My big wooden spoon; my medium-sized knife (not too big and not too little...fits my hand perfectly) and my little compost holder that sits on the cabinet by the sink!! And, my short tongs...hate the long ones...

Tongs! So useful for grabbing just about anything

Global paring knife and olive wood wooden spoon.

I love my Wusthof knife drawer and gourmet chop blocks.

My most used not obvious tool is my lemon reamer -- the kind that looks like a giant garlic press. Love that thing to squeeze limes for a mojito!

Colander...LOVE PASTA!

Wooden spoons and spatulas

Wooden Spatulas I make myself to ensure strength and flexibility

What is used most often? The Keurig! Other than that, the chef's knife that is over 40 years old.

My salad spinner gets used everyday, sometimes 2x per day. It's a Zyliss with a pull string and a solid bottom. It washes everything from garden greens, to the 1 lb bx of greens from the grocery store as well as beets and carrots. It also can be the salad bowl on the table with the spinning rack removed. Love my salad spinner!

Corkscrew for sure ;)

my wooden spoons, in all shapes and sizes. I even use two of them as tongs most of the time. They are the hardest-working tools in my kitchen...although my Wüsthof 8" chef's knife comes in a close 2nd.

Nancy, I agree...can't have enough wooden spoons.

This is my most recent Wusthof purchase...awesome knife.

Paring knife

I like my gadget that "pops" jar lids so they can be opened easily. As already mentioned, paring knives, shears, and vegetable peelers.

My fry daddy and my steamer. Used to get big deep fryers and they were a pain to keep clean. The fry daddy is perfect for french fries or 4 pieces of fried chicken or anything else I want to deep fry. My steamer is used every day - buy vegies and steam whatever veggie is being served that night for dinner.

I second wooden spatulas.

Knives!

If I take knives and wooden spoons out of the equation, then it would be a cutting board and behind that, a colander. There are few meals that I prepare that I don't use a cutting board. However, I must have 'rubber' spatulas and whisks at hand, as well.

I love my little nut grinder. I love walnuts in cereal, brownies, on salad, in yogurt...

Haven't seen my favorite listed here! LOL - Does everybody know that big square blade with an odd shaped handle? I use that and a square spatula for flipping in pan cooking and a regular spatula for most of my kitchen work. Wouldn't be without them!

Actually, as much as I love and use my knives, I probably should have said my hands. Best kitchen tool...hands down!

Cutting boards and knives. Not sure what to make of the debate over poly vs. wood boards in terms of hygiene but mine are polyethylene and my theory is that as long as they are properly scrubbed and disinfected between uses its not necessary to have color-coded one for veggies, one for meat, one for poultry etc. Yet another of those marketing ideas that make us fear for our safety unless we buy their products!

BBARICK: AMEN! How did our ancestors survive? They had worse equipment than we have, certainly worse refrigeration.

Just the basics ma'am! I even use a manual can opener. Tired of buying the electric ones that break down!

Barbara Turner, me too! Plus, I found one that's more of a "hand-crank" style which makes it easier on my arthritic hands to use. No power? No problem!

I have a Scan Pan frying pan that is used a lot. And my 35 yr old Henckles knives.

Nancy Sloop - I found one that the blade is soooo sharp on it that when it clamps down onto the can, it clicks and you KNOW that sucker is gonna open that can! I love it. I think I bought it at Big Lots in fact. Works for me! I love it so much I bought a back up! LOL

My teaspsoons.....for my COFFEE...and my chefs knife

Yeah, I like the Pfaltzgraf heavy teaspoons that you can buy individually at Bed Bath and Beyond. Just love the weight of them. I use 'em for everything! To heck with the rules!

Tongs. I love my tongs and the double as a claw I chase my son around with. Guess my family knows it's my favorite tool too, I found it in the Christmas tree the day after the kids decorated it.

I have to have my built in spice rack (hidden behind my faux post legs)

spoon almost every time i get into the kitchen.

I just saw this post and sent a picture from my cell phone. Here are a few better images.

Very NICE, Pennville CC! Those are my "Classic" series knives from Wusthof. I'd definitely need more than one those lovely storage drawers.

Skillets, and all the accessories that go with preparation for cutting and stirring such as knives, wooden spoons etc.. and towels a must!

Knives, cutting board, and Vitamix, and my juicer is a close runner up.

Oh, and I forgot a very important one: LOVE MY MAGIC BULLET FOR EVERYTHING!

We clean the griddle for our stove at least 3 tines a day. I wonder how we survived with out it.

Chef's knife and cutting board is used so much more than anything.

I have my mother's set of old Farberware knives....they have been around forever. Gotta have my cutting board, and finally, my Old school pasta strainer. I could live on pasta...literally!

Chefs knife, first. Peeler, second.

@Chloe Bud; we do larger sets too. How do you like your new Panini knife. Wusthof just sent me one; I tend to use a chef knife or bread knife instead because of the ergonomics, but I like the scalloped blades.

Pennville, I love the "wave" knife. I truly did NOT need another knife, but a friend urged me to get it. I caved and ordered one.

my morter and pestle Iam in love with garlic

Tongs

cast iron skillet, wood spoon with thick handle, paring knife and small wood cutting board made by my younger sis in wood shop in jr. high school (30 years ago but don't tell her I told you!)

Sharp knives, silicone spatula, garlic press, and lemon squeezer. They are in the sink almost every night. I also love my very old (30+ years) cuisinart. We have had to replace the wookbowl and knife blade a couple times over the years. It is the only electric appliance that is worth the counter space.

spoons of different size. every time i enter kitchen i need them &feel always short of.

love this drawer