There is, out there, certain vocabulary you need to get through the New Year without embarrassment. To whit:
"Smoothie" - not a lounge lizard , but a blended drink such as passion-fruit thickshake with galliano, or tropical fruit lassi;
"Shake" - not a form of popular dancing, but yet another blended drink, such as coconut banana shake;
"Crushes" - not something 12year-old girls have on Ronan (he's lovely!) Keating, but a blended drink, such as bananas and limes with ginger ale;
"Punch" - not a dig in the ribs, but a blended drink such as Jamaican Rum punch.
Such concoctions are where it's at, food-fashion wise: so high on the list of desirable gadgets this year is the Waring blender, which will help you make all of these, and more.
It is also one of the coolest-looking pieces of kitchen equipment, unchanged since it appeared in 1935. Expect to pay about £150 for the larger models.
The Smeg Fab 30 Fridge Freezer, meanwhile, is massive, and massively expensive, and utterly gorgeous. If you want the retro kitchen (Waring blander, Kitchen Aid mixer, Dualit toaster) then you need the beautiful retro Smeg to complete your picture of 1950s American suburbia. Cavernous, perfectly designed, and you will have little change from a grand for the smaller models.
Another desirable gadget is the Rosle potato peeler. No, I'm not joking. The Rosle potato peeler will cost you more than £20, and that will be some of the best money you can spend on a serious cook. It has a proper blade, looks pretty cool in 18/10 stainless steel, and best of all, it makes peeling mountains of spuds as easy as anything. Strange present, perhaps, but think of the time it will save the food lover.
The Bialetti Moka Express is a glamorous espresso maker, as hip and as utilitarian a device as you can find in the kitchen, and they are cheaper and simpler to operate than many of the fancy espresso devices now on the market which don't do the job half as well. Prices range from £15 to about £40 depending on the size you need, and remember that they really only suit the concentrated heat of gas stoves.
If you do want to make lots of smoothies and other blended drinks, it helps to have lots of different, flavoured ice-creams for making shakes, and nothing beats the lush, pleasureful delight of homemade ice cream. The Gaggia Gelateria is as renowned as the Waring blender and the other famous kitchen warhorses, and costs just under £300.