Gourmet gift list
If there’s a cook on your Christmas list who’s been particularly good this year, fear not. Finding the right gift is as simple as a trip to your nearest kitchen supply store. This year, if your gift is made of silicone, chances are you’ll have a hit on your hands.
Both Eric Frickle, owner of Spokane’s The Kitchen Engine, and Heidi Tsadilas, manager of the Gourmet Way in Coeur d’Alene, say that anything made of silicone is flying off the shelves this year.
Muffin pans, cake molds and colanders all now come in easily cleaned, heat-resistant silicone. Frickle says his customers love Silicone Zone’s pot holder, which sells for about $10.
“It’s kind of a grid shape, which allows there to be air pockets between the hot pot and your counter,” he said. “I order hundreds of them. I’m sure there are other stores out there doing the same.”
One of Tsadilas’ favorite silicone gadgets is a mixing bowl. Yes, it’s very bendy. That’s what makes it so great, she said. You can mix up a cake batter in one of these bowls, pick it up and form it into a spout as you pour the batter into the cake pan.
“I have a (customer) who works with chocolates and she said it’s phenomenal for melted chocolate,” Tsadilas said. They’re available in a variety of sizes and colors and will cost $20 or less.
These are but a few suggestions for playing Santa to your favorite chef. Below, we’ve complied a by-no-means complete list of cool things for the cook in your life. We’ve listed approximate prices and stores where the products can be found, although they may be available elsewhere. Happy shopping.
Gadgets
“The Aero-Garden kit, a hydroponic gardening system, allows cooks to grow their favorite herbs and greens right on the kitchen counter. The Kitchen Engine sells the Pro100 model for about $150.
“Injecting flavors into meats has become more interesting with Ronco’s new flavor injectors. The big catch? They make a syringe that will inject whole ingredients, such as a clove of garlic, to add more flavor. $10 to $15 at The Kitchen Engine.
“Cuisipro’s new roasting rack has handles on the side so you can lift a turkey or roast out of the pan and set it on your serving platter. Then you pull out a pin and the rack splits in half, placing your meal right on the plate. No worries about transferring that hot hunk of meat. $20 at Gourmet Way and The Kitchen Engine.
“The Kitchen Engine carries high carbon steel paring knives that are powder coated so they’re nonstick. They also come in a rainbow of colors. At $10 a pop, Frickle said his store sells a dozen a day.
“Tsadilas said pressure cookers have come back into vogue, as some fans tout them as a “green” way to cook. (Less time cooking means less energy spent.) Gourmet Way carries the Kuhn Rikon line, but the pots are available in a variety of locations at a variety of prices.
“Tagines are two-piece ceramic cooking vessels used in Middle Eastern cuisine. The cone-shaped pots are known for making braises and stews. Gourmet Way carries a handmade-in-Seattle tagine that’s good in the oven or on the stovetop for $55.
“Crepes also are making a comeback. The NordicWare Crepe Kit, which includes a crepe pan and batter dipping bowl, will help you whip up those Crepes Suzette in no time. $41 at Gourmet Way.
“For the person who loves sushi and Asian cuisine, here’s a little something for the stocking: Chopsticks to Go. These collapsible metal chopsticks fold up and fit into a case the size of a penlight. $9 at Gourmet Way.
“Ever struggled to get a knife through a block of soft cheese, such as Monterey Jack? The Cheese Knife is the solution. This resin blade will cut through soft cheeses, butter, boiled eggs, anything that usually sticks to a metal blade. It’s also heat resistant and dishwasher safe. $15 at Gourmet Way.
“Celebrity chef Mario Batali has put out a line of kitchen ware. His prep bowl set includes five melamine bowls ranging in size from 1/8 cup to 2 cups. The best part is the bowls have measurement marks on the inside and outside, making prep work even easier. $10 at Gourmet Way.
Cookbooks
Of course, cooking is not all about the gadgets. It’s about inspiration, too. Sharing recipes is one way to spark that inspiration.
Julie Robillard of Coeur d’Alene decided to make her own cookbook this year. She gathered recipes from friends and family, compiled them, printed them out and bound them with a ring. She will include the 50-recipe books with Christmas gifts and greetings this season.
She got the idea when she was invited to a wedding shower and was asked to bring a gift and a favorite recipe for the bride.
“Usually, I make Christmas cookies for everyone, but it’s one of those gifts that’s gone when you eat them,” Robillard said. “As a Christmas gift, (the cookbook) is great. It came out nice.”
She ended up with a variety of recipes, including entrees, desserts and appetizers. She filled out any light spots with her own favorite recipes. It turned out to be an inexpensive project; she made 20 books for $30. But she did all the printing and collating herself, which took a lot of time.
If that sounds like too much work – Robillard admits it was a bigger project than she envisioned – two Web sites can help you out, for a price. Epicurious.com and allrecipes.com both allow site members to make their own cookbooks.
With the Epicurious hardcover “Tastebooks,” you can buy pre-started themed cookbooks – “Kids’ Favorites,” “Holiday Cookies,” “Best Party Recipes” – that are half-filled with recipes recommended by the site’s editors. Or, you can make a cookbook complied from your own favorites stored on the site, up to 100 recipes. Cost either way is $34.95.
Allrecipes.com lets you make cookbooks from recipes pulled from the site or from your own private collection. Cost is $24.99 for softcover and $34.99 for hardcover.
If you’d rather just go to a bookstore and get it done with, the James Beard Foundation can help. The foundation’s Book Awards Committee – think of it as the food world’s National Book Awards – recently put out a list of 20 essential cookbooks. They range from classics such as Beard’s “American Cookery” and “The Joy of Cooking” to the reference books “The New Food Lover’s Companion” and “The Oxford Companion to Wine.” Any one of these books would be a good addition to a cook’s collection. The complete list, which is limited to books still in print, follows:
“”American Cookery” by James Beard (1996)
“”Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico” by Rick Bayless (2007)
“”Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook” (2004)
“”Classic Indian Cooking” by Julie Sahni (1980)
“”Complete Techniques” by Jacques Pepin and Leon Pererr (2001)
“”Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” by Marcella Hazan (1995)
“”How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food” by Mark Bittman (2006)
“”The Joy of Cooking” by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker (2006)
“”The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook” (2003)
“”Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Desserts” by Maida Heatter (1999)
“”Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Oeuvres Handbook” by Martha Stewart (1999)
“”Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume One” by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck (2001)
“”The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking: Techniques and Recipes” by Barbara Tropp (1996)
“”The New Food Lover’s Companion” by Sharon Tyler Herbst (2007)
“”The Oxford Companion to Wine” by Jancis Robinson (2007)
“”Rick Stein’s Complete Seafood” by Rick Stein (2004)
“”The Silver Palate Cookbook” by Sheila Lukins and Julie Rosso (2007)
“”The Thrill of the Grill: Techniques, Recipes and Down-Home Barbecue” by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby (2002)
“”Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” by Deborah Madison (2007)
“”The Way to Cook” by Julia Child (1993)