REAL ENGLEWOOD AREA DISH

The Real Englewood Area Dish

December 3, 2020 at 5:12 p.m.

By Sharyn Lonsdale

Holiday Shopping For The Chef

If you are holiday shopping for someone who loves to cook or bake, you probably have an idea of what they want. We foodies usually make our needs known, as in “I hate my toaster.” “My pans are a hundred years old.” and “Wouldn’t it be great if we could make our own ice cream?”
My smallish kitchen is home to dozens of smallish appliances from a Wolfgang Puck Panini Press to a cupcake baker that I have used exactly once. I have a Suzanne Somers Belgian Waffle Maker I got at a yard sale for $5, a fondue pot straight out of “Mad Men,” three food processors and dozens of pots and pans. My slow cookers of various sizes, three-burner buffet and an emergency Nesco Roaster have been relegated to the lanai for lack of cabinet space.
You would think someone with so many gadgets, pots and utensils and so little countertop and cabinet space would be content, but like most dedicated cooks and bakers, I want more, as do some dedicated foodies on Facebook.
If I had the real estate available in my kitchen, my dream holiday gift would be one of the hottest presents this season, the Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill. I live in a condo so I’m not allowed to have a barbecue. The Foodi claims that its “cyclonic grilling technology’ brings outdoor grilling flavor indoors. It also roasts, bakes and air fries. Nancy Schull of Englewood already has hers as do three of her adult children. “It’s awesome,” she said. “I use it daily, sometimes multiple times in a day.” At press time, you could find the Foodi for as low as $170. Elizabeth Blanchette is also a Ninja fan, but she’s hoping for their highly-rated food processor.
Linda Emmett said she didn’t need anything for her well-stocked kitchen, but wanted a “top-of-the-line” coffeemaker for her husband. She might want to check out the new Keurig K-Supreme Single Serve coffeemaker ($99). What makes this version supreme? It has “multi-stream” technology that punctures the pod multiple times instead of one, so the coffee has a deeper flavor, and you can brew a 6 to 12 oz cup.
Nancy Lord of Englewood didn’t want anything new. She was on the hunt for a vintage electric hand mixer that had flat blades instead of contemporary round blades. “My sister found one on Etsy,’ said Lord. “I’m getting it for Christmas and I can’t wait.”
You don’t need to wait for someone else to buy your dream gadget. Carol Galbreath was inspired by the popular PBS cooking show “America’s Test Kitchen,” to gift herself with the Victorinox Swiss Army 12” knife that Galbreath confesses is still in the box. Deborah Harris also wants new knives as does Klaudia Helman. If you do plan on gifting knives, do a little research. Serious cooks are often very particular about their knives.
Many cooks simply want upgrades for their current gadgets. Sue Walker is ready to move from a manual to an electronic scale. Sue Skoglund just wants a garlic press that works and is easy to clean. Judy Murdoch is hoping for a simple set of ramekins. Cindy Hicks said, “My kitchen has just about anything that I want or need, but I would truly love to have really nice absorbent towels.” I call that a humble request.
Laurie Rizzo has the same holiday wish that I do. We both want ice cream makers. We also have the same concern. Rizzo joked she was worried if she had one she would gain weight, because “I have no willpower.” Rizzo might want to look into one of the compact versions like the Dash My Pint Ice Cream Maker so there’s no danger of ice cream overload.
Thanks to Sue Skoglund, I have something new on my list. She calls social media sensation and cult favorite the Always Pan, “hands down the best pan ever.” I checked it out and this stylish multi-purpose pan is practically worshipped by cooks who have no problem paying $145 for a piece of cookware. Despite the high price tag, the Always Pan is almost always sold out. At press time you could take it home for $95 at www.fromourplace.com, but forget about Christmas. Delivery is delayed until February.
And if you think you have everything or if you are stumped for what to get the chef in your life, check out the products sold by Kuhn Rikon, www.kuhnrikonshop.com. That’s where you’ll find gadgets even I’ve never heard of like the corn zipper, filled meatball maker, veggie drill and croissant roller. Now if I only had room in my kitchen.