+1 on the toaster oven, if you have room for one. You don't want to heat up the whole oven for one bulb of garlic. I don't have a toaster oven here and consequently I hardly ever roast garlic.

Rice cooker... it's really, really nice to have, but honestly, I could do without it if I had to. I cooked rice on the stovetop and/or pressure cooker for decades... A cooker means you don't have to worry about your grain while you're cooking the rest of the meal. Or you could put porridge in overnight and have it done in the morning. But it uses space on either the counter or under-counter cabinet, it's expensive, and it's just one more thing.

Absolutely necessary: One good 6" or 8" chef's knife (your preference) and one good paring knife, and a steel. Sharpening gear and other knives are optional, although I highly recommend a jig if you plan to try to sharpen them at home.

I love my electric kettles, but I'm still searching for the one I really want. The only ones that incorporate a "thermos" all seem to boil the water first, then let it cool down to your desired temperature. Which takes forever, for one thing, and also, boiling the water at all defeats half the purpose. Right now I'm making do with a basic electric kettle plus separate thermal dispenser.

If you're a wine drinker, you won't regret a nice heavy self-centering corkscrew.

What about laundry accessories? Now that I'm flush with wool, I need another flat drying rack, but I haven't been able to find one... been looking for over a year! Expandable rail-racks are everywhere, flat racks I just can't find.

Pressure cooker, and one of Lorna Sass's great pressure cooker cookbooks.