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If you are shopping for a foodie this Christmas (or even if you are not) here is my broad guide to great Christmas gifts for the kitchen.  It’s a series of things that I love that make life in the kitchen better.  If you have any comments on things that I have listed or have things that I have missed, leave them in the comments.

Inexpensive Christmas Gifts & Stocking Stuffers: Under $25 

Wine Aerator

Adding air and slowing down the pour of your wine enhances flavor and bouquet. This unique aerator by slows the flow and gently adds oxygen into the wine by funnelling it through a series of channels inside.

Wondering if a wine aerator is worth the money and hassle?  It depends on the kind of wines that you drink.

Red wines intended to have earthy flavors or age for years in a cellar (and often cost more than $10 or $15) can get to their optimal flavor faster with aeration. Inexpensive and fruity red wines are often fruitiest and most enjoyable directly from the bottle and either don’t improve or taste worse with aeration. White wines (especially fruity white wines) generally don’t improve with aeration.

• Available from Amazon | $6

Soapstone Whisky Chilling Stones

Don’t let melting ice water down your drinks.  Instead use cold frozen soapstones to keep your whiskey cold and preserve it’s rich taste.

• Get it from Amazon | $3

Silicon Pastry Mat

Silicone's is both flexible and things won't stick to it.  It's ideal for rolling pastry and cookies.  It not only makes things easier on you but it means you can use less flour, resulting in a more delicate and tender product which means everyone wins.

• Purchase from Amazon | $10

Thoughtful yet Inexpensive Christmas Presents:  $25 to $50 

CucinaPro Pasta Fresh machine

Nothing beats a plate of truly fresh pasta. And now it's easy to roll out your own at home. Whether the craving is for spaghetti or fettuccine, this sturdy machine handles the job with efficiency and style. CuninaPro pasta maker looks great on the counter and is easy to use--there's nothing to plug in as this is the tried-and-true hand-crank variety.

The easy-lock adjustable dough-dialer rolls thick or thin pasta, and it comes with spaghetti and fettuccine cutters. Cutters for tagliatelle, ravioli and angel hair pasta are available separately

• Purchase from Amazon.com | $29

Aeropress Coffee Press

It makes one of the best cups of coffee you'll ever taste. This innovative uses the ideal water temperature and gentle air pressure brewing to produce coffee and espresso that has rich flavour with lower acidity and without bitterness. It makes 1 to 4 cups of coffee or espresso (enough for 1 or 2 mugs), features a micro filtered for grit free coffee, and takes just 1 minute to make coffee (actual press time takes only 20 seconds).

 Here is how it works

• Purchase from Amazon | $25

• Find it online at Amazon.com for $23

Belgium Waffle Iron

Enjoy delicious fluffy Belgian waffles with the Hamilton Beach Belgian Style Flip Waffle Maker. Made with easy to clean non-stick grids to bake the perfect waffle with deep pockets to hold butter and syrup. The indicator lights let you know just when to add the batter and the removable tray and grids make for easy clean-up.

• Purchase from Amazon | $35

Oxo Kitchen Scale

A scale is really necessary if you're going to do serious cooking because wherever possible, you should measure your ingredients by weight, not by volume. 

A given mass of flour can vary a lot in volume, depending on things like humidity, temperature, and how long it's been sitting.  A weight indicator shows the capacity left on the Scale before maximum capacity is reached. Press the zero button to offset the weight of a container or to set the weight back to zero to add additional ingredients. The display features large, easy-to-read numbers which measure in 1/8-ounce and 1-gram increments and the platform can be removed for cleaning. The Scale has a 5-pound capacity and two AAA batteries are included.

• Purchase from Amazon | $25

Cusinart Immersion Blender

Don't buy a cheap one--stick with Braun, Cuisinart, or KitchenAid.  They aren’t cutting edge but if you don’t have one, you don’t know what you are missing.  I use mine for my making Caesar Salad Dressing, mixing up packets of mix and pureeing soups

• Find it at Amazon | $35

With a stylish design and durable stainless steel carafe, this 8-cup coffeemaker is perfect for home, office or practically anywhere you want hot, fresh coffee at the touch of a button. All this, plus an easy-clean control panel and dishwasher-safe removable parts for effortless cleanup.  The advantage of the carafe is that you won’t be stuck with hot burnt coffee in case you don’t get it off the maker in time.  The coffee will be as hot and fresh later as it is right now.

• Purchase from Amazon | $48

• Available from Amazon for $57

The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking

 

With more than half a million copies of their books in print, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François have proven that people want to bake their own bread, so long as they can do it easily and quickly. Based on fan feedback, Jeff and Zoë have completely revamped their first, most popular, and now-classic book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Responding to their thousands of ardent fans, Jeff and Zoë returned to their test kitchens to whip up more delicious baking recipes. They’ve also included a gluten-free chapter, forty all-new gorgeous color photos, and one hundred informative black-and-white how-to photos. They’ve made the “Tips and Techniques” and “Ingredients” chapters bigger and better than ever before, and included readers’ Frequently Asked Questions.

This revised edition also includes more than thirty brand-new recipes for Beer-Cheese Bread, Crock-Pot Bread, Panini, Pretzel Buns, Apple-Stuffed French Toast, and many more. There’s nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread to fill a kitchen with warmth, eager appetites, and endless praise. Now, using Jeff and Zoë’s innovative technique, you can create bread that rivals those of the finest bakers in the world in just five minutes of active preparation time.

• You can get it for $19 from Amazon

 Alcohol Dispenser for Vodka, Whiskey, etc

For centuries, whiskies have been aged in wooden kegs. The charring on the inside of the keg helps to filter the beverage from impurities while also giving whiskey its unique, brown color. 
To celebrate the advent of the slow, smoothing, and character building process of aging liquors, here is a handsome glass keg decanter complete with a wooden resting cradle. 

• Find it at Amazon | $60 

Lodge Pre-Seasoned Sportsman's Charcoal Grill

If you are a griller who loves to cook on charcoal, you will want to check out this cast iron hibachi grill.

• Measures 19 by 10-1/4 by 8-1/4-inch; limited lifetime warranty.
• 2 Adjustable heights temper cooking speed; wash by hand
• Draft door regulates heat; coals accessible behind flip-down door
• Cooking grate measures 17-1/4 by 9-inch; seasoned and ready to use
• Rugged, charcoal, hibachi-style grill made of durable cast iron

• Purchase at Amazon.com | $95

Bodum Tea Press

A lovely way to brew tea to your exact preference, the Bodum Shin Cha tea press combines elegant shaping with crafty functionality. The spherical glass pot features a stainless-steel plunge infuser inside and a stainless-steel lid. Fill the infuser with loose leaf or tea bags, add hot water, wait the desired amount of steeping time, then plunge. The plunger pushes the tea below the infuser holes, so brewing stops on a dime and tea does not over steep to the point of bitterness. To clean up, the unit goes safely in the dishwasher. With its glass spout, body, and handle, the Shin Cha showcases tea colors beautifully but does require somewhat careful handling. 

• Purchase at Amazon.com | $67

Burr coffee grinder

For grinding larger quantities of coffee beans for a coffee-drinking crowd, Capresso's commercial-grade Infinity grinder handles 8-1/2 ounces of beans at a time. Sixteen different settings--four each in the four categories of extra fine, fine, regular, and coarse--let you adjust the grind to the specific blend of coffee and method of brewing. The finest setting is ideal for preparing Turkish coffee, which is a rare feature to find in a grinder.

A built-in timer sets the grind for anywhere between 5 and 60 seconds so you can walk away without having to constantly press a button to continue the grinding process. The Infinity has an advanced conical burr design made of steel that is usually only found on commercial grinders. This burr design slows down the gears and reduces the amount of friction and heat to preserve coffee's flavour and aroma. The coffee container holds up to 4 ounces of grounds and remains sealed during grinding. For safety, the bean container also needs to be locked into place for the Infinity to operate. For easy cleaning, the bean container and upper burr lift off so you can clean the grinding chamber with the included brush and wipe down the exterior housing.

• Purchase from Amazon | $100

Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler

Yes you have a George Forman grill but this is so much more than that.  The Cuisinart Griddler is actually five appliances in one. A hinged, floating cover and one set of removable and reversible cooking plates turn the Griddler into a contact grill, panini press, full grill, full griddle, or half grill/half griddle. Dual temperature controls and indicator lights make this product easy to use.

Kitchenaid Convection Oven

It’s a great replacement for the stove in the summer and a supplement to the oven when you are making a big meal or for parties.  I am surprised how much cooking and baking I can do with it.

• Purchase at Amazon | $130

Kitchenaid Stand Mixer

The Professional 600 TM has a powerful motor that is crafted for commercial-style performance, the direct drive, all-steel gear transmission delivers unyielding power for professional results. The mixer can effectively mix up to 14 cups of all-purpose flour per recipe and produce up to 8 pounds of mashed potatoes. The Soft Start mixing feature helps minimize ingredient splatter and flour puff with gentle acceleration to selected speed after start-up. Electronic Speed Sensor monitors operation to maintain precise mixer speed. Commercial-style motor protection automatically shuts off the mixer when overload is sensed to protect the motor. Durable all-steel gears provide reliable service. The mixer includes a 6-quart-capacity stainless-steel mixing bowl with a contoured handle, as well as a professional wire whip, a burnished flat beater, a spiral dough hook, and a one piece pouring shield. Its multipurpose attachment hub with a hinged hub cover flips open to allow for easy installation of attachments. The Professional 600 Series bowl-lift design raises the bowl into the mixing position, and its solid, truly seamless one-piece motor head design is easy to clean and comes in a variety of fashionable colors.

• Purchase from Amazon.com | $329

• Full tang extends the length of the knife, adding balance and strength
• Triple-riveted, ergonomic handle ensures comfort and control
• Satin-finish, stainless steel blade provides precise cutting, peeling and slicing
• 18 Pieces Forged Premio Knife Block. Set Includes 3 inches paring knife, 5 inches serrated utility knife, 6 inches utility knife, 7 inches santoku hollow edge, 8 inches chef's knife, 9 inches sharpening steel, 8 inches bread knife, 5 inches boning knife, kitchen shears.Stamped Steak Knives (8 Pieces) Hardwood Block

• Find it at Amazon | $200

If you are looking for a set of knives a step up in quality, check out the Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Signature 19-Piece Knife Set with Block for $330.  If you want to go nuts on a knife set, you will want to look at the Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Pro-S 18-Piece Knife Set with Block

The J.A. Henckels Twin Professional S (or Pro S) knife series features trustworthy quality and classic three-rivet styling--it’s a line of knives admired by both professional chefs and home cooks of all skill levels. The Twin Pro S line contains knives for all tasks, including the following open stock knife types: parer, bread, peeling, sandwich, utility, carving, steak, chef’s, Granton edge slicer, santoku, and others. Twin Pro S knives are also available in a range of block sets and gift sets, to be sure that your cutlery needs are covered.

 

Out of Old Saskatchewan Kitchens

• Get it locally at McNally Robinson or from Chapters/Indigo for $25.

Canon Powershot S120

 

For the Foodie and food reviewer on your list, check out the Canon Powershot S120 camera.  Why do you want it?  It’s compact and great in low light which means that your food shots in a restaurant or even in your own home won’t need a flash.  No more washed out looking meals or annoying waiters and those around you.  Great photos also mean better reviews and more traffic to your blog.

If you are looking for more or past Christmas Gift Guides, check out my husbands excellent series of Christmas gift and idea guides that he posts each year on his website.  If you think I am missing something, let me know in the comments below.

This isn’t playing well in Scotland

Whisky expert Jim Murray described the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 as a drink of “near incredible genius”, awarding it 97.5 marks out of 100 in the 2015 World Whisky Bible.

To add insult to injury it is the first time in the Whisky Bible’s 12-year history that a Scottish malt has failed to make the top five drams. It is also the first year that a Japanese whisky claimed the highest accolade.

Mr Murray, who oversees the review that samples over 4,500 different whiskies, labelled the results a “wake up call” for Scottish distilleries, claiming the winner was “a single malt which no Scotch can at the moment get anywhere near”.

Cut fruits or berries onto your ice trays and fill the rest with water. It will make your drinks taste so much better plus add a splash of color.

Coke acts as an acidic cleaner. The amount of acid in soda is enough to wear away at the enamel of your teeth, making them more susceptible to decay. In tests done on the acidity levels of soda, certain ones were found to have PH levels as low as 2.5. To put that into perspective, consider that battery acid has a pH of 1 and pure water has a pH of 7.

1. Removes grease stains from clothing and fabric
2. Removes rust; methods include using fabric dipped in Coke, a sponge or even aluminum foil. Also loosens rusty bolts
3. Removes blood stains from clothing and fabric.
4. Cleans oil stains from a garage floor; let the stain soak, hose off.
5. Kills slugs and snails; the acids kills them.
6. Cleans burnt pans; let the pan soak in the Coke, then rinse.
7. Descales a kettle (same method as with burnt pans)
8. Cleans car battery terminals by pouring a small amount of Coke over each one.
9. Cleans your engine; Coke distributors have been using this technique for decades.
10. Makes pennies shine; soaking old pennies in Coke will remove the tarnish.
11. Cleans tile grout; pour onto kitchen floor, leave for a few minutes, wipe up.
12. Dissolves a tooth; Use a sealed container…takes a while but it does work.
13. Removes gum from hair; dip into a small bowl of Coke, leave a few minutes. Gum will wipe off.
14. Removes stains from vitreous china.
15. Got a dirty pool? Adding two 2-liter bottles of Coke clears up rust.
16. You can remove (or fade) dye from hair by pouring diet Coke over it.
17. Remove marker stains from carpet. Applying Coke, scrubbing and then clean with soapy water will remove marker stains.
18. Cleans a toilet; pour around bowl, leave for a while, flush clean.
19. Coke and aluminum foil will bring Chrome to a high shine.
20. Strips paint off metal furniture. Soak a towel in Coke and lay it on the paint surface.

Ingredients

• Oil
• 1 Envelope Onion Soup Mix
• 1 Cup Unbleached All-purpose Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1/2 Cup beer
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• Use any of the following to equal 4 to 5 cups—broccoli florets, cauliflower’s, sliced mushrooms, sliced zucchini or chilled spears of mozzarella cheese.

Directions

1. In deep fat fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees F. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat golden onion recipe soup mix, flour, baking powder, eggs, mustard and beer until smooth and well blended. Let batter stand 10 minutes.
2. Dip vegetables into bater, then carefully drop into hot oil.
3. Fry, turning once, until golden brown; drain on paper towels. Serve warm.
4. Makes about 4 cups 

Ingredients

• 3 tb Oil
• 4 lg Onions, chopped
• 2 cl Garlic, crushed
• 1 tb Prepared mustard
• 2 tb Flour
• 1 1/2 c Ale
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 Sprigs parsley
• 1/4 ts Peppercorns
• 1/2 ts Thyme
• 1 t Salt
• 1 t Sugar
• 1/4 ts Grated nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg.F. Trim beef and brown in a skillet in hot oil.
2. Transfer beef to a casserole and brown onions in oil. Add garlic, mustard, and flour. Stir in ale and add the bouquet garnish ingredients, tying them in a small piece of cheesecloth. 
3. Add salt, sugar, and nutmeg.
4. Pour sauce over browned beef. Cover casserole and place in the oven for 2 hours.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Bisquick
• 1/3 cup corn meal
• 1 tablespoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 4 -6 oz of beer
• 2 pounds of fish fillets

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients and add beer to get a sticky consistency for dipping.
2. Salt fish and dip in batter.  
3. Deep fry at 375 degrees until fish is golden brown.

Note: Fillets of most fish including striped bass, flounder, catfish, walleye, white bass, black bass, snapper, red fish, grouper, and white perch will work.

Ingredients

• 4 cups milk
• 5 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups light rum
• 4 cups light cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

• Combine milk, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and cinnamon in a saucepan, and heat over lowest setting for 5 minutes. Slowly bring milk mixture to a boil.
• In a large bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar. Whisk together until fluffy. Whisk hot milk mixture slowly into the eggs. Pour mixture into saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, or until thick. Do not allow mixture to boil. Strain to remove cloves, and let cool for about an hour.
• Stir in rum, cream, 2 teaspoon vanilla, and nutmeg. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 large (11-inch x 9-inch x 2 3/8-inch) aluminum foil baking pan
• 2 to 3 cans (12 ounces each) beer
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, sliced
• Bratwurst

Directions

1. Put the pan right on the grill, being careful not to singe your knuckle hair. Pour in the beer, and add the butter and onions.
2. Grill your bratwurst to a juicy, golden-brown perfection.
3. Serve immediately to your hungry guests and place any remaining brats into the steaming hot tub.
4. When folks are ready for seconds or thirds--or when stragglers show up late - grab a bratwurst out of the hot tub and enjoy!

A great Mother's Day gift from Indigo!

Have plenty of cold refreshments on hand for all your guests with our lovely glass dispenser. Its clear glass shows off iced teas, punches or even bright lemon slices in iced water to pretty effect. Best of all, guests can serve themselves, leaving you with one less thing to do! For use with cold liquids only. Hand-wash. 253 oz. capacity, 12” high

The number of individuals who know how to make a can of Coke is zero. 

Coca-Cola is made from a syrup produced by the Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta. The main ingredient in the formula used in the United States is a sweetener called high-fructose corn syrup 55, so named because it is 55 per cent fructose or “fruit sugar” and 42 per cent glucose or “simple sugar” — the same ratio of fructose to glucose as natural honey. HFCS is made by grinding wet corn until it becomes cornstarch. The cornstarch is mixed with an enzyme secreted by a rod-shaped bacterium called Bacillus and an enzyme secreted by a mold called Aspergillus. This process creates the glucose. A third enzyme, also derived from bacteria, is then used to turn some of the glucose into fructose.

The second ingredient, caramel coloring, gives the drink its distinctive dark brown color. There are four types of caramel coloring — Coca Cola uses type E150d, which is made by heating sugars with sulfite and ammonia to create bitter brown liquid. The syrup’s other principal ingredient is phosphoric acid, which adds acidity and is made by diluting burnt phosphorus (created by heating phosphate rock in an arc-furnace) and processing it to remove arsenic.

A much smaller proportion of the syrup is flavors. These include vanilla, which is the fruit of a Mexican orchid that has been dried and cured for around three months; cinnamon, the inner bark of a Sri Lankan tree; coca-leaf which comes from South America and is processed in a unique US government authorized factory in New Jersey to remove its addictive stimulant cocaine; and kola nut, a red nut found on a tree which grows in the African Rain Forest (this may be the origin of Coca-Cola’s distinctive red logo).

The final ingredient is caffeine, a stimulating alkaloid that can be derived from the kola nut, coffee beans and other sources.

All these ingredients are combined and boiled down to a concentrate, then transported from the Coca-Cola Company factory in Atlanta to Downey where the concentrate is diluted with water infused with carbon dioxide. Some of the carbon dioxide turns to gas in the water, and these gas bubbles give it effervescence, also know as “fizz,” after its sound. 12 ounces of this mixture is poured into the can.

• 2 large ribeye steaks
• 1 large red onion chopped
• 2 cups of whole pealed garlic, chopped
• 1 heaping tablespoon of course seasoned Lawry's salt
• 1 cup of whiskey

1. Put steaks into a one gallon ziplock bag with the red onion and garlic.  Add heaping tablespoon of Lawry seasoned salt and 1 cup of whiskey.
2. Gets as much air out of the bag as you can and seal it.
3. Let marinate at two hours at room temperature while turning the bag over every 15 minutes.
4. Cook on hot grill
5. Put marinade into hot pot to simmer.
6. Let steaks rest for 10 minutes and then spoon garlic and onion over the top of the steaks.

In the video below he tells you what to do if someone puts ice in your whiskey.

Fun even if you aren't a whiskey drinker.  

Richard Paterson is one of the world’s best-known Master Blenders, having travelled the globe extensively as an ambassador not just for Whyte & Mackay, but for Scotland, becoming a Master Blender at the incredibly early age of 26.

The Master Blender’s role is undeniably one of the most important and complex in the whisky making process.
With a truly unique talent for ‘nosing whisky’, one of the main tasks of the position is nosing often hundreds of samples of whisky over the course of a day, and being able to distinguish each to maintain particular layers of flavour, aroma and depth.

The Master Blender is ultimately responsible for creating whiskies, watching them closely as they mature, maintaining quality and ensuring they are released when they are their best.

Richard began his career as a general production assistant at A. Giles & Company Whisky Blenders & Brokers where he learned the art of blending before joining Whyte & Mackay, one of Scotland’s leading makers and distributors of Scotch whisky. Richard is a former president of The Wine & Spirit Club of Scotland and the Institute of Wine & Spirits in Scotland.

He has been awarded The Spirit of Scotland Trophy at the International Wine & Spirit Competition and is a Diploma Lecturer for Scotch Whisky for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust in London. In 2008 Richard published his very own book, Goodness Nose.

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From the New York Magazine

What is decanting? Simply put, it means transferring (decanting) the contents of a wine bottle into another receptacle (the decanter) before serving. It may sound silly (how can pouring wine from one vessel into another make it taste better?), but it works.

Wine geeks love to sit around for hours and debate the pros and cons of this procedure, but I'm confident -- based on my experience of opening, decanting and tasting hundreds of thousands of bottles of wine -- that careful decanting can improve most any wine.

Obviously, it's not the mere act of shifting liquid from one container to another that accounts for the magic of decanting. Rather, when you decant a bottle of wine, two things happen. First, slow and careful decanting allows wine (particularly older wine) to separate from its sediment, which, if left mixed in with the wine, will impart a very noticeable bitter, astringent flavor. Second, when you pour wine into a decanter, the resulting agitation causes the wine to mix with oxygen, enabling it to develop and come to life at an accelerated pace (this is particularly important for younger wine).

Check out the New York Magazine for information on how to decant.

Click if you want a full sized graphic.

From the Globe and Mail

As the wine flows, it undergoes turbulence, accelerating its contact with air. Oxygen can enhance a wine’s aroma and also, especially in the case of reds, soften astringent tannins. The wine will taste more complex and smoother. Even young bottles can benefit, especially those sealed under screw cap. If you don’t own an aerator… you can accomplish much the same effect with a decanter or any pitcher. Empty the bottle into the vessel, then pour it from the decanter into glasses. Or, if you don’t have a decanter, swirl the wine in your glass.

While you are at it, you may as well learn how to taste wine properly.

Ingredients

• 1 banana cut into 1 inch slices
• 1 mango, pealed, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups of pineapple or orange juice, chilled
• 1 (8 ounce) container vanilla yogurt

Directions

1. Process banana slices, mango, juice, and yogurt into blender until smooth.  Scrape sides of blender and mix.  Serve immediately.

Jones Soda Co., looking for a marketing advantage, is making the switch to pure cane sugar from high fructose corn syrup as a soda sweetener.

"It's better for you, it's better-tasting and, overall, it's better for the environment," Peter van Stolk, the company's chief executive officer, said Tuesday.

Seattle-based Jones, which makes root beer, cream soda and quirky drinks with flavors such as turkey and gravy, will sell 12-ounce canned sodas with pure cane sugar after Jan. 1. All of the company's products will make the switch by mid-2007, van Stolk said.

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