Christmas Presents for the Kitchen: 2010

[eldereno]

I did get a Cuisinart SS Ice Cream maker. Still have a birthday to come and expect a new toaster (my very old, cheap one is dying).

I HATE holiday shopping! I find too many things that I want.....SOOOO....Christmas presents for myself included a marble pastry board, a rectangular pizza stone, an electric kettle, a Hattori chef knife, a knife storage magnet, holiday linens for the dining room, beautiful white 11" plates/shallow bowls and 8.5"bowls from Crate and Barrel, and butter warmers.

[nakji]

I got two books I've been waiting for: "Washoku: Art of the Japanese Kitchen" by Elizabeth Andoh, and "Baking - From My Home To Yours" by Dorie Greenspan. Also, a new thermal bento set for hot lunches, and assorted bento accesories, including a veggie punch shaped like a goldfish.

[andiesenji]

I got two books I've been waiting for: "Washoku: Art of the Japanese Kitchen" by Elizabeth Andoh, and "Baking - From My Home To Yours" by Dorie Greenspan. Also, a new thermal bento set for hot lunches, and assorted bento accesories, including a veggie punch shaped like a goldfish.

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Ooooooh. A veggie punch shaped like a goldfish sounds like fun.

I use the veggie punches to cut orange peel into interesting shapes before I candy it. (A few months ago I posted my method of removing the peel in one piece)

The shapes make nice decorations.

[moreace01]

- I also got a new Kitchen Aid Professional 600 - to replace my sunbeam purchased at the thrift store (don't knock it - it was a good little stand mixer till it started cycling on and off a few months ago).

- big ramekins (hubby doesn't know about those - he gets so angry when we bring new kitchen stuff in to our closet sized condo - he already wants to take the KA 600 back to get a smaller model - I better use it quick so we can't take it back!)

- TRU cookbook

[maggiethecat]

I received a stamp with which to imprint an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of toast.

[insomniac]

I received a stamp with which to imprint an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of toast.

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and I thought my Jesus on a chimichanga stamp was tackmeister...I was wrong, sorry kids....

[maggiethecat]

Yeah, you gotta figure your family feels your kitchen is well-enough equipped when this is the kind of cooking gift you receive. I'm going to set the toaster to medium dark to get the best ghostly effect.

I received a stamp with which to imprint an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of toast.

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and I thought my Jesus on a chimichanga stamp was tackmeister...I was wrong, sorry kids....

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[Octaveman]

I got a 7" Suribachi mortar and pestle for spices, full sized Foodsaver, and the Cuisinart ICE-50BC commercial ice cream maker below. Clearly the favorite of the day. I made strawbery sorbet for Xmas dinner. Oh, and a couple of ice cream recipe books.

[andiesenji]

I should have mentioned in my earlier post that I also received a "stocking" (a very odd one at that) full of gadgets, most of which I already have.

I stuck them, stocking and all, into a box to examine later at my leisure, and before the housekeeper gets at them and washes them and puts them away where I will never find them.

Edited December 29, 2007 by andiesenji (log)

[Malkavian]

Granite mortar and pestle of about 3 cups capacity (finally!)

digital thermometer with a 2 meter probe

two hand thrown noodle bowls (with a thumb-hole no less) and chopstick sets

a set of small thermometers for use on the grill (cheap looking, but should prove useful if they're accurate)

[demiglace]

Yeah, you gotta figure your family feels your kitchen is well-enough equipped when this is the kind of cooking gift you receive. I'm going to set the toaster to medium dark to get the best ghostly effect.

I received a stamp with which to imprint an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of toast.

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and I thought my Jesus on a chimichanga stamp was tackmeister...I was wrong, sorry kids....

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So we'll see your toast on Ebay soon eh?

[lancastermike]

A pan to make mini cheesecakes. The little cups have removable bottoms. This came from williams-sonoma.

[rooftop1000]

I already had my new birthday stove from earlier in December and the scale and scoop I got with a gift card from William Sonoma but I did get a hand mixer, and some ramekins.

tracey

[andiesenji]

Part of the contents of a "stocking" I received from a friend who is sweet and thoughtful but apparently not too observant.

In the center of the silicone egg ring is a tin of "long pepper" and there is a bottle of Cyprus black salt (I already had some), and I have a plethora of spreaders, pickle forks, microplanes (this is a mini-spice grater and no way are my fingers going to get near it - I have a mechanical nutmeg grater), funnels, pastry wheels but the mini silicone-tipped tongs are neat. So is the mini "sugar sifter" The lemon tapper has very sharp teeth, which have already impacted my right thumb, when I "found" it in the bottom of the stocking!

The three-pronged tool on the left is a mystery to me. It has a thick, heavy SS handle but isn't long enough to function as a pickle or olive retriever. It is also very, very sharp.

Close-up view of "long pepper"

[plafield]

My mother-in-law bought us a bagel slicer...again. She bought us one a couple of years ago which we returned (who needs a special gadget to slice bagels?) I couldn't believe she bought us another one. A real senior moment for her, I'm sure!

I also got a new 11C Cuisinart and 2 new Calpholon saute pans (12" and 14")

[jgm]

I nearly swooned when I unwrapped a soap dispenser from Williams-Sonoma that (courtesy of two AA batteries) has a motion sensor. Put gooey germy fingers underneath the spout, and you have a dollop of soap. And not only fingers can make that happen; so far I've managed to accumulate a pile of soap on the counter from a coffee cup, an elbow, the handle of a pot I was washing, and my boobs (long story). But I still love it.

I also got a meat grinder attachment for my Kitchen Aid, so that we can have hamburgers from freshly-ground meat when grilling weather comes back. And who knows, I might even get serious about Ruhlman's "Charcuterie" that I bought when it first came out.

And a Ratatouille DVD!

Woo hoo!

[Toliver]

A good friend always gets me kitchen stuff, most of which I've never seen before or own.

This year was a set of 3 silicone prep bowls with lids which you can see here. They are rigid on the bottom but you can squeeze together the top portions for easier pouring of ingredients.

She also gave me two collapsible silicone mixing bowls (one medium and one large bowl) since she knows I don't have much storage space in my kitchen. You can see one of them here. Click on "click image to enlarge / more views" to see a second picture of the bowl collapsed. My 77 year old mother keeps her heavy stack of mixing bowls up in a cupboard and it's always a struggle for her to bring them down or put them away. These collapsible bowls would be ideal for her.

[judiu]

A good friend always gets me kitchen stuff, most of which I've never seen before or own.

This year was a set of 3 silicone prep bowls with lids which you can see here. They are rigid on the bottom but you can squeeze together the top portions for easier pouring of ingredients.

She also gave me two collapsible silicone mixing bowls (one medium and one large bowl) since she knows I don't have much storage space in my kitchen. You can see one of them here. Click on "click image to enlarge / more views" to see a second picture of the bowl collapsed. My 77 year old mother keeps her heavy stack of mixing bowls up in a cupboard and it's always a struggle for her to bring them down or put them away. These collapsible bowls would be ideal for her.

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I have the collapsible colander made of the same stuff; dead rapid brilliant that thing is!

[lperry]

I received a fish spatula. (I never could bring myself to buy one when I have so many others). And my favorite present of all, an old "Best Bundt" pan that belonged to my great Aunt Nettie. It is yellow/orange on the outside with stencils of flowers and various animals, and white on the inside. The original "non-stick" finish, I think.

[BekkiM]

I bought my husband a deep fryer (well, I put his name on the package, but we all know who it was actually for... lol) and a couple of grill presses to make sandwiches on our new griddle. And a dinner guest brought a hostess gift of a vegetable chopper--basically a cutting grid over a glass container with a levered handle that you press down to force the food through the grid into the container (It's the large of the two pictured here) Very sweet of her, but I suspect it's destined for a garage sale as I much prefer chopping my own vegetables.

The best gift, however, isn't for my kitchen so much as for the cook... My husband is taking me to the French Laundry for lunch the weekend before Valentine's day! Apparently he stayed up until 1:00am our time (midnight Pacific) trying to get dinner reservations four nights in a row and finally decided that lunch would be fine, so that's what we're doing. The gift came as clues in three parts: 1) a lunch box, 2) a heart-shaped box of candy with "Happy Valentine's Day -6" painted on the top by my son who was in on the trick (we're going on Feb 8), and 3) a basket of laundry with a French flag on top. Unfortunately, since I'm geographically challenged and didn't recognize the flag, the surprise fell a little short until my son, jumping out of his skin and grinning fit to burst, told me where it was from. I can't wait!

[joiei]

NOthing, I got nothing. What is wrong with my family, I cooked my ass off at Christmas, all day long, brunch then dinner and nothing.

[sygyzy]

9" All-Clad French Pan from my roommates. Needless to say, completely surprised!

Edited January 3, 2008 by sygyzy (log)

[Kerry Beal]

NOthing, I got nothing.  What is wrong with my family, I cooked my ass off at Christmas, all day long, brunch then dinner and nothing.

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Nothing for the kitchen? or nothing?

[onehsancare]

1. A large granite mortar and pestle;

2. Four 8" and four 9" silicone cake pan liners;

3. The Pedant in the Kitchen

4. The Simple Art of Perfect Baking

5. The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef

6. Pizza wheel

THANKS, Santa!!

[daniellewiley]

2 Calphalon silicone baking mats

Pork and Sons cookbook

Deceptively Delicious Cookbook (yuck - this one annoyed me)