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Xmas Loot.... (merged w/ "Santa" topic)


Fay Jai

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I got a double [2roll] vintage country store butcher paper dispenser, which I will use for big rolls of foil and plastic wrap.

I got 3 different rolling pins for my collection.

I got a 3 tier Kitchen Carousel Utensil Organizer.

And a commercial rolling doughnut cutter.

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I finally got a copy of 'The French Laundry' cookbook. Quite possibly the most beautiful cookbook EVER.

New french press coffee maker, and a bag of coffee from a friend's favorite coffee spot in soho.

Espresso cups and saucers.

Dinner at Babbo with my husband. We're going monday night. I can't wait. Its our second time, so if anyone has any hidden gem items to try (we've already had the biggies: beef cheek raviolis, the love letters, etc.), please suggest.

Gifts from my parents and brother have not arrived yet, so I may be adding to the list soon.

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Since my smoker has finally arrived I have been very happy with it. Not technically a kitchen gadget (as I don't want to set off the smoke detector and leave the apartment smelling of hickory) but a great cooking tool none-the-less. I made smoked hard boiled eggs the first night (hehe, wanted something fast), and then some pork spare-ribs (rub was a little too intense I think), and I am starting a pork shoulder tonight that shold be delicious by lunchtime tomorrow.

He don't mix meat and dairy,

He don't eat humble pie,

So sing a miserere

And hang the bastard high!

- Richard Wilbur and John LaTouche from Candide

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Lots o' loot:

a Quick Whip (for making whip cream)

an Ulu knife - really neat!

a new 2 quart All-Clad saucier

a flat-bottomed wok from the Wok Shop in SanFran

2 Korean stone bowls for making homemade Bibimbap

Alton's MORE FOOD

4 classy little oil/vinegar style pouring bottles

stocking stuffers:

cumin

juniper berries

saffron !!!

biscuit cutters

Scharffen Berger - 2 blocks

char siu sauce*

sambal oelek

XO sauce*

Worst-Case Scenario Card Game (cooking version)

*these two I'll have to figure out what to do with as I've never cooked with them before

I got lots of other cool things - mostly various DVDs, CDs and books - my favorite non-cooking item is very likely the Vienna Teng sheet music

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XO sauce*

*these two I'll have to figure out what to do with as I've never cooked with them before

Spicy or non-spicy? I used the spicy sauce in a Thai fried rice dish. Damn that was good. It's very strong stuff so use sparingly. What kind of wok did you get...carbon steel or cast iron? I love my cast iron wok from them. Tane Tran was very nice to work with.

My Photography: Bob Worthington Photography

 

My music: Coronado Big Band
 

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A Vita-Mix.

A great gift. I have had Vita-Mix for many years, including a 35-year-old commercial one with stainless steel container that still works.

I got the newer one with the extra "dry" container for grinding grains for breads.

I often make soups with it, especially the ones that are subject to scorching on the stove.

"cooking" them in the Vita-Mix means there is no chance of that.

It is amazing how rapidly the stuff heats up from the action of the blades.

Enjoy!!

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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My final tally, after returning home and finding several boxes left at my neighbor's house, in addition to the things previously mentioned:

A gift certificate to Bristol Farms market for $50.

an 18 quart copper stockpot and a 6 quart copper stewpot, both with SS lining, Mauviel pro line (2.5).

An enormous copper/SS frypan bought in France with a copper-bound glass lid - the card with it says it is 38 centimeters in diameter (15 inches) and 10 cm deep.

I don't know the maker and the friend who gave it to me doesn't recall. She bought it in Marseille last fall. I can't read French so can't interpret the remainder of the text. It has a fairly long cast iron handle and a helper handle with really big rivets. Very, very heavy.

The "Mitford" cookbook and kitchen reader by Jan Karon.

The Curry Club Book of Indian Cuisine : The Best 250 Recipes

by PAT CHAPMAN

Bouchon by Thomas Keller

Dessert University : More Than 300 Spectacular Recipes and Essential Lessons from White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier

and Foie Gras: A Passion by Michael A. Ginor

I also got a gift certificate for $35.00 for the Outback steak house.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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I got the gift of bacon, twice! Both from the Grateful Palate - one is a pack including a cast iron pan and four bacons, and another is the monthly bacon package.

I also got a replacement brulee torch, a non-contact infrared thermometer and some gift cards, with which I'm going to break down and get myself a microwave. And a Sur la Table gift card as well.

I'm very fortunate.

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an 18 quart copper stockpot and a 6 quart copper stewpot, both with SS lining, Mauviel pro line (2.5).

An enormous copper/SS frypan bought in France with a copper-bound glass lid - the card with it says it is 38 centimeters in diameter (15 inches) and 10 cm deep. 

I don't know the maker and the friend who gave it to me doesn't recall.  She bought it in Marseille last fall.  I can't read French so can't interpret the remainder of the text.  It has a fairly long cast iron handle and a helper handle with really big rivets.  Very, very heavy.

The "Mitford" cookbook and kitchen reader by Jan Karon.

The Curry Club Book of Indian Cuisine : The Best 250 Recipes

by PAT CHAPMAN

Bouchon by Thomas Keller

Dessert University : More Than 300 Spectacular Recipes and Essential Lessons from White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier

and Foie Gras: A Passion  by Michael A. Ginor

Oh Andie!! You did WELL!! :wink:

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Parents and brother were very generous.

Amongst other non-cooking items, I got:

Bouchon-Thomas Keller

East of Paris-David Bouley

Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Quisine (The Inn at Little Washington)

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2003 was a big cookware christmas so this year was a little less intense. Nonetheless, my big gift of this year was a Weber Smoky Mountain smoker with some other gear to go with it (BBQ mitts, a charcoal chimney). I also recieved a cool christmas ornament that looks like a stack of Le Creuset.

I thought for sure I was going to get the Bouchon cookbook, but noone picked up on those hints.

Bill Russell

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I made off with quite a good haul this year. And someone must have been snooping in my kitchen, because many of these things I needed/wanted, but weren't on my list.

3qt All-Clad stainless cassulet

3qt All-Clad stainless sauce pan

A really cool looking narrow rectangular serving platter (looks like it's for sushi, but big enough for a roast)

Wustoff Santko Knife

2lbs of Shelbourne Farms 3yr raw milk white cheddar

And the obligatory coffee mug with strange matching mixing-spoon rest thingy.

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Thanks to this thread, I got a fancy-dancy immersion blender. What a wonderful toy! Nothing was safe.... I diced, whipped and beat everything I could get my hands on. Excellent fun...!

I also got new tongs. Can you imagine your faithful, trusted tongs up and dying on you?? :shock: New tongs are nice, but they haven't stood the test of time yet.

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I didn't get much in the way of food gifts this year-- the odd Godiva and so on-- but did get a nice olive oil & cruet set from a colleague (last year he gave me a book of knots, so this was definitely an improvement). Also a digital scale from the BF, though I had to buy it myself and collect the cash from him, so not necessarily the most thoughful of gifts.

Author of the Mahu series of mystery novels set in Hawaii.

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My husband is happy to give me cooking things because he ultimately reaps the benefits -- a Boos cutting board (you don't want to know what I'd used before - it's a wonder I still have fingers left!), silicone spatula & spoon, serrated knife, Les Halles, Hot Sour Salty Sweet cookbooks & - almost the best gift - help cleaning/straightening out my kitchen cabinets and drawers :biggrin:

Burgundy makes you think silly things, Bordeaux makes you talk about them, and Champagne makes you do them ---

Brillat-Savarin

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Not for the holidays, but a gift nonetheless: 35 quart stainless steel Crestware stockpot from my partner. She asked me what I wanted, I pointed at this, and et voila. Best thing was finding it as a return the store wanted to off-load, so it was only US $67 rather than the usual US $275.

It just arrived today. I'll be cooking out of The Saucier's Apprentice this weekend.

Pat

"I... like... FOOD!" -Red Valkyrie, Gauntlet Legends-

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Not for the holidays, but a gift nonetheless: 35 quart stainless steel Crestware stockpot from my partner. She asked me what I wanted, I pointed at this, and et voila. Best thing was finding it as a return the store wanted to off-load, so it was only US $67 rather than the usual US $275.

It just arrived today. I'll be cooking out of The Saucier's Apprentice this weekend.

Pat

Dat's a lotta sauce. :laugh::laugh::laugh:

Bruce Frigard

Quality control Taster, Château D'Eau Winery

"Free time is the engine of ingenuity, creativity and innovation"

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

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Not for the holidays, but a gift nonetheless: 35 quart stainless steel Crestware stockpot from my partner.

....

It just arrived today. I'll be cooking out of The Saucier's Apprentice this weekend.

Pat

Dat's a lotta sauce. :laugh::laugh::laugh:

Hehehe, yeah I know, but that was the size recommended by the book, for brown stock which will eventually reduce down to 20 cups o' demi to whack in the freezer. Still, I know what you mean... Though with 26 small sauces for brown demi in the book, I will go through it all!

Pat

Edited by Sleepy_Dragon (log)

"I... like... FOOD!" -Red Valkyrie, Gauntlet Legends-

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Not for the holidays, but a gift nonetheless: 35 quart stainless steel Crestware stockpot from my partner.

....

It just arrived today. I'll be cooking out of The Saucier's Apprentice this weekend.

Pat

Dat's a lotta sauce. :laugh::laugh::laugh:

Hehehe, yeah I know, but that was the size recommended by the book, for brown stock which will eventually reduce down to 20 cups o' demi to whack in the freezer. Still, I know what you mean... Though with 26 small sauces for brown demi in the book, I will go through it all!

Pat

Keep us posted, My GF has the book. :biggrin:

Bruce Frigard

Quality control Taster, Château D'Eau Winery

"Free time is the engine of ingenuity, creativity and innovation"

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

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This is the Christmas where we officially outgrew our rather spacious kitchen. Got a number of serving platters, bowls, and utensils, so now they are jammed and stacked haphazardly in whatever cabinet space we can find. Any more and we'll have to >shudder< clean out our closets and use them for extra storage space.

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