Kitchen
Aid
BY BRIAN
LIBBY
EXPRESS-O
These days practically everyone prefers a frothy cappuccino,
latte or mocha to the feeble Maxwell House-type brew of
yesteryear. But there's one big problem with espresso: The
reason we drink coffee is because we're tired, yet making
these drinks is about as quick and easy as solving a calculus
problem. The
Capresso C-100 coffee machine ($899,
Williams & Sonoma, 700 SW 5th Ave., 827-8570) serves
as your own personal barista. The Capresso grinds beans,
tamps the grounds, brews and then discards the grounds automatically--all
in less than 50 seconds. "It's the most advanced and feature-filled
coffee machine I've seen in a long time," says sales associate
Matt Engebretson. The Capresso is not cheap, but all those
$3 and $4 trips to the espresso bar add up quickly--and
you can't go to Starbucks in your underwear.
CHAMPAGNE WISHES
Forget the Y2K bug--the scariest
New Year's scenario is not having a decent set of champagne
glasses! Of course, this gift-giving season will be dominated
by items designed for ringing in the new millennium, and
no creative gift giver wants to be lumped in with the
masses. But giving a set of genuine Riedel crystal
champagne glasses ($44.50, A Place in Time, 526 NW
13th Ave., 227-5223) is perhaps worth the risk. Crafted
in Austria from 24 percent lead crystal, these glasses
are perfect for debonair dinners, swanky soirees or a
quiet candlelight moment with your sweetheart after the
power goes out at midnight. Our memories of banner events
often lie in the details. Whoever receives these glasses
will remember ringing in 2000 with class long after the
tacky hype fades away.
THE CHEESIEST
Remember your mom's long hair and hip-huggers? What
about house plants in the kitchen and that orange-and-black
fondue pot? No? Well, it doesn't really matter, because
no matter where you were or what your parents were wearing
in 1974, you can fully relish the fondue revival now.
Not many foodstuffs lend themselves to communing as well
as fondue. Friends must gather close to dip in, making
the gooey snack the perfect accouterment to board games
and seances. Make your own modern memories with a stainless-steel
Trudeau Fondue Pot ($39.95, Kitchen Kaboodle, various
locations) and skewer that '70s vibe with accompanying
magnetic fondue forks. Get lost in a haze of wine-spiced
fromage or liquid chocolate; everyone's bound to feel
groovy soon enough. Fondue fuel is sold separately for
$3.95. (Michaela Lowthian)
PLATTER UP
As the Brady Bunch kids will tell you,
a silver platter is the way to go for that extra-special
gift, be it the holiday season or your parents' anniversary.
It's elegant enough to stand naked on display and versatile
enough to serve everything from canapés to cheese
doodles. These days many platters are made from aluminum-based
alloys, which are stronger and easier to clean than silver
(no polishing necessary). Amazingly, the functional flats
retain a look of taste and refinement. The Wilton Armetale
Polka Large Round Tray ($82.50, Meier & Frank,
various locations) goes in the oven and freezer without
losing any of its sheen. When it comes to personalizing,
just remember that engravers charge by the letter, not
by the word.
GO DUTCH
All-Clad Metalcrafters Inc. is easily
the Rolls-Royce of pot and pan manufacturers. Boasting
three-ply bonded construction and a pure aluminum core
so heat is distributed evenly, the pan won't burn your
fingers, and it can double as a baking pan. It's no wonder
that restaurants across the world swear by All-Clad. But
if you want the best you've got to pony up big time. All-Clad
merchandise can be up to five times more expensive than
department-store competitors. So if you're shopping for
just one item for some lucky cook, grab the All-Clad
5-Quart Dutch Oven ($162, Pastaworks, 3735 SE Hawthorne
Blvd., 232-1010). It's the most versatile vessel in the
All-Clad family, ideal for everything from pot roasts
to spaghetti. Instantly, the recipient's kitchen will
have the look and performance of a five-star restaurant.
Just remember that friends don't let friends wear those
puffy white chef hats.
HOT IRON
Belgian waffles used to be exotic fare.
You had them at stately inns while traveling through upstate
New York on family vacations. Then the perfect grid started
showing up at every IHOP, Bob's Big Boy and upscale diner
across the country. You can't even get a regular half-inch
waffle anymore. But it's no surprise that this treat of
shaky origin displaced your Grandma's thin waffles. The
buoyant, fluffy Belgian is a lot of fun to sink your teeth
into. Naturally, the now-ubiquitous breakfast is easily
mastered at home with any of the fistful of electric irons
on the market. VillaWare's chrome Belgian waffle maker
($84.95, Kobos, 5331 SW Macadam Ave., 222-5226) is decidedly
decadent. Shiny and attractive, this four-square waffle
maker offers such features as a floating hinge for determining
thickness and quick, easy plate change. (Alyssa Isenstein)
WHIP SMART
From pumpkin pie to tiramisu, the holiday
season is a time for devilish desserts. But no matter
how much time a cook spends slaving away to make the perfect
pie crust or the richest torte filling, it can all be
ruined by the wrong whipped cream. Abandon Cool Whip forever
and make room for the Isi Dessert Whip Cream Maker
($39, Boyd's Coffee Company, 19730 NE Sandy Blvd., 666-4561).
Simply pour heavy cream and sugar right into the cylinder,
close it up, give it a shake and pull the trigger. The
CO2 cartridge inside eliminates the laborious
15 to 20 minutes of hand-whisking that fresh-whipped cream
usually requires, discharging enough sweet topping for
a whole table of holiday desserts (up to four pints) before
the last of Grandma's pies have even come out of the oven.
SHAKE IT UP
Have you ever noticed that milkshakes
made in the blender at home never taste as good as ones
from those stainless-steel tumblers used in restaurants?
Back in 1911, Hamilton Beach started supplying drugstores
with soda-fountain drink mixers, and almost 90 years later
the same basic machine still makes the best shakes. If
you can stand that abrasive metallic whizzing sound, the
Hamilton Beach Drink Master ($49.95, Fred Meyer,
various locations) delivers rich, thick frappés
at home. Like many a good gadget, the Drink Master's secret
is its vibrating rod, which whips the entire drink throughout
instead of blending it at the bottom. Now if somebody
would just create a great deep-fryer for the home, happy
days could be had without ever leaving the nest.
TEA TIME
As the rainy season hits the Northwest,
there's nothing like a cup of hot tea to warm your bones.
There is also nothing that spruces up a kitchen like a
beautiful tea kettle sitting atop your stove. The Simplex
English Copper Kettle ($100, Kobos Company, various
locations) combines form and function into an attractive
and durable kitchen appliance. Hand-hammered in Birmingham,
England, by Newey & Bloomer Ltd., the kettle's copper
body makes for superb heat conduction and retention, so
the warmed water will stay hot long after you switch off
the stove. Its proudly traditional Anglican shape will
make an honorary limey out of the most red-blooded Yank.
PRESSURE POINTS
Five years ago, the pressure cooker
was considered an antiquated relic of kitchen appliances,
written off as unsafe, bulky and overpriced. Thanks to
a new, careful design (better release mechanisms eliminate
the risk of blowup), these familiar stalwarts are back
in vogue and winning new customers with the promise of
energy efficiency, reduced cooking time and versatility.
The Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker ($199.95, Kitchen
Kaboodle, various locations) combines the speed of a microwave
with the flavor of traditional stove-top cooking. Instead
of zapping food like an alien invader, the pressure cooker
uses high-temperature steam to cook food quickly while
sealing in delicious moisture and aroma. Just close the
lid and press some buttons: beans, rice and mashed potatoes
are done in 20 minutes, an artichoke in 3 and stews and
roasts in less than an hour. Being a supermom just got
easier.
STONE TEMPLE PALM PILOT
Some people like
to do things the long way and mean it when they say, to
hell with beepers, pagers and palm pilots. Get primal
with a Stone Mortar and Pestle from Bali ($110,
Cargo, 1301 NW Glisan St., 827-7377). There's something
so satisfying about wielding the simple tool; a hard,
compact nutmeg seed is worn down to aromatic powder by
your hand. Take hold of the the palm-sized stone and grind
away your cares. Leave "accelerated culture" for the hopeless
adrenaline addicts and smash and groove your way to a
far-off island somewhere in Indonesia. Grains, roots and
nuts--you can decimate them all. Decorators who don't
want to get dirty will appreciate this gift anyway--the
shapely stone provides a positively grounding counterbalance
to any interior. (Michaela Lowthian)
SLICE OF LIFE
How about some style with that substance?
Any serious chef with a dedicated kitchen should be treated
to the Matfer Mandolin ($169.95, Kitchen Kaboodle,
various locations). We're talking serious architectural
points here: This sparkling stainless-steel kitchen guillotine
with black accents features a two-sided blade that will
slice your veggies straighter and neater than a food processor.
Reverse the blade and a serrated edge cuts a decorative
crinkle, rendering waffle-patterned veggies, which are
damn near impossible without a device such as this. The
mandolin, once reserved for professional kitchens, comes
with three julienne blades and has an easy adjuster to
tweak thickness. After all, when style counts and your
finicky in-laws are in town, you simply can't serve half-inch
vegetable slabs in place of quarter-inch slices. (Trevor
Kearney)
