MICHAEL GRAVES

FIRST COURSE
5 Gadgets for the Single Cook's Kitchen

You're a young, busy, urban professional. Your time is precious, and you can't always afford to spend it in the kitchen. Take-out and Delivery get monotonous and the dollars quickly add up. Make these five products your go-to gadgets to expedite your culinary endeavors.

1. Magic Bullet Blender
Great for making single servings of any liquid. You can have smoothies in the morning and frozen cocktails in the evening when you're entertaining friends. Your Magic Bullet kit contains a high-torque power base, two blades, two cups, four lids and four party mugs with color-coded 'comfort lip rings' for instant sippage. There's also a cookbook of '10 second recipes' included for everything from soups to omelets. You can pick up a set at Bed, Bath & Beyond for around 50 bucks. (Note: I've had one for almost five years and it still runs like a champ.)