Immersion blender is great functionality for a small size / cost. But for a more gadgety choice, I’d go for my sous-vide / immersion heater. Got gifted it a few years back, but didn’t get round to using it for ages, partly cause I suspected that it was too much of a hassle and wouldn’t make a huge difference to quality.

In reality, it’s really not a lot of trouble, especially if you vacuum pack meat and stuff for storage anyway. And I’ve made all sorts of different meats and marinade and they’ve been reliably great. For something like a pork chop, that can risk be a little dry, but you don’t want undercooked, being able to precisely control the temperature has given me the best, most tender and flavourful pork chop/monkfish/venison I’ve ever eaten.

Similarly, stuff for the bbq, deepfried chicken or even chunky côte du bœuf, where I really want a crispy sear but still need the middle to hit the right temp have all been made so much easier. Really surprised how much use I’ve got out it!