So what does your kitchen want for Christmas?

[Jenise]

Probably not this (clickable link).

So what, then, will make your holiday, whichever one it is you celebrate if not Christmas, complete? Nothing here on my end--this may be the first year that I don't have a single kitchen item on my wish list. The other day I saw a copper All-Clad at TJ Maxx and didn't even feel pangs of desire! [/url]

On a more practical level...Pasta roller for the kitchenaid. On a more fanciful level...new "Capri Limestone" Silestone counters.

Richard

My kitchen wants a complete makeover and a new house to reside in.

A new range top, oven, and refrigerator.

-Paul W.

My kitchen wants a Le Creuset 9.5 qt. oval dutch oven (Red) I don't have one large enough for braising 8 or 9 lamb shanks at once, which I'd like to be able to do.
That's about it. I actually don't have a place to keep that dutch oven, should I get it, except maybe on top of one of the cabinets. I need to clear out some obsolete kitchen gear...

A new toaster over...mine is about 12 yrs old and only cost $30.00 back that. It still works, but is looking in a very sad state I'm afraid. Unfortunately, all the toaster ovens that I've seen are 3 times the size and have all these ridiculous features. I use my toaster oven every day (as does hubby from time to time) so I need something very simple/easy to use. Any suggestions ?

[Jenise]

My kitchen wants a Le Creuset 9.5 qt. oval dutch oven (Red) I don't have one large enough for braising 8 or 9 lamb shanks at once, which I'd like to be able to do.
That's about it. I actually don't have a place to keep that dutch oven, should I get it, except maybe on top of one of the cabinets. I need to clear out some obsolete kitchen gear...

That was the other thing at TJ Maxx that had me thinking I should be drooling over, but wasn't (maybe I just wasn't in the mood to shop). Didn't even look at the price. I hadn't seen the big oval oven before, and I can see why you want one--this one was the flame color.

I am in love with Le Crueset. I bought a 6.5 qt. oval Dutch Oven in Florence OR this fall, and a 3qt. oval Dutch Oven two weeks ago. They are fabulous, clean up is a breeze, cooking is amazing. Not sure which one I want next - will have to go look. By the way, I got the red, really sexy!

Jenise, your link cracked me up. I'll bet that set has it's own infomercial.

I bought my kitchen's Christmas present before Thanksgiving. Went into Williams-Sonoma to buy a cranberry mold, and to see if they had Cipriani pasta (no!) and came out with an Oxo Mandoline.

You know what my kitchen needs though? Some nice dessert dishes that also could be used for fruit or yogurt in the morning.

My kitchen wants new owners who don't mind dogs barking at 7 AM, squeeky swingsets, dogs barking from 3- 6 PM, screechy pre-schoolers at midnight on warm summer evenings. Interested parties may PM me here.
Wm

Only kitchen thing I can think of (besides a total makeover) would be a whisk with a thermometer in the handle. It would be so handy for things like buttercream.

My kitchen wants a Le Creuset 9.5 qt. oval dutch oven (Red)...

That's on my mother's list, and the same color.

Not sure she'll be getting it from me however..

So what does your kitchen want for Christmas?

Somebody to do the cooking and clean up afterwards. Seriously, maybe a nice set of dishes. All I have is 25 year old Corelle in two different patterns. But then, I'd have to get a nice hutch to put them in, which, of course leads to ....

Good Balsamic Vinegar.

Not gonna happen, though.

The other day I saw a copper All-Clad at TJ Maxx and didn't even feel pangs of desire!

So-called copper All-Clad is an aluminum pan with a thin copper veneer. Sold at prices comparable to solid copper. IMO, if you're going to be paying those prices for pans, you should go for solid copper with stainless steel lining, such as is sold by E. Dehillerin in Paris. Or the other solid copper, stainless steel-lined equivalents.

-Paul W.

Good Balsamic Vinegar.

Not gonna happen, though.

Amen, brother. Not at those prices. Curse the falling dollar!

-Paul W.

[Robin Garr]

I would LOVE to get Mary a good ice-cream or gelato maker, but it has to be the kind that makes small portions - single or double one-cup servings. We used to have a little hand-cranked one about the size of a coffee can, but they don't seem to make them in the itty bitty size any more.

I'd pay real money for a fancy one if I was sure it would make great product ...

Robin, my quart and a half Cuisinart will make as little as one cup of ice cream etc. The insert takes up space in the freezer, and I usually make two cups at a time.

Simple, and really does a nice job.

Regards, Bob

[Robin Garr]

Robin, my quart and a half Cuisinart will make as little as one cup of ice cream etc. The insert takes up space in the freezer, and I usually make two cups at a time.

Simple, and really does a nice job.

Thanks for the tip, Bob, but I'm afraid it doesn't suit. I don't want a hulking big insert taking up freezer space. As long as we're just dreaming here, I would much rather have the convenience of a machine made to churn out single or double servings and don't really need it to make more.

Sounds like the Donvier One Quart for around $25 would do the trick for you Robin. Gets good reviews.

The freezer business is a pain.

Probably not this (clickable link).

Damn, that's hilarious!! I love the "WHAM!"

And a 28-piece whisk set is just the kind of thing my wife would desperately fear that I would get for her......

A new toaster over...mine is about 12 yrs old and only cost $30.00 back that.

Is it still working to satisfaction? If so, why replace it? Who cares what it looks like? You don't eat the fashion and decor of the toaster oven. You eat what it toasts. And if the output's still up to snuff, I say stay with what's still working.

In contrast, my range and oven have had it. The lower burner in the oven has quit functioning (which renders the oven useless except for broiling), and the electric burners on the stove top are on their last legs. And I want a gas stove top anyway (I still miss the gas range I had 30 years ago).

-Paul W.

[Robin Garr]

Sounds like the Donvier One Quart for around $25 would do the trick for you Robin. Gets good reviews.

The freezer business is a pain.

I guess I'm just not communicating, Bob. We HAVE a Donvier 1-quart, but rarely use it. The problem is that Donvier used to make a one-CUP model, which Mary loved. The freezer insert stopped working (very common, apparently the working fluid eventually leaks out or loses its potency or something), and we couldn't replace it. I'd be wary of a used model, because of the insert-lifetime issue.

The one quart is nice, but again, the insert is four times the size we want, and takes up space, and the machine is very, very basic.

I'm really - just in the realm of wishing - thinking of something much more grandiose, maybe a toy, er, tool that's made primarily for restaurant use. One local place we know of has a fancy, four-figure machine that they use to churn out weird and wacky ice creams on demand with all manner of offbeat but delicious flavors.

Paul...it does still work great...but it's only a matter of time before it goes...one side has come undone from the other and is sagging...looks like it's about to fall off. Thus, I know that I have to start thinking about a new one soon. But I do love it and haven't found anything to replace it.