Our Favorite Foodie Gifts-small gadgets

With Christmas and Hannukah around the corner, we know that trying to find the perfect gift for your foodie friends and family can be daunting. There are so many gadgets for all levels of cook. It's hard to know where to begin. So I thought I would run down the list of things we love, things we don't, and best of all, you can order them right from here and get them in plenty of time for gift giving!

I thought I would start with my favorite every day hand tools. The stores are full of little gadgets and trinkets to do all sorts of things in the kitchen but pros know that the less tools to do the most jobs is the way to go. Most chefs carry their own tools in to their kitchens and most kits will have variations of the following tools.

I personally LOVE this kit available through chefystore.com

Knife Steel                          
Chef's knife    
Boning knife
Pairing knife
Utility knife
Tongs
Peeler
Microplane
Kitchen sheers
Pastry brush
Board scraper
Meat thermometer
All Purpose tool
Black Sharpie Markers

I will cover knives and steels in a later post. Today I just want to cover the other tools on the list.
Again, you will stand in the hand tool department of your favorite store and see all kinds of tools. Here is my general rule of thumb. If you can only use it for 1 task, it isn't worth buying. I know some would disagree but if you have great tools that can meet several needs, you will save yourself endless amounts of money, time and clean up. That being said, let's go over the ones on my list. For your convenience I have included links to almost all of my favorites below so gift getting is even easier.

Knife Steel-a long metal rod that has a slightly textured surface used to smooth the fine edge of the
blade of your knives. Pulling an edge up does take a bit of practice and people have techniques for using them. I was told by a chef that I used to work for that it should sound maniacal. So get your Jason on and keep knife edges sharp. Steels will wear out eventually. You can tell because the slightly rough texture will be gone and the steel will feel smooth to touch.

*HINT-I will be posting on knives soon but I will say this. A good knife should feel balanced in your hand and be extremely sharp. More injuries occur with light weight dull knives than ones that are slightly heavy, well balanced and sharp.

Tongs-the most used tool on any dinner line, your tongs tackle a variety of chores. I use them to stir, to grab hot pans from the oven, to flip food over in a pan, and to handle hot food items. They come in different lengths but I prefer the longest ones so my hands are further away from the heat. Many have a tension spring that will keep them open until you squeeze them shut. Many of them also have a small tab at the end to lock them closed. Being able to close them is essential for storage and to keep them under control when you put them down on your work surface. I have arthritis in my hands so for me to work against a tension spring for 8-10 hours a day is impossible. I love these long tongs from Oneida. They have a directional locking mechanism that allows you to open and close them with one hand. You may prefer rubber grips on the handles but we find wrapping them with a towel works as well.

Rubber bands make picking up slippery dishes a breeze

*HINT- save the thick small rubber bands from broccoli and asparagus. Put one on each end of the tong heads if you need to grab small dishes such as ramekins to keep them from slipping through the tongs.

Peeler-again an essential part of any tool kit. Without a peeler, preparing your mis en place is next to impossible. You want to make sure that your peeler is very sharp and well balanced. The Titan peeler came about as an "As Seen on TV" product that I ran across years ago in a local pharmacy ( believe it or not). They have a horizontal blade as apposed to the traditional vertical ones. They are remarkably sharp AND they work in two directions. With a little practice, you will be able to rip through a ten pound bag of potatoes in nothing flat! The added bonus of this product is that it comes with a second tool for making very fine julianne strips. It creates a fine dice that the chef with great knife skills would not even be able to produce. It comes apart for easy cleaning and is dishwasher safe.

Titan peelers always come with this great julianne tool. Perfect for making garnishes

*HINT-Use a peeler to clean everything from carrots and potatoes to pineapple and turnips to minimize your waste. This Titan peeler will peel everything including pineapple, celery root, and cantaloupe. It really is an amazing little work horse.

Microplane-I have come to love this tool and am pleasantly surprised at all of the jobs it can take on. They are a great alternative to a box grater because they allow you to grate the product right in to the pan or bowl. They will finely grate everything-hard cheeses, citrus zest, chocolate nutmeg, horseradish. If a larger shred is desired you might want to stick to the traditional box grater but for finely grated product you can't beat the efficiency of the microplane.

Great for grating whole nutmeg. Try it on warm eggnog!!!

*HINT-Keep an old toothbrush near your sink to scrub the microplane safely without cutting your fingers

Kitchen Sheers-a heavy duty pair of very sharp scissors are critical in every kitchen. They make cutting through hard products like poultry carcasses, shellfish, and produce like artichokes. Things like these can be cut with a knife but it is hard on your knives and sheers give you more control so that it doesn't damage the meat or slip, causing serious injury. Be sure to get 2 pairs so that one can be used exclusively for proteins and you don't cross contaminate your produce and other products.

Sheers make cutting shell fish and poultry with more control than a knife.

*HINT- Sheers can be used to cut fresh herbs without bruising them. Many herbs, like chives and basil will bruise and not cut clean through with a knife no matter how sharp. Using sheers and cutting them in fine snips will save you time and give you the best result.

Pastry Brush-I'll keep this simple. I have used a1-2 inch china bristol brush that you can get in any hardware or art supply store for under $2. They can go straight in to the dishwasher. If you find it gets to difficult to clean just throw it away and buy a new one.

Board Scraper-often called a dough cutter, this is a flat rectangular metal blade with either a metal or wooden handle. These can often be seen in pizza places or bakeries. It is ideal for portioning soft product like bread or pizza dough. I, however, use it more frequently to keep my work surface clean. It will sweep up any debris left behind on
your board like a dustpan. It also makes a great scoop to pick up and move product from board to pot or bowl. It has a larger capacity than your hands minimizing your movements. Any tool that makes you more efficient and minimizes movement is essential  to being a great cook.

great for cutting soft dough but also essential for keeping a nice lean station

*HINT-pizza dough is widely available in the refrigerator case of the grocery store. Cut it in to small 2" pieces with your board scraper and use to make fresh garlic knots or homemade monkey bread in a snap.

Meat Thermometer-a MUST MUST MUST have! There should be several of them throughout your kitchen and out by the grill. Cooking meat to the proper temperature not only makes it safe to eat but also pulls the best flavor out of it. There are a lot of choices out there from digital probe thermometer to traditional dial thermometers. The probe thermometers are great because you can insert the probe in to the meat while still in the oven leaving the temperature display outside for easy monitoring. That being said, they can be pricey and are fairly fragile. ( a friend of mine told me recently during class that her husband had left their brand new $139 digital probe outside by the grill where it got rained on and never worked again). We use thermometers so frequently in the restaurant that we tend to lean towards the inexpensive dial type. They are exposed to insane heat, get dropped, thrown away, and lost. I do, however, like a small digital thermometer for home use because the temperature is displayed clearly and quickly.

*HINT-Keep a chart of meat temperatures in a close convenient place in your kitchen so there is no chance of meat going out at unsafe temps.  Remember to rest ALL meats off the heat and covered. Most meat will carry over 10 more degrees once off the heat and covered so make allowances for that when deciding when to pull meat out.

All Purpose Tool-these little helpers are great for a variety of jobs that you might not do too often. They are great for pulling pin bones from fish, uncorking or unscrewing bottle tops that are stuck, punching wholes and so on. They fold up in to a compact shape which makes them easy to store.

Pin bones can ruin a fabulous piece of fish so feel for them  several times. They are easy to miss

Black Sharpie Markers-I know this seems  like a silly tool to mention but it really is something that you should have several of in your utility drawer or knife kit and the reason is simple. EVERYTHING that gets wrapped up and stored in either the fridge or the freezer needs to be marked with what it is and a date. That way there is no risk of serving unsafe food. Sharpie markers are permanent enough to mark containers but will still wash off of containers with hot soapy water. They also have considerably less odor than many other permanent markers.

*HINT-these make great stocking stuffers and can be combined with a roll of white sticky labels.

Of course there are a few more tools that I use for specific preparations, particularly baking and making garnishes.  Outside of e obvious measuring cups and spoons, ( I am particularly fond of this measuring spoon. It has several measurements in one reducing the clutter and is easy to use and dishwasher safe)it's is a good idea to have a couple of different number scoops to control portions, a fluting tool that creates the frilly edges seen in lattice pies and raviolis, an offset spatula that will make icing baked goods much easier, a rubber spatula so that bowls and pots can be scraped clean minimizing waste, a wire whisk ( I actually have 3 ) and disposable pastry bags so you don't have to try to disassemble a cloth bag and try to wrestle the tip out of it. A note on that, you will often see a small white threaded cuff and nut sold along side pastry bag tips. YOU NEVER NEED TO USE THEM. Just cut a small hole in the end of the bag. Drop the tip inside until the end pokes out of the bottom. The pressure applied when piping will hold the tip in place. the cuff and nut set ups are difficult to get out of the pastry bags and seem to always be getting lost.


So what about all of the other bivits and gadgets that line the walls of the kitchen tool section of the store? There are very few that a feel like I absolutely must have. I have listed a few commonly purchased tools that serve only one purpose and aren't worth the effort to clean them.

Garlic press-use your chef's knife laying it flat blade away from you and give it a good hard smack with the heel of your hand.

Reamer- a small egg shaped wooden tool with a handle used for juicing citrus. hold the fruit in your palm over the pan to catch seeds and use a spoon inserted in the center to help press the juice out.

Knife sharpener-just don't do it. If you invest in good knives, the minute you pull it through that sharpener it will be ruined. Use a steel to pull up your edge on your knife and depending on how often you use them, send them out once or twice a year to be professionally sharpened.

These sharpeners will shorten the life of your knives

Garlic presses are hard to keep clean and you waste a lot of time peeling and pressing each clove

Nothing that can't be done with a spoon handle and a good squeeze

Have fun shopping for your foodie. After all if they have the tools needed to make their cooking tasks easier, you will reap the benefits!

 I have provided links for al of my favorite products. I chose these brands and types based on my own experiences. Tomorrow I will show you my favorite countertop electric gadgets. There are some great ones out there that will give you results like a pro!!!