Kitchen Gift Ideas for Brides

This is wedding season. Showers and other events abound along with the big day itself. This also means gifts for your friends. You have the chance to help others get started in their new lives together. Let Foodtasmic give you some ideas.

As is often the case, one or both the individuals have some kitchen wares. Many times these are remnants of a college kitchen that leave lots to be desired.

Do you still have any wedding or other special event presents? For some of us, that’s a long time.

Emma George Jones gave me a fondue set. It’s been so long, they are back. We still use it. Her son Ebbie gave us French onion soup crocks. Still use those too. Kuykendalls gave us a brass boot, for fireside matches, that’s still in use. Leverne Owsley’s beautiful plate is dear to my heart.

From friends in New Orleans we got a Cuisinart – leading edge at the time. It has been replaced but I wish I had the old one. The motor was great. We also got a rice cooker that’s still in use. It’s a great steamer.

Our Le Creuset cookware is from my days in New York and earlier. Ditto for most of my knives.

So what’s the right thing to choose? What's the Foodtasmic thing to do?

Here’s some advice. Go to your kitchen and make a list of 10 things you would not want to do without - something you use most every time you cook. Pick one of those.

Make a list of what you wish you had when you started a kitchen. How about one of those? Or think about something you would still like to have. That might be a good idea.

I looked around and came up with a “must have” list. Let’s start our ideas with these.

• ·         A good cutting board. I use mine most every time I cook. I like wood even though it’s harder to clean. It’s 2 inches thick maple.

• ·         My chef’s knife. I like a 10 inch model but an 8 works too. I cut most everything with it. I’ve had it 40 years. A paring knife and a slicer are the other two I need. And I really use my cheese knife. The serrated edge is very useful.  A sharpening steel is important to have.

• ·         10” non-stick sauté pan – more than one. I like a smaller one too.

• ·         A digital scale. In my book an essential item to do it right.

• ·         A thermometer. How do you know it’s done?

• ·         A 2 ½ quart sauce pan.

• ·         A stock pot – 10 to 12 quarts. The best way to boil pasta.

• ·         A 5 quart enameled cast iron Dutch or French oven. This is a very versatile pot. Le Creuset is the most popular name here.

• ·         Measuring cups and spoons. 1 quart and 1 cup glass models plus 4 half cup varieties are perfect. Get several. One or two are always in use. A set of accurate measuring spoons is very nice.

• ·         An accurate and readable wall clock with a second hand. Timing is very important in cooking.

Those are my “must have.” And with them you can do most things - lots of Foodtasmic activities.

At the next level, I regularly use a veggie peeler - a sturdy one. A good can opener is a must. I use my jar opener too. Cooking spoons and forks are necessary. So are mixing bowls. A really good dish drainer is quite handy. Baking and au gratin dishes are good candidates.

Small appliances are nice gifts. But be practical. What you like may not fit the needs of you recipient.

The list can go on and still be a good one. That’s why a bunch of folks can give kitchen items and not go wrong.

Cook books are still good things to have - the basic practical kind. Julia Child Volume One is perfect. So is the Joy of Cooking. Even with information available at a touch on the Internet, a book to cook with is mighty nice. My Foodtasmic favorite is Elizabeth David.

My preference is a family recipe book – especially to a family member. It’s history and heritage. And it is just as important to pass that to any good friend.

You can also give away things that you have used for years and now it’s time for others to enjoy them. Wouldn’t it be great to tell the bride and groom that this piece came from one of their families as a gift to you? Or share your family history with the new beginning family. We do that often.

How about what not to do? Good idea. Avoid buying it because it looks good unless it’s art. And that can be a great choice. Cute glass cutting boards are useless. So are thin and light most anything – pots, pans and knives for example.

If I had one choice of something to give – other than a personal or family item, it would probably be a cheese knife. It is a great kitchen tool and will last forever. I like the serrated kind with holes in the side. Besides cheese and cheese cake, they cut bread and tomatoes as easy as pie – which they do a good job on, too.

Some of these things can be sort of expensive. When that’s the case, go together as a group. You could easily be giving something that will last a lifetime. And that’s a long time to be remembered. It’s a much better memory than the 3^rd salad plate of a now out of style casual dish set that is a yard sale candidate. That's not a Foodtasmic idea at all.

Select and give with care. What you chose will reflect directly on you and your individuality. Tom and Betty Botsford gave us a beautiful leather-bound book – James Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson. I’m sure Dick and Julia Moreman helped select it. When I come in the front door, there it is on the secretary shelf. The secretary was a wedding present to Aimee’s parents. So with a simple glance, I get to remember and honor a group of wonderful people. That is truly a gift that keeps on giving.