I really love kitchen tools and what you’ll find in my kitchen is a good mix of super-specific items and general use. I don’t tend to get a lot of one use items, but when I do, I think long and hard before I purchase. This is my ultimate kitchen gadget-y wish list – a mix of high-end and affordable products. To make these products even more affordable, you might be able to find some voucher codes! I would love to receive any of these items this holiday season and I’m sure the cook in your life would too!
Ever since I tried rigging up a ghetto-sous vide machine to make Momofuku’s 48 hour short ribs, I’ve been wanting a sous vide machine. Nomiku just came out with a new wifi home sous vide machine and I backed it because I was so impressed with their past incarnation. Essentially, a sous vide machine lets you cook food (usually in a vacuum sealed bag) in water bath set at an extremely low temperature. The sous vide machine both heats and circulates water and your food is gently cooked to scientific precision.
If you’re going to ask for a sous-vide machine, the next thing you might want to add to your wish list is a Searzall. I don’t have one of these (they just finished their kickstarter and are gearing up to sell on Amazon), but it’s definitely on my radar. It’s basically a portable salamander – use to sear sous vide steaks, melt cheese, or finish dishes off with a blast of heat.
The above two items are things that I think I’ll love, but they’re definitely more things I wish I had rather than things I need. These spatulas on the other hand, I have in my drawer right now and reach for all the time. I’ve talked about my love for silicone spatulas previously and I’m still a big fan of them. These colorful guys from Get It Right make me happy every time I reach for them. They make a perfect little gift. They’re unibody (which means no grotty parts to clean), hold up to heat well, and are dishwasher safe.
One of my favourite kitchen tools is a garlic press. I actually like mincing garlic (I’m weird, I know) but I don’t really like my fingers smelling like garlic every time I do it. Garlic presses take that problem away. This press from Savora is both pretty and functional. It’s an excellent gift for a garlic lover.
I wish I could send everyone a holiday present but since I can’t, I’m doing the next best thing and hosting a little Le Creuset Giveaway!
Giveaway: I’m giving away a Le Creuset Cherry Wok, a Le Creuset Balti Dish and a cute little Le Creuset Condiment Pot. They’re cherry red and perfect for the holiday season – thank you Le Crueset!
Enter: Leave a comment letting me know what the best gift you received was and why and then use the widget to enter. Open to US residents only. Winner will be selected at random and contacted by email. Good luck!
Update: Congrats Vicky! Get ready to start cooking! :D Look for an email from me shortly.
My immersion blender. I use it for everything!
My kitchen set as a child :)
Last year my best friend and I got each other 12-inch cast iron skillets and it has turned out to be the most indispensable piece of cookware ever. I had always thought cast iron was so finicky, but it’s the most easy to use, simple to clean thing I own. I take pleasure in massaging saved bacon fat into it every night to make sure it stays happy.
The best holiday gift I received was one of those bamboo steamers, but not a new one, the one that my Mom had since I was little. It was given to me my first xmas while I was in college, where I finally had a kitchen of my own. It was the best gift I received mostly because of sentimental value, and made me remember all the times when my mom and my sisters would sit around the kitchen table wrapping wontons as a kid.
The best gift I’ve ever received was a Le Creuset oval dutch oven from my parents last year – I was just starting to get into cooking and just had lousy non-stick pans that had gathered over the years. I use that dutch oven constantly and now I’ve added larger and smaller round ovens.
The best holiday gift I received was a new set of knives! I loved it because I felt so fancy in the kitchen :)
My father paid to have my bicycle fixed. I know it sounds stupid, but it has really expensive parts and there was no way I was going to be able to fix it myself. Riding a bike is one of the few exercises I can do that don’t trigger my asthma, so it’s pretty vital to my weight loss plans.
Last year my sister & brother n law crafted me a wooden wine rack with spots underneath to hang my wine glasses from. I loved it because it was made with love and was SO perfect for me!
My boyfriend took me to Budapest for Christmas years ago, and it the best! A great experience, and so much better than more stuff.
the best gift I ever received was my engagement ring!