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Baking Bites 2011 Holiday Gift Guide

BakingBites Gifts
It always helps to get a few more gift ideas as the holidays approach. Inspiration just might help you to pick out that perfect gift for the cook or baker or foodie in your lift – and might even inspire you to add something to your wish list, too.

Kitchen Gifts for Bakers and Cooks

  • A stand mixer is and will always be one of the best gifts that you can get the baker in your life for the holidays. KitchenAids are always a top pick, but I don’t know a baker that would turn down a Breville, a Viking or any other brand. If your giftee already has one, you might consider getting accessories for it, like the Whisk a Bowl or a Flex Edge Beater.
  • Pies are a big baking trend right now, so pie making tools are great gifts. The Chicago Metallic Individual Pie Pan allows you to easily make single serving pies. The Breville Pie Maker is a great appliance that makes the pie making process even easier, if you bake a lot of them and have a little extra room in your kitchen.

Mini Pie Makers

  • A heavy duty pizza stone is a good option for both cooks and bakers. They’re perfect for baking breads and making pizzas with thin, crispy crusts. Models like Emile Henri’s Flame Top Stone work on top of the grill and in the oven and make an attractive serving dish to boot. There are many other brands that make stones of various shapes and sizes that will turn out a great pizza.
  • The Baker’s Silicone Rolling Pin offers a rolling pin with a nonstick surface for rolling out doughs and pastry easily. Markings on the silicone help you size your pastries accurately, and it is much easier to clean than more traditional wood rolling pines can be.
  • A kitchen scale is the most accurate way to measure in the kitchen, whether you’re portioning meat to bake up a batch of meatballs or are sifting just the right amount of flour to use in a cake. The EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale is a great all purpose scale that won’t break the bank, won’t take up much space and will come in handy again and again.

Cookbooks and Accessories

  • As is always the case, I can’t pick out just one or two favorite cookbooks because there are so many great ones out there to choose from! You absolutely cannot go wrong with The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook, which has all of the best recipes that have come out of the Cook’s Illustrated test kitchen in one huge volume. Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in 5 Minutes a Day is one of those books that will inspire you to bake more bread – something I would always encourage. I also, of course, recommend getting a copy of The Baking Bites Cookbook if you don’t have one already!
  • The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen is Jacques Pepin’s autobiography. It’s full of amazing stories – mostly food related – from his life and chronicles the food revolution that took place in the US over the past few decades. It’s great reading for any food lover.

threadlessts

  • I am a big fan of Threadless Tees and judge the Threadcakes Cake Contest every year. They have lots of fun designs – and lots of foodie designs. I curated a gift page for Threadless with some of my favorite foodie tees, as well as some funky reusable shopping bags that are great gifts for yourself as well as others.
  • The Oven Mitt Apron is like two gifts in one, with an apron that ends in heavy duty oven mitts that you’ll never misplace.

Smaller Gifts and Stocking Stuffers

  • A new kitchen timer is usually a welcome gift because an extra timer in the kitchen never hurts. The Done Right 5-in-1 Timer looks like a miniature range and has five digital timers, one in the place of each burner and one for the oven.
  • An oven thermometer is a terrific stocking stuffer because having an accurate oven is the most important thing a baker can do. I replace mine regularly and a Cook’s Illustrated test proved that you don’t need an expensive thermometer to do a great job. Look for any basic thermometer that is NSF certified and you can find them at most grocery stores or restaurant supply stores, as well as at higher end cooking stores.

 

Gift ideas

  • This handmade Amish Cake Tester looks like a broom, but actually offers convenient (and nicely packaged) 5-inch long skewers that are idea for testing cakes of all shapes and sizes for doneness. It also makes an attractive kitchen accessory when not in use.
  • The Wilton Decorating Bag Holder is a good addition to the toolkit of anyone who does a lot of cake and cupcake decorating, holding all of your frosting-filled bags while you work. I find that it also inspires me to work with more colors at a time, since it is easier to organize the bags.

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3 Comments
  • Elizebeth
    December 8, 2011

    I like the idea of individual pies. Everyone in our family has their favorite.

  • Celesta
    December 9, 2011

    enjoyed reading your blog. i am an avid baker and for Christmas i make many different cookies but my absolute favorite to bake and eat is a butter thumbprint jam cookie.

  • Alissa
    December 11, 2011

    I love all of the ideas! I am definably going to get the Wilson Bag Holder for one of my friends. She will FLIP! Thank you so much for the list.

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