Christmas is sneaking up on us again this year, and it's harder than ever to find the right gift for those on my list. Every last one of them is male and they are less than helpful giving hints as to what they might like. Women are much easier as, while men generally like something useful, women want beautiful things they would never buy for themselves.
My hubby informed me early on never to buy him tools. He likes to pick his own. Likewise, I'd rather not get things that would be useful around the house as I would consider those gifts to be for the house and not for me. But just in case you are need a few hints as to what might just become the most useful gadget in the kitchen, and still not something she would buy for herself, I have decided to show you some of my favorite kitchen tools.
I got this handy little grater, that fits right onto a non-slip container at IKEA. Everything goes neatly into it's own bowl so there is no mess to clean up. It even has a lid so that if you grate more cheese than you need, for instance, you can put the lid on it and put the freshly grated product right back into the fridge. I use this a lot, and often wish I had a second one. They are so cheap, it's just silly not to have two.
I have a food processor, but sometimes you just want to make a few bread crumbs or mash a banana, or chop up just a bit of nuts or something and the food processor is really too big for the job. I found a mini processor at Canadian Tire, and I use it so often that I don't even put it away anymore. The big one hardly ever comes out of it's storage spot. I know I paid about $7.99 for mine several years ago. I'm not sure Canadian Tire still has them but Walmart has something similar.
The third thing I wonder how I ever got along without is a gravy separator. You poor the juices from your roast pan into it. There is a filter at the top to sift out impurities and after the fat floats to the top, you pour what you need to make gravy back into the pot. Only the good broth comes out of the spout. All you have to do is watch and stop pouring when the fat decides to follow. But by then you have what you need anyway. My grandson says I make the best gravy ever!
None of these gadgets costs more than $20. But all three are worth their weight in gold.
And for those of you who fill stockings for adult women, go to the Dollar Store and find a mini whisk. I do have two of those as they, like the mini food processor, get used way more often than the full sized model. I see Amazon has them too.
This year I'd like a garlic press, if anyone is listening.
All these things are kitchen gadgets she doesn't know she needs, likely wouldn't buy for herself, but will be so glad to have. Happy shopping.
My hubby informed me early on never to buy him tools. He likes to pick his own. Likewise, I'd rather not get things that would be useful around the house as I would consider those gifts to be for the house and not for me. But just in case you are need a few hints as to what might just become the most useful gadget in the kitchen, and still not something she would buy for herself, I have decided to show you some of my favorite kitchen tools.
The third thing I wonder how I ever got along without is a gravy separator. You poor the juices from your roast pan into it. There is a filter at the top to sift out impurities and after the fat floats to the top, you pour what you need to make gravy back into the pot. Only the good broth comes out of the spout. All you have to do is watch and stop pouring when the fat decides to follow. But by then you have what you need anyway. My grandson says I make the best gravy ever!None of these gadgets costs more than $20. But all three are worth their weight in gold.
And for those of you who fill stockings for adult women, go to the Dollar Store and find a mini whisk. I do have two of those as they, like the mini food processor, get used way more often than the full sized model. I see Amazon has them too. This year I'd like a garlic press, if anyone is listening.
All these things are kitchen gadgets she doesn't know she needs, likely wouldn't buy for herself, but will be so glad to have. Happy shopping.
