I use my Instapot for rice too. But agree it has a steep learning curve unless you are used to a pressure cooker.

Gaylene - would love to know what you eat. Your cuisines sound eclectic.

I probably shouldn't comment regarding rice, as I've never tried a rice cooker. I had some bad luck with rice when I first started cooking, but once I found the proper method of cooking for the type of rice we use most commonly, it has been smooth sailing - perfectly cooked, no sticking to the pan, done quickly. So I just never felt the need for a separate appliance for it.

But these things really are personal. My Dh used to buy every kitchen gadget advertised on the telly, and we don't use 90% of them. Those have mostly found new homes. The bullet blender/chopper is the exception (he uses it a lot; I don't). I didn't get a Kitchen Aid mixer until two years ago, and now I don't know how I survived without it. But the Instant Pot, the food processor, the pasta maker, the pizza cooker, the electric pan, etc. were really a waste. I do still have a blender that lives in the basement and generally only comes upstairs during the holiday season (there's an ambrosia salad that Dh adores that requires it).

We are on our second Zojirushi fuzzy logic rice cooker. You can set it to cook hours in advance and then it keeps the rice warm for a few hours. It has settings for white rice, sushi rice, brown rice, mixed Korean rice, and porridge. I use it every week to make a big batch of steel cooked oats. I used to eat brown rice while DH ate white rice.

Those portable appliances were great to use when we were out of our kitchen when it was being remodeled. Maybe you can borrow and audition those you don’t own? It sounds like most of us have expensive appliances that rarely get used. Ours is the Instapot that DH (the cook) found had too steep of a learning curve. My sense is that DD (age 28) would like it.

*laughing*
elp and Janet. My apologies for derailing this thread by giving out recipes. Rice cookers are good…crazy old ladies maybe not so much?

One more rec: a salad spinner! I don't just use it for lettuce and spinach, but also to drain extra water out of tofu and jar veggies like roasted peppers and artichokes. Then I don't have watery stir frys!
Am making rice right now, just in the normal big pot I use for pasta, couscous and other grains. 20 min- no effort. No extra device! ETA- stirred it maybe 3× (was making my weekly tofu on other burner so was already at stove) and set the timer on the stove for the 20 min. No stick, no burn.

There are websites extolling the virtues of the Instant Pot. For me, though, it’s just an improved pressure cooker. I grew up with a mother who used a pressure cooker, and I used my stove top one for over 35 years. For what they are good at, they are The Best. If you never used a pressure cooker, then an Instant Pot would seem like a waste.

Very interesting thread! Exciting times Janet and Angie!

We are all different -my sisters both adore their thermomix - I don’t see myself needing one.

In ranking here are my appliances

espresso machine
Kettle
Toaster
Kitchen Aid
Food processor
NutriBullet
Sandwich Press
Waffle machine

I broke my old slow cooker and may replace with a new one or instant pot.

It is a trade off - the more space you have the more you store and keep.

Janet, the rice cooker takes longer to cook rice than the pot on the stove method, however, IMO, the texture of the rice is better. I also use my rice cooker for steel cut oats and quinoa.

I agree with elpgal! I'd be curious to see your recipes, Gaylene. It sounds like how I would prefer to eat! We get two Blue Apron meals a week -- yes, I am lame and a mostly novice cook, but those meals have taught me a lot and helped me gain confidence in my cooking on nights when we don't have a meal kit. We often opt for the mediterranean or Asian style meals.

This has been helpful as it has helped me define and solidify our preferences and needs. I'm going to sit down and make a list of our requirements. I'm also noting things like: we need a place for the dogs' water dish, and we don't want a "landing pad" on the kitchen island. We hate visible clutter! (My idea is to move the landing pad for keys, glasses, etc. into the laundry room, which is also getting a makeover -- it's the room we enter from the garage, and it leads into the kitchen.)

SF, I'm angling for keeping a magnetic induction range. We had gas at the ranch, and I always liked that visible flame, but I HATE cleaning those tops. I love that the induction top is easy to clean, and cool to the touch even immediately after cooking. Also, gas would mean having to run a line into the house from the propane tank we have for the swimming pool heater. Not a huge deal perhaps, but I don't necessarily want to be worrying about the propane level in the tank even in the winter when we are cooking the most.

Suntiger, we have a salad spinner! It doubles as a strainer/collander for washing veggies. We got it last year when I was harvesting lots of lettuce and kale from our backyard container garden.

Angie, I'll have to make a list of IG accounts. They're not coming to mind at the moment, although I think I follow the "kitchensofinstagram" hashtag. I also follow some "modern" and "contemporary" interior design accounts. I also obsessively collect ideas on Houzz. I don't use Pinterest a lot but I get a few ideas there.

Ooh Nespresso! Yum!

We are pretty simple with our appliances - only a toaster and coffee maker on the counter. We also have a crock pot that we use a couple of times a month, mostly to cook chicken breasts to use later. We have an air fryer that we also only use a couple of times a month. I like it mostly for potatoes and it is big and bulky although not heavy. I could definitely live without it. We also have a Nutribullet that I mostly use when I'm on a smoothie kick and a hand mixer that I rarely pull out but when you need it you need it. I'd kind of love a Kitchen Aid stand mixer but not sure how much I would use it and or where I would keep it. Same with a dutch oven. We had a rice cooker, just the basic cheapie with an on/off button but gave it to our son when he moved out. I'm fine cooking rice and oatmeal in the microwave although I think the rice cooker did a better job.

Good luck! So fun having a new kitchen!

Janet, we will have our kitchen and bathroom remodel done by Leicht Seattle - German product - and they are on IG! They are incredible if you want to have look.

Sal, thanks

Fascinating to read what we all love and can't do without. I have been gifted some gadgets, new and used, over the years by people who love and use them. I have a food processor, that rice cooker you all mentioned, an instant pot, a slow cooker, and a vita mix all stored in the pantry and a kitchen aid mixer on the counter. But I find that I am just not really a gadget person in the kitchen. I prefer to chop and grate by hand. (and I'm not a baker). Maybe it's my age, it's just the way I learned to cook. I like to be able to lift a lid and smell and taste, which one can't do with gadgets as easily. But I switched to an electric kettle 25 years ago and have never looked back! That and a toaster of course seem to be my necessary gadgets.

Judy, I have similar preferences!

Thanks everyone for all the great responses. So fun to read and ponder.

Angie, I am now following Leicht USA -- thanks for the tip!