Wears chef’s clogs while cooking at home but swears it’s only because they’re comfortable. Keeps an Insta-Read thermometer ready at all times to ensure safe food temps. Will devote every night this month to holiday bake-a-palooza. Covets all the latest gadgets and cookbooks - but doesn’t always know which are the best.
“How to Cook Everything Vegetarian,” by Mark Bittman (Wiley, $34). Quite simply the only book you will ever need to cook meatless meals. Bittman, who writes “The Minimalist” column for The New York Times, is master of the easy recipe - and this tome has 2,000 of them.
“Knife Skills,” by Peter Hertzmann (Norton, $19.95). A practical guide to purchasing, using and caring for a kitchen knife. Profusely illustrated, it’s a master class on knives between two covers.
“Morimoto,” by Masaharu Morimoto (DK, $40). The acclaimed “Iron Chef” demystifies modern Japanese cuisine with recipes even a home cook can accomplish - although obtaining hard-to-find ingredients such as kinome, kinki and obrata may still present a challenge.
“Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook,” by Fuchsia Dunlop (Norton, $29.95). A comprehensive selection of recipes from Hunan province, including beloved dishes such as Chairman Mao’s red-braised pork. Dunlop’s smoked bean curd stir-fried with Chinese celery is killer.
“The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food,” by Judith Jones (Knopf, $24.95). The memories and musings of the renowned cookbook editor - who discovered Julia Child and Marcella Hazan, and rescued “The Diary of Anne Frank” from a publisher’s discard pile in post-World War II Paris.
Messermeister 12-Inch Silicone Locking Tongs are the ultimate form of the ultimate chef’s tool. Tipped with silicone so they can grab without slipping, stir in a Teflon pan without scratching yet still pick up red-hot stuff without melting, they lock closed and hang from an eyelet. In four Food Network-ready colors as well as basic black. $10.99, at amazon.com.
OK, OK, so the KitchenAid Euro-Peeler isn’t exactly a cutting-edge tool. But it’s hands-down the best peeler out there: wicked sharp, rock-solid and ergonomically designed despite its cool retro look. Sharp shades, too: cobalt blue, empire red and onyx black. $7.99, at shopkitchenaid.com.
Every kitchen needs a rotary cheese grater, but most are flimsy, clumsy to squeeze or prone to grating plastic shavings into your fromage. The best ever produced - the French-made Mouli Grater - isn’t manufactured anymore. Thank goodness for eBay, where vintage aluminum Moulis with their bright red wooden handles abound - kitchen tool and objet d’art in one. Ooh-la-la! $3-$16.50 at ebay.com.
Prepara Herb Savor: Plastic canister with water reservoir preserves cut herbs for up to three weeks in the refrigerator. $29.95 at Sur la Table in Chestnut Hill, or at surlatable.com
Sometimes the best thing to give a foodie is more of the same - a second bowl for the stand mixer, a backup coffee carafe or a new blade for the food processor. $40-$100 for all kinds of replacement parts at thegourmetdepotco.com
DeLonghi Magnifica Digital Super Automatic Espresso Machine: The Mercedes of household espresso machines grinds, tamps and brews espresso, while adding a frothy layer of steamed milk and foam for cappuccinos and lattes with the touch of a single button. $1,499.95 at shopdelonghi.com
Caviar gift set:For those who can taste the difference between Osetra from Iran and Osetra from Uruguay. 1 oz. of each, packaged with a crystal server and bone spoon for elegant caviar service. $190 at chefswarehouse.com
Cheese sampler assortment: From Boston’s own Formaggio Kitchen, choose from a sampler assortment of blue cheeses, British cheeses, goat cheeses or samplers to pair with wine or beer. $53.95 at formaggiokitchen.com
Artisan Sea Salt: Unique and rare varieties of sea salt lend subtle taste, texture and visual appeal to fine cooking. Try alder-smoked, black Salish for a smoky flavor, or Cyprus Black Lava flakes and coarse Peruvian Pink for a sprinkle of sophistication over the finished dish. 3.5 oz. jar with cork stopper; $10.99 at seasalt.com; $12.98 for select varieties at Wilson Farm in Lexington.
Spice flights: Purchase three or more varieties of a single herb or spice, and package in attractive bottles (try paprika, peppercorns, oregano or basil). Throw in some recipes that highlight the nuances of each variety. If you’re lucky, your giftee will invite you to a tasting! Pictured: Smoked Spanish Paprika, Hungary Sweet Paprika and Hungary Half-Sharp Paprika; $2.29 for 1.2 oz. each at Penzeys Spices, Arlington, or penzeys.com.
Puzzle-Tin Cocoa: Party Favors, the Brookline shop famed for cakes, cookies, fudges and pastries, offers 5-oz. holiday puzzle tins filled with gourmet cocoas in seasonal flavors, such as candy cane or Belgian white caramel. The decorative tins twist to create mix-and-match Santas and snowmen. $7.95 at partyfavorsbrookline.com or 617-566-3330.
Dakin Farm Gift Box: The Vermont smokehouse’s “Most Impressive” selection includes a 6-pound dinner ham, cob-smoked bacon, a slab of Vermont cheddar, buttermilk pancake mix, clover honey, strawberry and blueberry jam and one quart of Vermont maple syrup, all packed in a nifty wooden gift box. $136.95 at dakinfarm.com or 800-99-DAKIN.
Savenor’s Meat of the Month Club: Treat your favorite carnivore to a very special delivery: 12 months of high-quality meats from Savenor’s Market. Offerings range from heart-shaped tenderloin (February) to boneless smoked ham (April) and Kobe beef hotdogs (August). $497.23 (for 2); $908.67 (for 4); at savenorsmarket.com.
The Nantucket Storm Pack: This treasure chest for the merry tippler includes one 750-ml. bottle each of Nantucket’s micro-distilled Gale Force Gin, Hurricane Rum, Riptide Tequila and Nor’Easter Bourbon packed in a heavy-duty cardboard crate. $125 at select Massachusetts liquor stores or from Nantucket’s Triple 8 distillery, 800-324-5550. For the high roller, Triple 8 also sells private barrels of bourbon for a mere $6,000.
Private label brewskis: BeerOnTheWall.com, a California-based beer-gift specialist, offers a wide selection of themed gift baskets featuring a variety of popular brews. For a truly unique gift, order a private-label six-pack of blond ale customized with the name of your giftee printed on colorful labels. $19.95 per six-pack at beeronthewall.com or 888-840-2337.
Chef’s Center Cookbook Stand: Spring-loaded clear splash guard keeps your pages flat, Lazy Susan base rotates 360 degrees for easy viewing. Need to convert a measurement? Pull out the handy weight and conversion chart inside the base. Folds flat for storage. $34.99 at pastrychef.com
OneNote by Microsoft: Microsoft’s notebook software is a perfect choice for making a digital cookbook. Your favorite cook can type in his recipes, or scan those old recipe cards and paste them into the notebook. Soon all those cards, newspaper clippings and handwritten notes are organized in one place - and searchable! List price $99.95; $79.99 at amazon.com
Edibles ’08 wall calendar: Luscious full-color photographs of fruits and vegetables by renowned photographer Robert Kaufman. $12.99 at silvervisions.com.
Even the most obsessed cook needs some playtime. Help her kick back with Celebrity Chef! The Game, a six-player board game that’s a little bit Monopoly, a little bit “Top Chef.” Players collect fans, cookbook offers, TV shows and endorsements, along with answering questions in categories such as Name That Dish! and Tools & Techniques. The player with the most points wins the game - and the coveted title of Celebrity Chef. $29.99 at amazon.com
Beach Grass Shop Bamboo Cheese Board:($65) This attractive 8-by-9-by-2-inch oval cheese board made of bamboo conceals a sliding drawer with a four-piece set of stainless-steel cheese knives. $65 at the Beach Grass Shop in Kennebunkport, Maine; beachgrassshop.com.
The Wine Lover’s Calendar: A page-a-day calendar from Karen MacNeil, author of the bestselling “The Wine Bible.” Daily entries range from wine recommendations and pairing advice to trivia and vineyard lore. $9.59 at amazon.com
STORViNO Wine Storage System: Store your wine bottles properly on their side using these inexpensive plastic storage modules. Units lock together using wine corks to create a scalable system that can fit anywhere. Each unit holds six standard-size bottles, with room for three more on the top. $19.99 at target.com or wineenthusiast.com.
For an evening out with fabulous wine and food, treat your foodie to one of the many events at the 2008 Boston Wine Festival. Billed as the nation’s longest-running food-and-wine pairing event, the festival runs from Jan. 11 to April 4 with a wide range of tasting dinners, seminars and receptions at the Boston Harbor Hotel. Tickets for the Jan. 11 opening reception and buffet are $100, dinners range from $145 to $320; at bostonwinefestival.net
“Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (St. Martin’s Press): Mix a large batch of dough each week, then pop a loaf in whenever you want one. Nearly 100 recipes put Hertzberg and Francois’ foolproof techniques into action. Hardcover, $27.95; at bookstores or amazon.com.
Lekue Silicone Financier Pan: Bake 20 perfectly formed cake bars in this oven-, microwave- and dishwasher-safe nonstick pan. Recommended by master baker Rose Levy Berenbaum at her blog (realbakingwithrose.com) as the best way to make brownies - no cutting into bars! $9.99 at amazon.com.
Rose’s Heavenly Cake Strip: Keep cake sides moist and prevent doming by wrapping your cake pan with this food-grade silicone strip. Fits around 9-inch-round and 8-inch-square pans. Endorsed by Rose Levy Berenbaum, author of “The Cake Bible” and other baking books. $9.99 at amazon.com.
Brotform and lame: Shape and raise bread dough in a traditional brotform basket made from coiled cane, which imprints the loaf as it rises. Holds any recipe with 3 to 5 cups of flour. Lame bread-slashing tool has a curved -inch blade for making perfect slashes in your loaf before baking. $29.95 (brotform) and $6.95 (lame) at kingarthurflour.com
Perforated French Bread Pan from Chicago Metallic is a professional-grade pan made from heavy-gauge steel, with perforations to ensure even browning and a crisper crust. Coated with SilverStone nonstick surface for easy release and cleanup. $19.95 at cooking.com.
Techniques of Baking class at Cambridge School of Culinary Arts: Learn classic technique for yeast breads, cakes, pies and choux pastry. Four-session class meets every Sunday beginning Jan. 13. $300; information at cambridgeculinary.com
Source: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1048776#articleFull
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