It’s probably too late to buy gifts, unless you have Amazon Prime (aka greatest thing ever), but here are some food gift ideas. I’ve been doing this for a few years, so I don’t want to break the streak, though I won’t best last year’s guide. Everything on that list is still something you need or I desire. I bought that bottarga for a friend last year, you know, so he could cook with it for me, and it’s fantastic. And who doesn’t have a bean pot yet?!?
1 – Aero Press. It’s my go-to method of making coffee while traveling (and often at home). Along with it, I pack a digital gram scale, a hand crank burr grinder, and if you want to up your game get the stainless steel coffee filter. All of this is available at Octane, by the way. Finally, watch this video from Coffee Nate on proper use (note – it is not the same instructions that come with the Aero Press – toss those out).
2 – Sauces
Bourbon Barrel Foods Soy Sauce
3 – Thermapen
Oldie, but so necessary
4 – Containers
For holding stuff.
5 – Burger things
Yes, this is linking to another gift list, but I have this spatula, and it’s the shizzle.
6 – Cookbooks
I actually don’t have either of these, but I want them both. I have Mr. Ottolenghi’s previous cookbook Plenty, which has a great deal of pretty pictures, but also many intriguing ideas and the results in my partially veg-home have been fantastic.
I also recently purchased BBQ 25 by Adam Perry Lang, and have heard even better things about Charred and Scruffed. Adam tends to teach technique over recipes, and he has a common-sense approach to BBQ and little riffs on traditional methods which seem simple but make all the difference.
(images stolen from Amazon, but I’m linking to them so…)
