the big rice/popcorn pot.
The rest is luxury.

nah, all I need in this world is my handheld lime/lemon juicer.