For quick and healthy breakfasts in a household on-the-go, a quality toaster is a must.  With the right toaster treatment, bagels, waffles, toaster pastries, and slices of the family’s favourite bread get a warm and wonderful homestyle finish that makes those early mornings worth the rise.  And who could resist the sweet, wheaty aroma that fills the kitchen mere moments after depressing that trusty lever?  For a household of variety, choose a toaster like the KitchenAid 4-Slice Toaster (we love the red) with adjustable settings on both sides so everyone can toast to their personal preference.

The fruit and veggies that breakfasts, lunches, and dinners love are at their greatest nutritional potential when chopped, sliced, or diced fresh – and even in a small household, that can seem like a lot of knife-wielding!  However, the task becomes much easier – even enjoyable – if you’ve got the best tools.  A sharp, solid but lightweight chef’s knife might just become your best friend in the daily grind of carrot and celery sticks, apple slices, vegetable stews, and even meat and poultry preparation, too.  We recommend Farberware Pro Forged Chef’s Knives for reliable edge and clean, easy cuts.

… and on what type of surface will you exercise those knives?  Only a good-quality cutting board, we hope!  A busy kitchen often benefits from two or three of these at least, especially when several pairs of hands offer to pitch in.  Wooden boards, like the Wusthof Bamboo Utility Board, tend to last longer than plastic ones, and they even have their own antibacterial properties.

Shedding the bitter skins of potatoes, carrots, celery, and other vegetables can be a pain if you don’t have the right tool – especially if you’re preparing large volumes of stew, soup, sauce, etc.  And then there’s the battle of the cylindrical apple peel!  Choose a decent peeler, on the other hand, and those skins will slide off effortlessly in beautiful strips without leaving ragged edges or ruts.  Your hand will love the silicon handle and grips on the OXO Good Grips Vegetable Peeler, and the curved blade will give your veggies the gentlest shave.

One of the best time-saving tricks for cooking in a household is making meals in mass quantities, so leftovers can fill lunchboxes the next day, plates for subsequent dinners, or freezer-safe tupperware for future meals on hand.  For this, a good-quality, solid-bottomed 8-quart (or larger) pot is essential.  Try Henckels TruClad Stainless Steel 8-quart Stock Pot on for size and make mid-week meals a no-brainer.

The best pans are the ones that distribute heat evenly across the surface and enliven the flavours of the food without losing nutrients.  It’s a subtle balance, so investing in a top grade skillet (we like cast iron or non-stick) is well worth the capital.  Enjoy the ease and lightness of a non-stick pan like the Calphalon Contemporary Non-stick Deep Skillet with Lid, or relish the rich flavour that the Lodge Logic Cast Iron Skillet imparts upon a meal as it becomes more and more seasoned over time.

A roomy colander like the Top Chef Rubber-Footed Colander speaks for itself – with its sturdy handles and smart-drain design, you’ll never want to wash your bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables any other way, ever again!

Meals come together faster with a powerful food processor and/or blender.  Smoothies are a great healthy breakfast solution, homemade hummus and other dips add tasty boosts to lunches and snacks, and pestos or fresh tomato sauces make dinner a healthy, delicious breeze!  You can even use different types of blades to chop or grate in seconds flat.  Get the best of both worlds with the Cuisinart 48-oz Deluxe SmartPower Duet.

Even the best-made meals fall to pieces in the wrong hands.  Serve up those fried eggs, pancakes, burgers, fish filets, and grilled cheese sandwiches with ease – grab a spatula with a solid, good-length handle and a durable flipper for optimal dexterity and maneuverability.  We like the WMF Profi Plus Stainless Steel Non-stick Spatula.

Get those eyes bright and that tail bushy right off the bat with a cup of good ol’ java, made from freshly ground beans.  Release a wealth of flavour and caffeine goodness (as well as that unmistakably stimulating aroma) with an industrious grinder, a handy tool that can hide away nicely until the moment of its summons.  The Krups GX4100 Coffee and Spice Grinder gets the job done perfectly, whether it’s crushing whole cloves into fine powder or pulsing earthy Sumatran coffee beans to just the right consistency for your favourite coffee maker.  Our household wouldn’t be complete without the classic Italian Stovetop Espresso Maker.