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what are some really cool and useful kitchen items/gadgets??

i am trying to do some early christmas shopping. looking for some kind of neat and useful kitchen item or gadget for my mother in law. anything neat that you LOVE, but wouldn't necessarily buy for yourself?? thanks! the fryer might be a good idea......hmmmm

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1. Since you're putting together a X-mas shopping list... Here's what I'd like. :-) Deep Fat Fryer Crock Pot (I need a new one) Ice Cream Maker KitchenAid Mixer Anodized Cookware Set Culinary Knives Less expensive: Candy thermometer for making candy or deep fat frying Fast digital thermometer for checking meat doness An oven thermometer so I can check the temperature in my oven or by bbq. New set of tupperware. Crocks for storing flour, sugar and other stuff. Wooden spoons - always handy Basting brushes Tongs Brass strainer/skimmer for draining my deep fried goods.
2. Deep Fryer, good solid cutting board soid wood, well put togetjher. A good set of cooking knives. Espresso maker.
3. Two baking essentials I can't live without (except, of course, my KitchenAid Stand Mixer, which is THE kitchen item of all items if you have a big budget!) are: 1.) Marble rolling pin. It's nice and heavy, and stays cold, which is great for rolling out cookies or pies without the dough sticking. 2.) This Dessert Decorator. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=12884192&RN=867 I use it for everything from cakes to deviled eggs, and it's A LOT easier than those icing bags you can buy b/c you just click the button on the top and it dispenses on it's own, no sore wrists. Plus, it's SOOO much easier to clean! There are lots of fun gagets on Bed Bath & Beyond's website...hope you find something you like!
4. foodsaver freezer vacuum sealer- awesome (but expensive) black n decker handy chopper- small, inexpensive, easy- to-clean, "handy"-- useful george foreman grill- if she doesn't have one, she NEEDS one
5. The Kitchen Aid, I leave it out on the counter and use it very often. You can make cakes, pies, cookies, I even use it for homemade mashed potatoes. ENJOY
6. Magic Bullet Smoothie maker Wolfgang Puck's skillet/grill (you can cook almost anything on it)
7. How about a Food Processor, I got one for mother's day and I use it all the time. I love it
8. Toasty pie machines. Pie maker. Links below.
9. My current favorite (aside from my KitchenAid food processor) is a KA stick blender. It makes puree out of canned tomatoes for sauce and chili, and it works well for bisques and chowders. It was only about $65.
10. Rasp for grating cheese Fine mesh sieve Electric mill/grinder for grinding spices Subscription to a food magazine (Gourmet, Cooking Light, etc) Mini food processor (great for chopping nuts, making small amounts of pesto, bread crumbs, etc) Silpate baking liners Rolls of parchment paper Silicon basting brushes Marble slab for rolling out pastry dough
11. Here r some gadgets you may prefer: Coffee maker Meat tenderizer Toaster Microwave oven Vegetable peeler Cheese gratter Knief sharpner Juicer OR you may gift a variety of her favorite foods i.e. "all type of dry fruits / different herbs & spices / a wide range of cookies & chocolates " packed in a decorative way.
12. Stuff I LOVE Can opener that opens cans from the sides- I got mine from Pampered Chef but other people have them now. Silicone baster- awesome! (works great, no worry about germs sticking around, inexpensive) Wide-slot toaster- perfect for bagels Senseo coffee machine- makes one cup at a time and the coffee is GREAT! Use it everyday! Top of the line wine opener- ordered from wine mag- super easy, no effort at all, worth every penny Different sizes of crock pots- some recipes work better w/different sizes and you have more than one going at once for a party Plastic microwave egg-cooker- just picked this up at the grocery store and it works perfect. Use it for eggs for breakfast sandwiches. Oven thermometer that sits outside the oven- can’t imagine cooking without this now Silicone baking pans- especially muffin pans Rice-cooker- you can get these pretty inexpensive now
13. You could get a crock or cantainer of some kind and put some spoons and turners, spatulas etc in it. These kinds of things wear out over the years. The first thing that I thought of when I read your question was, you know those recipies that you can put the dry ingredients in a jar and it looks pretty...you decorate the jar however you want and then attach the recipie with the wet ingredients that need to be added later...that would be cute for her if you are buying Christmas things. I have seen some with a cookie cutter attached or with a spoon attached. It would depend on what you put in the jar. Good luck.