Kitchen
Aid
BY
BRIAN LIBBY
ARE YOU OLD-SCHOOL?
For all the attention that's been given to espresso
and gourmet coffee machines, there are still plenty of old-school
java drinkers out there--the ones who proudly proclaim that
the best coffee requires a toothpick. If one of these defiant
dinosaurs is on your list, get him the
Rapid Brew Stainless
Steel Percolator ($27.99, Uptown Hardware, 27 NW 23rd
Place, 227-5375). Instead of the drip method that has become
popular today, the Rapid Brew bubbles boiling hot water
onto a bed of grounds and back into the base, which then
percolates back through all over again. This makes for coffee
that's hotter and stronger--the kind that puts hair on your
chest and chutzpah in your heart. A generation ago virtually
everyone was making coffee this way; listen to your elders.
SLOW STRAIN COMING
Tea bags? A spot of tea made
with looseleaf--steeped in a teapot and then strained
by hand--still tastes better than a cup made with tea
that's oppressed in a bag. Say no to the bland land of
Lipton and pick up a genuine English tea strainer
($12.95, British Tea Garden, 725 SW 10th Ave., 221-7817).
A few inches wide, it will sit atop any mug perfectly,
trapping the tea leaves before they can escape into your
cup. And remember to doctor with lemon, not honey.
STATE OF THE CUISINART
There's no brand name that
makes a cook swoon like Cuisinart. Quite simply, Cuisinart
makes the best food processors in the world. Razor-sharp
blades and intelligent ergonomics make sauces just a little
smoother, sliced vegetables a bit thinner and egg whites
a tad fluffier than those manipulated by impostors. The
Cuisinart comes in a variety of sizes designed to match
the number of mouths you have to feed and the amount of
bills in your wallet. Although the professional-sized
models run hundreds of dollars, the Cuisinart Mini-Prep
Food Processor ($29.95, Williams-Sonoma, Pioneer Place,
700 SW 5th Ave., 225-0607) is an affordable and functional
way to join the club. Before long, the lucky recipient
will have to be dragged from the kitchen each night, desperately
yearning to create just one more culinary delight.
TORTILLA FLATS
Fresh tortillas can make anyone's
homemade burritos, fajitas and enchiladas go from adequate
to stupendous faster than you can say "¡olé!"
But despite the ease of making them from scratch, hardly
any of us Americans know how. With the help of a Norpro
Deluxe Tortilla Press ($18, Mirador, 1123 SE Market
St., 231-5175), you can turn corn, flower, salt and water
into the best tortillas this side of Tijuana. Constructed
like a waffle iron minus the rivets and electricity, the
Tortilla Press is easy to use and easy to clean. The recipient
of this gift will never again groan about Taco Hell.
WOK THIS WAY
So you've got a friend interested
in exploring Asian cooking, but you don't have a lot of
yen to shell out for a decent wok. No problem: Instead
of shopping at a high-end kitchen store, try one of several
local restaurant wholesalers. In addition to endless supplies
of ketchup bottles and napkin dispensers, you can get
a restaurant-quality, fourteen-inch wok ($14.75,
International Restaurant Supply, 3653 NW Front Ave., 221-6233)
at rock-bottom prices. Imported from Taiwan by Tombolo
Equipment Company, this durable hammered-steel wok is
used at restaurants all over Portland. Its flat bottom
fits perfectly atop your stove or snugly into a wok stand,
and like most woks, it can be cleaned as easily as a Teflon
skillet. What's more, the timing of your gift will be
impeccable: With the Year of the Dragon only a few weeks
away, there's no better time to perfect one's stir-frying
skills.
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
Garlic is the little bulb
that makes the culinary world go 'round. Not only is it
the foundation of thousands of different sauces, soups
and spreads, but there are also entire restaurants and
even festivals devoted to it. Although a knife works
for slicing and mincing, the garlic press is so much simpler--and
far less sticky. Yet too many kitchens are stocked with
devices that leave more garlic in the press than in the
dish. The Swiss-made Zyliss Garlic Press ($13.99,
La Bottega di Mamma Ro, 940 NW 23rd Ave., 241-4960) is
the ultimate tool. Its sleek, polished-metal design and
sharpened holes give it the precision of, well, a Swiss
watch. The best part about this wonder? You don't even
have to peel the cloves. Just pull apart from the bulb,
pop it in the chamber and squeeze.
SPOON WE'LL BE TOGETHER
What is the one kitchen
item every cook needs? Truth be told, you can do without
blenders, mixers and most gadgets, but everybody needs
at least one good spoon. Crafted from pure maple with
a mineral-oil finish, the Amish Woods Spoon ($5.95,
Kitchen Kaboodle, various locations) could be found in
kitchens hundreds of years ago, doing the same stirring,
flipping, turning and folding it does today. A spoon may
not seem like an exciting gift, but think of it as the
kitchen equivalent of giving a fine pen to a writer, or
a stethoscope to a doctor. You don't get any more basic
than a wooden spoon--and that's precisely what makes it
special.
UNSCREW MY HEART
A few years ago, my best friend
received a corkscrew as a gift from his new sweetheart.
What at first seemed like an ordinary kitchen gadget began
to bloom over the course of the evening with symbolic
meaning: Was she inviting him to uncork his feelings,
unzip his fly or just have a good glass of chardonnay?
By giving your love the Messermeister Automatic Corkscrew
($25, Portland Cutlery, 536 SW Broadway, 228-2030), you
can unleash your own set of double and triple entendres
while also giving a tool that's both elegant and easy
to use. Unlike most corkscrews, the Messermeister requires
no pushing or pulling. Simply place the device over the
cork and start turning: First the screw delves into the
cork, and then it pulls it out--all by turning in one
direction. And the Messermeister's polished chrome is
both beautiful and durable--exactly what you want from
any relationship, be it with man or machine.
JUST FONDUE IT
Fondue is a great way to make a
candlelight dinner stretch out for an entire evening.
Whether it's for bread dipped in gooey cheese, meats boiled
in hot oil or even marshmallows dipped in rich chocolate,
this 11-piece Nonstick Fondue Set ($19.99, Cost
Plus World Market, 2315 NW Westover Road, 916-1606) has
all the equipment you need short of a good-looking dinner
companion. In addition to a fondue pot, the set includes
six fondue forks, one fork holder, a stand, a tray and
an alcohol burner. Give this kit to a person you always
wanted to know better than you do, or to a loved one who
never stops long enough to relax for an indulgent meal
experience.
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