Gifts to Give
1. Lodge Cast Iron Skillet - from $22-$65
This is the workhorse of my kitchen. I use this pan more than anything else. I have fancy All-Clad pans and a Le Creuset but I always return to the cast iron. It is the best pan to cook grilled cheeses and my favorite pan to cook hamburgers. I seriously use it for everything, to bake mac and cheese, corn bread, fry chicken. If you are at all serious about cooking, you need to get one of these. Chances are you grandmother has one that she has been using for twenty years.
You can purchase it here
2. Cast-Iron Bacon Press - $12.95
My other workhorse. Let this heat up with your cast-iron skillet and you will have perfectly grilled cheeses. It's also perfect for getting flat bacon. Who likes curly bacon? Not me!
You can purchase it here
3. Microplane Box Grater - $34.95
The price is a bit steep for a box grater but Microplane makes the best grater. Every professional chef will have some form of Microplane in his toolkit. Made with surgical grade stainless steel, this box grater has three grating blades, including a fine/zester! It has rubber feet so no slipping when you are grating. And I love how the grating surface is slightly elevated so you can grate the full length of the cheese! This is the Ferrari of box graters.
You can purchase it here
4. Fish Spatula - $15
Of all the spatulas, non-stick, rubber, silicone, etc. I like the fish spatula the best. I use it for more than fish. It's great for flipping grilled cheeses and burgers. It's very thin and flexible and I like the wooden handle.
Buy a fish spatula here
5. Japanese Mandoline - $21
This is another workhorse in my kitchen. I absolutely LOVE this tool. It slices and dices with precision. It's extremely sharp and people have definitely lost the tips of their fingers but you will not find a better tool that will slice and julienne with precision. For $21, you can't beat the price. It comes with three different blades (4 if you include the straight blade) and is adjustable so you can make paper thin slices or thicker slices (1/4")
You can purchase it here
My Wish List
1. Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook- $20
I am obsessed with all things David Chang of Momofuku and I am addicted to his style of cooking. Christina Tosi is his pastry chef and she has come up with simple yet mind-blowing desserts such as Crack Pie and Blueberry and Cream Cookies. These are a collection of her pastry recipes for the Momofuku concepts in Manhattan.
Buy this book for me here
2. Subscription to Lucky Peach Magazine- $28
I warned you, I am obsessed with all things David Chang and Lucky Peach is his quarterly magazine that he edits with Momofuku cookbook co-author Peter Meehan. Not your average food magazine, Lucky Peach is "a new journal of food writing. It is a mélange of travelogue, essays, art, photography, rants, and recipes in a full-color, meticulously designed format. (The) aim is to produce a publication that appeals to diehard foodies as well as fans of good writing and art in general." The first issue was solely dedicated to ramen with guest writers like Anthony Bourdain and Wylie DuFrense praising the glorious soup that is ramen.
Order me a subscription here
3. Cheese of the Month Club Subscription
Who wouldn't want this? Every month Cowgirl Creamery will send you one pound of cheese with an accompaniment. There are three subscriptions to choose from: 3-month, 6-month and 12-month subscriptions.
Send me some cheese by ordering here
4. Nixon Kensington watch in Gold- $150
Ok this is not a culinary thing but it has been a long time since I have been allowed to wear a nice watch. Since I am no longer working in a kitchen, I am enjoying wearing jewelry again. I don't wear too much jewelry in the first place but I am obsessed with mens style watches. I need this watch! Does anybody have a Nixon hook up or access to a pro-form?
Buy me this watch here
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