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BY JAMES MCQUILLENToast of the Town
A $369 toaster, and it's not even pop-up? Are you out of your mind? Okay, so maybe it's a teensy bit extravagant. But what an example of fine British engineering: Commercial strength and clad in insulated stainless steel, the Dualit Combi 2-slot toaster ($369, Williams-Sonoma, 700 SW 5th Ave., 225-0607) is designed to be the last you'll ever need. (The Dualit Combi 2+2 model, $449, is shown here.) Two ample slots accommodate thick slices and bagels, and a chrome basket fits into an extra slot for toasting sandwiches. Try that in your average $200 model. Is there any conceivable reason to spend this much on a toaster? Well, no, but is there any reason to buy a special appliance when a bent coat hanger on a stove top works just as well?I'll be Honed for Christmas
If you're the type who regularly ends up cooking when you're invited to someone's house for dinner, you know that the knives in most kitchens are better for denting than slicing. Make it easier on everyone by giving your hosts a fine example of the cook's most basic tool, one that keeps an edge and feels so good in the hand they'll want to take over at the cutting board. A glance at the extensive lines available in cutlery stores will tell you that "all-purpose" is not in the knife-maker's vocabulary, but the Zwilling Pro Series 6-inch chef's knife ($54.50, Portland Cutlery, 536 SW Broadway, 228-2030) comes close. A manageable medium length, it's thin enough for precise slicing and sturdy enough for tougher work, like butchering fowl.No-Whine Grind
These days most people wake up to a series of piercing electronic beeps. Then they head to the kitchen to further assault their senses with the whining electric motor of a coffee grinder, a sound that rivals fingernails on a blackboard for sheer ability to irritate. Is it any wonder we're all so tense? (Well, the coffee might also have something to do with it). Give someone a break with a Zassenhaus manual coffee grinder ($65-$80, The Kobos Company, Lloyd Center, Northeast Multnomah Street and 9th Avenue, 284-4831). Fully adjustable for coarse to fine grinds, it does a better job than the electric model--and it's easier on the ears. If the recipients have a gas, camp or wood stove, the next time an ice storm knocks out their power they'll be sipping away while others are sleepily crushing their beans with pliers.Dial-a-Cocktail
Just in case you haven't noticed, cocktails have been hip for about two years now--but excessive drinking is still gauche, so how is a person supposed to learn the crucial recipes without a lot of practice? The recipe cocktail shaker ($39, Pottery Barn, 310 NW 23rd Ave., 525-0280) is just what the moderately bibulous hipster needs. The generously sized stainless-steel vessel is like the standard shaker, but with a twist--literally. Give it a turn and different recipes appear in cut-out windows. Included are all the basics, from martinis to sidecars to whiskey sours; you know it's got good taste because it tells you to make your Manhattans with rye.How to Boil Foot-Longs
It sometimes seems as though extensive cookware lines come in mindboggling varieties only to convince culinary-minded consumers to collect the set. The serious cook needs saucepans--and in five different sizes--they seem to say. There are, in fact, some kitchen tasks that do call for specialized pots. Suppose you're poaching a whole foot-and-a-half long fish; what are you supposed to do, light a fire under the bathtub? You could, but a fish poacher ($42, Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners, 3739 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 235-3802) would be a little more convenient. It's 20 inches long with a handle-equipped tray for easy removal of fish from liquid. So specialized, and yet so versatile--you could also use it for steaming long vegetables and boiling foot-long hot dogs.O.J. Comes to Your House
Nothing's more refreshing in the morning than fresh-squeezed juice. It'd be even more refreshing if it didn't cost an arm and a leg and make you scared that it might kill you because it hasn't been pasteurized. Take matters into your own hands with the Alta juicer ($50, Restoration Hardware, 315 NW 23rd Ave., 228-6226), a simple all-aluminum press. It's not as flashy or fine a machine as the rack-and-pinion kind, but it costs only half as much. Plus, when you squeeze your own you get to keep the skins, which make attractive ceviche cups, whimsical dog yarmulkes or fragrant additions to that compost pile that the possums keep raiding. By the way, this makes an even better gift with a case of oranges, which runs $16.33 at Sheridan Fruit Co. (408 SE 3rd Ave., 236-2113).Gone to Pot
When I left my parents' home and set up house for the first time, I spent about 40 bucks on a cheap starter set of cookware; at about the same time, a classmate of mine plunked down what seemed like an ungodly fortune on a few copper pots. My soups regularly burned and my French toast bore the imprint of stove coils while my friend, in perfect control of heat, happily cooked away. My pots ended up trashed. He's still got his, because he knew then what I know now: Good cookware lasts a lifetime. Give someone leaving the nest a piece of the best--how about a 10-inch hammered copper pot ($199.95, Kitchen Kaboodle, Northeast 16th Avenue and Broadway, 288-1500) for starters? A convenient size for a variety of cooking jobs, the thick tin-lined copper holds and transmits heat immeasurably better than any Wal-mart special; it's a joy to use and gorgeous, too.From Copper Pipe to Crème Brûlée
Many years ago, Julia Child appeared on the Dick Cavett Show to demonstrate how to make the perfect soupe à l'oignon gratinée. Her final flourish was certain to make a cook out of any plumber who happened to be watching: She melted the cheese atop the crouton with a blowtorch. The tool comes in handy in the kitchen, as it turns out; faster than using a broiler or salamander, it's just the thing for applying high heat to a gratin or crème brûlée. The Bernzomatic 2000 propane torch ($35.29, Beaumont Hardware, 4303 NE Fremont St., 281-4406) is a simple model that does the trick nicely. It features push-button ignition and a lightweight canister, and it'll work on your pipes as well as it will on your custard.Roll Your Own
A person could go to certain restaurants in town and spend as much as 20 bucks for a plate of fresh pasta, stop by the supermarket and pick up a pound for three or four dollars, or make it at home with flour and eggs for fifty cents or less. Tough choice. Of course, the do-it-yourself approach entails a little work, but mixing and kneading is hardly a grueling task. The rest is even easier with the Atlas pasta maker ($54.95, Pastaworks, 3731 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 232-1010), a hand-cranked assembly that rolls out dough to the right thickness. It comes with notched rollers for making fettuccine and angel hair; you can also use the broad sheets for lasagna or cut them up and stuff them for ravioli, agnolotti or tortellini. You can even try your hand at making a timpano if you're in the mood for a Big Night.
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Willamette Week | originally published December 2, 1998
