What Food Writers, Critics, Editors, Bloggers & Chefs Want This Holiday Season (A Twitter-Curated Round-Up)
This morning I was going to write my 2010 Gift Guide--I did one last year--but then I thought: "Ya know, my colleagues David and Pim have already done such a good job with theirs, do I really have that much more to add?" Defeated, I turned to Twitter and, scrolling around, I had an idea. What if I polled all the food writers, critics, editors, bloggers and chefs that I follow on there as to what THEY want this holiday season? Wouldn't that be interesting and more useful than anything I could come up with? So I asked a bunch of food folks, "What food-related gift did you put on your wish list this year?" Check out the responses below.
* * * * *
"The NOMA cookbook is definitely on my list." - Chef Graham Elliot, Graham Elliot (Chicago.) (@grahamelliot)
[Photo credit, Eater.com]
"A new immersion blender. Mine has taken to sucking -- and not in a good way." - Joe Yonan, Washington Post food editor & author "Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One." (@joeyonan)
"My food wish? The head of @rachael_ray served on a silver platter. That, or a kilo of tangerine zest." - Ruth Bourdain, Twitter personality. (@RuthBourdain)
"I would like 2-pounds of pecans to replace the 2# bag that I had to throw away because they went bad. And a jar of molasses." - David Lebovitz, blogger and author extraordinaire. (@davidlebovitz)
"El Bulli resy so i can say i've been there half as many times as you!* otherwise, golden osetra caviar. the endanged stuff." "$9,000 for 16 one ounce tins (http://bit.ly/icZT3R). plus ice cold bottle of vodka, and a russian-style man's mink fur coat." - Ryan Sutton, Bloomberg New York Restaurant Critic. (@qualityrye)
* Editor's Note: I've only been there once!
"Probably won't surprise you I'm a total Scrooge. Also have everything I need, thanks to super-generous consort." - Regina Schrambling, Gastropoda.com. (@gastropoda)
"On my wish list: 18 copper canele molds. Unlikely Santa will bring them since they cost the earth. But a girl can dream." - Dorie Greenspan, blogger and author "Around My French Table." (@doriegreenspan)
"I already gifted it to myself. A countertop pasta extruder. Look out for some new great pastas at HEARTH." - Chef Marco Canora, Hearth (New York City). (@MarcoCanora)
"A huge tin drum of new olive oil, a Le Creuset Braiser & a new Benriner mandolin. But I'll prolly get another cat tote bag." - Pastry Chef Gina DePalma, Babbo (New York City) and Author of "Dolce Italiano." (@ginadee)
"I need nothing. My wish is that lots of people get carbon-steel woks this holiday season and the wok revolution continues!" - Grace Young, Author "Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge." (@stirfrygrace)
"A trip to Paris dammit!" - Chef Sara Jenkins, Porchetta & the new Porsena (New York City) (@porchettanyc)
"My wish list this year only has one thing: more time with my family and friends. oh, and world peace. i guess that's two." "But for everyone else: cookbooks this year! so many wonderful ones..." - Chef Daniel Patterson, Coi (San Francisco) (@dcpatterson)
"Green Chartreuse, the expensive kind. And a case of Alecia's Tomato Chutney from Bham." - John T. Edge, writer and director of the Southern Foodways Alliance. (@johntedge)
"Hm. Well, if someone would take this deep-fryer off my hands, I'd be thankful." "But seriously, the Noma cookbook. Just to drool over." "And I wouldn't turn down a nice bottle of scotch." - Dan Saltzstein, editor/writer New York Times Travel Section. (@dansaltzstein)
"That super cool IKEA cookbook that's not available in the U.S. (http://bit.ly/f0vVST). A long shot for sure!" - Chris McBride, Co-Founder Savory Cities. (@csmbride)
"What I am longing for is the LeCrueset cast iron "casserole dish" (blue please!) I have dutch oven, but want that one too." - Kalyn, Kalyn's Kitchen. (@kalynskitchen)
"I'm hoping someone adopts an olive tree in Italy for me this year. Olive oil from my tree for a year! http://bit.ly/16LFEF" - Kelsey Nixon, Host of "Kelsey's Essentials" on Cooking Channel. (@KelseyNixon)
"Still holding out hope for the holy grail of Pyrex, the Moon Deco: http://bit.ly/fBUhoV and a @Sodastream." "I know I can't ask for All Clad Ps&Ps or THE KitchenAid mixer until I get married. (The main reason to get married, right?)" - Emily Farris, Author "Casserole Crazy." (@eefarris)
"I want a new dining table." - Monica Bhide, Author "Modern Spice." (@mbhide)
"A 52 bottle wine fridge." - Alice Feiring, Author "The Battle For Wine and Love." (@alicefeiring)
"Jeni's Ice Cream, BLiS smoked sea salt, BLiS maple syrup (drool), a knife sharpening stone, and this: http://is.gd/ilrKQ" - Carol Blymire, Alinea at Home. (@CarolBlymire)
"All I want is a goodly supply of Blackberry Farm salami, Burger's bacon, and a successful Meatopia. & A trip to Husk." - Josh Ozersky, Ozersky.tv. (@ozerskytv)
"Asked for Share Our Strength donations instead of gifts. But I also want "Old Favorite Receipts," a TX community cookbook." - Lisa Fain, Homesick Texan. (@homesicktexan)
"It's remarkably unsexy but a Rice Cooker with a congee setting, believe it or not! And what about you, mister?" - Matt Armendariz, Matt Bites. (@MattArmendariz)
"15 min in heaven at Cross Bros. Grocery - Ashland, VA." "They have a souse section that shows up in my waking dreams. It's my compensation for 12 hr drive to NC & enduring holidays." - Kat Kinsman, Managing Editor CNN's Eatocracy. (@kittenwithawhip)
"I fried my 4x kitchen timer the other day, so I will be putting a new one on my Santa list." - Andrew Scrivani, New York Times Food Photographer and blogger. (@AndrewScrivani)
"A 5-quart @LodgeCastIron Dutch Oven. And several bags of Cha-Chas--these excellent dark chocolate cookies with cayenne." - David Leite, Leite's Culinaria. (@davidleite)
"The starter salt set from The Meadow. Just finished the book 'Salted.'" - Garrett McCord, Vanilla Garlic. (@GarrettMcCord)
"Super fast IR/probe thermometer combo. Been wanting one." - Pim, Chez Pim. (@chezpim)
"A gorgeous block of dried bonito and a kezuriki (shaver) to make dashi. Also a bottle of Punt e Mes." - John Kessler, chief dining critic Atlanta Journal Constitution. (@jdkess)
"A bottle of vintage madeira and Darina Allen's new book. Got both for bday!" - Leland Scruby, French Culinary Institute. (@LelandFCI)
"A KitchenAid mixer bowl with a handle. My inexpensive mixer came with a handle-less bowl and I always want to fix that." - Megan Reardon, Not Martha. (@notmartha)
"The Frankie's cookbook and the new NYT cookbook." - Josh Friedland, The Food Section. (@thefoodsection)
"I asked Santa for the smoking gun from Williams-Sonoma, a Nitrous Canister for infusions AND a Vitamix Blender." "But all I really want for Christmas is for Joseph Leonard to be open again!" - Sarah McSimmons, Food & Wine Magazine's Home Cook Superstar and blogger. (@sarahmcsimmons)
"I requested a Staub cocotte in aubergine! I'm giving microplane zesters as stocking stuffers." - Tyla Fowler, A.G. cookbook intern & blogger. (@tylamfowler)
"Um, I don't have a wishlist. But! If I did, it would include a metal bench scraper and a Cuisinart with a German plug." - Luisa Weiss, The Wednesday Chef. (@wednesdaychef)
"I'm in the market for a coffee grinder i'll use for spices and seeds. looking for second-hand options!" - Clotilde Dusoulier, Chocolate & Zucchini. (@clotildenet)
"For xmas: i want subscriptions to food mags. Love my blogs but must support the few remaining quality print publications." - Doug Quint, Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. (@biggayicecream)
"Well, actually, I want @harold_mcgee's new book!" "also, some great olive oil, really heavy baking sheets, and a personal oyster tour with @oysterwine!" - Shauna Ahern, Gluten-Free Girl. (@glutenfreegirl)
"Salt pig." - Joshua Hume, director of my Food2 videos and the Mario Batali iPhone app videos. (@joshuahume)
And, finally, an urgent e-mail from Zach Brooks of Midtown Lunch:
"sorry... i forgot to respond to you on twitter. is it too late?
because i'd really like somebody to send me a crack pie from Momofuku
Milk Bar... :-) "
And that's all she wrote, folks!
As for me, this holiday season, I put a request in for the two Piglet finalists, "Good to the Grain" & "Plenty."
Thanks to all the writers, critics, editors, bloggers and chefs who responded to my question on Twitter. You've helped me create one pretty killer holiday shopping guide!
