"holiday gift guide" news and stories

The first year that my parents were married, my grandmother (my mom's mother-in-law) gave her a stack of cookbooks. She was a little insulted at the time, but came around quickly, learning to depend on the Joy of Cooking that was the centerpiece of the gift. From that time on, my mom has been convinced that cookbooks make good holidays gifts and often turns to them (or picture frames for some reason) when she isn't quite sure what to get someone. Personally, I always love getting a new cookbook, so I've never had a problem with this.

If the person on your list doesn't already have it, the Joy of Cooking makes a great gift because it is versatile and can answer just about any cooking question you throw at it. Although I love my 1970's version dearly, I'm really starting to be swayed by the latest edition.

The original Moosewood Cookbook is great for the folks who need frugal, healthy recipes. It's the book I turn to most often for soup inspiration.

If you've got new vegetarians on your holiday list, consider getting them a copy of The New Laurel's Kitchen. It is my resource for cooking with grains and beans and it has never let me down in that department.

Do you have newer cook on your holiday shopping list this year? Let me tell you about some of the things I can't live without in the kitchen. Starting in the top left hand corner is a basic, handled microplane. I use it for nutmeg, cheese, citrus zest, chocolate, garlic and ginger, making sure to wash it thoroughly in between uses. It's great for the new cook because it can play a lot of roles without taking up a whole lot of space.

Next is a series of Williams-Sonoma silicone spatula/spoonulas (or as we called them in my house while I was growing up, rubber scrapers). I have had their clear silicone spoonula for more than four years and it is still in great shape and I use it nearly every day. I especially love the fact that the silicone head does not pull away from the wooden handle, making it impossible for mildew and other crud to grow down there.

I believe that every cook should have a garlic press. I have this one from Zyliss and it has served me well since college. I even accidentally ran it through the garbage disposal briefly once, and it didn't seem to do much harm (though it does still bear a few scars from the incident).