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

[tcavallo]

A great year for my kitchen:

Henckels 5-Star Bread Knife

Le Creuset dutch oven, saucepan, and grill pan from the GF (she so rocks)

Huge stainless restaurant prep table (need the counter space in our new loft)

Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet

The Dinosaur BBQ Cookbook

A nice olive oil

Oh, and a Williams Sonoma gift card... still have to spend that one.

[Eden]

Time to bring this back to the top. What did the rest of y'all get as gifts for 2005?

I personally scored quite a haul in the book department this year, starting with Paula Wolfert's 'Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean'.

Phaidon's 'Silver Spoon' cookbook (heavier than a horse!)

the America's Test Kitchen 4 book set (heavier than the horse and his cousins)

and 'Cooking for Kings : The Life of Antonin Careme, the First Celebrity Chef '

My mom renewed my Cooks Illustrated subscription.

Oh and some friends with a twisted sense of humor gave me Cathy Casey's 'Retro Food Fiascos' REALLY scary!

I also received some fabulous pralines & candied blood oranges, an Egyptian God corkscrew (Anubis, my fave!) and from a particularly prescient guest a bottle of lavender-mint cleaning spray for cleaning up after the uber-mess I made in my kitchen yesterday

[mrbigjas]

i got three things i didn't need and don't have room for:

--mezzaluna

--'the alligator' vegetable dicer

--wms. sonoma 'entertaining' books for thanksgiving and xmas

and one thing i wanted:

--paula wolfert's southwest france book

on the bright side, with the returns i'm now up to nearly $100 in credit at williams-sonoma, so i may get the copper saucepot i've been looking at...

[patti]

My food related items include a six quart crock pot/slow cooker, David Thompson's "Thai Food," and a new book by Marcelle Bienvenu, Ryan Brasseaux, and Carl Brasseaux called, "Stir the Pot: The History of Cajun Cuisine."

[petite tête de chou]

My husband gifted me with a KitchenAid Artisan Series stand mixer in Onyx. So, I made a chocolate Truffle cake with espresso ganache and caramel sauce.

[jackal10]

Set of new le crueset pans

"Terrors of the Table: The curious history of Nutrition" by Walter Gratzer

"The River Cottage Year Book"by HF-W

"The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs Beaton" Kathryn Hughes

Box of Bojum truffles

I gave a Duchy of Cornwall hamper and a River Cottage Pig-in-a-box

[FistFullaRoux]

We now have decent kinves. My wife and I got money from a relative with strict instructions to spend it on something we've been wanting, but thought we could do without. Since the dear heart didn't send enough for a cruise, we splurged and each decided on one knife each. They aren't top of the line, but they are the first "real" knives we've ever owned, and we are thrilled to death with them.

I picked a Whustof Classic 8" Chef's knife. Figured it's the utility player in the knife world, so it will be used well for many years. My wife has been lusting after Rachel Ray's Santoku (well, that sounds funny, but you know what I mean), so we found one by Calphalon that fits her hand well, it balances nicely, so there you go. Plus a few odds and ends that we could use, like a decent veg peeler and a new digital thermometer. Our old digital was dying slowly, and I didn't really trust it anymore. Plus I was getting tired of doublechecking it with the instant read. Just a pain.

Edited to add - A decent microplane as well. I knew there was something else.

Edited December 27, 2005 by FistFullaRoux (log)

[Tess]

A bag of pink Hawaiian salt and a funny cookbook, Auntie May's Amazing Healthy Cookbook . We also got a couple of nice bottles of wine and a lot of chocolate products.

I also blew $14 on a new turkey baster from Williams and Sonoma for the holidays. It's nice and it has a screw-on flavor injector. I love my WS flavor injector. This one is not as long but will be a lot easier to use for certain things.

[Ling]

Food related-gifts I got...

The Susur Lee cookbook from this guy I'm dating (and he also gave me a fur scarf)

The Feenie's cookbook and a set of nice plates from my best friend

[Allura]

I FINALLY got the Le Crueset 6.75 qt french oven that I've been lusting after, in blue. What should I make first?

Got a hickory farms gift box from one set of in-laws and a Harry & David one form the other. And DH got a toblerone in his stocking that I'll probably eat a single chunk of at some point. Does that count?

[Sottise]

I got a nice white serving platter, a set of pate / butter knives, a tiny little battery operated icecream maker (so I can see if I'll actually use it before investing in something hefty), a book on cookies, and Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Heaven.

The other half scored himself a box of roasted and unroasted coffee beans and an air popper from my father, and I gave him a coffee grinder. So not a bad haul!

[transfattyacid]

All `round my house for coffee then.

for i`m now the owner of ..

i`m not gonna be starbuck`s bitch no longer

Caffe Artigiano

oh and summa dee`z

Edited December 27, 2005 by transfattyacid (log)

[BryanZ]

I got most of my gifts early, but:

-Hot water bath for sous vide

-Vacuumsaver for sous vide

-plane ticket to Chicago to eat at Alinea

-dinner at Gilt in NYC

[andiesenji]

I received a jar of "Jurassic" salt, very coarse and pink, a "heavy-duty" Kuhn-Rikon peeler with a longer than normal handle which is for peeling really tough things (which will join my collection of about 40 peelers). A kitchen clock with a basenji painted on the face.

The Jane Austen Cookbook.

Early California Hospitality - The Cookery Custons Of Spanish California, With Authentic Recipes And Menus Of The Period by Ana Buegue Packman, 1938 first edition,

4 meals from HomeBistro.comHome Bistro.com

an apron covered with pictures of different chile peppers, oven mitt to match

A cut glass cruet set ca. 1915.

A tea shop teapot. (a figural teapot that is supposed to represent a tea shop).

A "kitchen" candle that is supposed to kill "unpleasant" kitchen odors.

A bundle of "glass" towels for "fine crystal and glassware."

Edited December 27, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[fifi]

My nephew hit the "singing bowl" (sort of like a gong) as an entre to my unwrapping . . . The Le Creuset yellow pepper! That was really fun. We used to watch the original Iron Chef together.

[Vancitygirl]

I received a jar of "Jurassic" salt, very coarse and pink, a "heavy-duty" Kuhn-Rikon peeler with a longer than normal handle which is for peeling really tough things (which will join my collection of about 40 peelers).  A kitchen clock with a basenji painted on the face. 

The Jane Austen Cookbook. 

Early California Hospitality - The Cookery Custons Of Spanish California, With Authentic Recipes And Menus Of The Period  by Ana Buegue Packman, 1938 first edition,

4 meals from HomeBistro.com

an apron covered with pictures of different chile peppers, oven mitt to match

A cut glass cruet set ca. 1915.

A tea shop teapot. (a figural teapot that is supposed to represent a tea shop).

A "kitchen" candle that is supposed to kill "unpleasant" kitchen odors. 

A bundle of "glass" towels for "fine crystal and glassware."

←

Wow - I am so jealous!

I got lots of stuff, but foodiewise (where is my editor - is that a word?) the highlights were:

Mini Muffin Pans

book - Best Food Writing 2005

Cheese Plates

Meat Thermometer (ok I bought that for myself)

AND

Ski passes to work off all the eating I do.

Edited December 27, 2005 by Vancitygirl (log)

[andiesenji]

I am having serious problems deciding on what to choose from the Home Bistro place. Choices such as this are always a problem for me. Frustrating, because I usually feel that whatever I didn't pick would be better than what I did pick. This is just going to have to wait for at least a couple of weeks. Now is not the time to be considering food.

[*Deborah*]

Chef Santa was pretty good to me this year, I got a 2.5 qt KitchenAid 5 ply stainless saucier (yay!!), and a Wusthof Grand Prix Japanese Chef's knife, and of course the Advanced Serious Foodie class. I also got a beautiful Ravenscroft wine decanter

I hope to be cooking for some of you long into the New Year!

ETA: A bottle of Larose from Moosh, I haven't heard about it but evidently it's Some Wine, and needs to wait even longer than the 2003 Nota Bene (). And I also got the Molto Italiano cookbook to add to my Mario collection. It looks like an excellent book at first glance

Edited December 27, 2005 by *Deborah* (log)

[SuzySushi]

Lots and lots of cookies and candy, which are mostly already consumed by the eager hoard. Best was the Honolulu Cookie Company Shortbread, not too sweet with a beautiful sandy texture.

Elizabeth Andoh's newest cookbook, Washoku.

edited to add link

Edited December 27, 2005 by SuzySushi (log)

[Megan Blocker]

Santa brought me a kitchen scale, a grill pan, an Emile Henry pie plate, a kitchen torch and creme brulee dishes, and two cookbooks - The French Laundry Cookbook and Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.

Yay!

Edited December 27, 2005 by Megan Blocker (log)

[KatieLoeb]

I haven't gotten any good loot (yet) but I gave some of my foodie friends bags of Hawaiian Alaea Salt.

[MarketStEl]

A box of Godiva chocolates and a dozen Ferero Rocher candies, so far.

Confidential to FistFullaRoux: You will forever thank yourself for having spent your gift money on that knife. My Wusthof was a Christmas present two years ago (partner and I went Christmas shopping together and I picked it out); it was--and is still--worth every penny of the $98 Gary paid for it.

Speaking of gift money: I've held on to the $100 cash partner gave me this year (feeling pressed for time). I decided I'd wait until the after Christmas sales to buy my gifts. I haven't decided if there will be anything food-related yet; I think the food processor will have to wait, but there might be a little something edible I could put on the list. Actually, I miss the Gethsemani Trappist cheese my partner's sister used to give us every Christmas and might buy some of that.

I will in all likelihood order something from Cabot Cheese as well. It's the only way I can get their powdered cheddar, which is great on popcorn.

[Mooshmouse]

Food-related presents I gave to my husband that are, in essence, gifts for me too:

• A set of 8 Ravenscroft Sommelier bordeaux glasses
  
• A Ravenscroft Sommelier Visual decanter
  
• A bottle of 2003 Osoyoos Larose
  
• A Green & Blacks Organic Hazelnut and Currant dark chocolate bar
  
• One Romeo chocolate pyramid from Chocolate Arts
  
• Two jars of artisanal jam from Vista d'Oro Farms (Pear & Pinot Noir and Kumquat & Vanilla Vodka)
  

And my own food-related gift take:

• A zester
  
• A Torre & Tagus wine stopper
  
• A set of 4 cute ice-blue sushi dishes
  
• Great Chefs Cook at Barbara-Jo's which includes excerpts from Mark Bittman, Rob Feenie, Donna Hay, François Payard and our own Jamie Maw among others
  
• A 14" All-Clad Stainless Stir Fry Pan that I'll likely exchange for either a 14" Fry Pan or a 4.0 qt./6.0 qt. Sauté Pan
  

Still to come (I hope) is a Wusthof Grand Prix II or Culinar Diamond Steel.

[BarbaraY]

I received a wok from my second grandson and a box of Hickory Farms sausages and cheeses from the eldest. Daughter got an expresso machine from the eldest. (Her son.)

[shrek]

Chocolate truffles, two whisks from The Pampered Chef, teflon coated tongs, a copy of "French Leave" by John Burton Race, and a Christmas plate.