What a Cook Wants, 1

Dear readers. After last year's Hiatus of Despair, I'm back with a great series of gifts for the cook in your life. Buckle up! I'll post fabulous ideas every day.

Great Pot for Less
Did I say Pot? I meant Pots. Hee hee. (Sorry. Too much time in California, I can't resist the weed jokes.)
Anyway, both Le Creuset and Staub offer a great, recession-friendly deal on two fabulous pots. For this price, you'd think they fell off a truck.

Le Creuset
1) Le Creuset is offering a 3 1/2-qt. wide oval French oven for a mere $129.95. That is peanuts in the world of Le Creuset. They're made in France, which means there's serious quality control and the workers are paid an actual living wage. When I got my first Le Creuset pot I thought, "This is pretty, but why the hype?" Now I reach for those first, every time.
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Staub
2) Staub is also a line of French, cast iron enameled pots and pans. For the holidays they're offering a 4-qt. Round Wide Cocotte for $129.95, also an incredible bargain. The amazing thing about enameled cast iron is that it's nearly non-stick, but without the terrible Teflon chemicals.

Either one will impress and delight the cook in your life, and probably guarantee the giver some lovely dinners in the new year. Bon appétit!

What a Cook Wants, 6

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A Mug to Drink That Fine Coffee Out Of

Ok, so very few people actually need another mug, I acknowledge that. However, I love these mugs from Pantone, the fascinating color company. They're like a Rorschach test for how you see someone, but with color. Or, if you lean towards the East, you could give them out according to the chakra color that feels right (yes, I've been doing a lot of yoga). These are sold as a set, but a lot of museum and hip home stores are selling them individually.
(In case you're wondering, I'm drawn to the grape, royal blue and red. What do you think it means?)
Set of ten Whitbread Wilkinson mugs under license from Pantone, $128. Give them as a set, or take care of ten gifts at once.

What a Cook Wants, 4

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Some Serious Pot

This year I finally got a Le Crueset pot of my own. Actually, three. Now I'll admit, even I was skeptical about the price tag. Sure, it's French, but $250 for a pot? Seriously?
I'm here to tell you, dear reader, it made a true believer out of me. They're made in France, not an oppressed third world nation, and each mold is destroyed after the pot is cast.
But the proof is in the pot, my friends. I made a beautiful four-hour bolognese sauce on a fateful night this summer, and though ultimately credit must go to the cook(!), I tell you it would not have turned out as perfectly without the awesome pot. Because it's cast iron underneath the enamel it heats perfectly evenly, and the enamel ensures nothing sticks. It's like teflon minus the cancer. And you'll have it until you're dead.
So if you have the coin and you truly love the cook in your life, make his/her year. I've had a horrible year, but these pots have truly been a bright spot. And at least they'll last and provide years of great cooking.
Start with the Le Creuset 5 1/2-quart Dutch Oven, you can find it on sale for about $185 in myriad colors.

What a Cook Wants, 5

The Newest Toy for Espresso Fiends
You've heard by now about my little coffee, uh, problem. Not that it's really a problem because I can stop any time. I can... I just don't feel like it right now. Whatevs. You're not my mom. Back off.
*cough* Anyway, you don't have to be espresso-obsessed to enjoy the ingenuity of this electricity-free press. The guy who invented the aerobie frisbee is also a fan of the dark bean, and he designed the acrylic tube system that uses simple physics to brew the espresso in less than a minute, thus avoiding a lot of the harsh tannins and bitterness. And satisfying your serious coffee jones, pronto.
Heck, you could even take it camping.
The Aeropress Coffee & Espresso Maker, $30 and worth every cracked-out nickel.

What a Cook Wants, 1

Now That's a Knife!
When you see the price of this knife, you may be confused. You may ask, but how can you recommend a common, inexpensive knife when there are gorgeous, $100-plus blades for sale out there? With a much finer pedigree, by the way.
To which I would reply: sometimes we get lucky. Sometimes we do eat the free lunch, find true love, elect the right guy. Sometimes it just works out.
This Victorinox 8-inch chef's knife with Fibrox handle sits well in the hand, has a lovely balance and a blade that will slice that carrot tip clean off.
*A note on knife giving: some folks believe it's bad luck to give someone a knife, that it's a cosmic act of aggression that brings misfortune to the receiver. Well, I'm pleased to report superstition has given us a cure, too: if the receiver offers the gifter a penny, all otherworldly threats are mitigated... if only it were that easy at all holiday gatherings.
The Victorinox 8-inch chef's knife with Fibrox handle, a mere $22. Sounds like a Christmas miracle to me!

What a Cook Wants, 18

Her Very Own Egg McMuffin Machine!!!
We didn't eat a lot of fast food growing up. My mom realized it was crap with no nutritional value so it was Cheerios with wheat germ for us! However, once or twice a year when we went on vacation there would be so much pandemonium getting 3 kids ready and 5 people's stuff packed in 1 small red car that my folks kept it simple: we'd hit the drive-thru on our way out of town. Egg McMuffins taste like freedom to me, the promise of adventure mingled with the delectable saltiness of orange American cheese and rubbery egg white. Yum.
My sisters and I devoted a lot of after-school time to microwaving eggs in the small bunny dish (we had no ramekins, sigh) and carefully toasting English muffins in our attempts to recreate that masterpiece. It was tasty, but we only had white cheese and finding Canadian bacon in the fridge was rare. We managed to gobble down the results though.
In my fancy grown-up foodie life I still like a drive-by at the golden arches on my way to the airport, but today I discovered this ingenius product that might be even better. The Back to Basics Egg & Muffin toaster and egg poacher times it so the toast pops precisely when the egg finishes steaming. There's a compartment for heating up sausage and bacon, and I read a veggie burger will fit there too (ewww). Hmm, Canadian bacon is already cooked so it would only require a quick reheat...
$30 for the Back to Basics Egg & Muffin toaster/poacher (though technically it steams). Apparently it also boils eggs, do you think it does the dishes, too? I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but Amazon readers gave it rave reviews.

What a Cook Wants, 16

Low and Slow is the Way to Go
Slow cookers, to paraphrase Mark Bittman, are basically super-braisers. I love mine with a passion that borders on weird. Most folks agree that slowly simmered stews and meat sauces, beans you cooked versus opening a can~ these taste much more delicious when made from scratch, but do you have 8 hours to spend stirring? Enter the slow cooker.
I make barracho beans, Cuban-style black beans, a pork and tomatillo stew, a Provencal chicken stew, Mung bean daal, and other fabulous dinners with very little effort. You can too.
Cook's Illustrated recommends an All-Clad slow cooker for $150; the one I have from West Bend is cheap and the folks at CI said stunk, but it's worked for me. They're all simple machines, I think the only thing that matters is how big they are: go with 5 quarts or more, that way you can easily fit an entire chicken. In the winter it's the most comforting experience to come home to a warm, fragrant house and know in the time it takes to make rice and a salad I have a homemade dinner for myself and any friends I invite last minute. It feels luxurious.
$150 for the All-Clad 6.5-qt. Slow Cooker with Ceramic Insert. It's programmable, has a stainless steel exterior, and will make you the envy of all your pot luck pals!

What a Cook Wants, 13

A Super-Expensive, Hand made Pie Server
Dear reader, I have a confession: I am writing this post inebriated. I've never done this before, but I had a bunch of martinis (some with rose petals and white tea!) at the holiday party for one of the super-nice magazines I do freelance work for, and now you're hearing from a drunk Tory. I was going to slack off entirely and not post at all, but my boyfriend, the love of my life actually, convinced me it was better to keept my commitment drunk than not show up. He's such a good man.
So anyway, if I were a rich lady, this is what I'd buy for myself. Janet Torelli is a real artist and, from my limited interactions with her, a truly nice lady. So if you have money to burn, why not? It's pretty.
$275 for the Catalpa pie server, sterling silver. If I were rich, I'd buy it.

What a Cook Wants, 12

Zee Schaschlik
This knife block is even more fun if you pronounce it like you're The Govenator; that's appropriate because it was designed by Martin Robitsch, a clever, free-spirited Austrian. It's made from European pine and bamboo skewers (how sustainably Gore-tastic!), and you can slide in your knives or other long tools whereever the heck you please. Which means all your venerable Santoku knives will finally have a home.
$125 for this handmade hipster conversation piece. And my goodness, it's functional too!

What a Cook Wants, 11

The Best Vegetable Peeler in the World
Leave it to the Germans. The Messermeister is sharp as hell and gets the job done with no complaints. I'd probably be nervous to let a kid use it, but Lord it'll have your cucumbers naked in about 10 seconds flat. The blade is serrated so it leaves pretty stripes on the vegetables.
You may be thinking, A vegetable peeler? Tory, that's a lame-ass gift. But you would be wrong. Any cook would be psyched to have such a well-made tool in her drawer. Who doesn't like using the best equipment~ it only encourages you to cook more.
$6 for the Messermeister vegetable peeler. You won't regret it.

What a Cook Wants, 8

(I got sick of the Roman numerals.)


A Little Something To Go With The Vanilla Beans
Yes, dear reader, this would be the *perfect* accompanying gift for those lusty vanilla beans! Everyone wants a shiny KitchenAid on their counter, I don't care if you're Michelle Myers or Leona Helmsley (who only stomped into the kitchen to yell at the cook!), that gorgeous standing mixer makes all your gastronomic shenanigans legit, even if you've only got a packet of ramen boiling on the stove.
Furthermore, it turns out you don't have to get married to actually own one of these! I had no idea (the oppression of the patriarchy is so sneaky!), but it turns out the wedding police won't stop you at the store exit to check for a ring~ a week ago a bunch of us chipped in to buy one for our fantastic friend Nina's birthday. She's still working for the Mean Girls and is an amazing, exciting baker who wows our Cooking Club month after month. We got her a shiny red KitchenAid, it was awesome. And admittedly, a bit self-serving...
If you get one of these powerful workhorses for the baker in your life, what a fragrant and delicious new year awaits. Go on, get shopping!
$349 for the Artisan 10-speed Tilt-Head Stand Mixer in Empire Red. Comes with a flat beater, dough hook, wire whip, wide chute pouring shield and 5-qt. stainless steel bowl. It can make 4 loaves of bread, 9 dozen cookies, and 7 pounds of mashed potatoes... let me know if you need my number to invite me over :)