Fun Toys and Gifts for Cooks?

[faine]

I'm looking for a Christmas gift for my dad and was wondering if the Egullet community could help me out. My dad loves food related gadgets...he's especially into grilling and any meaty type of thing. I was thinking of a tagine or maybe a sausage grinder, or maybe a pasta maker (though he's more of a protein type). What do you think? What's the coolest new stuff that's come out lately? Anything you particularly like (and actually use a lot)?

[gfweb]

If he has a KitchenAid stand mixer, those attachments for sausage and pasta are perfect.

[joancassell]

How about a Thermapen digital thermometer. I love mine. The Baker's Catalog has them for $89.95.

[Toliver]

Here's a previous similarly themed discussion that might give you ideas:

Kitchen Gadgets - "stocking stuffers", ideas needed for small gifts

[Shalmanese]

I don't know about him but I've been lusting after one of those no-contact infrared thermometers (egullet friendly link).

It's looks like something incredibly geeky and just fun to play around with yet just expensive enough that I really couldn't justify buying it for myself. IOW, a perfect gift for someone. Everyone I know who's gotten one of those spends a solid week taking the temperature of everything around them: clouds, TV screens, walls, cats...

Ostensibly, it could also be used to ensure that your grill is at the right temperature before cooking.

Edited December 14, 2007 by Shalmanese (log)