Photos: Phillip Massey / WireImage.com; Amazon.com
Last Monday we kicked off our 12 days of chef-inspired gift giving. Stay tuned every morning through December 24th for ideas from the pros on the best gifts for cooks. And see the links at the bottom of the post to catch up on days you've missed.
On the eighth day of Christmas, a domestic goddess gave to me...
The Chef: Nigella Lawson
Book/shows: Author of many best-selling cookbooks, among them Nigella Christmas, Nigella Fresh, and the recently published Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home (from her Food Network show of the same name).
The Gift: The one gift I always like to give is an electric rice cooker. My Zojirushi rice cooker saved my life when my children were little. It keeps rice hot -- safely -- for a whole day, which means you can pop the rice cooker on in the morning, spend a day out with the kids and then be only a few minutes away from a wholesome meal when you get back. Stir through leftover chicken and sweet corn and you've got supper; but even plain rice with a little low-sodium soy sauce keeps a hungry child from becoming fractious. I still use mine regularly even though the kids are grown. Rice goes with everything to make a meal, and electric rice cookers can deal with any kind of rice, and indeed cook other cereals such as barley. If you need to cook - whether for family or when entertaining - at the end of a busy day at work, this is a go-to gadget, which makes it my big-time, go-to gift.
Where to Get Them: Available at department stores (such as Macy's), and online.
Find out the other chefs' suggestions:
The First Day of Christmas: Carla Hall, The Second Day of Christmas: José Andrés, The Third Day of Christmas: Wolfgang Puck, The Fourth Day of Christmas: Lidia Bastianich, The Fifth Day of Christmas: Gail Simmons, The Sixth Day of Christmas: Alex Guarnaschell; The Seventh Day of Christmas: Candace Nelson
On the eighth day of Christmas, a domestic goddess gave to me...
The Chef: Nigella Lawson
Book/shows: Author of many best-selling cookbooks, among them Nigella Christmas, Nigella Fresh, and the recently published Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home (from her Food Network show of the same name).
The Gift: The one gift I always like to give is an electric rice cooker. My Zojirushi rice cooker saved my life when my children were little. It keeps rice hot -- safely -- for a whole day, which means you can pop the rice cooker on in the morning, spend a day out with the kids and then be only a few minutes away from a wholesome meal when you get back. Stir through leftover chicken and sweet corn and you've got supper; but even plain rice with a little low-sodium soy sauce keeps a hungry child from becoming fractious. I still use mine regularly even though the kids are grown. Rice goes with everything to make a meal, and electric rice cookers can deal with any kind of rice, and indeed cook other cereals such as barley. If you need to cook - whether for family or when entertaining - at the end of a busy day at work, this is a go-to gadget, which makes it my big-time, go-to gift.
Where to Get Them: Available at department stores (such as Macy's), and online.
Find out the other chefs' suggestions:
The First Day of Christmas: Carla Hall, The Second Day of Christmas: José Andrés, The Third Day of Christmas: Wolfgang Puck, The Fourth Day of Christmas: Lidia Bastianich, The Fifth Day of Christmas: Gail Simmons, The Sixth Day of Christmas: Alex Guarnaschell; The Seventh Day of Christmas: Candace Nelson
