The holiday season offers us the chance to reveal secret desires in the hopes of actually getting them granted.  In the food blog world, these hoped for gifts are being revealed on sites like smittenkitchen and finecooking.com.  While my list is being compiled by someone who is still a kitchen novice, I have my own wants for this holiday season.  But first, I’d like to acknowledge some of my favorite necessities before I reveal what things I wish were in my kitchen as well!

Top Five Kitchen Must Haves:

1.        A pure vanilla. Seriously, are you surprised?  Yes, vanilla is my favorite ingredient but that’s only because it is so delicious!  And a pure vanilla extract is the only way to go! If I really feel like indulging, I’ll substitute real vanilla beans for the extract.  There’s something luxuriant about splitting open that bean pod and scooping the fine grains into the lucky dough or batter!

2.       A quality knife block. Although there are proponents of knife magnets out there in the blogosphere (like my good friend Carol!), I’m still a fan of my knife block.  I just have this scary mental image of stumbling, tripping or leaning backwards onto the knife magnet; the knife block seems the safer option for clumsy people like me!

3.       A set of good mixing bowls and baking utensils. Okay, this one is more than a single item, but they all work as a team!  I love my clear mixing bowls because I like being able to see the ingredients and colors blending together and I can easily check to make sure there is no renegade flour hiding at the bottom of the bowl!  My wooden spoon and whisk sets of varying sizes are always there when I need them.  Having familiar utensils is like having a good friend in the kitchen: they never complain and are unbelievably helpful because you know exactly what they are capable of doing!

4.       An excellent set of pots and pans. I use the Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Steel set and I love them.  They’re relatively new (only about 6 months young) and they’re still slowly becoming seasoned (as is their owner!) but I have the feeling they will be around for many years. They look professional, they’re an easy clean and they’re a huge step up from the pots and pans I lugged around during my years of school.

5.       A fire extinguisher. Self-explanatory.

And now for the Top Five Kitchen Wants:

1.       A pastry cutter. I can’t believe I don’t have one of these yet!  They’re so useful and they make creating pie crusts feel a little more sophisticated!

2.       A Joy the Baker apron. This is a pretty specific wish, but these aprons are just so cute!  Although I’m not much of a girly-girl, there is something fun and pretty about these aprons that just call to me.  You know how Clarke Kent really only turns into Superman when he’s wearing his cape?  I imagine that having one of these aprons would magically transform me into a kitchen super-hero, rushing to save the masses (well, maybe just my husband and two dogs) from inferior food experiences.

3.       A mortar and pestle. I would love to be able to more effectively grind herbs and spices and a mortar and pestle set would enable me to do just that!  Plus, there are some really cool ones available!  My favorite might be the gray and white marble one.

4.       A rotary cheese grater.  If your hand has ever slipped while trying to grate parmesan over spaghetti, you know how painful a regular grater can be!  How nice it would be to simply crank a handle and have perfect little shavings of cheese sprinkle down like snow on Christmas!  Plus, they can help grate chocolate and other products too!

5.       A double boiler. I have gotten away with not owning one of these for a little while, but I have the distinct feeling that some of my cooking experiences would be so much more pleasant if I gave in and bought one (remember the red velvet cake ball experience?)!

So, these are some of the things I can’t live bake/cook without and a few items I find highly desirable!  What are some kitchen accessories or items that you are secretly lusting after this holiday season? Go on, put it out there! You never know who might be reading!

Thanks to Lori&Todd for the picture of the fire extinguisher!

Laura