I told work colleagues that I had a mini meltdown when I couldn't find my tongs last night. After laughing at me, they admitted they couldn't live without their go-to gadgets/items either. Their responses:

- one can't imagine living without her 17-year-old "battered but still damn awesome" wok
- one said he would jump out of a window if his Cuisinart sandwich maker broke down.
- one can't live without this ice maker.
- one said he can't live without two things: Chef's knife and "Cole & Mason Salt & Pepper Mills"
- one voted for his generic espresso maker
- one would be lost without her scraper. "So flexible. I can use it for anything in baking, cooking and everything. I even use it to fold an omelette or pancake."
- lastly, one opted for her "Dutch oven" (I think it's an iron-cast stock pot?)

How about you?

Slow cooker
Steamer
Bread maker
Mixer

My global knives, the range, the slow cooker and my cast iron pots & pans.

An electric mixer. Pretty much everything else in the food prep line I could live without if I had to (on the assumption that I still had generic things such as 'knives') but I really couldn't be doing with whisking, creaming or mixing things by hand. My fancy stand mixer broke down so I'm coping fine with a hand mixer at the moment, but simply couldn't face the prospect of hand whisks, wooden spoon for creaming, etc.

My George Foreman rotisserie. When that breaks I think I will cry for weeks

My pressure cooker
Good spatulas
oh, and tongs

Wor lass

I haven't had it for very long, but I couldn't do without my all-in-one slow cooker and steamer now.

Dishwasher.

If I didn't have it I doubt I would cook or entertain as often as I do.

Many years ago, my Mother's dishwasher broke down three days before Christmas. Although it could be repaired, the engineer could not come before the new year. However, a brand new dishwasher could be delivered and installed the next day, ready for the festivities. So my Mother - to my Father's horror - bought a new dishwasher, such was her dread of facing the busiest week of the year in the kitchen with no machine to take care of the dirty dishes!

Brilliant

Me..
Le Creuset set
Tongs
Wooden spoons
Whisks

Sharp, comfortable to handle, knives and a good sharpener.

I wish I could find a good sharpener that doesn't set my teeth on edge. I usually beg a friend to sharpen the knives for me, because I truly cannot stand the sound and feel of sharpening a knife.

Took me an age and a fortune to find one. Ended up with one I would have ignored but OH paid £1.99 for one of those three wheel grinder things and it works so well with my knives.

My dad used to sharpen 'mum's knife' on the back door step. By the time I came along the knife was like a stilleto!

Sabatier knives and a proper steel - no gadgety type sharpeners for me! Dishwasher is second and a Bebo hot water gizmo in third

My Magimix and my Mastrad meat thermometer. My cast iron griddle pan. My cheap speed peeler and my double oven cooker.

my hands and a spoon.

I forgot my temperature probe - it's revolutionised my cooking

My kenwood K mixer

i haven't cooked properly in so long - i've forgotten what kitchen gadgets i have!

A large mortar & pestle

A not-so-sharp, heavy-handled chef's knife.

Hand-held electric whisk (a manual one often suffices)

All other kitchen gadgets (although they might get a few outings initially) end up on a high shelf somewhere because they are too much hassle to wash up.

My wok and steamer

rice cooker. I don't know why. I can cook. But I just struggle with rice for some reason.

2 to 1 boiling water, lid on, gas mark 4 or 5, don`t know what that is in old money, for about twenty minutes.

The Oven