apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My mother gave me a 50 pound bag of cake flour. Which is insane, yes, especially in my apartment, but kinda cool. I'm always complaining about running out of cake flour and only being able to buy those stupid overpriced boxes of it, so she got a friend of a friend (who's in the industry) to get it wholesale, and it was apparently dirt cheap.

I got the Stenstorp kitchen trolly from Ikea! I now have counter space -infinitely more important than floor space, which is good because I have to move the trolley whenever I want to open the refrigerator more than 3/4 of the way :-)

I got a set of Wusthof knives, a fantastic santoku knife, and BREAD IN FIVE MINUTES A DAY!!! which is kind of changing my life.

A China Cap, a silpat and a copy of The French Laundry Cookbook. I can't wait to dive in.

(That's a very sexy Staub, Faith!)
My favorite gifts received were my mother's old copper tart tartin pan and a gift certificate to Bi-Rite with strict instructions to treat myself to something extravagant.
My favorite gifts given were jars of my homemade Tomato Jam--almost evey one on my list got one!

We got a (generous) gift of a set of copper pots, frying pans and bowls. They are a complete joy to cook with, and have vastly improved our ability to pull off some dishes and sauces I had had trouble with in the past.

I also got a microplane grater for my husband, who has been really enjoying it so far.

My future in-laws gave me a silpat, some more flexible cutting boards and some SureGrip bakeware. They know the way to my heart!

i received a beautiful red stand mixer!

my husband got me a Food Processor! I also received some cookbooks, a cast iron gingerbread man mold, loose leaf tea and a vintage tea pot.

I received a gift of money and decided to finally take the plunge and buy that Nespresso machine I've been coveting for years. Very happy.

I gave my husband a vertical smoker for Christmas. We haven't used it yet, but we're planning. We're even talking about putting together a blog...Casa de Smoke. Look out.

Some friends of mine teamed up and got me the Ad Hoc at Home cookbook. I can't wait to try some of the recipes and will be serving the chickpea and cauliflower salad to those very same friends this coming Saturday. Another friend gave me a gift certificate for the Cowgirl Creamery and my folks gave me an 8 quart stock pot that will actually go in my oven! It'll make braising so much easier.

My best was 8" and 10" chef knives along with a pair of large cutting boards (18"X13"). All from my father.

Last spring my sister offered to make the pies for our wedding and at the time we were planning on lemon merengue so she needed a kitchen torch. The merengue went out the window and so did the promise to buy her one. So we gave her one for Christmas with butane and ramekins. The first thing we did was try to repair a cracked wine glass that our mother has. And then we burned some homemade marshmallows on bamboo kabob skewers.

I'm a total foodie and my husband gave me a Le Creuset Wok to add to the couple Le Creuset pieces I already have. We love thai food and I can never seem to get it right at home so hopefully this is one step closer to the real deal!

I kind of made out like a bandit in the kitchen this year--my husband bought me a nice bread knife (we had a horrible one) and two new nonstick pans (our existing one was getting to be a health hazard), and my in-laws got us a pizza stone!

Oh, and I got my husband a small charcoal kettle grill and chimney! We have a backyard for the first time ever after moving right around his birthday--I already got him other grilling acoutrements for his birthday but I didn't exactly want to get the whole grill and then have to move it the next week. We already broke the grill out on New Year's day, even though we had a wind chill of 6 degrees. I'm pretty sure the neighbors think we're nuts.

9 1/2 qt. Le Creuset Dutch Oven from my hubby. Thought it might be too big but so far perfect! Black, because bought for a steal at the outlet store. Now I have to hunt down all those recipes I've missed out on when I didn't have a D.O.!

My husband follows Alton Brown's "no unitaskers" credo, but hey, you can't look a gift garlic press in the mouth!

I received: a 1970's Kenwood Chef Aid, white with blue trim from my mother who's an avid op-shopper! Still works great (albeit a little noisy!!) and;
I gave: a vintage whistling stove top kettle to my brother and future sister inlaw. Red. Awesome!

Two silpats. I've used them so much already, I can barely remember how I lived without them.

I got a new Kitchen Aid stand mixer, a new sauce pan, and 3 great cookbooks. These should all help with the resolution to cook more at home.

Under the tree this year was a (giant) All-Clad stockpot with that strainer/steamer insert thingy, x2! Visions of hosting a giant seafood boil (corns on cob, shrimps, crab legs, spicy sausages oh my) this summer immediately raced through my head.... and then I bought chicken feet (they were $1.00! a whole pound!) at an ethnic grocery to make stock... and then I posted a comment on the internet that will make everyone think I am crazy.

...Oh, and I got a pasta attachment for my KitchenAid.

...and some silpats.

Obviously I was excited enough to make a fool of myself in public.

@Tiamat_the_Red: I also got the AdHoc cookbook! Yesterday I made the "brussel sprouts with braised radishes and kohlrabi" and the "rainbow chard with raisins and pine nuts". They're both delicious.

I also got the new Gourmet cookbook and the LA farmer's market cookbook.

I got a Le Creuset 5 1/2 qt. dutch oven. I've already made beer braised short ribs and boeuf bourguignon with it... get ready 2010!

A Crock-Pot! It's already been used thrice!

I received a 6-quart Caribbean blue enameled Lodge dutch oven, an aebelskiver pan (for round Danish pancakes), and a Sur La Table gift card, which we used for a couple of sets of measured prep bowls, a glass citrus juicer, and an egg separator.

I've only been home a couple of days, but the aebelskiver pan was used immediately. The recipe called for several separated eggs, hence the $2 egg separator. We'll be having aebelskivers quite a bit in 2010, I predict!

I'm not sure this qualifies either as a kitchen gift or even a gift since I gave it to myself (but used a gift card to offset half the price). I bought a raclette grill. I really wanted one after seeing it on the Holiday Giveaway and didn't win it. http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/holiday-giveaway-2009/win-a-swissmar-8-person-red-classic-raclett-party-grill-holiday-giveaway-2009-101763 It arrived just in time for a festive New Years Eve dinner. I had neighbors knocking on my door to find out what was smelling so good!

Best things I received in 2009: 1) wholesale case of full-sheet parchment paper (we're talking 1000 sheets). 2) Emile Henry Flame Top Oval Roaster. Awesome for searing, sauteing, baking, braising, stewing, ANYTHING. Especially perfect for the insanely-easy "Almost no-Knead Bread" recipe from Cooks Illustrated. This sucker retains heat like a mofo.

Kitchenaid mixer and a food processor. :3

Oh! And a totally bad-ass Whustof meat cleaver...

Didn't give or get any but plan to shortly. My mom is in love with my new stock pot multicooker with it's big pasta basket that reaches almost to the bottom that works so well to strain out all the bones and stuff when making stock. I'm getting her one for her birthday.

My mother gave me my great-grandmother's heavy aluminum dutch oven after my wedding in May. My husband burns rice in it on a regular basis, and it scrapes right off. :)

After getting both Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. 1 and a dutch oven, I promptly made the best boeuf bourguignon I've ever had!

I got a 10 piece set of SS from All-Clad. It replaces a 16 year old set of Calphalon Commercial that I never really loved. Some of those pieces went to a friend, others, like the pitted sauce pan, will get put out. But I've coveted the All-Clad for a long time, and now I'm really happy. Love it so far, especially the saute pan (didn't have a piece like it before).

Received: a membership to 18 Reasons in San Francisco, a few more All Clad pans to finish up my set (grill pan, fry pans), and an antique book on confectionery.

The best received (of my homemade foodstuffs): chocolate covered and cocoa dusted almonds, grey salt caramels, and pear brandy (with the pear inside the bottle - I've had two years of experimenting, and it's come out pretty well, so I'm planting more pear trees in order to make that a signature gift in years to come).

A past set for my kitchenaid with a roller and 4 cutters - I love it! We've made pasta 3 times just since Christmas. Also got the ice cream maker for the mixer - it works great too, and doesn't take up as much room as a separate ice cream maker would. Now maybe my stand mixer won't "stand" quite as much.

I got a 2.5qt covered casserole dish*. I asked for it last year, so worth listing again!! We have used it already, and I look forward to many more dinners and loaves of No Knead Bread. Yay!

(*a Dutch Oven was a bit extravagant this year, so a covered casserole was a 2nd place choice - but I love it anyhow!)

My wife gave me a gorgeous paella pan that I am dieing to use. We gave a nice Wusthof knife to my sister. That with the made candies and liquors to the rest of the family made a very kitchenie Christmas

I got a bright red dutch oven. It's so pretty that it gets to live in my china cabinet. Also The Bread Baker's Apprentice which I am excited to start working through, I have a poolish in the fridge as I type!

I got a kitchen scale. Can't wait to bake properly!

6/34 quart flamey orange Le Creuset dutch oven, and a couple MAC knives. Thank you, foodie dad. :D

Received a Kitchen Aid mixer.....awsome (from my folks).

Gave a Lodge cast iron grill pan (cooks good, will last forever, and super cheap). Need to get one for myself.

I got a very helpful (red!) Cuisinart hand blender, which has already been put to use making creamy sweet potato soup. We also gave my sister a pasta maker, which she was quite thrilled with.

Kitchen gifts are the best!

mixed case of wine from my folks. best. gift. ever.

My husband gave me a bottle of tupelo honey (heavenly) and a salt cellar! Not extravagant, but definitely two of my favorite gifts!

two words.
dutch. oven.
yay!!!
it's so so pretty & now I'm gathering recipes & ingredients so I can use it...
~

What fun reading all the kitchen and cooking goodies that were given and received over the holidays. As for me: two cookbooks (Gourmet Every Day and Pioneer Woman Cooks), a different microplane grater, dish towels, bamboo utensils, wine pairing chocolates and basil olive oil. We gifted numerous mason jars filled with a variation of the olive oil granola that was printed in the NYTimes.

I bought myself a big Wilton cake turner - about 8" square with an angled handle. I love it for taking tarts off of a baking sheet or dealing with any big cake layer to flip onto a cooling rack. Very cheap, too!

This:

http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/13112-cuisinart-smartstick-hand-blender.aspx?sourcecode=AW2GB2066&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=13112

I'm in love.

I also got the Kitchen Aid pasta attachment-- it was one of the only gifts I asked for. Yay!

I love reading these! People got such good stuff! ABELSKIVER! Love it!

I put a Microplane and a Puegeot peppermill in my boyfriend's stocking (I have never been huge on pepper, but he is and never told me until a few weeks ago, so I had to make amends for not having one in the apartment!).

I received a pasta machine, a silpat, the Magnolia Bakery cookbook, some Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract, and some Scharffen-Berger cocoa. I'm making chocolate chip cookies as I type on the silpat!

I was given my first Le Creuset! A caribbean coloured 3.5qt round dutch over. I was totally stoked - and instantly started cooking in it. Can anyone say Tofu red curry? mmmmm

I got the Mastering the Art of French Cooking Set from my Mom (we watched Julie & Julia a couple weeks before Christmas as I'm a francophile). I've already made boeuf bourguignon, boeuf a la mode and coq au vin. I also treated myself to a kitchenaid artisan mixer after the holiday (I've already made pizza and pasta from scratch and brioche), a nice knife set, bakeware, chopping block, dough cutter, pots, etc etc (thank God for student loans LOL).

I gave my Mom a set of 4 cordon bleu individual lasagna baking dishes and some French cafe style coffee cups and saucers. They were all fairly cheap but she loved them.

My husband gave me a Tojiro,and it was wrapped beautifully, courtesy of the shop from which it was purchased.

I also liked receiving a box full of spices. I had never heard of za'atar before. For months it was wonderful because I would often have all needed spices on hand for even the most exotic dishes. It likely cost less than ten dollars, but was really used and appreciated.

My favorite gift to give was truffle salt. The recipient loved it.

When I think about it, I nearly completely changed my kitchenware this year. But my favs are chef's knife, silpats, bread moulds and my dear measuring cups and spoons. :)

I've received this steamer in the second day of this year http://images.philips.com/is/image/PhilipsConsumer/HD9120_56-GAL-global?wid=430&hei=430&$jpglarge$
i'm very proud of it :D

Among other things, I got a copy of Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking," and I feel that I have been fully established as a kitchen nerd.

I received an all clad copper core saucier which is awesome and my mom got me a book that is all about spicy food and a kajillion different recipes for ethnic type spicy food. Can't remember the name though.

I got a digital meat thermometer and an oven thermometer because the turkey at Thanksgiving was "too moist to be cooked through fully." It was cooked through fully and was the darned good too.

It's a small thing, but i can't wait to use my Magic Bullet.
My girlfriend was giving away all things that were new but unsused and that's what i got.

I got a dutch oven!! And some new knives! I couldn't be more excited!

my boyfriend and i recently bought a house. for christmas his mom gave us the 90th anniversary kitchen aid mixer. i am beyond excited to start using this, but we won't move in until it's built in march.
as you probably know, the mixer only comes in a bright red model. so along those lines his stepmom decided to buy us a faberware set (which is what we wanted) also in bright red. it's the thought that counts, so it looks like i'll be cooking in red for the next 20 years

oh yea I gifted myself a thermapen too! I've been getting yelled at daily because i have been telling jenna the temperature of her food within an accuracy of - 3 degrees

Oh goodness. My best friend's parents moved to Colorado earlier this year, and before they left her mother gifted me this old, HUGE (i am talking MASSIVE here people) orange Descoware dutch oven. Too big for everyday use but making homemade stock in it is a dream come true, and it is beautiful!

A block of Wusthof knives. I'm in love.

I got a GelPro chef's mat. It has really helped my back.

And a seltzer maker. Which will also help my back, so I don't have to keep bringing home bottles from the store.

We gave hommade jams to a music teacher and to MIL we gave a fryer that she'd been wanting.

I got a Nesco 6-quart roasting oven to replace my old one which has seen better days. I also got a lot of dark chocolate covered marzipan from my mom, and friends brought us six nights of truly appreciated meals after my surgery.

Not a gift, but it feels like one: yesterday I picked up a small Doughmaker's cookie sheet from a thrift shop for 99 cents.

My boyfriend bought me On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. It is incredibly interesting for its breakdown of the molecular formulas of food, why they behave the way they do when heated, and the history of its use by humans, which is especially pertinent as the debates about farming and the environment persist. The chapter on milk and dairy, for instance, clearly explains the incompatibility of animal milk and humans, especially beyond breast-feeding age, but dates human consumption of animal milk to 8,000 yrs B.C.E. That's one long-standing habit to break!

my mom got me the two things i asked for, mandoline slicer, and my first really nice saute pan, so sweet. homemade potato chips on new years!

I got a Le Creuset dutch oven too! It is a gorgeous granite. I can't wait to cook in it. I am looking for matches already, and can only find it in the UK. Help!

I got two great cast iron pans from my mom! My first ones. I can't wait to use them. Kind of nervous about cleaning them though....things should just burn off right?

Plumeria,
There's a post on here about seasoning new cast iron, you might want to read it before you start cooking. Basically; lightly oil the outsides of your (clean) pans, and then bake them in the oven for a while.

My fiance and I each have a cast iron pan; mine was a gift when I went away to college, his was his mom's, and she gave it to him when he moved out. They're not hard to care for; just don't use soap, and do be sure to dry them thoroughly. And if it looks like you messed the finish up, nothing fixes it faster than a pound of bacon. ^_^

my Blue Steel stand mixer... her name is betty!

This was the Cooking Christmas in which I received: 5 cookbooks, a dutch oven, a small casserole, an immersion blender, and a mandoline. And knitting needles for the single non-food related item.

My husband installed gloriously bright under-cabinet lighting for me. It is so awesome to actually see what I'm cooking!

A Mario Batali 6 quart Dutch oven in pure white! I gave that to myself. From friends - awesome homemade cookies, a homemade gingerbread cake to die for, handpainted chocolates from Marie Belle, a $100 gift certificate to Dean & Deluca (gone!), fancy olive oil, and a reindeer that poops chocolate jelly beans.

I made out like a bandit this year! 5.5Q Le Crueset in Flame (to match my 3.5Q one) used immediately for Chicken in Milk, 3 kitchen-aid pasta attachments used the next day, and my favorite - a signed copy of Barbara Lynch's "Stir". Gave: homemade checkerboard cookies. Although, does it count if I "gave" half of them to myself?

My Mom got me a much needed pastry blender, the coolest Japanese Mandoline, a Kuhn Rikon paring Knife, a silpat, and a itty bitty le Crueset silicon brush.

I also got some vintage pyrex...oh how I love pyrex...

I got a beautiful walnut peppermill... my old one broke just days before Christmas. I pretty much have everything I need, although I'd love some Fire King/jadeite. And a larger kitchen. And some task lighting. And some storage...

We got 3 great Kitchenaid attachments: pasta maker, slicer/shredder, and the meat grinder! We've already a lot of meat and have shredded mounds of cheese. We also got a Blendtek blender, which has pretty much changed our lives.

I got a Global G2 from my Mom, and some canele molds.. well 2 of them... very small ones... So I can buy me some more ;-)

Looks like I'm not the only lucky duck who received the Kitchenaid pasta roller attachments! I've made homemade pasta four times already, and it's encouraged me to invite more friends over for future dinner dates. What a fabulous gift.

Other major highlights were cookbooks (Rose's Heavenly Cakes, Tartine) a darling set of measuring spoons, my mother's vintage cookie press, and a garlic press. In return, all my family got lots of homemade cookies, granola, and caramel corn. It was a wonderful Christmas.

Food processor from a friend for my 21st birthday! Finally I can make all those recipes that call for a food processor!

Oh, and a poffertjes pan from my brother- I am a very popular person now!

Since I was married this year, I received a great number of my kitchen gifts this year! My favorites are our dishes, glassware and silverware. (And pretty much everything else we have, since we picked most of them.)

But my absolute favorite, is my great-grandmother's tea infuser. It looks like two little filigree spoons stuck together. It seems odd, but it's something she used everyday, and now I use it everyday.

Does the GORGEOUS Ad Hoc cookbook count? LOVE IT!! :D

I got a yellow Martha Stewart colander(sp?) from my best friend! So so pretty and matches my kitchen perfectly! WAY better than the one I got at walmart my freshman yeah of college :)

My husband gave me the Breville Panini Press from Williams-Sonoma. I think I've used it about 10 times since Christmas Day! LOVE it!

This was definitely The Kitchen Christmas for me too.

My new in-laws gave us a 4.5 qt saucepan (Calphalon Tri Ply), a pizza stone, and a cast iron skillet with lid; and gave me The Joy of Cooking, The Way to Cook, How to Cook Everything, and All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking.

My parents gave me The Zuni Cafe Cookbook.

And lastly my husband gave me a vintage milk glass egg nog set--a bowl and 6 cups. I'm completely in love with it and sorry to wait until the holiday season comes back around to use it.

I received some nice cookbooks: The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert and Beard on Bread. I'm excited to try them out.

I was psyched to receive an All Clad skillet that was on my wish list! I guess my friends and family caught wind of my (fairly new) cooking obsession, because I also got THREE aprons :)

I gifted my mother with new, stainless measuring cups and spoons after I was cooking at my childhood home and realized that she was using the same old plastic ones from as far back as I can remember!

My hubby got me a cookbook and a silicone pastry brush and his sister gave me two more cookbooks. My in-laws brought us a huge box of lemons and grapefruit from their trees in Arizona, then they took me to Costco and bought all the food for Christmas dinner.

I gave my mother-in-law a bottle of Madagascar bourbon vanilla (I'm a little jealous since I don't have any) and I gave my mom a Wusthof tomato knife which she badly needed. My favorite, though, was the cute Anthropologie apron I sent my BFF.

I got a copy of Gourmet Today, a pretty cake dome set, a pair of Staub ceramic mini cocottes, and a gift certificate for a beekeeping class (!!).

I gave homemade hand scrub to several people and a set of Chicago-themed spice mixes from the Spice House as a grab bag gift.