Blenders:
Many live-food dishes, including soups, sauces, salad dressings, etc. can be prepared with a common blender. However, when adventuring into the 'gourmet' side of live-foods, it is helpful to have a high-speed blender. The two most popular are the Vita-Mix and the Blendtec. These blenders enable you to make smooth, creamy sauces out of almonds and other nuts. They are far more powerful than ordinary blenders, but they are both quite expensive (around $400). The Blendtec is more 'modern' with its digital controls, but many prefer the manual controls available on the Vita-Mix because it allows for a more personal interaction with the blending process.
Food Processors:
Some of the best food processors on the market cost less than $50. Look for one that has a large container - around 14 cup capacity. Kitchen Aid and Cuisinart both make excellent processors. Food processors are used often when making pate, granola, desserts and other dishes.
Food Dehydrators:
By far, the best dehydrator for live-food preparation is the Excalibur Dehydrator. It has an adjustable temperature control which is excellent because the latest research indicates that it is safest to begin drying certain foods at 145° and lower the temperature after an hour or two. This reduces the chances of bacterial growth and doesn't affect the 'living' status of the food because only the air around the food gets that hot (the food itself remains below 118° for up to two hours). Another benefit of the Excalibur is that it is fan-operated, whereas some inexpensive dehydrators use a hot coil to produce heat. Also, the Excalibur has large trays that slide in and out, allowing you to dry large items such as pizza crusts. The trays come with non-stick sheets called Teflex, which is probably the most incredible material ever. The Excalibur runs just over $200 (far less than a real oven). A less-expensive alternative is made by L'equip, which has the same benefits as the Excalibur but a much smaller tray size (due to a central support column) and no Teflex.
Juicers:
It used to be that the juicer was the centerpiece of the live-food kitchen. However, as we have learned more about nutrition and assimilation, the juicer has become a less-important tool. Most fruit juices, even fresh juice, have a high-glycemic load. They spike blood sugar when eventually leads to crash effects. This is certainly not to say that all juice is bad all of the time - it is simply recommended that fruit juices, especially high-sugar juices such as pineapple, be taken in limited quantities. Vegetables juices, especially green juices such as cucumber, celery, leafy greens, etc. are excellent cleansers and can be used during cleansing or fasting (or anytime). It is also nice to have a juicer that is able to juice wheatgrass. Inexpensive juicers tend to utilize a high-speed centrifuge to extract juice, which cannot juice wheatgrass and also which creates excessive heat and oxidation. The top-of-the-line juicer is the Norwalk, although it is very expensive (over $1,000). It uses a hydraulic press to extract the juice. The next tier is the Green Star, coming in at around half the price of the Norwalk. It is a twin-gear design that literally chews the vegetables and squeezes out the juice. Another good option is a single-augur style juicer such as the Samson. This juicer is less expensive at around $220, and uses a slow-turning screw to extract juice. This style of machine is well-suited to grinding, such as when making almond butter.
Other Tools: (the following is a checklist of useful equipment)
Coffee grinder (electric) - great for grinding flax seeds, sesame seeds, fresh spices, etc.
Chef Knife - look for one that feels good in your hand and that you can keep very sharp
Serrated Knife - used for slicing live-food breads, brownies, etc. and also great for cutting soft tomatoes.
Cleaver - for opening young coconuts (Instructions).
Vegetable Peeler - good for sweet potatoes, carrots, etc.
Citrus Juicer - the hand-held plastic variety works just fine.
Sprouting Jars - grow your own alfalfa, clover and broccoli sprouts, and sprout buckwheat groats for cereal.
Sprouting Trays and soil - for growing sunflower and buckwheat microgreens.
Ice Cream Churn (electric) - you can make fresh fruit sorbets or creamy chocolate-cashew ice cream!
Mandolin - makes paper-thin slices, such as when slicing zucchini to make lasagna sheets.
Spirooli - makes spaghetti-size noodles from zucchini, carrots, etc.
Saladacco - similar to above, but makes thin angel-hair noodles.
Fine Mesh Straining Bag - for making nut and seed milks. Available at Natural Zing.
Glass Dishes: a casserole dish for lasagna and a pie plate for desserts.
Large Mixing Bowls: live-food can get messy in a fun way.
Rolling Pin - for making flax tortillas, cookies, etc.
Apple Corer - also useful for making holes in raw doughnuts and bagels.
Pastry Bag - for adding a decorative touch with your dessert icings.
Potato Masher - the best tool for making authentic guacamole.