My general touchstones
Cutco - forever guaranteed knives, work like a charm but if I sense they are dulling, I just send them back and they send me new. Had them for almost 25 years and replaced them twice. Warning, pictured below is about $900 up front.
Calphalon - duh, everyone knows Calphalon
Stainless steel and silicone wherever possible in utensils [whisks, ladles, spatulas, etc. Even have a collapsible silicone colander as well as a silicone muffin tin and various silicone pads for baking sheets].
Flavorwave Turbo Oven - Halogen heating element with a fan, making a compact convection cooker
Induction cooking hot plate - no heating element, cooks by inducing current in cookware itself, surface only gets hot by contact with pot or pan, like setting a pan on a potholder.
Kenmore Elite Combo Microwave and Convection Oven
My unit
http://www.kenmore.com/kenmore-elite...p-02075153000P
Good quality rice cooker - can do so much more
My unit
I have other stuff, but these are what I rely on daily or at least bi-weekly.