"cooking tools" news and stories

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 ninth day of Christmas, a Mexican master gave to me...

The Chef: Richard Sandoval

Restaurants: La Sandía and Zengo (Santa Monica, CA); RAYA at The Ritz-Carlton (Dana Point, CA)

The Gift: A molcajete. It's a unique and personal gift that is central to Mexican cooking - a simple and traditional tool that imparts great texture and adds flavor as the molcajete is seasoned over time.

Where to Find It: Can be purchased at Williams-Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, and other kitchen supply stores. Also available online.

People who love to eat and cook often have a kitchen stocked with the essentials and possess an array of specialty gadgets or food-themed décor. So looking for a dinner party hostess gift or an on-point present for the passionate foodie in your life is often quite the challenge. This year, we've rounded up some of the coolest new tools and goodies we could find – items that are brand-new or unique – to make your holiday shopping just a little easier. What's even better? They're all under $50. Click through the gallery to see our top gift picks.

Hungry for more? Check out all of our Christmas menus, recipes and entertaining tips. If you're all about cookies (who isn't?), we've got 25 days of Christmas cookies. If you want other sorts of sweets, check out Gail Simmons' Christmas desserts.

Additional reporting by Lindsay Damast.

When it comes to my pots and pans, I don't like to play favorites. I don't want my cast iron skillet to think that it is any less loved than my giant stock pot or the 8 inch non-stick saute pan that I always use for eggs (I realize this might sound a little nutty, but go with me here). However, there is one pot that I love above all others in my kitchen. That yellow Dansk pictured above is my very favorite vessel for small batches of soup, steaming bunches of broccoli and boiling up two servings of pasta (it also makes a mean batch of fondue). I also love the way it looks on my turquoise stove from 1966, cheery, bright and ever so vintage.

Do you have a favorite kitchen item? It doesn't have to be only a cooking vessel, it could also be a bowl, spoon, cutting board or knife (to name a few possibilities). Add your pictures of your favorite stuff to our Flickr pool so we can see your beloved objects.

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I think the market for these is people who love odd kitchen tools and people who are, at least occasionally, too lazy to use two separate measuring cups when cooking. This really unusual set of Odd-Sized Measuring Cups measure 2/3 cup, ¾ cup and 1½ cups, conveniently eliminating the need to do any math the next time you are doing any baking. I'm sure that I would use them if I had a set, particularly because these are very common measurements, but I am not sure that I would buy them for myself. If they were a gift, though....