Man, when did I become a cooking nerd? I’ll look back later and this will likely be the day. Almost all of my major Christmas spoils were cooking-related, and I can’t complain! I’ve gotten into grilling, bread-making, studying chili-fu and cookie-making in the past couple years and have acquired a taste for tools that are simple, strong and useful.

Sowing the seeds of these (perceived) needs in my gift-giving friends and family I came out with a bounty of culinary prep tools, listed herein after the jump…

KitchenAid Artisan Mixer

Oh, where to begin on the mixer odyssey. I was granted and older, white KitchenAid mixer by Kelly’s parents a few months back and quickly fell in love with it. It is the John Deere tractor of the kitchen. Seriously. It even has a PTO (power take-off) for things like pasta makers and meat grinders and sausage makers. I think you could likely throw a bush-hog on it and it would mow your lawn. The KA is so powerful that it damn near leveled a small table I set it on to knead some dough. In a few seconds it had that table wobbling like a newborn fawn. Hilarity luckily did not ensue!

Well, it came to pass that they needed that mixer back (it was on loan, apparentlhy) and I was given a…(ahem) Sunbeam mixer instead. Two wads of dough later and it had burned itself out. Magic smoke escaped. Thankfully, Kelly’s mom works at Sears and we were able to banish it back to whatever two-bit factory it came from and money was refunded.

See, the KitchenAid mixer is a simple affair – a strong motor on a sturdy base without a lot of bells, whistles or knobs. Since 1919, they’ve been made in the same Ohio plant and remain largely unchanged – so much so that a 1919 “pea shucker” attachment will fit on a 2008 model. Like a fine blade, honed to perfect. Except that you can use this fine, honed tool as an anvil in a pinch, and it makes hella great bread dough.

Do you know how much of a pain in the ass it is to cream cold butter with a spoon or a hand mixer? Butter creams in the mere presence of a KA mixer.

Meanwhile every chance I could get to remind them of how much I wanted a new KA mixer. I’d look longingly at those that sat lifeless, unused. I’d lean on boxes of them when we visited Sears (I did that once – but I didn’t actually realize it for a bit). Kelly kept telling me “we’ll look for one after Christmas”. A stock answer I’ve used on Kelly for years! I should have known something was up.

Oh, and I should mention that having a relative at a big-box store like Sears is an excellent way to get ridiculous deals on such things. Our families do pretty well, but we certainly don’t exchange $350 gifts at Christmas!

More KitchenAid mixer history!

KitchenAid Artisan Specs

Alton Brown Plunger Measuring Cups Set & Salt Cellar

Kelly’s the one who started watching Alton Brown’s Good Eats a few years back and y’know the whole mixture of history, science and cornball dialogue just suckered me right in. I think we’ve likely watched every episode and have adopted his kitchen-gadget mantra: “The only unitasker in the kitchen is the fire extinguisher”. Essentially, simple, well-designed tools in place of gadgets.

Ever cook with sticky stuff like moleasses or honey? Ever stand there waiting for it to drip, slide or sploop out of the measuring cup? Enter the “Plunger and Plunger Jr.” measuring cups! Draw the plunger down to the capacity you need, fill, and plunge! The tight fit squeezes every last drop out, no muss, no fuss.

The salt cellar is a whole other deal… I could just as easily use the box or my existing glass jar for my Kosher coarse-grained salt. But Kelly went and bought me the Official Alton Brown Sodium Chloride Containment Unit: The Salt Cellar. It’s a uni-tasker, yeah. But according to AB’s is exempt now because they come in other colors. It’s got a flip-top lid and a handle and makes a satisfying “clang!” when you let it fall shut. That way you alert others that SALTING IS OCCURING IN THE KITCHEN. Dual-tasker.

Shun 8″ Chef’s Knife (MH-0706)

The piece de resistance!! Mom bought us a set of JA Henckels years ago and I’ve outgrown the chef’s knife it comes with – the steel is so-so and I find having to need to sharpen it all the time. So, this year, I told mom (who is an excellent gift researcher) that I wanted a “good chef’s knife with good steel”. My brother, a chef (now just recently with Maido), helped her out and they went with the Shun MH-0706. “That is a very nice knife,” says my brother. Rad!

It’s an 8″ chef’s knife with a all-one-piece look to it, with the handle being stainless steel. The “damascus” look on the blade is classy and the steel… well… it’s VG-10 which is considered a “super steel” because most other steels won’t take an edge like it will. It comes out of the package laser-sharp. I mean wicked sharp.

I was a Boy Scout, so I know the utility of a knife. I usually carry a pocketknife as well, and I just love the simple form and function of a knife. Ages old, largely unchanged – not quite like the wheel or the lever, but damned close. A fine knife is fine… art. I can’t wait to chop something! Or… filet something! Never julienned, but now I’ve got no excuse.

I swear it’s totally unrelated – but as I come to find out, Alton Brown is a Shun spokesman. He’s the one who sells the band-aids with the knife.

So, a Christmas filled with simple, well-refined, well-designed tools for cooking. Can’t wait to put ‘em all together!