Best. Gift. Ever!
A recent post by someone saying they want their date to bring them different kinds of flour, as opossed to flowers, got me thinking- what's the best culinarty related gift you've ever been given? My boyfriend gave me a crazy and cool herb garden, my sister-in-law gave me a load of her family recipes as well as my first set of pastry tips and bags, my best friend made me a Mexican corn cheesecake for my birthday and my dad, much like he did when I was a little kid, will still take me to Mexican markets and let me pick out whatever strange things I want, usually things I've never eaten or worked with before and the bill's on him- as long as I share whatever it is I make. What about all of you, ever get any food related gifts that you loved?
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16 Comments:
This past Christmas I received an All Clad Slow Cooker and a DeLonghi Stand Mixer. Those were pretty awesome, and right now they rank among my best-loved culinary items.
When I was a teenager, I went through a baking obsession, and my dad took me down to the L.A. restaurant district and bought me s-load of baking equipment -- pastry bags, cake pans, baking sheets, measures, rolling pin, cookie cutters, etc. -- along with a restaurant-style baker's rack to keep it on. Too bad the baking phase didn't last, but that was super generous because we didn't have a lot of extra money for stuff like that.
Hubby treats me to some truly amazing dining experiences. I'm so, so grateful to him for that, because I'd probably never have had an opportunity to eat at many of the restaurants we've visited, had I not met him, and if he didn't share my intense curiosity, sense of adventure, and love of food.
LoCo at 9:02PM on 03/02/08
Le Creuset dutch oven. Hands down.
mmclau28 at 9:10PM on 03/02/08
My ex got me an antique Turkish pepper grinder, it's sooo cool. Such a conversation piece.
I received my wok, my rice cooker, and my waffle iron as gifts, those are pretty nice as well.
lo82070 at 10:51PM on 03/02/08
Demi-glace. Real demi-glace. A chef friend of mine, when we were dating, used to bring me ridiculous amounts of the stuff his cooks whipped up. Around a pint a week, both regular and truffle (which was screamingly, ridiculously good). So much that I ended up giving a good deal of it away as there was no way I was going to be able to use all of it before it went past what I'd assumed was a 6 month freezer shelf life. It spoiled me forever. Luckily we're still really good friends, but the pint a week thing? Not so much. Maybe one every few months. Not complaining though. Still way better than either not having it, the commercially available stuff, or worst yet - making it myself which would never happen.
chisai at 8:01AM on 03/03/08
My parents are usually the ones to give me culinary gifts, or my brother, ove r the laast few years my parents bought me a dutch oven from Le Cruset, 2 All-Clad limited sautée pans, Wusthof knives to add to my collection, this past Christmas one of my presents was the Wüsthof Classic 10-Inch hollow edge ham slicer that I'd had my eye on for a while.
Southern_bella at 8:12AM on 03/03/08
Mom gave me a Kitchen Aid stand mixer when I graduated from culinary school -- I love it, use it nearly every day. Another favorite is my fabulous stovetop popcorn maker -- it was an engagement gift from a friend, and we use it ALL THE TIME.
CookiePie at 9:53AM on 03/03/08
my first microplane grater. i was visiting a friend and she handed me hers to grate some lemon zest. i freaked out after the first pass over the lemon, and she told me to keep it.
cybercita at 10:00AM on 03/03/08
For my birthday one year, I received a Quisinart. I was totally surprised and have loved the thing ever since. That was the best food related gift that I'd ever received.
jonfoxx at 10:14AM on 03/03/08
Twenty-two years ago, an X gave me a set of LeCreuset (Flame) in an attempt to keep my affections. I still have it and use it today.
Come to think of it...That's how I got my Kitchen Aid as well. Black matte finish. Five quart bowl.
Those were really good gifts, but failed in their missions.
chiff0nade at 10:29AM on 03/03/08
Forgot one... I had a Francis Francis espresso/cappucino machine. It was the rounded one you used to see on Will & Grace and still see on Michael Chiarello's shows. I lost it in a custody battle (eye roll).
Well, BF knew I loved this thing so he got me one for Val Day. He even got it in the right color!
My daughter gave me a copy of a Junior League cookbook out of Washington State - from 1912. It's one of my most treasured books. Last year for Christmas, my brother got me a first edition of Bernard Clayton's Book of Breads. Wow did that hit home.
chiff0nade at 10:33AM on 03/03/08
Oh...the gifts! I'm the person who wrote in about flours, not flowers and I truly have no right to complain about my boyfriend's gifts. For my last birthday, he got me a shiny black KitchenAid stand mixer. Best. Gift. Ever. And for our first Christmas together three years ago -- a pepper grinder because he'd noticed what a pepper freak I was. Truthfully, I love every kitchen gift I receive -- immersion blender, measuring spoons, cutting board, small, lime-green ceramic knife, cookbooks, kitchen shears, etc. etc. etc. My loved ones know how to put a beaming smile on my face!
jbeach at 11:43AM on 03/03/08
LOL chiff0nade (earlier post). =) Ugh, I know how those battles go (later post). :(
I don't know if this counts. My xbf gave me a standalone pasta maker as a gift. It auto-kneaded the dough and had different dies (fettucine, linguine, lasagne, udon, ramen, macaroni, and 5-6 others) to extrude through.
When we broke up, he took everything from the kitchen, including stuff my mother and his mother had given to me. I had to fight tooth and nail to keep 1 item - my breadmaker that also makes rice and jam.
My husband and I have been searching for nearly 10 years and have yet to find a pasta machine like it. I don't want buy a Kitchen-Aid food processor just for the pasta die, since I already have a Krups food processor that doesn't really get used very often. :(
Cassaendra at 12:22PM on 03/03/08
My partner, who doesn't know Le Creuset from demi-glace, surprised me with a new stock pot for my birthday a few weeks ago. What makes it such a wonderful gift is that he knows absolutely nothing about food, and was terrified and intimidated about making the purchase. But he'd heard me whining about needing a new stock pot and not being able to afford one, and so, determined to procure a special gift for my birthday, he girded his loins and took the plunge. He ended up giving me a Le Gourmet Chef from the outlet at the Mall of America. He didn't know it when he gave it to me, but it's a tri-ply All-Clad knock-off that is, as far as I can tell, just as good for a third of the price. It's been performing beautifully, and I'm in love. And my man, who was all white-knuckle terror that he might have messed up when he gave me the gift (even though I would, of course, have said that I loved whatever he got me), is thrilled.
tacroy80 at 12:36PM on 03/03/08
For my bridal shower, my mom made me an AMAZING basket. It was filled with artisan salts and sugars, fancy olive oil, every kind of chile powder under the sun, expensive & aged vinegars, really good saffron, etc. Best gift EVER.
Also, everyone who gave me a piece of Le Crueset for the wedding. And the All-Clad pizza stone. And the KitchenAid mixer!
bitchincamero at 1:38PM on 03/03/08
This is a little backwards -- it's a gift I have given close friends and family that they all have profusely thanked me for.
Not all wedding receptions are sit-down dinners. At these events, the bride and groom rarely get to eat anything. So I come prepared with a basket and fill it with an array of appetizers, napkins, wet-naps, plates, forks, etc.
I add a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses (champagne, if it's possible to keep it chilled), and put in in their going-away vehicle.
They've told me it is has proven to be a lifesaver, especially if they were driving all the way to their honeymoon destination. As soon as they got away from the reception, they realized they were starving. (This is from more than a few of the recipients!) So instead of having to stop at a restaurant -- or worse, deal with nasty fast food -- they were able to enjoy their reception food. More than likely, their family members contributed to the food, so the couple was able to tell them later how great it was.
Editmom at 2:11PM on 03/03/08
One of my exes was the son of a food writer, and he asked her to help him make me a handwritten(!) book of some of her recipes as my birthday gift one year. The problem is, it wasn't quite done when my birthday came around, and so he took it back to finish it off. Four years later, it still isn't finished. Fortunately, we're still on good terms, and I've been joking that if I don't get the book by the time he gets married this summer, I'll have to hold his wedding gift hostage.
thebasilqueen at 9:12PM on 03/03/08