I give myself notional hives whenever I think of upgrading my kitchen equipment—$200+ for a mixer?—so Mark Bittman's piece in the NYT this morning on how to properly outfit a kitchen for $300 was informative as well as calming.

His secret? Forget all the branded stuff and visit a restaurant supply house: "The point is not so much that you can equip a real kitchen without much money, but that the fear of buying the wrong kind of equipment is unfounded. It needs only to be functional, not prestigious, lavish or expensive."

I guess all the OXO stuff can wait till I win the lottery.