Last Minute Holiday Cooking Gifts

Are you still looking for a gift to get for a cook in your house? I’ve compiled a list of 10 under $25 gifts that won’t break the bank, and are a welcome addition to even the most well equipped chef.

1. Oil Mister, from Williams-Sonoma. $15.

This thing is a great way to both oil down your pans and save the environment.  I used to go through can after can of store bought aerosol oil sprays, which were likely both overpriced and not 100% oil.  This hand pumped aerator can be filled with any oil of your choice, as well as the option of infusing your oil with any number of herbs.

2. Paring Knife, by Kuhn Rikon. $10.

A carbon blade ensures that this knife doesn’t weigh you down and stays sharper without the need for constant resharpening.  It comes in your choice of nine colors, and is great for those quick slice jobs where a typical chef’s knife is just totally unreasonable.  I use this on an almost daily basis.

3. 11 5/8 x 16 1/2 Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat, by Silpat. $20.

Any good baker knows that parchment paper is a handy thing to have in stock if you want those cookies to come off a pan that’s been cooking in a hot oven without breaking them.  This silicone mat is an excellent replacement, oven safe, and again, its re-usability is a great plus for those who want to be more green in the new decade.  Buy two if your baker makes large batches of cookies.

4.  Benriner Japanese Mandoline Slicer, by Kyocera. $19.

This things slices. It dices. It…wait. No, it just slices…but it slices quickly, and beautifully.  It’s a great tool for those looking to make latkes, salads, or hashes.  It also comes with four blades, you can choose what kind of slices you want.

5. Short Black Turner, by KitchenAid. $10.

This silicon turner is another must have that I use daily.  The silicon construction ensures that it can up to 450 degrees Farenheit, which is great when you need to flip anything cooking in the oven.  You can also opt for a slotted turner, but I prefer a non-slotted turner so I can also use it to turn pancakes without having to buy two.

6. Silicone Splatter Guard, by Williams-Sonoma. $20.

Does your food attack you when you cook?  I’m not talking about a pack of chicken that’s been sitting in the back of your fridge since 2003, long since forgotten, or even a dancing gang of minced garlic looking for revenge.  Well, actually, I am talking about the latter.  Anyone who’s spent any time cooking in the kitchen with high temperatures and oils knows it can get dicey pretty quickly.  One of these will really help take the danger out of cooking.  Just place it on top of your pan on the stove, and you’re good to go!

7. Come-Apart Kitchen Shears, by Wüsthof. $20.

These kitchen shears are another handy item.  Cuts open plastic packages as easy as it cuts through beef jerky, and even comes apart for an easy cleaning.  It’s suited for either right handers or more sinister left handers, so everybody’s happy.

8. Hana Cutting Board, by Totally Bamboo. $13.

These bamboo cutting boards are fantastic!  Stronger and more durable than maple, and ensure’s you’re not eating those little slivers of plastic from that $2 IKEA cutting board you’ve been using for the past five years.  You see all those slices in that plastic cutting board?  Well, they have to end up somewhere, don’t they?

9. Wine Stopper/Pourer Combination, by OXO. $10.

I’m no wino, but Jen is one of the biggest vino lovers I know.  She once pushed me out of the bed in her sleep in favor of a bottle of ’04 Rombauer.  True story.  This wine stopper fits in pretty much all but one bottle I’ve tried, and also acts as a pourer with the use of a simple lever on the side.  How does that story about Jen relate? I don’t have the slightest clue.  Nothing to see her, move along.

10. 1.5 Quart Round Slow Cooker (Crockpot), by Proctor Silex. $18.

Every cook should own a decent crockpot.  Great for making chilies, slow cooking tough meats to break down the fibers, or any fucking number of things you want to cook, but just don’t have the time.  You can essentially toss in the ingredients, set it to cook, and have a hot, home cooked meal ready for you after a long day at work.  Five speeds? WHY NOT.  Seriously though, I’ve been meaning to get one myself, and maybe I can ask Santa for one this year…

So go out and spoil your cook with any number of these, if they don’t have them already.  You’re bound to get some more variety in your meals, and an easy gift to check off that list you’ve got this holiday season. Enjoy!

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