Kitchen magician

Gifts for the gourmet -- or those who just love gadgets

by Christopher Muther

Some people's Christmas memories revolve around relatives, carols, and steaming cups of hot chocolate. Mine revolve around kitchen appliances. I recall holidays not as the year I last saw Aunt Virg or the year it snowed, but as the year I got an electric rotisserie or made perfect German spritz cookies with a battery-powered cookie press.

In my family, food and its preparation are as Christmasy as Saint Nick himself. Gifts usually involve baking or eating. After years of getting or receiving bread machines, pasta makers, and red clay pots (and even a vintage Ronco in-the-egg scrambler), I've carefully trained my eye to scan year-round for kitchen-related gifts. It's a challenge to find just the right appliance, casserole dish, or gadget that won't end up in the basement after six months (I have to confess that the electric rotisserie was quickly returned; fortunately, I've been spared the wrath of the George Foreman grill). But finding that perfect coffee grinder for Grandma means finally getting a decent cup of joe on those mandatory biennial visits.

The trick to finding the right kitchen gift is to look for an item that's truly useful, but not so common that everyone already has one. A perfect "Gee, I hadn't thought of that" gift is an apple peeler. Restoration Hardware (711 Boylston Street, Boston, 617-578-0088) sells a basic cast-iron peeler for $29; it takes the skin off the apple and then cores it. Anyone who has ever used a peeling knife to tackle a dozen apples for pie will be grateful for the invention.

Along the same lines is the ingenious Rotato. Similar to an apple peeler, the Rotato strips the skin off a potato with a quick turn of the handle. The clever device carries an "As Seen on TV" stigma, but it works well. Just keep it hidden when your snobby mother-in-law is over for dinner. Lechters (Shops at Prudential Center, Boston, 617-236-0798) sells the device for $9.99.

A fondue pot is an ideal gift for friends who are heavy entertainers. Yes, fondue brings to mind images of long nights at the Osmonds' Utah ski lodge, but the consummate party food of the 1970s is still a wonderful treat. There's nothing like spearing a piece of crusty bread with a long fork, then drowning it in bubbly cheese that's been enhanced with a splash of wine or brandy. Lazy friends who don't want to light a can of stinky Sterno and carefully monitor the flame will appreciate the West Bend Professional Fondue Maker ($39.99 at Macy's, 450 Washington Street, Boston, 617-357-3000). The electric fondue pot has a handy temperature-control dial and a nonstick interior. For fondue purists who sniff at the idea of using electricity to keep cheese or chocolate hot, Crate & Barrel (Copley Place, Boston, 617-262-8700) has a selection of traditional fondue pots of varying price and quality. To get someone started, there's a basic white enamel pot (sorry, no avocado green or harvest gold) and forks for $39.95. If you're looking for a more elaborate gift, you can add a lazy Susan, bowls, and a board that holds it all. Final tally: $89.95.

When all else fails, booze and booze accessories are always a hit. Walk into any department or kitchen store these days and you'll spot the latest must-have bar item: the Krups Midnight Cocktail Maker ($14.99 at Bloomingdale's, Mall at Chestnut Hill, 617-630-6000). This battery-operated gizmo is a perfect gift for those too lazy to insert a stick into a pitcher and twirl it around, or for those who can't be bothered to shake their cocktails. We're talking high frivolity here. On the plus side, its mega-hip design is straight out of Barbie's Dream House, and it's fun to watch in action.

A more practical bar gift is Crate & Barrel's set of six stainless-steel tools for concocting perfect brews. The set is pricey ($69.95), but it includes a well-constructed bottle opener, double jigger, cocktail mixer, cocktail strainer, bar knife, and ice tongs, all in an ice bucket.

The whole lounge/cocktail craze has simmered down to a dull roar over the past year, but with the release of yet another James Bond film, the martini madness shows no signs of fading out entirely. Restoration Hardware has a great selection of silver-plated martini shakers in the designs of a rooster, a penguin, and a zeppelin (which looks like a bomb), for $55 each. For those who are just starting to enjoy the pleasures of a fine martini, Crate & Barrel sells a martini kit for $17.95. The kit includes a jar of olives, four glass olive picks, and four cloth cocktail napkins. Octopussy not included.

Of course, some people still prefer a simple glass of wine to an elaborate cocktail. Kitchen Arts (161 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-859-8593) sells the perfect gift for friends and relatives who can't finish a bottle of wine in one sitting. Bottle toppers fit nicely into the neck of the bottle and come in lots of designs (prices start at $1.95). Every kitchen store seems to sell lots of artsy-looking wine racks, but Hold Everything (351 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-450-9846) has finally realized that some of us like our wine chilled. The store sells a stainless-steel wine rack that fits in the refrigerator (set of two for $20). The rack holds two bottles of wine in a slightly angled horizontal position.

For those friends and relatives who prefer their beverages alcohol-free, coffee -- in all its forms -- is always a safe bet. Our advice is not to bother with home espresso or cappuccino machines (they're far too expensive, and with a Starbucks on every corner, they will never be used). Instead, stick with a basic coffeemaker. Cuisinart makes a model that both grinds the beans and brews the coffee. The Grind & Brew Coffee Genius sells at the Chef's Web site (http://www.chefscatalog.com) for $99.95. To help pass off ordinary coffee as cappuccino or latte, there's the Bon Jour Caffe Turbo Frother (Macy's, $19.99). The contraption is essentially a disc that rotates at 28,000 rpm, whipping milk or cream into a frothy topping for coffee.

Calmer types will appreciate tea-related gifts. Log on to http://www.alltea.com for a mind-boggling selection of leafy brews and accessories. In addition to offering a Tea-of-the-Month Club ($15 a month, no shipping -- you can choose plans ranging from three months to a full year), the Web site offers personal tea infusers ($8.50), Japanese Tetsubin teapots (ranging from $29 to $75), and Bodum's ultra-stylish Assam teapot ($24). The site even offers tea-related books and magazines. One of the most simple and practical tea gifts is Crate & Barrel's Jena teapot and warmer. The clear glass teapot ($34.95) sits atop a glass warming stand that holds a candle to keep tea hot ($19.95).

Every once in a while, it's a treat to have popcorn that doesn't come from a greasy bag. Restoration Hardware sells a popcorn popper designed to be used in a fireplace or over any open flame. Those who prefer to avoid open flames can use it on the burner of a stove. Either way, the Bromwell popper ($34) offers far more entertainment value than sitting around a microwave watching a bag expand.

If you're absolutely clueless as to what to get the aspiring Julia Child in your life, Williams-Sonoma (Copley Place, Boston, 617-262-3080) has virtually every gadget, contraption, and doodad a cook could ever use. There's lot of expensive, specialized stuff, but there are also plenty of practical items. Some of our favorites are a stainless-steel herb mill ($19) that easily chops up fresh herbs with the turn of a handle, pasta rakes ($25 for two) for tossing spaghetti, an olive-oil mister ($15), and even a yogurt maker ($40). And for the person who truly has everything: the electric bagel slicer ($49.95). Simply drop a bagel into the chute, and this marvel of ingenuity slices it in half. How did we ever get by without it?