Thursday, December 29, 2016

Gifts For The Foodie In Your Life

It's no secret that I'm a foodie. Big time. I absolutely love to cook, and love to find new gadgets and tools to make my meals even more amazing.

My sweetie is my guinea pig. He eats each and every one of my experiments without question.....and usually without complaint.

There aren't many fails, although there have been one or two.
 
Not only does he eat all my concoctions, he encourages me to experiment more and more.

And he regularly gifts me with amazing kitchen tools to aid me in my efforts.

Christmas was no different, and I am so blessed. Sweetie consulted a chef friend of ours in order to find me the very best knives.


Let me tell you something, I really thought my knife set was a good one. I had a full set of Calphalon knives, which I've been using for about 6 years. I cooked a LOT of great meals using those knives!
 
But I have to admit they are absolutely nothing compared to these Shun knives. Oh my goodness, just amazing! The feel in my hand, the weight, the sharpness....oh my gosh, the sharpness. Do you know you are more likely to cut yourself when using a dull knife than when using a sharp one? True.
 
My daughter will inherit my Calphalon set when she moves out....it's already boxed up for her.
 
Sweetie also surprised me with a new set of cookware - I guess he really, REALLY wants me to keep cooking for him!
 
 
This is the newest set that Calphalon makes, with a ceramic nonstick interior. Gorgeous cookware, and replaces an older Calphalon set that....guess who.....gave me as a gift about 5 years ago.
 
Guess who will inherit the older Calphalon set?
 
She's going to be in good shape, kitchen wise, when she moves out!
 
Isn't that a gorgeous set of cookware? I have only used two of the pots so far, but they clean up so beautifully with  no effort at all - love it!
 
I have already shared a couple of my other favorite kitchen items in a previous post, but here's a reminder.
 
 
My red Le Creuset Dutch Oven is one of the most used items in my well stocked kitchen. I simply adore this pot, and I'm so glad I finally bit the bullet and bought it last year.
 
 
I also told you recently about the new toy I had discovered a while back - my Sous Vide. Well, I used it to cook my Christmas Dinner and it was so amazingly fabulous, without a doubt the most perfect cooking gadget I own.
 
I made a roast tenderloin of beef, and I wanted it to be between medium rare and medium, so I set the Sous Vide for 140 degrees.
 
I cut the large tenderloin in half, seasoned each half well with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Each half went into a gallon size freezer Ziploc bag with a drizzle of good olive oil, some rosemary from my herb garden on the deck, and 5 smashed garlic cloves.
 
When we were just about ready to sit down, I took out the tenderloin and browned it in a hot pan.
 
It was done exactly the way I wanted it - no guessing, just perfect! I served the beef with mashed potatoes, peas & pearl onions, a creamy horseradish sauce, and a beef demi glace. And warm, fluffy dinner rolls, of course.
 
Heaven....pure heaven. The perfect Christmas dinner, without a doubt.
 
The next night when I was heating up the leftovers, the Ziploc bag went right into the Sous Vide again. That beef was heated up perfectly, still amazingly moist, and still at the perfect temperature - pure genius, this thing, I'm telling you! Worth every cent and then some, without a doubt.
 
I bought mine at Amazon over the summer, using credit card points I had to bring the price down. But it truly is a gadget that's worth the money.
 
So, although Christmas is over, there are always other gift giving occasions such as Valentine's Day, birthdays, anniversaries.
 
Keep these gifts in mind for the foodies in your life.
 
They will repay you with amazing meals, time after time!
 
 
 
 
 

30 comments:

  1. These look great and I do think your sweetie must just love your cooking skills. I don't have a foodie in my life, but if I did, I'd want them to have these. Happy cooking on the mountain!
    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think his tummy is pretty happy with the way it gets treated around here, Brenda!

      Delete
  2. Oh, I am so happy to see that you now have Shun knives!! My hubby works for a restaurant supply store and he started buying Shun knives a few years ago. I thought my Globals were nice but these are absolutely unparalleled! I just bought my daughter-in-law that same set of ceramic cookware - so easy to clean and healthier to cook with! Happy Holidays to you. I so enjoy (and look forward) to your lovely posts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Janicek - wow, you are such a good mother in law, I'm sure your daughter in law was delighted with that cookware set!! Happy Holidays to you as well!

      Delete
  3. You know the old saying..."the way to a man's heart... He is one lucky sweetie. :) Glad to read you had a fun Christmas. Isn't it wonderful to receive gifts that are so right for you from someone you love. hugs

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well some one is loving your cooking. :):) I like the things your sweetheart bought you. I like the idea of ceramic coated. My grandson is a fabulous cook. I think he prepares most of the meals for him and his wife. :) Blessings, xoxo, Susie
    p.s. yes saving the used things for your daughter is a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have been saving linens, curtains, shower curtains, kitchen items - you name it, I've been saving it for my daughters!! They will be in good shape when they move out, Susie!

      Delete
  5. Your daughter is gonna be all fixed up for cooking when she moves out.
    Does she share your love of cooking?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Neither of them shares my love of cooking, but perhaps someday they will! They have it too good where they are - mommy does all the shopping, cooking, etc - why would they ever move out? :)

      Delete
  6. You have some wonderful gifts here and a smart man. I had to laugh to myself...YEARS ago my sister had gifted me with a knife set...SUPER sharp...and the following year I used one of those knives ( for cooking! ) to rip up carpet here :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh wow, Deb, that's hysterical!! Did you ever tell your sister what you used the knives for? :)

      Delete
  7. Wow what a nice knife set! Love the red pots and your sweetie is a sweetie.
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My sweetie IS a sweetie, Lisa!! You got that right!! :)

      Delete
  8. I have never been big on loving to cook. Don't like the clean up either! LOL....Great gifts!

    ReplyDelete
  9. My husband is the cook in the family and he would love all of those items! I, however, just love the cook! ;) Well...him and the food!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Those knives look fabulous! That is really where I am lacking. I so need a good, sharp set of knives. Thanks for the recommendation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure, Pattie! I have never had a set of knives like this, that's for sure!! I was wondering if you have ever used a Sous Vide, since you are such a foodie?

      Delete
  11. I agree that a good chef's knife is a must! My mom bought me a carbon steel Mundial years ago and I use it every day, if not several times a day. She also bought me an electric knife sharpener...which reminds me, I need to sharpen my knife! Cooks Illustrated recommended a Victorinox knife which I have on my amazon wish list. And it's only $35! My mom has this knife and she said it's the best knife she's ever used. So it is possible to get a good knife at a decent price (for those who are budget-minded). Here's the link in case you or anyone else is interested: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008M5U1C2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1673VJ62ZCJJR&coliid=I3RPE0EI09C62K

    Nice cookware your sweetie got you, too! I have a set of stainless steel Cuisinart which I absolutely adore and so far has lasted about 10 years and still looks fantastic. I use cast iron pans for when I need non-stick (for eggs, etc).

    Your Christmas dinner sounded fantastic - I was drooling just reading about it! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha, try not to drool on your keyboard, Melanie! Thanks for the heads up on those knives - I'm sure my readers would love to have a lower priced option that has reviews like those do!

      Delete
  12. I so need a new set of kitchen knives and will be looking into these! My mom bought me a set of those "green pans" at Costco and I love them! They really do conduct the heat better than my older Calphalon pans do and the clean up is a breeze!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not familiar with the 'green pans' at Costco as I'm almost never in that store but I'm glad you're happy with them, Debbie - what a great gift!!

      Delete
  13. Sounds like you got some great gifts from your sweetie! I love cooking too, but don't experiment a whole lot.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm always happy to experiment, Jann, and so happy that most of the experiments are successful! The only epic fail I remember was a crock pot pork chop recipe that was just brutal - I shudder at the thought of it!

      Delete
  14. That was brilliant of your sweetie!

    I love cookware shops better than any other, although when my daughter took me for the first time to a Sephora shop for the first time years ago I felt like I was having an out of body experience.

    Happy New Year, Mountain Mama,
    Dewena

    P.S. What I always love about seeing pics of your kitchen is that I truly think you honestly love to cook better than anyone I know!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I honestly do love to cook, Dewena, it's a simple pleasure of mine! Same as you, I can get lost in a kitchen store for hours....but I can also get lost in Sephora for the same amount of time!! :) Happy New Year, Dewena!! xo

      Delete

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment...I truly love reading your comments and I try to respond to each and every one of your sweet comments right here on my blog page!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
09 10