Kitchen cool for the yule

Even in this sagging economy, you can't leave the foodies in your life high and dry at the holidays. We looked around for some fun gadgets to stuff in stockings as well as pricier kitchen equipment for those extra-special cooks.

Here's a peek at what we found in the $10-to-$50 price range.

$10 and less:

Le Creuset Silicone Pinch Bowls. Set of four flexible, 1/4-cup-capacitybowls that can be pinched to pour small amounts of herbs and seasonings. Use them to hold condiments or salad dressing. Great for organizing ingredients before starting to prepare recipes. $10 at Sparrow Hawk.

Progressive Collapsible Silicon Measuring Cup.Expands instantly to help you accurately measure liquids. Features easy-grip handle and pouring spout. One-cup capacity. Collapses for storage to save space. $5.99 at Chefs.

Bottle brush set. Buy the brushes separately or as a set of three. The long brushes have a soft cloth tip to protect the wire point on the end, which prevents scratching glass or poking holes in plastic. They can get into those hard-to-clean narrow tubes. One-inch round brush costs $6.99; 3/4-inch round brush costs $5.99; and 3/8-inch round brush costs $4.99. Available at Sparrow Hawk.

Hutzler Banana Slicer.Yellow plastic and shaped like a banana, this handy gadget makes slicing a banana a breeze. Children can safely use it to top their morning bowl of cereal with banana slices. Dishwasher-safe. $4.99 at Sparrow Hawk.

$20 and less:

RSVP Onion Goggles.Protects eyes from irritating onion vapors. Use when chopping, mincing and dicing onions without tearing up. The goggles have anti-fog lenses. $19.99 at Sparrow Hawk.

Keepeez Vacuum Food Sealers.Four-piece set of sealers that fit containers up to 8.5 inches wide. Place a sealer on a dish with food in it and press the center firmly. It locks out air while creating a spill-proof seal. They are safe for the refrigerator, freezer and dishwasher. $15.99 at Chefs.

Grillware by Outset Magnetic Light. The light attaches magnetically to a grill via a strong, stay-put magnet, and illuminates your cooking area with a three-bulb light. The light can be swiveled in any direction for full range of motion. It comes with batteries. $17.99 at Sparrow Hawk.

Days Ago Digital Day Counter.Counts the days and hours food has been stored. A suction base attaches to most smooth surfaces. Set the timer, and the gadget will display the number of days elapsed (up to 99) since being set. $11.99 at Sparrow Hawk.

Silvermark Prep-to-Pan Folding Cutting Board.Durable plastic board that will not dull knives. With a flexible crease, it opens for prepping food and folds slightly to easily pour chopped food into a bowl. Expands to an 8-by-12-inch surface, and folds for storage. Dishwasher-safe. $11.99 at Sparrow Hawk.

Chef'n Garliczoom. Simply peel the garlic, place it in the chopping bowl, snap the top closed and roll back and forth. Stainless steel blades turn out chopped garlic, and your hands are spared the smell. Top-rack dishwasher-safe. $11.99 at Sparrow Hawk.

$30:

Kyocera Ceramic Knife.A 3-inch paring knife with a razor-sharp blade made of ceramic that retains its sharpness 10 times longer than steel knives. Ceramic knives never rust. $29.99 at Sparrow Hawk.

$40 and less:

Trudeau Gourmet Salts.Three coarse-ground salts: New Zealand white sea salt; alaea, Hawaiian sea salt; and Salish, alderwood-smoked sea salt. Comes with a wooden salt spoon and three ceramic salt pigs. $39.99 at Sparrow Hawk.

Nordic Ware Sweet Rides Cupcake Pan. Five-cup-capacity cupcake pan in the shapes of eight cars: 1930s roadster, 1940s coupe, 1950s convertible, 1960s muscle car, 1970s pickup truck, 1980s SUV, 1990s compact, and 2000s sports car. Heavy cast aluminum ensures even baking, and nonstick surfaces make for easy release and cleanup. $34.99 at Sparrow Hawk.

$50:

Swiss Diamond 8-inch Fry Pan. Has a revolutionary new nonstick finish with diamond crystals that makes for an indestructible cooking surface - it won't crack, blister or peel. It has the highest degree of thermal conductivity for even, fast cooking.

Oven resistant up to 500 degrees. Safe for metal utensils. Dishwasher-safe. $49.99 at Sparrow Hawk.

GREEN IS A GOOD COLOR FOR CHRISTMAS ...

For the environmentally concerned shoppers interested in decreasing their carbon footprint or that of the people on their gift list, we offer the following "green" options. If you're in a caring mood, we have gifts that support charitable agencies, too.

• Totally Bamboo Cutting Board. Bamboo is harder than maple and is sustainable. It does not require replanting, making it one of the world's most renewable resources. Wash the board in warm water and mild detergent; occasionally wipe it with mineral oil. $49.99 at Sparrow Hawk.

• Beyond Gourmet Unbleached Parchment Paper. This is paper that has not been bleached with chlorine, so making the paper has minimum impact on the environment - no harmful by-product are released. $7.99 at Sparrow Hawk

• Women's Bean Project Soup Mixes. There are a variety of mixes from which to choose. Women's Bean Project is a Denver-based nonprofit business that employs women who have experienced chronic unemployment, poverty or difficult life situations. Each mix has a signed "Thank you" from the women who packaged the soup. $7.99 at Sparrow Hawk.

• Buywell Coffee. Locally roasted coffee from farmers who participate in Fair Trade agreements. A Fair Trade Certified product means you are supporting a better life for farming families through fari prices, direct trade, community development and environmental stewardship. $10.99 for XXX bag at Sparrow Hawk.

• Norpro Compost Keeper. A 1-gallon ceramic pale for temporarily storing peelings, eggshells, coffee grounds and vegetable scraps for transfer to your garden composter. Includes a filter in the lid to keep the compost odorless. Plastic Classic Kitchen Basic Bio Bags are sold separately. They fit into the compost pail and are fully biodegradaable and compostaable. $34.99 for the compost pail and $14.99 for bags at Sparrow Hawk.

AND FOR YOU BIG SPENDERS ...

Our "wow-wee" gift this year is the KitchenAid Professional 600 Series Mixer. It can handle up to 14 cups of flour for the hard-core bakers on your list. The 575-watt motor is a workhorse. The wide, 6-quart capacity mixingbowl will make large-batch baking a breeze. The new powerknead spiral dough hook is a huge improvement over the original dough hook. Dough no longer works itself up the hook while being kneaded. The mixer has 10 speeds, comes eith a wire whisk and paddle attachments, and has a bowl-lift handle. $350 at CHEFS.

-

Contact the writer: 636-0271 or teresa.farney@gazette.com  

DETAILS

Among places to shop for culinary gifts:

• Chefs, 5070 Centennial Blvd., 272-2700
• Sparrow Hawk Cookware, 120 N. Tejon St., 471-3235
• Williams-Sonoma, 1885 Briargate Pkwy. Parkway, 593-0261
• Manitou Kitchen Shop, 906 Manitou Ave., 685-9900