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 mom got me a kitchenaid mixer my first year out of college – the most thoughtful (and useful) gift she’s ever given me!
The best Christmas gift I ever received was my enamel cast iron dutch oven. Although it is not le creuset, it works beautifully and I love it!
I got a camera a few years ago and I use it all the time!!!
It might sound strange, but the best (culinary) gift I’ve ever received was an immersion blender. I’ve built up a lot of my kitchen tools on my own but never thought of purchasing an immersion blender. My grandmother gave me one for Christmas a few years back and it has made my soup adventures a thousand times easier and better! Thanks for the gift guide, I’ve been dying to get a sous vide machine – I hear the Anova is great and pretty affordable!
Any handmade presents from my kids were my favorite gifts. It was like a moment in time frozen to remember always.
my grandmother’s pearls!
my husband took us all to Hershey Park as a family, est gift ever.
Certainly my most useful was getting a new iPhone (and attached data plan)!
I’ve gotten a lot of great gifts but kitchen and food wise my favorite gift has been a spice rack/condiment shelf that hooks onto the door. It’s almost like a tall cabinet door that has very narrow shelves, 6 of them, and just sits on the hinges of the main door… I’m not describing this well, but I have a postage stamp sized kitchen and this has made my life so much easier!
A subscription to Ancestry.com. I love doing genealogy research!