Recommended Mixers and Blenders for Christmas

Here is a list of must haves in the blender and mixer category:

KitchenAid Food Grinder Stand Mixer Attachment $49 (Kitchen Collection) Grind your own meats to make homemade hamburgers and sausage, or grind your own bread crumbs and cheeses. Whatever you choose, you'll be one step closer to the source of your food, which means you're more likely to avoid the nasty preservatives often found in processed foods.

KitchenAid Pasta Roller Attachment Set $119 (Kitchen Collection) Attach these rollers to your KitchenAid stand mixer to roll out your own fresh pasta. Never tried fresh pasta before? Once you do, you'll never go back. This kit will make lasagna, fettuccine and linguine fini.

KitchenAid FPPA Mixer Attachment Pack for Stand Mixers $149 (AllBrands.com) Every attachment you could possibly need for your KitchenAid stand mixer. Includes food frinder, slicer and shredder, and fruit and vegetable strainer. 2 slicing and 2 shredding cones included. Grinder has fine and coarse grinding blades. Grind meat and breadcrumbs. Churn out sliced vegetables for potato chips and coleslaw. Shred potatoes for has browns. Whip up apple butter and more...

KitchenAid Artisan 5 Qt. Stand Mixer $269 (Kitchen Collection) Packs 325 watts of power to get the job done. Maybe one of the most essential pieces of any kitchen -- just think, your food geek can make you twice as many goodies if you buy them this mixer.

KitchenAid Refurbished 6 Qt. Professional Stand Mixer $239 (Kitchen Collection) 525 watts of pure metallic power that features a 6 quart bowl, dough hook, wire whisk and flat beater. Sure, it's refurbished, but it comes with a 6 month warranty to quell any worries you may have. Oh, and the regular price is $370.

Cuisinart Hand Immersion Blender $39 (Home Marketplace) Rather than ladling soups and sauces from pot to blender and back again, simply pop in Cuisinart's Quick Prep hand blender, press a button, and puree' away! Lightweight, compact, and easy to clean, with a two-speed motor to whip cream, velvetize sauces, mash potatoes, blend shakes.

KitchenAid Immersion Hand Blender $49 (Kitchen Collection) The ideal immersion blender for soups and smoothies. Once you try it, you'll pitch your stand blender in the trash. Seriously.

Cuisinart 3-Cup MiniPrep Plus Food Processor $39 (Kitchen Collection) SmartPower Blade feature with separate chop and grind controls in one compact unit Touchpad controls make cleanup a snap. The grind control processes hard foods like coffee beans nuts seeds and spices. The chop control chops or minces soft foods like onions.

Black & Decker FP1500 10 Cup Food Processor $49 (NowOnSale.com) Get free shipping on this bad boy. Talk about a bargain!

KitchenAid 12-Cup Capacity Food Processor $199 (Kitchen Collection) The bomb-digitty of food processors.