The Cook, The Baker, and The Drink Maker
Every household has to have at least one of the three, right?
Christmas is approaching at breakneck speed, so here’s a few more inexpensive gift ideas to give you inspiration:
The Cook
Olive Oil Mister
I’ve mentioned my Olive Oil Mister a couple of times before, and it really has become one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. I use it when grilling veggies, oiling pans, misting the tops of breads, crusts, and anything with crumb toppings. Once you have one of these you’ll never buy another can of cooking spray again.
They can be purchased online here, or you can buy them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, which is where I got mine. Use one of those 20% off coupons they inundate the market with and it’s a steal for only $8!
The Baker
Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat
This is one item that I don’t own (it’s on my Christmas wish list!) but everyone I know that has one raves about it. Apparently for anyone that does much baking it’s a kitchen essential.
The experts can say it better than I, so here’s the scoop: “SILPAT can turn any pan into a non-stick surface. SILPAT is especially great for working with sticky materials such as gooey batter, taffy, caramel, or anything your imagination allows. Nothing sticks to SILPAT, so it will save you a lot of time cleaning as there is no more sticky mess on your pans!”
As much as I love to cook, I really, really despise the clean up, so anything that helps me out in that arena is a blessing. Click here to purchase or learn more.
The Drink Maker (i.e. The Bartender)
Spherical Ice Trays
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you probably saw my raves about the ice at Patterson House. If you didn’t, then you really must click here now and familiarize yourself with the topic and get the background story on this particular item.
These ice trays may be the best gift I’ve ever given the hubby. This past weekend when Ravi’s friend joined us for drinks I was once again reminded of the magic. Every home bar should have a set- not only do they work to help make better drinks (no watered down drinks since they melt at slow rate), but they also make for great conversation and are aesthetically pleasing. Much more interesting than regular old ice cubes!
Click here for more info or to purchase at the MoMA Store- the ONLY place you can get these!
Great items Beth – I've received the MoMa ice sphere trays though have yet to wrap them up for all the men in my family. :) I do have a question though – do you have any particular glassware that you'd recommend using them in? I'd like to supplement this gift with some glasses that I'm sure they will fit into, and are the appropriate size for a nice cocktail. I'd appreciate any ideas you have – thanks!
I want the ice trays and the olive oil mister, but that's because I already own a silpat! hehehe… I do like it, but I prefer to bake cookies on a non-stick pan. Sometimes they brown too much on a silpat. But I could see it being great with making toffee!
Good to know about the Silpat browning too much Erin- I'll remember to keep that in mind!
Cara- the best glasses for the spheres are a double old fashioned like these:
I'm definitely getting the ice cube trays for the husband's Sazeracs! Thanks for the tip!
thanks Beth! ; D
I love the Misto! I will have to get that for my family's secret santa! Thanks!
Do you know of any current place that sells these Spherical Ice Trays still? I’m new to your blog and love this idea! Unfortunately though, when I tried clicking on the link that you had posted back then to be able to purchase them, it was no longer valid. :( Any help in locating these little gems would be greatly appreciated! :)
Hi Tyna, thanks for pointing out that the link was broken. I’ve fixed it now- they are still available at the MOMA website.
However, I more recently blogged about these other ice ball molds, which we like just as much, if not more, than the trays! http://www.eat-drink-smile.com/2014/03/arctic-chill-ice-spheres.html
So now you have a couple of options :-)