If Santa asks you what your want for your kitchen...

[kobetobiko]

What do you want?

I, for one, want a gigantic fancy fridge. Perhaps it's because I live in a small apartment in Manhattan, I always wanted a fridge that is big enough to hold A LOT of food and condiments. Actually the fridge I have right now is quite big for one person, but I really want one of those sub-zero or high end fridges, particular the ones where you can adjust the temperature for different shelves.

I know economy is bad, so if Santa thinks this is too expensive, may I have a Vita-Mix blender. Ok, I will even settle with a great chef knife that can cut things paper-thin.

Let the daydream begin!

[fallingup]

Things I wish I had, or I wish I had better version of:

-Silpat
-Cookie sheet
-Roasting pan
-Food processor
-Sandwich press/wafflemaker
-Digital food scale

[walker]

My favorite pot is Berndes 4 1/2 qt dutch oven size with glass lid. Non stick but not teflon. Store I bought it from closed down but I'm going to order a second one from Zappos. About $100.

[walker]

I love my stainless Jenn-Aire, 1 door, over freezer door. About $2,000 -- a lot less than a sub-zero. It looks terrific. I'm only sad that the sides are black, not stainless.

[taos]

A range hood (and not the kind that just filters back into the room).

Oh, and a dishwasher. But not the appliance kind. A nice young man who shows up after cooking and eating are done and gently and efficiently washes everything and puts it all away. British accent desirable. Not that we excpect him to talk, but just in case.

Everything else would require a new house, so maybe if Santa would be so nice he could throw that in as well.

[MMRuth]

A similar question came up at a dinner I had last weekend, to which friends had brought this great box of cards called "Table Topics" - the gourmet edition. Now, it's not like we're not capable of having scintillating conversations without assistance, but these were fun and led to interesting digressions. Anyway, my answer to this was "A place where I can store my pots and pans without saying 'fuck' every time I go to remove one."

[PattiCakes]

Too funny.

[MMRuth]

Apologies for the public cursing, by the way, but there was no other way to put it, in this case.

[jujuthomas]

HA! Ruth - that's exactly why I need more storage space, so my husband will quit cursing every time he tries to pull out a pot or pan!

[maplesugar]

I think every one has a cabinet that inspires the f-bomb... mine is the one that houses the muffin tins, cookie sheets & cutting boards. :)

[small h]

I have the martini glass shelf of death. Every time I successfully extricate one, I feel like Indiana Jones.

[MMRuth]

I have one of those too - they always seem to be very precariously balanced and next thing I know things are falling out at me and on to the floor.

[c oliver]

I bought a second set of those fridge containers that Costco sells and all of them are stored on the top shelf of the pantry-equivalent. Tried to get one down yesterday (of course, it was a larger size so was under the smaller ones) and before I could say "oh f**K" it was raining them down on my head.

[goodhealthgourmet]

i actually just noticed yesterday that i have the tendency to drop f-bombs in the kitchen with alarming frequency. i'd fit right in with the most rowdy crew of line cooks ;) seriously though, somehow it's always the most fitting exclamation for any mishap - a burn, a cut, a dropped knife, a broken dish, the realization (mid-prep, of course) that i'm out of a crucial ingredient for a recipe i'm making.

it really is the "one size fits all" of expletives.

but staying on topic, the more i thought about it, the more i realized that what i want most of all for my kitchen is not a "thing"...i wish i had someone (or a group of someones) to cook for on a regular basis. as much as i adore the act of cooking, and enjoy eating the meals i prepare, i always find myself thinking (unless i'm entertaining) that it's such a shame there aren't other people here to enjoy all the delicious creations coming out of my kitchen!

[PattiCakes]

I do a lot of quilting & attend classes with other quilters. I met a very accomplished, 78 year old quilter at one of the classes who said that quilting had taught her many things, including another language; she is now fluent in both English and swearing. The same can be said for cooks!

[beth1]

More space. My kitchen is tiny. Actually it would have to grow some to be tiny. And new cabinets. Mine are from the 60's, and refaced during the 80's. I've already replaced the appliances--doesn't Santa help those who help themselves?

[cassoulady]

Well, since my garbage disposal seems to have broken in the last twenty min, I ask santa for a new one, preferably actually before christmas.

[FriedClamFanatic]

I'm still awaiting the part for my self-clean oven that crapped out a week and a half before Thanksgiving. Maybe for New Years!

[goodhealthgourmet]

ooh, disposal's a good one. somehow the idiots who designed my "gourmet" kitchen neglected to include that in their plans.

[cassoulady]

i dont understand what is wrong with mine, every six months it dies.
And even a few days without one, makes me crazy. Even if I could learn not to put a lot of stuff down the drain I still would want to at least rinse plates in the sink, which leaves food bits going down.

[c oliver]

We lived on septic tanks for 15 years and they only recommended garbage disposals if they were the high HP ones because the food needed to be ground finely. So we didn't do as it was significantly more expensive. So that "stuff" went into the garbage but we recycled so much that we still only generated a can of garbage every two weeks. We could have generated even less if we could have composted but with bears in the nabe, that was out. So I can't see the reason for a disposal. Just my opinion :)

[cassoulady]

I am sure it is laziness on my part, but having never lived without one it is difficult. I can say at this point I would rather have the disposal than the dishwasher I think!
i am VERY impressed by how little garbage you turned out. I recycle- cans, plastic, glass and cardboard, but still seem to have a lot of garbage, so I would love tips from you. I know I use way too many paper towels to start with. I live in a city and have trash picked up twice per week and am, at times, horrified by how quickly it adds up.

[c oliver]

Them's fightin' words - don't take my dishwasher away from me! I'm glad you "love" in a city - I think love is great no matter where you do it - tee hee :) The only thing we recycle in addition to yours is ALL paper, magazines, catalogues, everything clean. That amounts to alot and I'm pretty anal about it, I admit. Even grocery receipt go into recycle. We don't have much to throw away in the way of leftovers. If we don't put it in an omelette or something, then the dogs get it. Except for broccoli - dog broccoli farts are TOO disgusting :) We rarely eat out so I guess we just don't waste much and recycle alot. Maybe it's the paper. But I DO take a stupid pride in it. Silly me.
PS: What do you put down the disposal? I can't think of much that I would that I can't put to some other use.

[cassoulady]

I changed my love to live, oopps. hee hee
into the disposal in the last week went: tips of green beans, egg shells, potato peels, zucchini peel, apple cores, some wilted lettuce ( no wonder it broke i guess). it is all habit, I realize this. I see you point about receipts- i didnt think of that. this can be my 09 resolution, recycle better!!

[c oliver]

Well, I AM from Northern California and you KNOW how weird "those" people are. At least borderline tree-huggers :)

[alanbarnes]

You don't need a garbage disposal when you have a beagle.

[cassoulady]

I have two somewhat overweight labs. The disposal helps keep them in check.

[pepperqueen]

If you have a good dishwasher, there is no need to rinse plates in the sink--just knock off the big pieces. We got a Bosch about a year ago and it is wonderful. I am still trying to educate Hus. that he need not rinse stuff. Because we have septic, we have no garbage disposal. All the scraps, etc. go into used zipper bags and then into the trash.

[PattiCakes]

That's why I'm glad I have a dog.

[xanadude]

Check the circuit breaker/ thermal overload switch on the unit--often it just needs to be reset...

[Val]

Yes, or it may need to be hand-cranked with one of those wrenches that come with the unit...sometimes a shard of bone or something gets wedged in the blades. That has helped me many times, not that I'VE ever put bones down there, sheesh!

[c oliver]

I don't want a "what" for my kitchen but rather a "where." I wish my kitchen were in New York City! The depth and breadth of ingredients is just so awesome. I can make do with lots of things but the lack of ingredients is a tough one. When we stay at our friends' UWS apt., it's just heaven to be able to buy ANYTHING IMMEDIATELY. At most, a subway ride away. That would be heaven.

[Caralien]

-Liquid nitrogen and freezer-proof gloves so I can make ice cream instantly
-Better cabinets to hold the rest of my still boxed kitchenware (who knew that a small kitchen in Brooklyn would have 3x the storage space of a kitchen 3x its size in Princeton?)
-A HE clothes washing machine, front loader, which drains into the kitchen sink--something standard in European kitchens yet unheard of here
-Truffles, lots and lots of truffles. I won't even be picky regarding their origins or colour.
-A maid

[alanbarnes]

I want a whole new kitchen. Take down a wall and turn it into a peninsula with a cooktop and prep sink. New cabinets, countertops, and floors, the whole bit. Maybe next Christmas.

I'd be ecstatic with just a new cooktop. One where all the ignitors work properly, with enough BTUs that it will boil a gallon of pasta water in less than, oh, a presidential administration. But even that's been put on hold.

So it's a new knife. Oh, yeah, baby. The Togiharu G-1 210mm gyuto. Which is apparently stuck at a UPS facility in Seacaucus, NJ and won't get delivered until New Year's Eve.

I've been a bad, bad boy.

[Dana1949]

I would love a KitchenAid 9-cup Food Processor and a KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixer (Cobalt Blue). My food processor and mixer are getting to be a tad bit old.

[cassoulady]

I would want santa to leave a few elves who can live here and clean the kitchen after i cook.

[Cheflambo]

A new floor in the kitchen. Are you listening, Mr. Cheflambo? That butt-ugly linoleum has GOT TO GO!!! Seriously. It seems the only way this is going to be fixed is if Santa and his helpers somehow magically come in and do it .......

[adventuresinbaking]

A Kitchen Aide Professional Stand Mixer and a LeCruset Enamled Dutch Oven, both in red -- for the holiday of course!

[Stillwater Girl]

An espresso machine, a really good knife set, more counter space, and an overall bigger kitchen with room to entertain. A built-in wine rack I can actually reach (you'd have to be 6 ft tall to reach the one in my apartment), and a fully stocked bar. And since we're discussing fantasy, not things that could actually happen, my very own personal chef. I enjoy food but don't seem to have the patience, time, or talent to cook it myself. Happy holidays!

[AngelSanctuary]

- an ice cream machine with a built-in refrigeration thing so I don't have to cool it first
- a blast chiller (I'm very impatient)
- food processor (now I'm just cheap)
- a scale (very cheap)
- a blow torch (I'm never going to buy that D=)
- a new stove

You know what, I just need a new kitchen =.=.

[jujuthomas]

well, I bought myself a new toaster oven a couple weeks ago - I guess i would have asked Santa for it if I hadn't found a nice Krups on sale at Linens N Things - 40% off! not bad.
Other than that, I've got the new fridge and dishwasher... but more storage space would be nice!

[maplesugar]

FYI Williams Sonoma is having their friends and family sale this weekend - anything regular price is 20% off (the sale is in their Canadian stores so I assume it applies to the US as well). :)

[valerie]

Yes to the U.S. stores -- I got an email -- 20% off everything in the store. Until Dec. 24th.

[BamiaWruz]

Thank you for posting this - I got the electric pressure cooker I've been looking for (didn't know it was at WS until I checked their site after reading your post for anything that I might need/want) and I got it a good price with the sale.

Thanks MapleSugar!

[valerie]

I went to WS on Monday to see what I wanted to buy and I actually couldn't find anything that I really needed, even with the discount. But since it was 20% off and I had a gift card that my husband had given me earlier in the year, I was determined to go back on Tuesday to find something.

I walked out with 2 Emile Henry bakers -- one rectangular and the other a pie plate. I had been eyeing those things for a while. Really nice stuff and I felt good about my purchase!

[BamiaWruz]

Sounds great, unfortunately when I was at the yorkdale store to pick up my item that was on hold from the previous day I just went straight in and out, didn't have time to look around, it was so packed in the evening. The sale was great though.

[maplesugar]

You're most welcome BamiaWruz! :D

[givemecarbs]

I'd like an eye level electric oven to go with my gas stove and oven. I love my gas stovetop, it is so responsive and primal, and handy in a power outage, but broiling and browning are no fun at all with a gas oven.

[maplesugar]

<>A dishwasher that doesn't sound like there's a percussion section warming up in my kitchen.
<>An oven without a hot spot...preferably something other than the GE that taunts me every time I go to bake something.
<>A cupboard that never gets full and is always organized no matter how many times the 2 year old rearranges it.
<> Enough uninterrupted time in the kitchen to make a meal, nah I'd settle for a dish, start to finish without hearing "Mommyyyyyyyyyyy!!!"

[meatn3]

One of those gel mats to stand on...that gift will hopefully keep my feet happy for years!

For less realistic wishes:
New fridge with freezer on the bottom. Right now my freezer door is shut with duct tape since it seems possessed - the door just pops open for no rhyme or reason.

A gas stove would be the icing on the cake!

[cimui]

if santa is also an inventor, i'd like a machine where you can dump in a few kilos of soybeans at night and wake up to fresh tofu in the a.m.

otherwise, i'd also be pretty happy with one of those tables with a korean barbecue pit built into the middle... or a tandoor

[kobetobiko]

Ah, i love the tofu idea! Best if he can also supply a year worth of soybean! ;D

[cimui]

stuffed into a very large stocking, which i can subsequently convert into a trendy purse. oh never mind, that's a different thread... ;)

[cimui]

kobe, my subzero is actually mildly irksome to use because of the vacuum close system. if you open the fridge to get something out, but forget to get everything on the first go, you have to wait almost a full minute before you open the fridge again. the vacuum process seals the door completely shut for a period after each time you open the door. grr!!! esp. if you're in a hurry!!

[FriedClamFanatic]

mine at home is better, but the Sub-Zero at my workplace was/is the same. It's an agravation, but I've learned to deal with it. Some seem to be more strong than others

[cimui]

is yours also musical? mine does a two-toned whistle while it's sealing. my dog comes running when he hears it -- which is no good at all when i'm trying to sneak a quiet midnight snack.

[kobetobiko]

Just a quick update. I think I have want to ask Santa for something new. I want a thermal immersion circulator for sous-vide! Prefer the one that Thomas Keller uses in his Per Se's kitchen! AH!

Women's minds change all the time. Please forgive me.

[FriedClamFanatic]

A Blonde.at least half my age, better still, a third of my age (I suppose at this age which sex doesn't matter!) However, an easy to clean deep fryer, where it's also easy to store the oil, would be nice

[cimui]

you're talking about blond ales, of course. i prefer dark stouts. ;)

[Caralien]

Maybe it's just me, but a 12 or 18-year old blonde or dark ale would be kind of gross. A fresh batch of Imperial Stout, however, would be great! :)

[FriedClamFanatic]

Actually at my age, a 40 year old port would still be nice!

[free sample addict aka Tracy L]

Ha! I prefer the more mature type -- who knows his way around the kitchen, isn't afraid to clean up his messes and can satisfy my (chowhound) needs. I guess I don't want much. I actually want an expresso machine which I'll purchase myself.

[FriedClamFanatic]

That would be me, then! (No, I'm not an expresso machine!) LOL

[CeeBee]

I live in a small apartment with a not so great kitchen. So other than my own house with a dream kitchen (all the wonderful appliances already mentioned included), here are a few more reasonable requests:
-LeCruset EVERYTHING
-An Espresso Machine
-Any vegetable peeler that will make vegetable peeling easy (I have yet to find one that works for me)
-Some nice tea towels and aprons
-A wok

[adamshoe]

Try looking for a Tupperware Y peeler. They're awesome!! You may have to go to a Tupperware party to get one, but it's worth it. Adam

[rary]

Can I suggest a birds beak knife to go with your peeler--really helps with the potatoes, and other root veggies. I need both.

[walker]

I have a peeler that is probably 20 years old and still works great -- has an orange handle.

[small h]

Also not on Santa's route, due to Jew-ness. But I'd like one of those induction ranges. So cool!

[PattiCakes]

OK, I've just spoken to Santa. She has agreed that, because your Chowly dedication to all things food over the past year, any requests from Chowhounds of the Jewish persuasion will be welcomed and duly registered on her "list".

[goodhealthgourmet]

"she." i love it! and i'm renaming Hanukkah Harry...she's now Hanukkah Hannah.

please tell Santa that if she'll give me a new house for which i can design my dream kitchen, i'll devote all my time in that kitchen to the most Chow-worthy activities imaginable :)

[goodhealthgourmet]

as a non-practicing Jew, i'm pretty sure any requests i made to Santa would fall on deaf ears. so i might as well go for broke, just for kicks...how about a new house so i can design my ultimate dream kitchen? ;)

[rockandroller1]

I'm with goodhealth on that request. A house, instead of my small apartment.

[operagirl]

You can ask for something from Hanukkah Harry, though! Just remember to leave a plate of latkes next to the Hanukkah bush. Oh, and the present has to be small enough to fit through your heating vent.

[roxlet]

Oh yeah -- I want the Mario Batali deep, square-cornered lasagna pan.

[walker]

I have this and love it but it is VERY heavy. Also, very easy to clean. Mine is a beautiful red color from Crate & Barrel -- I think Sur La Table carries the Persimmon color.

[Steady Habits]

I want a new oven.

My fridge works pretty well for me; I like its features (though it's not luxe), but I think I'd like to have a model with two huge freezer drawers on the bottom. Or, more sensibly, I should probably just ask for a separate deep freezer. My refrigerator often looks empty, but the freezer is always packed to the gills, with fruit I've frozen, doughs, stocks, my spice stash, breads and meats. One takes his life in his hand, opening that freezer door.

I'd like some more Emile Henry bakeware. I love that stuff.

I'd like a 4 quart saucepan, a dedicated larger stockpot, and a 10-inch Sabatier carbon steel cook's knife.

And my cookbook wishlist grows longer by the day.

[kobetobiko]

I am so with you on the bigger freezer space. I probably need a standalone freezer. Another item on my wish list!

[Jeri L]

A compact stand-alone freezer tops my list too...and of course, a good place to put it. The good place to put it is the tough part.

[rary]

I did ask Santa for more Emile Henry. I love the bowls, but really love the Flame Top. Wonderful colors, so easy to clean. I cook a lot of chowders, soups, stews, beans on my simmer plate and the red pots just look homey.

[roxlet]

Ever since reading about the Bamix hand held mixer, I have been obsessed with getting one. I told Santa, but he wanted to know why I thought that the one we had was so lame...

[valerie]

Well I doubt that Santa will ask me anything (since I'm Jewish!) but if he did, I would want a gas stove. I have an electric cooktop (can't get gas in my area) and I HATE electric stoves.

But I would be happy with a variety of new cookbooks to add to my collection. They are already on my Amazon wishlist and I'm pretty sure that my own personal Santa (aka husband) will read that list!

[MrsT]

Maybe he can pass it on to Chanukah Harry--I hear they're buddies.

I on the other hand would like a new kitchen. Yes I know, I have a "new kitchen" since I moved, but the idiots that remodeled the apartment put a cheap counter near the refrigerator and now I have a refrigerator door that doesn't open all the way. I also have cabinets that aren't deep enough for pots and pans.

Since a new kitchen is out of the question, I would like a good chef's knife. I would also like more time to cook and somebody to clean up after I cook. Better yet, maybe he can bring me Anthony Bourdain so I can oogle him while he cooks!

[c oliver]

Oh boy, can I get down with that last sentence. Talk about "yum." :)

[goodhealthgourmet]

"the idiots that remodeled the apartment put a cheap counter near the refrigerator and now I have a refrigerator door that doesn't open all the way. I also have cabinets that aren't deep enough for pots and pans."
~~~~~
i'm convinced that most builders & interior designers have never cooked a meal in their lives. the ones who did the kitchen in my condo put the refrigerator next to the wall, so every time i open the door i have to catch it before the handle smashes a hole through the plaster; they didn't make any of the cabinets deep enough for pots & pans; they installed the smoke detector directly above the hood-less & fan-less gas stove; and for the backsplash, they chose porous white & beige soapstone tiles that absorb every splatter, and crumble if i try to scrub them.

seriously, i'd like to ask Hanukkah Harry for a new house, so i could design every last detail of the kitchen myself.

[Whosyerkitty]

That is my dream, to design a kitchen exactly the way I want it. I am a petite girl and I'd like lowered counter areas for stirring, etc, gas cook top and electric wall oven and a fridge that doesn't sound like a blender when it kicks on. I'd also like a little dormer window green house thing to grow herbs.

But alas to the OP. I love vintage kitchen gadgets and I want more more more. I have them hung on the walls and some I use and some I don't.

I think you can seal that soapstone. I'd go to a home improvement store and ask, because that would drive me insane, too. You can DEFINITELY get a door stopper to stick on the wall, at least, to avoid getting hole in your wall and on some fridges, I think, you can switch the door to swing open the other way.

[valerie]

I was just perusing Williams-Sonoma's website and saw these Global knives on sale for a very good price -- a chef's knife and a santoku. I have the Santoku one and I think I paid around $85 at Bed, Bath & Beyond 2 years ago. It's a great knife.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/cu079_1/index.cfm?pkey=cview-all-sale

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produc...