Gail Simmons' Holiday Wish List

Culinary expert and television personality Gail Simmons is a fixture as judge on Bravo's Emmy Award-winning reality competition series "Top Chef" and is now host of the spinoff "Top Chef Just Desserts." She is also the special projects director at Food & Wine magazine. Gail's no stranger to food -- before joining Food & Wine, she began her career as a food journalist in Toronto and later received her culinary degree at the Institute of Culinary Education. Gail honed her skills at Le Cirque and Vong restaurants before launching her television career.

Gail shares with us her foodie wish list, which includes kitchen gadgets, artisanal foods, and culinary excursions. She also lists her favorite new cookbooks and food books from this past year. Get some unique ideas for gift-giving this holiday season from from one of our favorite tastemakers!

Look for Gail's memoir "Talking with My Mouth Full" in February.

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Comments

[Funky Discharge]

03:37 PM on 12/12/2011

I already received my Christmas present - the 13-cup KitchenAid food processor with the variable slice thickness feature - this unit seems to do everything but change my transmission fluid. Best food processor out there, and that includes Cuisinart and Brevelle - I've tried them all.
Next on my list? A big John Boos rock maple cutting board (note to Santa: I'll take 2 smaller ones that I can butt end-to-end on the counter...).

[Al Schrader]

06:16 AM on 12/12/2011

Scones are better.

[ny johnny]

05:56 AM on 12/12/2011

She should put down her fork once in a while.

[bmitche]

12:07 AM on 12/12/2011

If I happen to get whiskey stones this Christmas, I sure hope the insruction are enclosed.

[gfgarv]

10:50 PM on 12/11/2011

Dear Santa. This year I would like a citrus juicer, some whiskey stones, French Press and coffee. These items seem like they are small enough to compliment my home. I would also like an ice scraper, a tire gauge and a pine tree air freshener because I live in my car.

[o3mta3o]

04:51 PM on 12/12/2011

i thought myself that most of these items could have fallen off the "gift ideas for the filthy rich" article. 70 bucks for ice cream? they better come with a 24k gold nugget at the bottom.

[myrnafaye]

07:07 PM on 12/11/2011

I personally have had it with "reality " shows. They are not about reality; they are staged to APPEAR real. Mostly they are about someone's ego. The longer we stay glued to these shows, that have little to no bearing on our lives, the more we will be diverted from what reality REALLY is: it is one out of four children on food stamps; it is 99% of the wealth owned by 1% of the population, and they dont want to pay their fair share of taxes.

[Tony Prato]

01:54 AM on 12/12/2011

Always glad to hear another person has figured out the obvious...nothing on tv is real, especially the people..ALL two faced phoneys
Also glad to hear your distant for the way the REAL world is...hope you go out and protest

[dyanedyan]

06:07 PM on 12/11/2011

It's funny that Gail Simmons called her book talking with her mouth full because I stopped watching any show she is on.She eats like a pig and I find that hard to watch.She may have knowledge but she should have learned some manners in public eating.

[d1anaw]

05:11 PM on 12/11/2011

Most of these things can be bought for far less. I paid way less for that exact citrus juicer. But $70 for ice cream? Are you freaking kidding me?

[myngbl]

05:06 PM on 12/11/2011

Drunk man with stones in mouth; not a good idea under any circumstances.

[climbing panda]

04:08 PM on 11/30/2011

the whiskey stones come with enough stones for two ounce-and-a-half drinks in a night.

[martiniandabotoxchaser]

01:50 PM on 11/30/2011

For those of you that are buying pots and pans this season please be aware that most are not made in America. A great Christmas gift to your nation would be buying American. Regal is modestly priced and made in America. All-Clad is expensive and made in America but is fabulous....there are other choices. Do a little research and spend your dollars at home.

[Happy Kine]

01:20 PM on 12/01/2011

Also, thrift stores are the best place on the planet to find high end bake ware and pans. it is much harder these days as things are tighter economically, but La Cruset and old Caphalon / Commercial Ohio aluminum pans still show up. Also non-stainless knifes and cleavers come through.

[anitafeeney]

05:14 AM on 12/12/2011

my husband got a very nice normaly very expensive set of german kitchen knives at the salvation army of all places still in the box and original price tag still on them retailed at the time for about a hundred bucks love those thrift stores

[Funky Discharge]

03:42 PM on 12/12/2011

A higher priority than country of origin to me is: how does it perform? Of course All-Clad is best, but a verrry comparable line at a more attractive price point is Tramontina (Mine are made in China and some in Brazil). Regal wouldn't make anywhere near the final cut in my opinion (but we foodies always differ on our preferences, don't we?)

[Si1ver1ock]

01:42 PM on 11/30/2011

They forgot garlic peeler.
1. There is a new tube style garlic peeler the seems to work well.
2. Silicone baking mat.
3. Panini Press/ Griddler.
4. Japanese Hand powered coffee grinder to go with the coffee press.
5. Immersion blender for soups

[RV1025]

08:03 PM on 12/11/2011

I think it takes longer to stick the garlic cloves in the little rubber tubes than it does to quickly smash them with your knife and peel by hand, but to each their own...

[martiniandabotoxchaser]

01:42 PM on 11/30/2011

Okay...here is a great item...Breville toaster/oven. It is expensive but well worth it. It will substitute for most oven functions. The heat is even. Extraordinary for home made pizza (make your own dough with pizza yeast). After a Cuisinart this is the top counter appliance pick.

[Funky Discharge]

03:46 PM on 12/12/2011

I think the Breville beats Cuisinart for countertop ovens - but mine is a KitchenAid, which beats them both (well, maybe neck-and-neck to the Breville). The Breville has a slightly bigger chamber, which is a plus - the KitchenAid is just barely large enough for a 12" pizza on the stone.

[WhatDaBleep]

01:15 PM on 11/30/2011

Whiskey Stones???? I can just see the emergency room visits increasing due to middle class drunk guys swallowing the stones or trying to bite them like ice cubes.

[WhatDaBleep]

01:13 PM on 11/30/2011

Oh yeah, that's what I getting for my wife this xmas, kitchen utensils. Not! I thought a nice vacuum cleaner instead. Hehehehehehehe.

[nsewing]

02:17 PM on 11/30/2011

Your soon to be ex-wife?

[trumbull desi]

07:12 PM on 12/11/2011

This wife often asks for kitchen things. For our first anniversary my mother asked for a gift suggestion. I asked for a really good stock pot. She was horrified. A pot?? For a gift?? She's not so horrified by the yummy stuff that comes out of that pot, though. I asked my husband for an immersion blender for Christmas several years ago.

Having said that, if your wife isn't into cooking, kitchen gadgets aren't going to get you anywhere.