Dave 
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5772
 | | 05-02-2005 01:54 AM |
| I am trying to lure my wife into developing a deep fascination for cooking wonderous things to go with all of the wine in our cellar (with my assistance of course). What are some killer ideas for good birthday and mother's day gifts for the budding chef?
Thanks to this site if have come up with the following.
Silicone glove
Microplane graters
All Clad pans (the 3 qt sautee pan has caught my eye)
Zorirushi rice cooker
What am I missing (i.e., what are the kitchen accoutrements that you can't live without)? | | |
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NobleRot
Grape Puncher
Posts: 720
| | 05-02-2005 02:48 AM |
| David, if you haven't already done so, you may want to check this thread. Kitchen TipsAlso, just a couple more ideas: 1. Silpat linings (for baking sheets and the oven) 2. Silicone-tipped tongs 3. And everyone has to have a wine-bottle-shaped pepper-mill! Good luck! | | | |
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Dave
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5772
| | 05-02-2005 03:13 AM |
| Noble, thanks for the tips. Kitchen Tips is where I got most of my good ideas. I am salivating for more. | | | |
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whiner
Second star to the right, and straight on till morning
Wine Thief
Posts: 2875
| | 05-02-2005 07:03 AM |
| Some of this is repeat, but things I can't live without...
-Cuisinart Food Processor
-High quality knives (Henkels, Wustof, Messermeister Meridian, Global, etc)
-Convection oven (or large toaster oven with convection)
-Stick blender (aka boat motor)
-Indoor grill (Delonghi makes a good one available at Williams-Sonoma)
-very large saute pan (6+ quarts) if you enjoy cooking for company
-Bread maker (yeah, I know the purists don't like these, but they can make great bread w/ almost no effort)
-NV Krug to drink while cooking
a | | I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland.
-- Woody Allen | |
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wineismylife
Arlington, TX
Master of Wine
Posts: 12481
| | 05-02-2005 01:40 PM |
| Gift certificates to her favorite local restaurant.   | | | Joe-----Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
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Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts: 13768
| | 05-02-2005 02:09 PM |
| I agree with some of the suggestions-- kick ass knives Silpat stick blender (a must!) I also think getting a proper stand mixer a la Kitchen Aid is a must, particularly if you want to bake anything TONGS -- a must must must -- proper tongs help in so many ways Also, I think upgrading most of your every day utensils -- peeler, whisks, spatulas, etc -- get tools that last a good amount of time before they need to be replaced. Good Grips, in general, is a good brand on this front. Silicone spatulas of a slightly different sort are great too. I'd throw a Le Creuset Dutch Oven in there for good measure.  | | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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Appreciative
Beaverton, OR
Grape Puncher
Posts: 812
| | 05-02-2005 02:31 PM |
| Sorry, if I'm thinking too practical:
-A cookbook stand that holds the book open. I'm always trying find the heaviest can or pan.
-Digital meat thermometer.
-From a restaurant supply store, you may be able to find oven mitts that cover your forearm.
-A board or slab for cheese and some spreaders. | | | |
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skwid
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5452
| | 05-02-2005 03:00 PM |
| Quote:
Sorry, if I'm thinking too practical:
-From a restaurant supply store, you may be able to find oven mitts that cover your forearm.
Or you can get some welding gloves. The advantage of these is they are fingered as opposed to mittens. | | | |
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Dave
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5772
| | 05-03-2005 06:33 PM |
| Thanks for the suggestions. I got enough for Mothers Day AND her birthday. I pretty much stuck with upgrading basic items (shredders, tongs, etc) and got a few All Clad pans to fill in gaps. Let's hope that she likes silicone. | | | |
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wineismylife
Arlington, TX
Master of Wine
Posts: 12481
| | 05-03-2005 06:56 PM |
| Quote:
Let's hope that she likes silicone.
There's a joke there but since I don't know you that well yet I'll lay off. | | | Joe-----Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
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ChangeMe
Grape Puncher
Posts: 886
| | 05-03-2005 07:38 PM |
| Do you have any cooking schools near you, or stores that offer classes? A short series on the basics can really whet a person's appetite for more. Make sure they're hands on classes, not demos. There are resorts that offer classes as part of a package. A trip to one of those might be a nice gift. | | | |
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Dave
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5772
| | 05-03-2005 10:23 PM |
| Bob, that is a great idea. Consider it done. Wineismylife, that occurred to me too! I figured that I was safe since she doesn't read these boards. | | | |
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ChangeMe
Barrel Sampler
Posts: 2098
| | 05-03-2005 11:13 PM |
| I'd love to get a KitchenAid stand mixer for Mom's Day. Alternatively, a stick blender or a really nice pan is always good. Le Creuset makes a cute heart-shaped casserole that would be a great gift. I love their cookware. Here's what it looks like. | | | |
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Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts: 13768
| | 05-04-2005 01:39 PM |
| Quote:
Sorry, if I'm thinking too practical:
-A cookbook stand that holds the book open. I'm always trying find the heaviest can or pan.
-Digital meat thermometer.
-From a restaurant supply store, you may be able to find oven mitts that cover your forearm.
-A board or slab for cheese and some spreaders.
These are all great suggestions, too. I have a joke with Mrs. TJ running now that I am trying to build up my cooking calluses (sp?) by grabbing hot pots and pans out of the oven or wherever that she would never dream of doing without oven mitts.
Quote:
Do you have any cooking schools near you, or stores that offer classes? A short series on the basics can really whet a person's appetite for more. Make sure they're hands on classes, not demos. There are resorts that offer classes as part of a package. A trip to one of those might be a nice gift.
Another great tip. DavidZ, in Bethesda and Gaithersburg, L'Academie d'Cuisine runs demostration classes as well as hands on classes. You tend to learn a lot and it is very interactive in that you get to ask as many questions as you'd like. | | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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rjs3
NJ
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1124
| | 05-04-2005 05:02 PM |
| Quote:
I'd love to get a KitchenAid stand mixer for Mom's Day. Alternatively, a stick blender or a really nice pan is always good.
Le Creuset makes a cute heart-shaped casserole that would be a great gift. I love their cookware. Here's what it looks like.
Lilac - if you do, make sure it's either the 5 or 6 qt. The 4.5 qt. bowl doesn't lift up, and it is not as powerful a mixer. I got mine for my wedding shower back in '91. You can get great prices on them, check either Kohls or BLoomies, when they are running sales. It's worth it. | | | |
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ChangeMe
Barrel Sampler
Posts: 2098
| | 05-04-2005 09:48 PM |
| Thanks for the tip RJS!
That's what I love about this board! | | | |
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Dave
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5772
| | 05-05-2005 05:00 AM |
| Lots of good ideas. L'Academie d'Cuisine?? Are you trying to turn me into another Corkage? I am a hot dog and bun man. | | | |
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Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts: 13768
| | 05-05-2005 01:09 PM |
| I agree on getting the bigger, better, badder, er batter Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Go all out on it. The other kewl thing about the stand mixer from kitchen aid is all of the kewl attachments you can get, too. We have the meat grinding attachment (sweet!) and the pasta rolling attachment (excellent!). | | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts: 13768
| | 05-05-2005 01:12 PM |
| Quote:
Lots of good ideas. L'Academie d'Cuisine?? Are you trying to turn me into another Corkage?
Check it out!
Quote:
I am a hot dog and bun man.
There's a joke in there somewhere.  | | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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