Gourmet Gift Ideas for the Family Chef

For the person who loves to cook, there is always some little gadget that they would love to have to make a particular task easier.

Food Processor

A food processor has many uses in cooking, for the gourmet cook, it is almost invaluable. It can pulse, blend, chop and mix. It can also shred and slice. As long as the gourmet cook has a food processor, he/she will no longer have to do the prep work for certain dishes by hand. Throw it all in the food processor, and you can have a sauce fit for a king.

My food processor is a god-send when it comes to making my fresh pasta dough. No longer do I have to make a well in my mound of flour to put a couple of eggs in, and then knead for my fresh pasta. Now I put 1 egg for 1 cup of flour, plus a pinch of salt. Pulse it all together and I have my dough to run through my pasta maker. It saves me at least 45 minutes of work.

You can pick up a food processor at almost any store that sells small kitchen appliance. You can get a nice mid-ranged food processor for about $60 to $75.

Citrus Zester

Many recipes for cakes, crèmes and sauces call for the zest of usually orange or lemon. Most gourmet cooks prefer to zest fresh peel for their recipes. You can get a zester at almost any store that sells small kitchen appliances for anywhere from $5 to $10, depending on the size that you want.

Crème Brulee Torch

A Crème Brulee Torch can be used for caramelizing the sugar on a crème brulee or tart. It also works great for browning meringues and roasting peppers; then of course, it can be used for lighting your flaming desserts. They can be bought at any kitchen boutique for about $50.

Garlic Press or Mincer

A garlic press or mincer is of course, only used in recipes that call for minced garlic, its convenience is invaluable if your family loves Italian food. Almost all Italian food recipes call for fresh garlic, and the use of a mincer saves a lot of time. It's a matter of dropping a couple of cloves in the dispenser, squeeze the handles together, and your garlic is minced. That's all there is to it. Every kitchen should have one.

Drizzle Cruet/s

A preparer of gourmet foods a lot of times likes to fix platters of fresh vegetables, crackers, cheese and bread pieces. This is where drizzle cruets come in. One is for Balsamic Vinegar and the other, for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Drizzled together, the oil and vinegar adds a delightful taste to these foods.

You can purchase the drizzle cruets as a set or as one piece; with the smaller one (for balsamic vinegar) inside the larger one, and drizzle the ingredients together. These can usually be bought from $10 to $25 at a kitchen boutique. Walmart has some really nice sets for about $15.

If all else fails, and you can't make up your mind as to which gift to buy the gourmet cook; gift certificates are always nice. Almost all stores offer them, and they do make a thoughtful gift.