ottawa foodies

what are people asking for this year for kitchen/cooking gifts?

i'm curious, but i am also looking for ideas. i have to buy for someone who requested something for the kitchen. she is young, just graduated and setting up her first kitchen - but she has been cooking since a preteen. it is her hobby and no recipe is too challenging. any ideas, or just share what you are hoping to receive :)

How about some real basics--a cookie sheet or baking pan, parchment paper, cheesecloth, skewers, butchers twine, muffin papers and maybe a nice olive oil. I think this would help start a kitchen but anyone already equipped would use all these items even if they had the basics. Put it all in a bread basket wrapped in a tea towel.

My daughter got a sushi making kit as a gift, and she made us sushi once for dinner.

A silpat, a decent knife (the victorinox fibrox chef's knife is relatively cheap on Amazon and is an amazing beginner's knife (www.amazon.ca)), and/or a decent pan or two are all things I would have loved when I was starting out.

Stay far from specialized stuff like sushi kits, they'll just get used a couple times!

thanks.

she has all the basics for baking & roasting. she uses cast iron on the stove top already. she has always spent her extra money on kitchen equipment (and vintage dresses). a good knife (reasonably priced) is an idea.

I'm a big believer in never having too many mixing bowls of various sizes and am also a lover of the colors and patterns of vintage Pyrex. You can find some amazing pieces at the local thrift shops for a few bucks. It might be a nice way to package your gift: vintage Pyrex bowl, new knife, some funky tea towels (something else you can't have too many of, IMO). ;)

a peugot pepper mill

If she likes baking then a digital scale can be an awesome gift -- more accurate than cups/spoons and save time and cleanup. They can be found pretty reasonably (about $30). The consensus from my research is that the Myweigh scales are pretty good at the lower end, and the Oxo scales are a bit more feature-heavy and more expensive.

If she is just moving out on her own maybe she would like to receive food gifts. Maybe themed gifts: if she likes Italian food dried pasta and a jar of pasta sauce might be nice, if she likes Asian foods ingredients like rice and soy sauce might be nice.

How about some preserved truffles? The jarred ones are way cheaper than the fresh, and still awesome. Something like this ---->

I would love a water carbonator (soda stream), but that's just me. HFF, where do the basics begin and end for your recipient? I would have said that I had all the basics, until someone gave me a silipat, for example.

What about a nice mortar/pestle set? I saw a gorgeous one at Flock on Wellington Street? Or perhaps some really nice tea towels that she can show off? Or nice servingware, or mixing bowls, like Refashionista suggested? I would gladly welcome any of those things into my kitchen.

If she doesn't have one, a pasta maker.

If you are superstitious, the gift of a knife is supposed to be bad luck unless you wrap it with a coin LOL.

If she doesn't have them, two of Julia's books have been my "go to" for years. "Mastering the art of French cooking" and "The way to cook" which I actually find easier to use and which I turn to more frequently. At Christmas the foodie gifts I look forward to are generally the specialty stuff. In the past I've got Pizelle irons, cannoli tubes, vacuum marinators, stove top smokers, tortilla press, pasta rollers, tajines, wagashi molds. All of them have been fun and have taken me a little further in my culinary explorations.

I would also say that dinnerware and servingware is a good gift for a foodie. Whatever works with her taste, or just plain white in various shapes and configurations.

My Mum always had it the other way - one year she bought me a knife I'd specifically asked for, but she would only give it to me once I'd given her a coin. That way it wasn't a gift but a sale, and thus not subject to the vagaries of the old wives' tale.

Awesome ideas!

Mastering the art of French cooking might be a great idea. I think there are a lot of techniques in there she would have fun trying - if she doesn't own it already. I'll find out.

A mortar/pestle also good. I love mine and use it all the time.

Serving ware also good.

I have a silipat and never use it. I'd rather just use parchment paper.

I too want a sode stream or similar, for myself :)

I also like the idea of packing it all up in some thrifted vintage bowls. I saw an amazing enameled cast iron set (dutch oven in 2 sizes) at 'Your Neighbourhood Services' for dirt cheap. It didn't even look used. That was a few weeks ago and I'm kicking myself for not buying it. Hunting for vintage finds is a fun way to spend a Saturday.

She has been seriously baking for years now. Through high school she did the majority of family dinners, during university she cooked to try recipes and techniques and then gave away the results. It is a very serious hobby.

Good suggestions so far! Some additions:

I just threw out all my various handheld thermometers and replaced them with a single digital one from Taylor for ~$20. This thing (model 9848efda) is great: goes from -40F to 450F, can be calibrated, has a backlight and has a max/min setting...need I say more?

I just bought my son some new sharpening stones from www.chefknivestogo.com - Lee Valley sells some similar ones. They are not too expensive and are a knife's best friend.

Barring a stone, you can buy nice-sized 1000grit, 2000grit etc sheets of automotive sandpaper at Canadian Tire. These, laid on glass or a flat surface are a really good stand-in if this person does not have a stone and has dull knives. Sorry if this upsets the knife sharpening aficionados out there....this just works and is cheap, and yes it has saved my bacon away from home on my super fine japanese knives.

Another cheap one: who has enough side-cloths? Buy a stack, they're like socks and underwear.

I know it's not actual equipment but in my mind it's just as good. The Eleven Madison Park and Joe Beef cookbooks are a must buy this winter.

Anthony Bourdain's book Medium Raw.

Well, I'm asking for it...

The Joe Beef cookbook is one of the most entertaining I've ever read. The stories alone make it worth the money, never mind the fantastic recipes. I'm loving every minute of it.

Agreed on Joe Beef's book (ISBN: 1607740141). Best food book since Kitchen Confidential in my opinion.

Raclette set, fondue set, cheese tray/slate and knife....

One of those high-tech Zojirushi rice cookers would have me drooling. Top of the line IMO, but only if she likes to eat rice, and they are kinda pricy.

I wouldn't bother with a timer, because who doesn't have one of those on their phone now anyway? A remote temperature gauge or instant read thermometer is a nice gift. I nice knife is always good. Mixing bowls, measuring cups and/or spoons wouldn't be a bad idea. A good hardwood mixing spoon, a Silpat and matched baking pan, a set of recipe cards and a beautiful box to put them all in. There are dozens of basic items that would be on my list and only a few high end items.

What about that Revo Marivac thing? That would be a fun toy. (Vacuum tumbling marinade gadget).

thermapen thermometer - every kitchen should have one!

Francis, the Revo Marivac is a good suggestion. My favorite Christmas gift last year.

still loving all the suggestions. i haven't put together a wish list for myself yet. canadian tire is having a sale on kitchen aid mixers this weekend only, so i may treat myself to an early gift.

so far i have got her oven mitts off etsy, a cool kitchen utensil themed print done on vintage encyclopedia paper from GCTC craft sale and I think I'll go with a cookbook.

Cast iron stuff, particularly a skillet so I can fry me up some chicken.

I like those Breville espresso machines. I believe this is a British make. Slick, metallic esthetic.

NU371, I saw a variety of Peugeot pepper mills at the Bayshore Bay.

I have one of those Breville espreso machines...I really enjoy it and it looks pretty sexy to boot. Made in Australia.

"Raclette set, fondue set, cheese tray/slate and knife...."

These are all awful, I think I've been given five or more of each over the past 10+ years and none of them ever get any use. Don't buy any kind of one-trick-pony thing.

Breville is an Australian company, but their products are made in China. It says so right on their website ( www.breville.ca/support#q2 ). Their espresso machines go from $400 to $1300: www.breville.ca

Thanks Francis. Boo on the made in China bit. Really, that pricey eh? I think there may be a good deal at the Bay then. Coulda sworn I saw $279 for a machine.

@Bacon, I think Breville has a factory outlet in Quebec. I've seen their burr grinders and other stuff on eBay from that outlet. They are manufacturer refurbished and go for about half the regular price.

WRT referbs, some manufacturers are better than others. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a refurbished Kodak camera. Kodak will make sure it's 100% fine. I've had several Kodak refurbs and not one gave any problems. Black and Decker refurbs on the other hand - hit and miss. I got a refurb drill from B&D once and the axis was off, it had a terrible wobble. And another time I got a B&D random orbit sander, but if you bore down on the piece at all, the disk stopped spinning.

I haven't had and experience with Breville refurbs, but I think they come with a 2 year warranty. They are probably fine.

@Bacon you are right! They do have an expresso on their site - new - for $280.

For coffee things maybe Morala is good- they sell a lot of items not made in China- like made in Spain instead...

For cooking stuff I like food- so some interesting spices of some snacks are always nice!

I like the many dried fruits from Nuts Online- they have a lot you can not find here locally.

Also I like the chocolates and European foods from Chocodirect.com I just bought myself a bunch of cookies and candy I have never tried and they sent me a ton of "extras" I got 6 extra chocolate bars and some Haribo gummy candy bags (2).
-some of the chocolate is for gifts, most of the order is for me.

*I also bought myself some hand woven dish cloths and towels from Lise Diotte at the Glebe craft sale last week. They are very pretty and well made.
She is only selling at the Glebe fall and spring craft sale, but I have her card and phone number!