Seasonal Gift Ideas for the Well-Seasoned Cook

Looking for some gift ideas for the cook on your list? Or what about that loved one who should learn to cook? Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or your own unique winter holiday, cookbooks and cooking utensils are a great gift idea. I've got ideas for the novice cook as well as the more advanced cooks who want to explore a bit.

How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food This may be inching out The Fannie Farmer Cookbook in terms of favorites. I'd hate to have to choose between them. What I like about this one is that Mark Bittman gives you a basic recipe and then variations. For example, "Sauteed Pork Chops", with detailed directions on a perfectly wonderful dish. But to top it off, he then has eight different ways to add on to the basic recipe, including sherry-garlic sauce, apples, dried fruit, vinegar, mustard (my personal favorite!), onions and peppers, or butter, chervil and shallots. If you want just the basics try How to Cook Everything: The Basics, a smaller more concise version.

Many experienced cooks enjoy exploring new cooking styles. Try the Simply Thai Cooking for some great curries, soups, rice dishes, and salads. The recipes are simple and fast--most under 30 minutes--and delicious! I've also recently enjoyed New Indian Home Cooking, with some great vegetable dishes, beverages, tandoori chicken, and more.

Do you enjoy watching The Soprano's? The Sopranos Family Cookbook is actually quite good, as well as entertaining if you enjoy the series. There's a section of recipes "from" each main character and introductory comments and "interviews" about food and its importance.

Appliances and Accessories

Got a bigger budget for that special someone? My hands-down favorite appliance is the KitchenAid Stand Mixer. (Read my review of this mixer and see why I love it! I use it almost every single day, sometimes multiple times in one day, to mix up quick breads, cookies or meatloaf, knead yeast doughs for pizza or cinnamon rolls, or making mashed potatoes. If your recipient really likes to cook, consider getting them the Attachment Pack. It can replace your food processor for shredding, grating, and straining. I use it when I make potato pancakes to grate the potatoes in a hurry or when I buy a big block of cheese and shred it for the freeze.

While the Revere Copper Clad Stainless Steel Cookware Set comes with a 25 year warranty, I have to tell you that my mother still uses her set which she got as a wedding gift 53 years ago! I also got a set as a gift when I was first starting out on my own and just realized I'm nearly at the end of the warranty--but I've had no problems with it and just love it so it's hardly a concern. In fact, last weekend's chore for my youngest was polishing a few of the copper bottoms and they look gorgeous. Spend the money once and be done with the cheap stuff that scorches your food and cooks unevenly.

My Favorite Small Kitchen Things

My Microplane 40020 Grater/Zester grater gets used a lot! I use it for lemon zest and grating Parmesan cheese all the time. You can also use it to grate ginger and onions and any hard cheese, zest oranges and other citrus. You will be amazed at how fast it will grate cheese! It's so much nicer than the previous handheld crank thing I had. Donated that and kept this!

A good salad spinner is very useful! Oxo 32480 Good Grips Salad Spinner is fantastic. Use the outer bowl first to swish the greens and herbs around in water, then lift the leaves out into the colander piece and dump the water. (You don't want to just dump the dirty water into the colander with the greens or any larger pieces of anything will be right back into your greens.) Then put the colander into teh bowl, set the lid on top and spin a few times. You'll be amazed at how much water comes off!

A lemon reamer helps you get all the juice out of your lemons and limes. I like the simple wooden ones best, like this one, Oxo Good Grips Wooden Reamer.

A good mean tenderizer gets a regular workout in my kitchen, from making breadcrumbs to pounding chicken or pork out to make chicken cutlets or pork scallopini. Something like this, Oxo Good Grips Meat Tenderizer.

More favorites:

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Email me your favorite gift ideas with me and I'll add them to the list.