Hanging out in the kitchen watching my guy cook is what I do often. It's not that I cannot cook, I just do not possess a desire to cook. On a rare occasion, I will follow a recipe and attempt to create something magical but most often, I defer to my guy to create the magic. And he loves it.
Because he loves to cook, I've decided to upgrade his 4-cup capacity food processor to a 16-cup Cuisinart food processor that is exclusive to Williams-Sonoma for Christmas, so this is our secret. I'm not exactly sure he needs 16-cups but I decided to go all out given his joy for cooking.
You can purchase the 14-cup Cuisinart food processor just about anywhere including Amazon where it has received rave reviews.
For our wedding anniversary, I gave him cookware by Gordon Ramsay. Yes, he's a huge fan. Most nights our TV is tuned into BBC America where Kitchen Nightmares is on from 5-7pm.
As for the cookware, he loves it. My intention was to purchase well-known and highly-rated All-Clad cookware until I read the reviews on Amazon on Ramsay's cookware by Royal Doulton.
Does anyone in your family like to grill? A grill light comes in handy, especially when it's a cloudy day or if you grill at night.
I think my Dad would enjoy this. If I had not already purchased his Christmas present (a Bluetooth Car Kit), I would go ahead and purchase the grill light. Gee, I think I found his Father's Day gift. Just planning ahead here.
Speaking of my Dad, he too is a cooking enthusiast and swears by his latest toy, a Kitchen-Aid Waffle Maker. Last Christmas morning, we had the best Belgian waffles made from this contraption. The waffles cook on both sides of the plate.
My personal recommendation is the Keurig Single-Cup coffee system. It is the one appliance in our kitchen I use often. There are numerous k-cup flavors to choose from. My favorites are Green Mountain Coffee's Hazelnut and when it's available, their Limited Edition French Toast flavor.
A universal knife is the Santoku. I observe many chefs on TV using this knife and gifted my guy with one several years ago who enjoys chopping and slicing with it. It's small enough to fit into a stocking too.
The Le Crueset Dutch Oven is something I am contemplating for my guy for Christmas. It looks to be the ideal piece of cookware for stews and casseroles. If the cook in your family has just about everything and you do not know what to get, perhaps this dutch oven is your answer.
There are a number of lists I am working on and will continue to share them over the next few days. I am certainly enjoying myself with sharing these ideas as it is helping me move along with my holiday shopping tasks as well.
I hope you are enjoying these lists too.
