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Those Pyrex dishes are great. I have one of those sets and the lids are fantastic for bringing stuff to parties or even just storing stuff for later.

I have the WS prep bowls and the Forschner knife -- both are excellent suggestions.

Thanks!! Presents for myself? ;)

This is a great list! I feel a little sad that the only thing I actually have is a silpat. That's okay I guess - everything else goes on my wish list!

My parents got me a cast iron pan for my birthday in August! My brother was a little "...okay, whatever" but I was very excited. Excellent gift, from the perspective of this recipient.

Ikea also makes great small glass bowls that are good for mis en place. Not varying sizes like WS, but super affordable.

Love this list - I have some of those Pyrexes and love them, especially the casserole pan with handles and a lid. So easy to use, carry, store! (And the smaller ones are handy, too.)

We have a handful of those Pyrex bowls and use them each and every day - they're especially good for work lunches, so you're not microwaving plastic (we take the lid off.)

I also use my Silpat every time I bake, and someone gave us a set of Heckels knives and scissors for our wedding that I could not live without. Totally worth whatever they cost.

Those pyrex containers are a godsend. They're wonderful for reheating leftovers without making more dishes. Many people risk the toxic dangers of reheating their food straight out of their plastic containers. I just picked up a set for my mom for Christmas. I would love a set for myself.

@lynnebee: Henckels knives are fabulous! Various family members gave me a knife each year for Christmas until The Husband and I got the full set. One of the best gifts ever.

Whenever The Husband and I give something food-related, we always include an actual food item and/or recipes.

E.g. I gave my friend a Pyrex casserole with a lid as an engagement gift - the casserole was filled with a hot chessy triple veggie dip. She shared the dip, took the leftovers home, and kept the Pyrex.

E.g. 2. The Husband and I gave his brother a grill pan, panini press and pastry brush (for brushing on the olive oil) for Christmas last year and included some note cards with our favorite panini recipes.

We always fill storage containers with homemade cookies.

I think it makes the gift a little extra special.

Wow, how did I not know about those pyrex dishes with lids? Every year, I make a million dishes to take to holiday parties and I always curse the fact that they slosh around in the car before I get there and the tin foil always falls off! A set of these are definitely going on the top of my myregistry.com wishlist!

@christinalouise- I often do the same thing & I love when cooking gifts to me come with a recipe or story about food from the giver.

I think I just might want to request the mandonline... I wanted to make ratatouille last summer (in the thinly sliced style like the movie) & just didn't feel like making the slices with my chef's knife. Basically, I just got too lazy!

even better is a potluck set- a pyrex lasagne pan, with lid, and with a carrying case! it even includes an insert that can be nuked to help keep the food warm. I've never used teh insert, but we use the carrying case an awful lot.

http://www.cookware.com/Pyrex-1078642-REX1106.html

Pricier, but a great value at the moment is the Tramontina 6.5 cast iron dutch oven that's been written about here before. (Cook's Ill. best buy, blah blah blah.)

Both Amazon and Walmart.com (yes, I know) have dropped the prices $5 recently, with Walmart dropping the price on the odd green one $5 further. Additionally, when I made my purchase yesterday Walmart had screwed up and had a link to a page where both the red and the green were listed at $35 each instead of last month's $50. I called customer service and am getting a price adjustment on mine, so they may have fixed the website. (And there's $1 shipping now, too; not sure the Bing cashback right now.) Just in case anyone is is the market...

Oh! I had no idea that the Silpat's were so well thought of. I'm going to add that to my Hanukah list!

I feel silly for wanting a nice knife for christmas, but that is the major thing I want this year, ha!

Microplane is a great idea also, an inexpensive and actually useful and versatile accessory.

Just don't give knives to anyone superstitious. A year or two ago we were going to get a really good henckels knife for an acquaintance... fortunately we subtly brought the subject up and she told us she was superstitious and receiving a knife as a gift was symbolic for severing the friendship. First time I'd ever heard of that one!

And for the record, I love my cast iron pans to death. I never use anything else. Who needs these artificial non-stick surfaces when you can have cast iron?? Nothing sticks when they are properly taken care of!

I grew up with two parents who loved to cook and had it engrained in my brain that no matter what, you need one to three good knives (a chef's knife, a bread knife and a paring knife at the very least), at least one or two good stainless steel pans and a cast iron skillet. I LOVE mine. It's amazing what you can do with some basic, good quality items :)

@emcguire totally agree on the microplane grater :)

I LOVE kitchen gadgets.

Great list, I would include a set of various size silicone spatulas, too. I couldn't make the world's greatest scrambled eggs without them!

We just got this awesome kitchen scrub for our e-boutique. I plan on giving them out as gifts because I don't know a cook who likes the dreaded garlic hands!

The pyrex is available for $14.99 at World Kitchen:

http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/index.asp?pageID=231&UPC=71160014473

There's also several other blue-topped sets which are fantastic for foods, freezing soups, everything. I think I have upwards of 100 containers by now...they're just so versatile!

foxor, my uncle told me that when someone gives you a knife or pen it can cut or puncture the friendship, so you have to "buy" the gift with a symbolic penny. I don't know if it's true, but just in case, whenever I've received those items, I hand the giver a coin. ;P

I love mis en place bowls and have tried out various types. My favorites are square glass ones that nest...they look like these but are...square: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=670&f=13777&q=square glass bowl&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1. I prefer having all one size because it is too time-consuming renesting all the graduated bowls every time you wash one of them.

I also like C&B's glass rectilinear storage containers: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=850&f=9430&q=glass storage&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1.

Rectilinear works very nicely in the fridge and in lunchboxes.

I wish the producers of containers with lids with include extra lids as they inevitably end up elsewhere.

i have some good knives in my kitchen, including several Wusthof and Henckels but oddly enough the one i LOVE is Calphalon. it's perfectly balanced, has a nice weight and i find the 8 inch blade more comfortable than the standard 9 inch. if i had to keep only one knife it would be the one i'd pick. best of all, it can be had for $30 http://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Contemporary-8-Inch-Chefs-Knife/dp/B000V6ROPC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1260267288&sr=8-3
also, as a chef i find silpats invaluable professionally but rarely use them at home. you get better browning and much easier cleanup with (recyclable) parchment paper. silpats are only worth the money if you play with sugar a lot (making caramel, brittles, etc.). i wouldn't consider them a kitchen basic.

I'm a big fan of pyrex and corningware. You don't need no stinking tupperware. The corningware can go from oven, fridge, to microwave with the top on. I just bought myself some pyrex mixing bowls with lids. Woot!
Amazon often has good deals and different sets.