Gotta-have-it gear for good-for-you cooking

My favorite piece of cooking gear is my vegetable steamer. It can be used for more than just veggies -- like rice -- but I use is for one purpose only: Steaming the broccoli, peas, corn, and squash we rotate among our daily dinners. My steamer is easy to assemble, easy to use, and easy to clean. And it takes no longer than 10 minutes for our nutritious fare to cook. I also like my food processor -- it just doesn't get as much use -- and I really want a Crock Pot. I borrow my sister's when I need one, but I bet I'd be a bit more inventive with meals if I had one stuffed in a cabinet nearby.

Women's Health magazine recommends a few got-to-have kitchen gadgets. The food processor and steamer make the cut -- although the WH editors recommend not my stand alone steamer but a flexible silicone steamer that sits on top of a pan of boiling water. They also recommend a colandar, casserole dishes, mixing bowls, baking sheets, pots and pans, a hand mixer, a meat thermometer, an oil sprayer, nylon/rubber tools, wooden goods, a vegetable peeler, a shredder, kitchen shears, cutting boards, and knives.

A pretty good medley of stuff, huh? Click here and check out each item. Pictures, descriptions, and suggested brands are included.