2020 gift guide: for bakers and chefs
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!
I hope that no matter who you were (or weren’t) with this year, you found comfort in food and some semblance of tradition.
It has been a BUSY two months. We have a massive flooring project underway (more on that soon!), and we finally painted over the beige-gold-brown tone that was everywhere. Also, work, toddler life, etc. The house is a mess. I’ve lost track of time, but I DO know that it’s officially Christmas season starting tomorrow. Given how 2020 has gone, I don’t think I’ve been more excited for a simple Christmas at home in years.
I wanted to share some gift ideas for those of you who speak the love language of gifts (both giving and receiving!). What better year to shop from home than this one?? To kick it off, because it’s Thanksgiving, here are my suggestions for the cooks, bakers, and grillmasters in your lives. There are some deals currently, especially #1 and #13.
Thermoworks Thermapen Mk4 ($99, Thermoworks) - This is the thermometer to end all thermometers. I have purchased at least 3 different meat thermometers before this one, and over time they all sort of…failed. I’ve had this one now for about four years, and it does a lightning-fast, accurate job. I’ve measured the temperature of things I didn’t know I needed to know about, even cakes and softened butter and melted chocolate and frying oil. It also does a great job with your steaks and poultry (duh). It has an auto-shutoff, backlight, and auto-rotate for extra luxury. This has greatly improved the consistency and quality of my cooking, and trained me to know what something should look like when done. They also sell a less expensive version, the Classic Thermapen, for about $20 less, and an oven probe with an alarm (the Dot) that’s perfect for roasting.
Mixing bowls ($35 for set of four, Crate & Barrel) - I would NEVER have gotten these for myself because I was making do with what I had, but my mom gave me this set for Christmas one year and wow do I enjoy them. They’re a great weight, the shape is just right so you aren’t slopping batter all out the side, and they are stainless steel so can be used in a bain-marie if you’re whipping up a meringue. I added these to a cheap set of metal “prep bowls” from Amazon (shallow, wide, and thin, good for mise-en-place) and a nesting set of glass bowls (good for bain-marie, but too wide for cookies).
Novelty tea towel ($22, Anthropologie) - When I let my pizza dough rest, I usually cover it with a damp tea towel", not a dish towel, which would leave little fluffies all over top. I swear that Anthropologie has consistently the cutest (or funniest) collection out there. This “12 Days of Christmas” towel can double as decor. Second place? Home Goods for a third of the price.
Sourdough crock ($60, Etsy) - Sourdough baking became all the rage in April 2020. I did NOT see that one coming. Get your baker a beautiful crock to store and display their carefully fed starter. This would blend into any kitchen or tuck neatly in the pantry.
Black walnut lame ($35 king arthur ) - Right along with #4, while a plastic one with a proper razor blade will work just fine, this beautiful lame will be treasured for slashing bread neatly.
Berry basket ($16, Anthropologie) - For those of us that buy all our berries at the supermarket in plastic containers, this is totally…extra. But just look at how beautiful the stoneware is!!! This would make opening the fridge to get your fruit a total joy. Also probably good for the Home Edit fans (haven’t seen it, just assume they like everything to have a nice container). There are white ceramic versions of this out there too for half the price.
Olivewood salt keeper ($45, Etsy) - I received a little salt keeper as a wedding present and I didn’t know what I was missing. Season on the fly, and add a pinch or a handful.
Emile Henry traditional pie dish ($45, Sur La Table) - A high-quality ceramic pie dish that will last a lifetime. Emile Henry is sold all over the place, so look around if you want to explore the various colors and styles. I like the classic fluted dish.
Ceramic spoon rest ($10, Crate & Barrel) - This is actually so much better than having a dirty counter or having to use a giant salad plate every time. So many designs out there - take your pick! The utensil crock in this Maci collection is soo pretty as well.
Recipe box ($30, Kate Spade) - SO CUTE. I don’t think written recipes are dead. It’s just easier to reference a piece of paper and not touch a screen, plus some may have actual handwritten recipes to store.
Triple cocoa blend, Mexican vanilla extract, and Valrhona dark chocolate ($13, $30, and $20, at King Arthur): You could really pick anything from KA and make a baker pretty darn happy, but these are some top-tier ingredients that they can use to have fun throughout the year. For those who don’t want “stuff”, high-quality consumables are a hit.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat ($21, Target) - Fine, this is from 2017, but it’s still so good. Written by Samin Nosrat, this is a book about cooking more than a traditional “cookbook”. Wendy MacNaughton’s quirky illustrations are a delight. It can teach you how to be more intuitive, eventually knowing how to work with what you have, adjust recipes or make them up. Cooking 101! There are recipes in the back once you read her fundamentals and beautiful charts. Also, for all the “failed cooks”, it’s possibly the next best thing to a virtual cooking class. No, the Netflix show really isn’t like it at all.
Digital Washington Post subscription ($29 for one year on Black Friday special) - This includes access to the WaPo food site Voraciously, which is packed full of recipes (including beginner-friendly!), tips, tricks, videos, articles and all-around mouth-watering photography. PLUS YOU GET NEWS. Get this now before the price goes back up.
Digital NYT Cooking subscription ($40 for one year) - Every month I get excited that my free articles have reset so I can dig around for a couple more recipes on NYT cooking. They have very good classic recipes, like the best buttermilk pancake recipe I’ve used. If a magazine is too much mental work, give them access to this database of 19,000 recipes (!).
Virtual cooking class ($45, 18 Reasons) - This is a thing! I haven’t tried this format; I’ve only been in person once and it was a total blast. We made things outside of my normal repertoire, and we had more than just a demo or a blog post to walk us through a recipe, including ingredient prep. This could also be a great couples’ gift for a quarantine date-night-in. While it isn’t the same as in-person, it’s also significantly cheaper right now. I’m plugging for 18 Reasons, a nonprofit in San Francisco that offers free basic cooking classes to low-income residents.
Last thoughts: shopping locally can be difficult online, as not all small businesses have the resources to set up a site, pickup, and/or shipping. However, if you can, some of these ideas can be found aplenty in local stores (spoon rests, tea towels, and such). You can also try to support your local farmers and beekeepers with a gift basket of local honey, dips, jams, and so on. Check to see if independent bookstores offer curbside.
Hope you found a little something here for the special folks in your lives. Or maybe for yourself.
til next time - more gift guides coming!
N
