Wants:
I would love a Thermomix but i cant justify it when i already have a good Magimix food processor (its not just the money but the space as i have a few bulky items claiming the space already).
I would love a Pacojet but it would be a waste of money for me really.
Creamer/whipper - one will be winging its way over to me in the next month if only so i can make Heston's Pimms for summer
Rate highly:
• My Baumix was well worth the money and saves me cleaning the food processor and is used all the time.
• Magimix food processor (although there are lots of other good ones out there dependant on your needs/space).
• Good knives are really helpful, although you do not need to buy a massive set of them.
• My SVS water bath; it doesn't look out of place in the kitchen and allows you to do some truly amazing things with your food (it does however have a big learning curve as it can be dangerous if you do not know what you are doing).
• Decent range cooker with gas hobs (just amazing to go back to after having had electric in previous place).
• Decent pans (i use Le Crueset) make cooking a lot easier.
• Mandolin - i find this useful but did take a couple back that just didn't work very well.
Overrated:
• I kind of regret getting an Intellisteam steamer as, although it works very well, i find i do not use it that much compared to a basket steamer because of the cleaning (you have to clean the whole lot) and the large footprint means i could have had some other gadget there!
• Bread maker - i am kinda torn by this as it does get regular use but with the number of shops around me now that i can get German/artisinal bread from, the footprint and the relative ease with which you can make bread by hand (sometimes using the food processor to help) i am not sure i would buy again. If you do get one though make sure you buy a good one as the results are significantly better than most of those on the market.