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Wooden toast tongs - used every day - great for getting mini-bagels out of the toaster.

Also, thick rubber bands and clothes pins for closing all those vegie bags, cereal bags, etc.

Nonstick egg skillet.

It definitely reminded me of Pepsi One or flat, slightly more metallic coke zero. The amount of vitamins and minerals added to the drink definitely doesn't contribute significantly to a healthy diet (if you eat like a normal person, you're not missing out on anything that this would help with) and it doesn't taste as good as diet coke...not worth it at all for this diet coke addict...

Tried only one sample bottle---tasted like Coke Zero--or like Pepsi One---won't buy again.

My toaster. Clearly, I am not a master cook. But when I lived in China, I bought a toaster for my hotel room that I lived in because I cannot eat untoasted bread. Everything else you can do by hand.

I think my parents and grandmother would say rice cooker, and I have like three of them, because every time I move and I don't have one, my family gets very disturbed and buys me one. They are useful, though.

About the butter comment--have you tried a butter bell? my old roommate had one, and at first we laughed at it, but then we realized it was GENIUS! Basically, the butter is kept in water, outside (not refrigerated) and it is always spreadable. It seems like a weird hick thing, but it is great. Definitely a must if you use butter a lot: www.butterbell.com

Just like children, I love all of my kitchen tools equally....

I will say that the kitchen addition that I love more than I thought I ever would are my Emile Henry bowls. What's in a bowl? Hard to explain. I love the weight of them, the ease of cleaning, I like to rise bread in them and serve hot or cold dishes in the bowls. They look great and function better. People look at me sideways when I try to explain why these bowls are so great, but I love them.

@Jerz: I'm jealous picturing your marble-and-butcher-block island. It may be self-indulgent or maybe not -- if it keeps you cooking at home more than going out, you'd probably make up for the cost after a little while.

Thanks for the props on the topic. This one really has been fun to watch develop. As far as Question of the Day topics go, feel free to ask the Serious Eats community one (or more) of your own. The staffers here don't wanna hog the discourse, after all. You can email me at adam@seriouseats.com with any suggestions. And you can always start a topic of your own in the Talk section.

I second the microplane grater / zester as a must have tool in the kitchen. I absolutely adore mine and use it almost everyday for something (usually to grate fluffy clouds of parmesan all over salads and pasta). Although, for Christmas I'm finally getting the infamous Kitchen Aid mixer (in pink no less) so my loyalties may switch.

Related: Clotilde of Chocolate and Zucchini recently posted about her kitchen toolbox.

I use this folding cutting board every day: http://tinyurl.com/yxh7zp

Other tools I couldn't live without: my Kyocera utility knife, and unbleached parchment paper.

For me it depends on the brand. There are darks I like in one brand and not in another, same for milk. When I am baking or making candy it depends on what I am pairing the chocolate with. Dark and Orange is classic. Milk and coconut always.

the darker the better. milk chocolate is good, but dark chocolate is the real thing.

I'm not much of a chocolate fan, so I prefer milk because it's less bitter.