"gift ideas" news and stories

What Marc Forgione Gives - 12 Days of Christmas

by Sarah De Heer, Posted Dec 24th 2010 @ 11:00AM

Photos: Elizabeth Hait, AOL; Getty Images

On the twelfth day of Christmas, a winning Iron Chef gave to me . . .

Chef: Marc Forgione

Restaurant and Show: Marc Forgione and Iron Chef America

The Gift: "A mortar and pestle; it's impossible to create something like a pesto or aioli without one. A food processor just will not cut it. I also like to give a sharpening stone. There is nothing more important than a sharp knife in the kitchen. And I tend to find that people do not keep their knives as sharp as they could be."

Where to Find It: Williams Sonoma

Find out what Wolfgang Puck, Jose Andres Gail Simmons and more give for Christmas.

Filed under: Holidays, Chefs

What David Myers Gives - 12 Days of Christmas

COMMENTS 2

by Nicki Gostin, Posted Dec 23rd 2010 @ 11:00AM

Photos: Amazon.com; Amanda Edwards / Getty Images

Chef: David Myers

Restaurants: Comme Ça (Los Angeles, CA), Comme Ça at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (opening December 2010)

The Gift: Japanese knives and Hinoki wood cutting board. [Hinoki is a cypress that grows only in Japan.] People love the quality of the Japanese knives and the smell of the Hinoki wood on the cutting board. A perfect gift that ages well and everyone always seems to comment on!

Where to Find It: Available online (including Amazon.com and Broadway Panhandler).

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;The Eighth Day of Christmas: Nigella Lawson; The Ninth Day of Christmas: Richard Sandoval; The Tenth Day of Christmas: Richard Blais

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What Nigella Lawson Gives -12 Days of Christmas

COMMENTS 3

by Nicki Gostin, Posted Dec 20th 2010 @ 11:00AM

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

Filed under: Holidays, Celebrities, Chefs

What Candace Nelson Gives - 12 Days of Christmas

COMMENTS 1

by Nicki Gostin, Posted Dec 19th 2010 @ 11:00AM

Photos: John Lamparski / WireImage.com; Frog Hollow Farm

On Monday we kicked off our 12 days of chef-inspired gift giving. Stay tuned every morning from now 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 seventh day of Christmas, a cupcake connoisseur gave to me...

The Chef: Candace Nelson, judge on Food Network's "Cupcake Wars"

Restaurant: Sprinkles Cupcakes (Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Newport Beach, Phoenix-Scottsdale, San Francisco-Palo Alto)

The Gift: Every year I send Frog Hollow Cal-Red peaches. They are the best peaches in the world. I like to send them to friends and colleagues as gifts in August instead of waiting until the holidays when everyone is overwhelmed by food. They come beautifully packaged and in perfect condition.

Where to Get Them: available by mail order from Frog Hollow.

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 Guarnaschelli

Filed under: Holidays, Chefs

What Lidia Bastianich Gives - 12 Days of Christmas

COMMENTS 0

by Nicki Gostin, Posted Dec 16th 2010 @ 12:00PM

Photos: John W. Ferguson / Getty Images; Alamy

On the fourth day of Christmas, an Istrian chef gave to me...

The Chef: Lidia Bastianich

Restaurants: Felidia, Becco (New York); Lidia's Italy (Pittsburgh and Kansas City), as well as being a partner with her son Joe, and chef Mario Batali, in restaurants Esca and Del Posto (New York). Host of Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen and Lidia's Italy, and of the upcoming TV special Nonna, Tell Me a Story (airing Saturday, December 18 on Create TV)

The Gifts:
Lidia says: "When I give a gift, it has to bring with it my flavors, my recipes and my love."

I like to give one of my cookbooks, which I sign with a personal note and add a sticker to a recipe that would best fit the personality of the person I'm giving it to. With that I also pair one or more of the items on the ingredients list.
• A magnum of the Bastianich wine that would best pair with the recipe.
• A Lidia-designed platter that the dish from that recipe could be served on.
• A cluster of products to make that recipe...for example, if the sticker is on the Truffle Risotto page, then I'd give Carnaroli Rice and a fresh truffle.

Filed under: Holidays, Chefs