Wednesday, January 4, 2012

En Passant (4) . . . Food Related Gifts

With the holidays just over, we have a respite from thinking about gifts. Or do we? What about birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, engagements, showers, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, etc.?

Here are three food-related items that make perfect gifts.

Modernist Cuisine

I recently had a chance to leaf through a copy of Nathan Myhrvold's amazing 6-volume Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking. At $650 retail (only $449 at Amazon) and taking up a lot of shelf space, this set is not for everyone, but in addition to the most spectacular food photos you will ever see, there appears to be a lot of interesting (useful?) information about cooking processes, ingredients, etc.


Copper Polenta Pot

This gorgeous polenta pot (paiolo), made by Ruffoni in Italy, is available from Williams-Sonoma for $175:


Cheese Knives

La Cucina Italiana, a fun publication that I recommend to anyone interested in cooking, published the following piece on cheese knives of varying types and to fit any budget:


Of course there is an infinite variety of food-related gifts - cookbooks, cooking classes, knives, pots and pans and other equipment, etc. - but these are some that struck me in my post-holiday haze.

Bobby Jay