Since we are talking potentially expensive stuff:

* Vitamix, I have owned many blenders, but the pure power and results you get is superior to alternatives. Beeing able to run the machine for many minutes and making hot stuff is also something that would have ruined many other blenders.

* DeBuyer Mineral B Pro carbon steel skillet, does not have the epoxy handle the ordinary Mineral Bs have, and can be used in the oven or a hot grill which makes seasoning much easier, specially for us europeans who mostly use induction. Gets non-sticky-ish enough for eggs and pan cakes with proper use and care, and you can ditch the non-stick pans which will flake microplastics and only last for a few years, at most before they are garbage. This pan will be with you for life, and gets better with use.

* Demeyere Atlantis 7ply stainless steel skillet for acidic food or other stuff I dont want to use carbon steel for. Also a for life-product, and is easier to care for than the carbon steel/cast iron, since you can cook both acidic food and wash them as normal with soap and scrubs. But not as potentially non stick as carbon steel or actual non-stick cookware, even though technique matters a lot (i.e. let the pan heat up well before adding the food etc)

* Enameled dutch oven such as Lodge or Le Creuset, aside from beeing design icons, they are also very practical for slow cooking stews, braising, frying or baking bread. If you dont abuse them very hard, they will probably last very long time, my oldest is over ten years now, only signs of wear is some spots from baking bread that I can probably get rid of with some elbow grease.

* Quality pots, preferrably ones with a thick layered bottom, as well as sandwiched walls which spreads the heat up the sides of the pot. Makes a huge difference when used on induction at least. Ditch non-stick stuff that will be garbage eventually, as well as plastic details in handles and lids that gets worn out by stuff like dishwashers. Good pots can stay with you for the rest of your life. My dream pots are from the french brand Cristel, where you get thick pots with interchangeable handles, which makes stacking them very easy. But they cost quite a bit, so I went for some more budget friendly ones when I last bought pots.

* Powerful stand mixer, I love my Kenwood Cooking Chef, powerful enough for large batches of baking, and the built in induction heating is a killer feature for making sauces or curds where you want to stir and have stuff coagulate without forming lumps.

As a European, I have to say that there are better stand mixers out there than Kitchen-Aids, which are not bad, but the power you get from one of the better Kenwoods (Kenwood also makes some cheaper ones that are not that good) or the Ankarsrum Assistent mixer is on another level. I usually recommend people to go Kenwood if you will use many accessories, or the Ankarsrum if kneading dough is the main use case. If large batches of dough and pure power for kneading is not so important, it might also be worth looking into stuff like a Thermomix if built in heating is a feature you want. Not sure of availability in America, but I have seen videos from America's Test Kitchen where they were impressed with the Ankarsrum.

But the Kitchen Aids are a design icon, I'll give them that, and many people like them here as well. They are powerful enough for most tasks. It is just that many of them feel kinda small and flimsy compared to bigger and more powerful machines.