So what did Santa give you for your kitchen?

[Jenise]

Here, several wonderful things. Some stainless steel utensil pots, and cookbooks from Bar Tartine and The Slanted Door (both San Francisco), and another all about pasta called Flour and Water. All quite wonderful, though alas my hints about the Nathan Mhyrvold book called something like Modern Cuisine for Home Cooks didn't stick.

Oh, and I got Bob a Durand corkscrew, so I kinda got one too.

Well, maybe it's better to give than to receive -- I gave my son and his girlfriend an immersion blender. I gave our friend in upstate NY the Slanted Door Cookbook as well as Plenty More. And I just ordered my brother in law a Waring WSG30 spice grinder so he can FINALLY take advantage of the whole dried chili peppers I sent him a year or two back. My Cuisinart at $40 works fine but he wanted the muscular $120 Waring before he would tackle the chore. I suppose he is a perfectionist! I got tired of waiting to hear about how much better his chili is so I got him the toy he wanted.

I doubt if anyone here is old enough to remember anything about Little Orley. In the kitchen department, "I got nuthin' at all!" But I did get a beautiful Stetson fedora from my niece and I'm very happy with that. The leather hat band is decorated with what I think are pheasant feathers, and I am going to be wearing that hat a lot. Louise gave me a German wine atlas and I'm also very happy with that.

My insanely talented wife fashioned a replacement gasket for my circa-1980's Waring "Chicken Bucket" pressure fryer. I was heartbroken when the original gasket finally dried and shrunk. It's my only pressure cooker in between fulfilling its duties pumping out KFC clones. So she got out her micrometer and slide rule, measured thicknesses, ID's and OD's, and whatever else, and made a spec perfect replica from a sheet of food grade silicone. Bucket of regular recipe thighs, ho!

I really wanted a Thermapen, but we just couldn't swing it this year. (She didn't find out about their new lower priced "Lollipop" model until too late.) So I got a nice fine mesh strainer to replace the one I've been using whose handle snapped off last year and I've had to hold by the rim ever since. She found a restaurant supply store a few towns over that sells the exact model I used, which was wonderfully thoughtful of her.

Finally, and this is the one that blew me away, she spent HOURS baking and assembling a series of cake tanks that perfectly mimic the cake tanks which show up in one scene of this wacky Japanese cartoon I got a kick out of earlier this year. She worked in details like the correct number of tread plates, and roller wheel spokes. I was floored when I saw them, absolutely floored. And they taste awesome - she also duplicated the flavors the cartoon depicted: chocolate, strawberry, and cheesecake bases with various things like almonds, berries and fondant. The only thing she had to concede was the turret on the cheesecake model. In the cartoon it was made of macarons, but she didn't have time to make them. She used pre-made meringues instead.

I don't know how to post pics here off my hard drive of her handiwork, but here's the cartoon version:

http://images.sgcafe.net/2013/06/tank-cakes-a.png

All in all, a great success!

Well, Santa me gave us a Classic 3 quart Scanpan saucepan with cover for just under a C-note. Have used it unceasingly right through Christmas and for the leftovers thereof. It is just fabulous for pasta for too; we just drain and put back and sauce, and it cleans up in a snap. Can you guess, I love it!

Aceto balsamico, 12 years. Excited to use it.

Betsy gave me a chef's choice meat slicer, not something I knew I needed, but happy to have. Extra blade as well.
I gave her an Alice Waters book (Dave just moved to Berkeley, they went to Chez Panisse in fall) and a few stocking stuffer things (replacement silpats, spoon rest, coupe saffron, etc). Most gifts of our gifts to each other weren't food,.

We had multiple people give us artisanal balsamics and olive oil. I'm a little daunted by the amount of olive oils. I had just received a trio of 500 ml olio nuovos from Rare Wine Company, so I'm worried about freshness (we buy good quality 3L tins for cooking, usually reserve the $50/liter stuff for when you can really taste it). I'd love to try the 3 RWC oils and the others side by side, but think best to open one at a time and keep others in dark cabinet unopened, use them sequentially. The balsamics are obviously no urgency.

The front right burner on our range hasn't been working properly for some time and the oven door gasket had developed a tendency to sag markedly when the oven was heated. A couple of my presents for my wife were therefore a new valve for the burner and a new gasket for the door. You should have seen her eyes light up when she opened the package! I had them installed by the afternoon of the 26th, and she has been quite happy with them so far.

Apart from that, we just had stocking-stuffers in the kitchen department - wooden spoons, spatulas, one of those scraping beaters for the Kitchenaid.

[Jenise]

one of those scraping beaters for the Kitchenaid.

Gaskets and valves! Yes, every woman wants those. But hey, re that scraping beater for the Kitchen Aid? I ordered one then discovered it doesn't fit my machine. That, in fact, they don't even make one for my model. I'm bummed!

[Jenise]

My insanely talented wife fashioned a replacement gasket for my circa-1980's Waring "Chicken Bucket" pressure fryer....

I am beyond impressed--she made a gasket? It takes a lot of chutzpah to even think you could, let alone successfully complete the task. Who knows where to buy things like food grade silicone sheets? She's a keeper! And the cake tanks--have to admit, as someone who thinks in pictures and spent a lot of my career on oil refinery projects, 'army tanks' weren't the first thing I pictured when you said tanks, or even the second (that goes to 'fish tanks', you know, acquariums) so I laughed out loud when I clicked on your link. Adorable! Did you dare eat such beautiful work?

[Jenise]

Aceto balsamico, 12 years. Excited to use it.

The real deal is quite a delight. Too bad the mass produced industrial version is so widely accepted.

I am beyond impressed--she made a gasket? It takes a lot of chutzpah to even think you could, let alone successfully complete the task. Who knows where to buy things like food grade silicone sheets? She's a keeper! And the cake tanks--have to admit, as someone who thinks in pictures and spent a lot of my career on oil refinery projects, 'army tanks' weren't the first thing I pictured when you said tanks, or even the second (that goes to 'fish tanks', you know, acquariums) so I laughed out loud when I clicked on your link. Adorable! Did you dare eat such beautiful work?

It's gonna take even MORE chutzpah for me to actually put that gasket to the test for the first time. It's one thing to "oooh" and "aaah" over something it took a lot of effort and skill to produce. It's another thing to then rely on it to act as an effective defense between you and pressurized boiling oil! If it were anyone other than my wife who gave it to me.... Wish me luck!

Oh Jenise, you have no idea how adorable those cakes were in real life - all 6 of them. I absolutely did not want to eat any of them. I'd rather have poured acrylic over the lot and made a 4-foot long paperweight, to have for all time. But she insisted. We've gone through 4 tanks and the turret of a fifth so far, and they're all delicious. So I'm glad we did. Acrylic tastes MUCH worse

I got an Anova Immersion Circulator (sous vide cooker). Already used it to cook a pork tenderloin (4 hours at 144 deg., turned out perfectly pale pink, tender and juicy) and am now cooking 72 hour beef shortribs. As soon as the shortribcs come out, I'll put in a 4 bone prime rib roast that will also cook for 72 hours at 135 degrees.
I'm very excited about this new toy!

And the cake tanks--have to admit, as someone who thinks in pictures and spent a lot of my career on oil refinery projects, 'army tanks' weren't the first thing I pictured when you said tanks, or even the second (that goes to 'fish tanks', you know, acquariums) so I laughed out loud when I clicked on your link. Adorable! Did you dare eat such beautiful work?

I almost forgot: I have a Pinterest account!

Here ya go: https://www.pinterest.com/dangerspouse/panzer-vor/

Aceto balsamico, 12 years. Excited to use it.

The real deal is quite a delight. Too bad the mass produced industrial version is so widely accepted.

Indeed. But the real deal is also prohibitively expensive for most people. Given all my competing possible purchases, $80-100 for roughly 3oz of vinegar just doesn't pop up as a likely way for me to get flavor in my weekly routine. But, it is a great idea for gifts, so I'm happy to ask!

Got the Sue-chef a juicer attachment for the Kitchenaid (she'd been making noises about wanting to juice something or other and I figured it might be useful once in awhile to make things like tomato sauce base). Impressively made, as are all the KA bits, and looks like you need a pilot's license to operate it. So far she has washed all the bits and sits staring at it, either wondering what to juice or wondering how to assemble it.

Oh yeah - I also decorated her Christmas tree after she went to bed by hanging small bags of Hawkins Cheezies all over it. So far that seems to be her favourite present, judging by the 'cheesy defoliation' rate.

Not many kitchen gifts here, just two cute kitchen towels and four ice cream dishes that look like cones.

(Oh, and several pounds of roasted pistachios!)

[David M. Bueker]

Five new cookbooks and a bunch of new bar equipment!

The books included the Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook and awhile set of the Whitewater Cooks books. Lots of recipe browsing to do.

[Jenise]

I got an Anova Immersion Circulator (sous vide cooker). Already used it to cook a pork tenderloin (4 hours at 144 deg., turned out perfectly pale pink, tender and juicy) and am now cooking 72 hour beef shortribs. As soon as the shortribcs come out, I'll put in a 4 bone prime rib roast that will also cook for 72 hours at 135 degrees.
I'm very excited about this new toy!

How did the shortribs turn out? I have two packages of Bryan Flannery short ribs (you have NEVER seen anything so beautiful as Bryan Flannery's short ribs) in the freezer that are destined to get cooked this way as soon as I figure out who to have over for dinner that night.

My brother gave us "The New California Wine" by Jon Bonne. When he landed at the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006 he was considered a maverick because he eschewed most of the wines he was offered because he found them made from overripe grapes and fermented into overblown wines of high alcohol and little or no match ability with food. He set about trying to find those who were doing things differently. He found mostly newer wineries and winemakers, and found some older ones too including Ridge and Calera. Many of his finds have been heralded on this forum including Broc and Edmonds St. John. Have just gotten into the book, but so far find in very interesting. I'm making my list.

[Jenise]

My brother gave us "The New California Wine" by Jon Bonne. When he landed at the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006 he was considered a maverick because he eschewed most of the wines he was offered because he found them made from overripe grapes and fermented into overblown wines of high alcohol and little or no match ability with food. He set about trying to find those who were doing things differently. He found mostly newer wineries and winemakers, and found some older ones too including Ridge and Calera. Many of his finds have been heralded on this forum including Broc and Edmonds St. John. Have just gotten into the book, but so far find in very interesting. I'm making my list.

Very cool, Carl! I love Jon Bonne's palate, and as a writer--just pure wordsmithing--he has no equal I'm aware of in the world of wine. I'm sure it's a great read. But, will me make you give up your Tobin James?

How did the shortribs turn out? I have two packages of Bryan Flannery short ribs (you have NEVER seen anything so beautiful as Bryan Flannery's short ribs) in the freezer that are destined to get cooked this way as soon as I figure out who to have over for dinner that night.[/quote]

They turned out beautifully! They were a rosy pink but the outsides were dark, so I didn't need to sear them. The texture was tender and moist and the flavor was exceptionally beefy. I finished them by reducing the juices that were in the immersion package with some bordeaux, fresh shallot and garlic and a sprig of thyme and a dash of soy sauce. I should have cooked more of them--I learned that you can cook as many pkgs. as will fit into your immersion tank with good circulation, (mine is a huge all-clad stockpot), then just freeze or refrigerate as needed. The texture and flavor will remain sealed in. I've got the prime rib cooking right now, will serve it tonight to the usual suspects. I plan to let Kirk hit it with a blowtorch to crisp up the outside before we carve. I'm absolutely giddy with using this thing.

Sounds wonderful. Pink short ribs sounds so odd, but intriguing!

How did you decide the timing of your prime rib, btw?

My best success so far (of all three or four things I've done--no beef yet) was chicken thighs that I sous vided with some homemade BBQ sauce then torched on the searing station to finish. Fabulous thru-flavor of the sauce, and amazingly moist yet cooked.

Sounds wonderful. Pink short ribs sounds so odd, but intriguing!

How did you decide the timing of your prime rib, btw?

My best success so far (of all three or four things I've done--no beef yet) was chicken thighs that I sous vided with some homemade BBQ sauce then torched on the searing station to finish. Fabulous thru-flavor of the sauce, and amazingly moist yet cooked.

Ines, I am confused. I know you were originally replying to Jenise, but who are you replying to (or who asked the question you are replying to) regarding the quotation above? It almost looks like you are asking yourself a question and replying to your own question. But that would not make much sense for several reasons including saying you had NOT done beef yet.

Replying to Dave:
Sorry, I'm still confused by the quote mechanism here. I was replying to Jenise's earlier questions.
The prime rib was absolutely spectacular. The most tender and flavorful we have ever had, anywhere. 21 hours at 135 degrees. I might push the temp. up a degree or two with the size of the roast (ours was 4 bones, about 8 pounds) and the very center was just slightly more toward rare than the rest of the roast which was a perfect medium rare.

My brother gave us "The New California Wine" by Jon Bonne. When he landed at the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006 he was considered a maverick because he eschewed most of the wines he was offered because he found them made from overripe grapes and fermented into overblown wines of high alcohol and little or no match ability with food. He set about trying to find those who were doing things differently. He found mostly newer wineries and winemakers, and found some older ones too including Ridge and Calera. Many of his finds have been heralded on this forum including Broc and Edmonds St. John. Have just gotten into the book, but so far find in very interesting. I'm making my list.

Very cool, Carl! I love Jon Bonne's palate, and as a writer--just pure wordsmithing--he has no equal I'm aware of in the world of wine. I'm sure it's a great read. But, will he make you give up your Tobin James?

Having gotten well into the book, and it as well written as Jenise speculates, I have found to my dismay that I can't afford almost all of the wines he recommends. Even his choices of "table wines" run $20-30! Most of the others run from $50 to $250! I'm sure they are all well made, but holy molly.