Wednesday, June 19, 2002

Favorite kitchen gadget gift ideas

Just in time for Mother's Day, Father's Day and bridal showers, here are some gift-giving suggestions for your favorite kitchen gadget lover courtesy of the professional chefs from the culinary programs of The Art Institutes.

From Atlanta to Minneapolis, Denver to Los Angeles, the one kitchen tool that kept coming up on the lists was a mandoline slicer. The slicer device is often made of stainless steel, which slices, grates and chops vegetables and fruits, as well as other firm foods.

"The mandoline is handy, it's quick it's a great timesaver," said chef John Fisher of The Art Institute of Seattle. "Plastic versions run from $30 to $60 and professional metal mandolines run from $85 to $110."

Other suggestions range from the simple - paring knife, mallet, and blender to the not so simple induction stove and pans and a backyard wood-burning pizza oven. And one of the chefs says he once gave his wife a smoke detector for the kitchen and it has turned out to be the best and most used gift ever.

Top favorites from The Art Institutes chefs:

Chef Jim Morris, Art Institute of Atlanta

· Food processor

· Mandoline slicer

· Marinating syringe

Chef Richard Battista, Art Institute of California - Los Angeles

· Commercial-level food processor

· Kitchen paring knife

· Mandoline for cutting vegetables

Chef Chris DeJohn, Art Institute of Colorado

· Coffee grinder for blending spices

· Food dehydrator

· French or Chinese mandoline for cutting vegetables

· Good mallet to pound your favorite veal dish

· Handheld immersion blender

· Induction stove and pans

· Pasta machine

· Smoker for outside the kitchen

Chef Ted Reemtsma, Art Institute of Houston

· Handheld immersion blender

· Pepper mill

· Pizza stone

Chef Amy Carter, Art Institutes International Minnesota

· Butane mini-torch

· Instant digital thermometer

· Mandoline

· Potato ricer

Chef Byron Korus, Art Institutes International Minnesota

· Chinois (a finely meshed, cone-shaped strainer for straining sauces)

· Gas satay grill

· Mandoline

Master Chef Walter Leible, Art Institute of Phoenix

· Backyard wood-burning pizza oven

Chef Bill Sy, Art Institute of Phoenix

· Home ice cream maker machine

· Rice cooker/steamer

· Pasta drying rack

· Set of cleavers

Chef John Fisher, Art Institute of Seattle

· Digital thermometer

· Fish poacher

· Garlic peeler

· Handheld immersion blender

· Mandoline

· Stove-top pan smoker

The Art Institutes system of 24 educational institutions is located nationwide, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The Art Institutes have provided career-oriented education programs for over 35 years, with more than 125,000 graduates. For more information, visit The Art Institutes Web site at www.artinstitutes.edu/nz.

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