CHOW’s 2006 Holiday Gift Guide
Americans spent $31.7 billion buying stuff last December. How much of that went for smoothie makers, shrimp butlers, and joke barware unloaded at summer rummage sales is unknown.
To keep you from trafficking in this black market of holiday detritus, CHOW has assembled over 80 gifts that we certainly wouldn’t kick out from under the tree. We think we’ve got the best kitchen gadgets, coolest cookbooks, tastiest tidbits, most stunning tableware, and a few wild cards that we just like. And if any of them end up at a tag sale, let us know. We want to snag ‘em.
RENEWABLE/SUSTAINABLE
UNDER $15A MODERN TWIST
GADGETSPRETTY FANCYKITCHEN TOOLSEDIBLESCOOKBOOKS
GADGETS Do they actually make things easier? Sometimes. Are they techie and intriguing? Most definitely.
Admit it: You buy loose tea, then never drink it because it's messier than teabags...
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RENEWABLE/SUSTAINABLEUNDER $15A MODERN TWIST
GADGETSPRETTY FANCYKITCHEN TOOLSEDIBLESCOOKBOOKS
PRETTY FANCY There’s a place in everybody’s life for bone china. These are things we think are just plain gorgeous, in designs you might not have seen before. The holiday season is the time to indulge your penchant for luxury. (We just made that up.)
RENEWABLE/SUSTAINABLEUNDER $15A MODERN TWIST
GADGETSPRETTY FANCYKITCHEN TOOLSEDIBLESCOOKBOOKS
KITCHEN TOOLS You think you’re going to make lattes every day, then the espresso maker ends up gathering dust. Here’s a list of tools you’ll really use.
Strong enough to plow through chunks without burning out...
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RENEWABLE/SUSTAINABLEUNDER $15A MODERN TWIST
GADGETSPRETTY FANCYKITCHEN TOOLSEDIBLESCOOKBOOKS
COOKBOOKS
CHOW's new favorite books: for reading, for looking at,
and for cooking by.
Understanding the impact on the earth of the way we eat is only part of the battle; changing habits is the more difficult task. These books add a spoonful of sugar to the medicine.
Offers practical solutions on how to go organic...
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Pollan's book took the food world by storm...
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Here are four food publications that will inspire as much as they entertain. The only problem is that you might be torn between racing to the kitchen and turning the page.
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When three-star chef Bernard Loiseau...
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A good cook should know the classics—having a strong foundation gives you the freedom to riff and explore. These three books teach the basics on swill, sweets, and sautéing.
Any true cookbook lover will admit that you don't always buy cookbooks for the recipes. There are gorgeous ones that serve mainly as inspiration—almost too beautiful for kitchen use.
For the first time, Keller's...
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Pastry chef Oriol Balaguer's La Cocina de los Postres is now available in English...
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These are our go-to references, great additions to anyone's cookbook library—though it's highly unlikely that they will sit on the shelf for long.
The late Edna Lewis and her friend, chef...
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Jaffrey's recipes taste authentic...
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Covers the entire Indian subcontinent...
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Turns out grated potato makes a darn good taco filling, and you can throw together...
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The American home cook's ultimate guide...
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Madison has achieved cultlike status for her fantastic recipes...
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RENEWABLE/SUSTAINABLEUNDER $15A MODERN TWIST
GADGETSPRETTY FANCYKITCHEN TOOLSEDIBLESCOOKBOOKS
UNDER $15 Damn those secret Santa things. What can you get somebody that’s any good, and under $15? Quite a lot, actually. Take a look.
RENEWABLE/SUSTAINABLEUNDER $15A MODERN TWIST
GADGETSPRETTY FANCYKITCHEN TOOLSEDIBLESCOOKBOOKS
A MODERN TWIST Clean lines, functional design, innovative materials. CHOW's favorite foodie items for folks who run screaming from shabby-chic hutches.
RENEWABLE/SUSTAINABLEUNDER $15A MODERN TWIST
GADGETSPRETTY FANCYKITCHEN TOOLSEDIBLESCOOKBOOKS
RENEWABLE/SUSTAINABLE For the loved one who eats organic—and who doesn't these days? These gifts are in some small way kinder to the earth—or the people who made them—than your run-of-the-mill item. Of course we wouldn't have chosen them if they weren't really good-looking, too.
RENEWABLE/SUSTAINABLEUNDER $15A MODERN TWIST
GADGETSPRETTY FANCYKITCHEN TOOLSEDIBLESCOOKBOOKS
RENEWABLE/SUSTAINABLEUNDER $15A MODERN TWIST
GADGETSPRETTY FANCYKITCHEN TOOLSEDIBLESCOOKBOOKS
EDIBLES Don't send the flavored popcorn in the big tin. We have better ideas.
