Kitchen Appliances

I love cooking and I've just recently rediscovered why I love the slow cooker so much thanks to this blog:  A Year of Slow Cooking.  I was preparing the orange chicken for dinner and contemplating how much I love the slow cooker.  Then I took out the brown rice that we eat with the chicken (just to have it out so I won't forget it this evening) and I realized that I love my rice cooker as well, since it cooks my brown rice for me and is completely hands off. 

I love cooking for the most part.  I love baking and slaving over good food that my husband, Evan and myself enjoy.  But there's something about the convenience of having a rice cooker and crock pot that is so nice. 

Then I started thinking about all the kitchen appliances (counter top) that I appreciate because of convenience and I came up with my favorites:

 1) Microwave---It's just so convenient to throw in frozen meat to defrost, veggies to heat up,  and leftovers to reheat.  I'm not a fan of the microwave we bought when we moved here, but it works for what we need it for.
2)  Slow Cooker---It's so nice to spend only a few minutes prepping dinner and then throwing it in the crock pot to cook.  I love doing this because it's hands off and I can do other things with my time like playing with Evan, cleaning, and going for a walk.  I also love that if it's all in the crock pot, they're are very few dishes to wash, which I am always a big fan of. 
3) Rice Cooker---I won't cook rice if I don't have a rice cooker.  Seriously, I hate watching rice on the stove.  It always boils over and burns on the bottom. 
4) Blender---I need a better one, but I really enjoy the blender for making my smoothies. 
5) Electric Skillet---I need a new one of these too, but I really enjoy the electric skillet.  On the stove, you not only get a pan dirty, but usually the burners and the stove top also.  With the electric skillet it's all in one place, and it's usually a big enough size for our family's meals. 

Honorable Mentions:  Griddle (the griddle we have is crazy... heats up unevenly), Foreman Grill, and Electric can opener. 

I would like to get a Kitchen Aid Standing Mixer (they're just so expensive!).  Any thoughts on your favorite kitchen appliances?