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.
An electric fondue set last year!
Best gift was a dozen vanilla beans!
Several years ago I got a KitchenAid mixer that I had coveted for a very long time and I have really enjoyed using it often since then.
Best gift ever was a bamboo steamer. Having Asian ancestry, typically we do what our mums did, and my mum did well with the steamer that came with the rice cooker, and whenever I move to a new place, a stainless steel or aluminum steamer is my must-haves. Then recently, since moving to Boston and taking a wee break from work, I started cooking, meaning serious cooking, getting acquainted with some basic recipes for Dim Sum (which up till now, have only found pleasure in the eating), some basic recipes for Southeast Asian desserts, and more. Then one day my husband bought me this bamboo steamer. He read somewhere that it would be best for reheating/re-steaming the homemade red bean paste buns avoiding the occasional ponding of water at the base of the plates. It is true and it makes better dim sum in general! Best gift ever! Sometimes you never know what you’re missing in life until you have it…
Christmas pajamas – we open them every Christmas Eve & it always evokes such wonderful family memories.
My favorite holiday gift was a diamond ring.
My friend gifted me with the New York Times cookbook by the incredible Amanda Hesser, and it remains the best gift I have ever received. Meanwhile, my cookbooks wanted list grows toward infinity…
The best gift ever is coming in the mail now…a kitchen aid stand mixer! Finally!!
The best gift I’ve received was a trip to Kauai with my husband.
The best gift I ever received was a collage that my husband made for me when we celebrated our first Christmas we together. One side of the collage represented him and his interests – Spanish, computer science, and rollerblading. The other represented me – French, history, and violin. In the middle of the collage was a silhouette of a couple dancing, which represented us together, since we did swing and ballroom dancing. It was incredibly thoughtful and romantic; I know I will treasure it for the rest of my life because it represents the beauty of our relationship.