Equipment A pressure cooker is a great aid to speed. If you're a recent convert to wholefoods it will be an excellent investment, because it will cook beans and grains in a quarter of the time. Look for a stainless steel one. It will be expensive but the metal never leaches into food in the way that aluminium does, and it will last a lifetime. A blender or food processor speeds up the preparation of soups, pates and sauces and gives a good result.
Hand powered alternatives are available for all the pureeing, slicing and grating.
They both work by forcing the food through the working parts with a rotary blade making the operation more efficient and quicker than basic sieves or graters. A good quality heavy cast iron or stainless steel saucepan will help ingredients to cook quickly without burning. All these things will both speed and refine your techniques but they are not essential. The only essential equipment is a sharp knife, a surface to chop on, a grater, a sieve, a measuring jug and sundry pans, tins and casseroles.