Gift shopping can be an exercise in frustration this time of year, which is why we’ve made your life a little easier by testing out some of the hottest gifts for home chefs this holiday season. This list covers kitchen staples and convenience tools alike, so make sure to read all the way to the end so you can the best Santa out there this year.
From the manufacturer:
“Perfect for vacation rentals, picnics, BBQs, tailgating, family reunions, potlucks, camping trips, RV and boating excursions, along with other cooking “on the go” occasions, the GOURMET 7-Piece Traveler Set includes three “must have” made in Germany, laser-cut and full-tang kitchen knives, plus wine opener and mini knife sharpener inside a customized, compact travel case. Available now for $139.99, the Traveler Set is also offered in precision-forged CLASSIC for $239.99 suggested retail.”
What’s so absolutely fantastic about this set is that you’ll be giving the recipient the four most versatile kitchen tools any home chef will need, two incredibly convenient tools that will make life easier and it’s all tucked away nice and secure in the durable portable pouch.
The knives (6” cook’s, 3 ” paring and 5” serrated utility) are all full tang, which is very impressive for a “budget knife.” But let’s be honest, just because the GOURMET line from WÜSTHOF isn’t the company’s flagship line does not mean that the knives are low quality. These are not budget knives. Rest assured, the knives are top notch and will beat anything found at your local big-box store, and they’re still backed by WÜSTHOF’s Lifetime warranty. The knives are laser-cut and made in Germany at WÜSTHOF’s facilities, just like the forged lines.
When we tested this set out in our office we were impressed with just how sharp the knives were, easily cutting through various veggies and breads with ease. The 6″ cook’s knife also doubled as an easy-to-use sandwich-cutting tool for a few of us in the office. The keychain sharpener was used to spruce up an older chef’s knife of a different brand that was as dull as a 7-hour documentary on mothballs — and it worked really well for such a convenient little tool.
This travel set also comes in WÜSTHOF’s CLASSIC line, which is used by world class chefs across the globe. The CLASSIC line comes with a 3.5″ paring knife, upgraded from the 3″ found in the GOURMET set. The blades on all the knives are also upgraded to a PEtec Edge with 14 in angle per side, which are forged, over the GOURMET’s 18.5 in angle per side, which are stamped (or cut out from a piece of larger metal). This means that the CLASSIC line will stay sharper longer. Both the CLASSIC and the GOURMET lines are made in Germany at WÜSTHOF’s facilities, where the company uses the latest in laser technology to produce knives that are sharper than ever before.
You can find the GOURMET 7-Piece Traveler Set and the top-of-the-line CLASSIC 7-Piece Traveler Set in many fine retail stores. Visit www.wusthof.com for more information.
WÜSTHOF IKON Sharpener $39.99
From the manufacturer:
“Uniquely-shaped and distinguished by its elegantly-styled handle, which resembles the triple-riveted black handle of WÜSTHOF’s precision-forged CLASSIC IKON collection, this manual hand-held sharpener is conveniently designed for foolproof sharpening and honing of WÜSTHOF knives. Available now for $39.99 suggested retail.”
One word: Wow! We were blown away by what this knife sharpener can do. We took the same chef’s knife we had sharpened with the keychain sharpener found in our GOURMET 7-Piece Traveler Set and then used the IKON Sharpener on it. The keychain sharpener did a more-than-adequate job, but the sharpness we achieved with the IKON Sharpener was out of this world. For under $40, every chef should own one of these.
You can find the WÜSTHOF IKON Sharpener through at www.surlatable.com.
ZWILLING PRO 8” Wide Chef’s Knife $99.99
The chef’s knife is the most important kitchen item. Hands down. You can use it for chopping, mincing, slicing, julienning and pretty much everything else. The blade arrived perfectly sharp, and even though a serrated knife is preferred for slicing tomatoes, this knife could handle even that. It was that sharp. Blending traditionally French and German characteristics, there are really no limits to what tasks this knife can tackle.
Also of note with the ZWILLING Pro 8” Chef’s Knife has the extra wide blade, which is going to provide superior control to a traditional width knife. For an affordable chef’s knife you’d be hard pressed to beat this.
You can find the ZWILLING PRO 8” Wide Chef’s Knife on Amazon or ZwillingOnline.com.
ZWILLING J.A. Henckels 2-pc Breakfast Set $99.99
This set from ZWILLING J.A. Henckels comes with two great pieces of kitchen equipment: a ZWILLING Spirit 3-ply 8″ Stainless Steel Thermolon Nonstick Fry Pan and a ZWILLING Pro 5″ Serrated Utility Knife.
We tested both out one morning for breakfast, and we have nothing but good things to say about the thermolon fry pan. That’s good news, because there has been a lot of negative press lately about traditional non-stick surfaces like Teflon and hard anodized cookware with links to various health concerns. Not a problem with thermolon. In our test, the eggs were practically sliding off the pan, with only a minimal amount of fat in the pan. Check out the entire line over at zwillingonline.com.
We loved the 5” serrated utility knife as well and used it to slice up some homemade bread and made everyone in the office sandwiches.
Check out the ZWILLING J.A. Henckels 2-pc Breakfast Set on ZWILLING J.A. Henckels’ website.
OXO Good Grips 4 Cup Fat Separator $14.99
From the manufacturer:
“Cut the fat with the OXO Good Grips Fat Separator with its own strainer and stopper. Pour your gravy into the Separator and watch the fat rise to the top while lean gravy settles to the bottom. The heat-resistant strainer catches unwanted bits, and the stopper prevents fat from rising to the top of the spout. Once the gravy has settled, remove the strainer and the stopper and pour out perfect gravy; a shield prevents the gravy from spilling over the top of the Separator instead of through the spout. This heat-resistant Fat Separator has measurement markings for increased convenience and a non-slip handle for a comfortable, firm grip.”
We can’t stress how easy OXO makes cooking, and that applies to the 4 Cup Fat Separator as well. Whether you’re roasting beef, chicken, lamb or turkey, you need the juices the roasting process produces to make the best gravy. The problem is that there is a lot of fat that’s produced as well, which leads to an unappetizing film on your gravy. No one wants that, so cooks have manually removed the fat with a spoon for centuries. Not anymore. When we tested it the fat was trapped in the special stopper that fits into the measuring cup, which means we saved a lot of hassle at our office Thanksgiving.
You can purchase the OXO 4 Cup Fat Separator at Amazon.
