Moving into your first apartment always feels very liberating. However, the curfew-less nights and the total freedom of decorating your own room come with a price, like having to cook on your own. While I assume you consulted this list of essential kitchen tools you'll need for your first apartment, it's almost the end of the year now, and your kitchen might need an upgrade.

You might get bored of eating pasta and cereal for two weeks straight, or you might want to impress that cute person you've been talking to in lecture with freshly homemade meals. Whatever the reason is, these kitchen tools can give your kitchen the extra bump they need.

1. Blender

Oh, the possibilities. Personally, I love my blender for letting me have my breakfast smoothie everyday, but you can also use them to make other edibles, like healthy dessert. I'm pretty sure your guests will love this margarita, too.

2. Food Processor

Blenders mainly liquify, while food processors mainly chop. It might not be the best kitchen tool to handle liquids with, but recipes that use chunky, tough ingredients—like this pasta sauce—are definitely going to turn out perfectly with this powerful kitchen tool. Food processors are also very nut butter-friendly, so get grinding and slather that waffle with it.

3. Hand Mixer

You can find this tool's more popular, hands-free cousin in the market, but the handheld version of this kitchen tool is much more affordable, not to mention it allows you to work those arms while whipping up a batch of truffles or a pan of cheesecake. A hand mixer can be used to make food other than desserts, so definitely try this bomb-ass potato bomb recipe.

4. Kitchen Scale

Baking requires technique and precision more than cooking does, so owning a kitchen scale had prevented me from eyeballing the amount of egg white I need for my macarons (seriously, macarons are one of the most unforgiving desserts I have ever tried to make). Also, this kitchen tool can save you from having to convert metric to American measurement manually, in case your preference is not the recipe writer's.

5. Baking Dish

A kitchen item that you can use to bake, roast, and store food in? I don't think I would have made it through my apartment days without a baking dish. If life was a Sim game, purchasing a baking pan unlocks the recipes for baked salmon, slutty brownies, and kale chips.

#SpoonTip: Don't forget those oven mitts!

6. Meat Thermometer

I don't know about you, but every time I cook a meat dish, I always have this crippling fear of not cooking the meat well enough. This kitchen tool then comes to the rescue, reassuring me that yes, the thickest part of the meat is at the appropriate temperature, and world peace is restored.

Obviously, you don't have to have all these kitchen tools at once. Consider what type of food you cook the most often, and I'm sure the right kitchen tool will make cooking much easier and more fun!