My Holiday Gift Picks

Here is my list of favorite holiday gifts for the cook. Every year I search high and low for some of my favorite kitchen gadgets and appliances. This year it also included some fantastic Hurraw lip balms too (my new favorite obsession!).

Hurraw Lip Balms -In a word, amazing! They are silky soft, not waxy, they nourish dry chapped lips and are vegan too! Plus they come in amazing flavors like rootbeer, chai tea and almond!

Smart Planet Corndog Maker & Pigs-In-A-Blanket Maker/Mini Corndog Maker-These appliances are really too much fun! Imagine making healthy vegetarian corndogs at home that are baked, not fried. Plus, you can also make desserts like mini Twinkies in them too.

Zoku Quick Pop Maker -How fun is this pop maker, which freezes popsicles in 7 to 9 minutes! Plus you can get a million accessories, like a chocolate dipping station (yum!), and special tools to cute fruit into cute little shapes to freeze in your pops. This screams year-round fun to me!

Zojirushi Umami Rice Cooker -Zojirushi rice cookers are the cream of the crop, and for good reason. They not only cook perfect rice, but will literally last forever. I have one that’s 10 years old and is still going strong. This new Umami rice cooker has a special umami setting, which cooks the rice low and slow, which brings out a delectable sweet flavor in the rice. It also has all of the other settings, such as brown, mixed grain and porridge too. I love this rice cooker!

Capresso Froth Pro -What’s not to love about a small appliance that froths milk into fluffy foam and makes hot chocolate too? This fun toy will definitely be brightening up cold mornings in our house this winter.

Capresso Pump Espresso And Cappuccino Machine -This is a fantastic small counter top machine. Even better is that it’s under $150.00. Besides, who doesn’t love saving money by making their own coffee drinks at home, just the way you like it. Here’s to a caffeinated holiday season!

Lodge Pro Logic Cast Iron Pizza Pan -I adore Lodge cast iron, and especially their Pro Logic line which comes already pre-seasoned. This pizza pan not only makes fabulous crisp crust pizzas, but can also double as a big griddle for Sunday morning breakfast. You can make a lot of pancakes on this baby!

Lodge Pro Logic Cast Iron Aebleskiver Pan -Even if you’ve never had Danish aebleskivers before, you’ve got to check this pan out. Aebleskivers are like small jelly donuts which are made on the stove-top from a simple pancake-style batter. They are traditionally served dusted with powdered sugar.

Omega VRT350 Heavy Duty Dual-Stage Vertical Single Auger Low Speed Juicer -This is a phenomenal juicer that is not only compact in size, but it’s really different from most of the other juicers on the market. It juices at a low speed of 80 rotations per minute, which prevents the oxidation and breakdown of the fresh juice.  It also presses out every drop of liquid from the fruits and veggies, so you wind up with a lot more juice. You can even make almond milk in it.

William Bounds Pep Art Pepper Mills -These beautifully pepper mills are designed and signed by Robert Wilhelm (a Portland artist). The mill is crafted of wood with a stylish contemporary flair. They are not only beautifully designed, but function well too with a precision ceramic/stainless milling mechanism. Can’t you just picture this sitting in a kitchen?

Countertop Pie Maker (Babycakes & Nostalgia Electrics/Green Planet) -What a fun appliance! You don’t even have to turn on an oven with these babies, and can whip out delectable mini pies. Yes please!

Silpat Baking Mats -This is one of my favorite kitchen items, which I use for baking cookies, roasting veggies, oven-baked fries and anything else that goes on a baking sheet. It’s non-stick, washable and reusable, and gives your cookies a gorgeous shiny bottom (something we all aspire to have). You can even use it as a mat to roll out pie dough on, which is incredible because the dough comes right off with very little sticking and flour.

Here’s a link to the TV segment that I did yesterday (showing my favorite gifts) on More Good Day Oregon. I’m trying to figure out how to embed it, which isn’t working for some reason.  Anyway, here is the link: Video

I’d love to hear some of your favorite gifts for the season, or what you’re hopping to get in your stocking.

Happy Holidays!

Julie