579184 Wed Dec 10 23:41:45 -0800 2008 32 29 Not About Food 0 4237881 What would you get a chef for xmas, budget of $20 Wed Dec 10 23:41:45 -0800 2008 226497 chuckaukau 1 4237890 My husband got me a teflon coated whisk and a lovely offset spatula. I cried tears of joy. Wed Dec 10 23:50:08 -0800 2008 4237881 137755 Sal Vanilla 1 4238178 Whisks are always good. I especially enjoy my several mini-whisks that are so great for salad dressings and such. But the one thing I keep wishing for -- and therefore assume any other creative cook would want -- is an egg topper! You know, those little circular scissor type things that take the top off an egg shell with no crackles, crunches, or caved in shells. I gotta go write a letter to Santa! Thu Dec 11 06:23:27 -0800 2008 4237881 112096 Caroline1 2 4238792 Those egg topper things aren't cheap, I think.. I was looking at one on a restaurant supply house site and it seemed to be like $50.. Thu Dec 11 09:26:01 -0800 2008 4238178 176367 grant.cook 3 4239356 You can get those. A friend uses this one and swears by it: http://tinyurl.com/5dq9us Thu Dec 11 12:15:03 -0800 2008 4238792 112096 Caroline1 1 4238208 Set of nice wooden spoons. Many cooks (myself included) use them far past their prime. Otherwise, maybe a microplane grater / zester. Thu Dec 11 06:39:24 -0800 2008 4237881 108111 gatorfoodie 1 4238263 If they don't already have something very much like them, I'd get them one each of the following: 12 inch Oxo Good Grips locking tongs with stainless tips: http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Grips-12-Inch-Stainless-Steel-Locking/dp/B00004OCK1/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1229007114&sr=8-1 9 inch Oxo Good Grips locking tongs with nylon covered tips (for non-stick cookware): http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Grips-9-Inch-Locking-Tongs/dp/B0000CDVD8/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1229007114&sr=8-2 The total would be about $18. These are the most used tools in my kitchen, personally. Thu Dec 11 06:54:25 -0800 2008 4237881 80141 ccbweb 1 4238787 Microplane Grater Thu Dec 11 09:25:18 -0800 2008 4237881 176367 grant.cook 1 4239136 if you mean restaurant kitchen chef.One thing we LOVE is unscented first rate HAND CREAM.It must be like the shoemakers children,we just don't make the connection and purchase it.At home some of the nicer wood and bamboo things out there now,again same story.A fancy vase for herbs,just got one,never would have done it myself LOVE IT. Large serving bowls and platters,you can't have too many.All of mine have a story. Thu Dec 11 11:08:06 -0800 2008 4237881 203919 lcool 2 4240074 Oh good one. I'm not a chef but am working in a profession where I'm constantly washing my hands. My hands can get so dry in the winter. Problem with a lot of chefs tools is that the recipient may already have them. You can always use more hand cream. One of my favorites is Kiehl's Creme de Corps and Kiehl's Intensive Treatment and Moisturizer. Unscented and works super well. Thu Dec 11 15:42:34 -0800 2008 4239136 10763 Miss Needle 2 4240108 I'm sitting here with very dry hands thinking that would be a great gift for me (a chef) :) Last Christmas I received as a gift some silpats; which I now can't live without. You can find them on amazon for under $20. I also like the nice wooden spoon suggestion. Thu Dec 11 15:57:24 -0800 2008 4239136 69497 VTtoMAtoCAfoodie 1 4239569 Some ideas.... - Maldon Sea Salt - an assortment of Penzey's spices (Vietnamese cinnamon sticks, Madagascan vanilla beans, etc) - nice olive oil - cookbook - tongs (I love having a variety) - linen, not cotton, but REAL linen - engraved/embossed napkins (dinner or cocktail) Thu Dec 11 13:12:15 -0800 2008 4237881 12873 OCAnn 1 4240155 if you're talking an actual Chef and not a Home Cook i'd say Booze, and lots of it. Thu Dec 11 16:13:08 -0800 2008 4237881 12603 ScubaSteve 2 4240208 Yup. Or a bag of... but I bet ya want to keep it legal. :) Thu Dec 11 16:34:05 -0800 2008 4240155 71241 lynnlato 3 4240324 under an once in Massachusetts is a civil infraction and only fine. Thu Dec 11 17:36:12 -0800 2008 4240208 12603 ScubaSteve 4 4241157 Well, there ya go! Fri Dec 12 04:28:21 -0800 2008 4240324 71241 lynnlato 4 4244727 ScubaSteve must have voted "YES" on Question 2 this past Nov. 4th in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As LindaWhit did. :-) Sat Dec 13 16:52:31 -0800 2008 4240324 10532 LindaWhit 1 4240157 I would invite them to a home-cooked meal on their night off. Thu Dec 11 16:13:32 -0800 2008 4237881 11995 pikawicca 1 4240204 A bottle of Jaegermeister. Most chef I know are a closet fan of the jaeger. Thu Dec 11 16:31:14 -0800 2008 4237881 71241 lynnlato 2 4241401 I've sort of shifted to the Italian amaro's - infused like Jaeger, but better tasting.. Fri Dec 12 07:00:51 -0800 2008 4240204 176367 grant.cook 3 4242755 Personally, I think Jaeger is disgusting. I had never heard of amaro so I checked it out online. It sounds lovely! Great suggestion. For anyone else who isn't familiar, here's a description of one amaro: Nardini Amaro is a balanced, distinctive digestif infused with bitter orange, peppermint, and alpine yellow gentian. This deeply mahogany-hued liqueur displays aromas of licorice, mint, caramel, and citrus, while the palate perfectly balances fruit and herb, bitter and sweet. Enjoy straight, chilled, or on the rocks. Fri Dec 12 14:53:49 -0800 2008 4241401 71241 lynnlato 4 4245501 my friends and i are on the fernet branca, lol. :) Sun Dec 14 06:48:51 -0800 2008 4242755 30273 hotoynoodle 1 4240918 A foot massage Thu Dec 11 22:35:29 -0800 2008 4237881 90114 lemons 2 4240956 A foot massage. Best answer yet. Just no directly going to kneed bread afterwards! Thu Dec 11 23:04:42 -0800 2008 4240918 137755 Sal Vanilla 1 4241906 PEDICURE !!!! I am no longer in a retail kitchen but I remember it well.A guest last evening had just come from his early Christmas present.An old fashioned shave and a pedicure.He passed on the manicure part for EXTRA face and foot time. Fri Dec 12 10:04:19 -0800 2008 4237881 203919 lcool 2 4245502 hand massages too. an ex of mine spent so much time on sautee his hand would be curled stiff like a monkey's paw, lol. Sun Dec 14 06:50:02 -0800 2008 4241906 30273 hotoynoodle 1 4244533 I just bought a foodie friend a small board for butter with a spat. handcarved cherry wood its beautiful. almost tempted to buy myself one as well. I love wooden things in the kitchen so can never have enough. Sat Dec 13 14:49:23 -0800 2008 4237881 76259 foodwich 2 4244546 A wooden salt box is nice too. I keep one next to the stove. It's bamboo and the top swings/slides open. Very convenient. Sat Dec 13 14:57:02 -0800 2008 4244533 71241 lynnlato 1 4244573 Nothing related to food, except liquor. Sat Dec 13 15:16:18 -0800 2008 4237881 149836 cstr 1 4244745 We were going to a restaurant tonight headed by one of our favorite chefs and I brought him some excellent Taza Mexican Chocolate. It was just an "I was thinking of you gift, we have a bit of history with the ingredient. Sat Dec 13 17:12:22 -0800 2008 4237881 21331 BostonZest 1 4248067 I bought a beautiful apron from William Sanoma for $24 - a bit over - but worth it Mon Dec 15 10:11:06 -0800 2008 4237881 18654 mitchell25418 1 4249004 Kitchen scissors that are interlocking and separate for washing. Well sharpened they are an item sometimes overlooked but zoom in at crunch time to accomplish amazing tasks. Mon Dec 15 15:39:48 -0800 2008 4237881 17682 torty 1 4252446 Spices from Pensey's or some other purveyor, or a spice mill (cheap coffee mill will work too). A set of mixing bowls and mini whisks, new wooden spoons (get olive wood). I do like the idea of unscented hand cream and a pedicure. Could use one of those now after cooking for the Christmas Party this past weekend. Tue Dec 16 18:25:20 -0800 2008 4237881 87837 RGC1982