Must-Have Kitchen Countertop Appliances

Not just for frozen margaritas, a high-powered blender can reduce whole fruits into delicious smoothies, whole veggies into nutritious soup, and can crush ice into fluffy snow for sweet, syrupy cones. Product shown: Ninja NJ600 Professional Blender

Great for stews, one-pot meals, and pot-luck dinners, the trusty crockpot still is as valuable as ever. Look for models with removable stoneware inserts that can go from appliance, to backyard barbecue, to dishwasher. Product shown: 6-Quart Crock-Pot® Cook Carry

Baking cupcakes for a crowd? Preparing bread dough from scratch? Everything is easier with a stand mixer. And unlike a hand mixer, a sturdy stand mixer gives the home cook the freedom to multitask. Product shown: KitchenAid® 5-Quart Stand Mixer

Gone are the days of hissing steam, replaced by fully automatic espresso machines that grind, tamp and brew for you. Plus, unlike some machines that make only one cup at a time, this model brews a continuous stream. Product shown: Breville® Barista Express Automatic Espresso Machine