The Well-Equipped Cook: Luxurious Gifts for the Cook Who Has Everything

Add a little luxury to an already well-stocked kitchen. [Cook's Illustrated] The Well-Equipped Cook A Curated Collection of Equipment with Tips, Videos, and Recipes [Luxurious Gifts for the Cook Who Has Everything] Volume 126 Luxurious Gifts for the Cook Who Has Everything [view guide] If your holiday gift list includes something special for someone who loves to cook, then you’ve come to the right place. In this week’s buying guide, we’ve collected the not-so-ordinary cooking tools that have won our stamp of approval over the years. There’s a carbon-steel chef’s knife that our editors have called “a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship,” a handsome knife block made from durable bamboo, and a stand mixer that any baking aficionado would love to have in their kitchen. These tools are guaranteed to add a little luxury to an already well-equipped kitchen. High-quality kitchen tools call for high-quality recipes, which is exactly what you’ll find in our new book [Cook’s Science]. This informative, illustrated tome takes a deep dive into 50 of our favorite ingredients. It explains the science behind these ingredients and puts that information to use in more than 400 foolproof recipes from the test kitchen. It’s a perfect pick for all the curious cooks in your life. Don’t miss these guides Our buying guides contain recommended equipment from our rigorous equipment testings. We post new guides every week, but they’re available for only a limited time. As we often say, we do the testing so you don’t have to. [Equipment for Organization] [The Organized Cook’s Favorite Tools] [Single-Use Gadgets] [Single-Use Gadgets You Won’t Regret Buying] [DIY Cooking Gadgets] [Have a Happy DIY Holiday] [Tools for Entertaining Guests] [Hosting Must-Haves for Graciously Entertaining Guests] KITCHEN MUST-HAVE Masamoto VG-10 Gyutou, 8.2" [Masamoto VG-10 Gyutou, 8.2"] [BUY NOW] Hybrid-style knives bring together the best of Eastern and Western design, so if you know an avid home cook who’s never used one, one of these knives might make the perfect gift. Our [favorite hybrid-style chef’s knife from Masamoto] is made from high-carbon stainless steel, which makes precise, effortless slices and stays sharper longer. In our testing, this lightweight knife also proved to be comfortable for cooks with a range of hand sizes and skill levels. HOW TO MAKE Peanut Butter Truffles [Peanut Butter Truffles] Our Peanut Butter Truffles are an elegant take on the buckeye, a classic treat made with peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar that is chilled and partially dipped in chocolate. For our filling, we used 1 ounce of cream cheese, which imparted a slight, pleasant tang and helped keep the sweetness in check. We then microwaved the chocolate with vegetable oil to achieve a satiny shell without having to temper the chocolate. Finally, we topped each truffle with a peanut half, which covered up the hole left by the toothpick and added textural contrast. [Get the recipe ›] [America's Test Kitchen Cooking School] WATCH AND LEARN Using a Whetstone You can use a whetstone to successfully sharpen various kinds of knives—if you know the right technique. [Watch the video ›] test kitchen quick tip Carbon Steel vs. Cast Iron Carbon-steel and cast-iron tools are often at the top of a home cook’s holiday wish list. But how do these two kinds of cookware differ? Carbon steel is composed of roughly 99 percent iron and 1 percent carbon, while cast iron normally contains 97 to 98 percent iron and 2 to 3 percent carbon. This small difference means that although these pans perform very similarly, carbon-steel versions are lighter and more pliable than their cast-iron counterparts. [Learn more ›] [More Cook’s Illustrated Buying Guides] bonus guide Essential Equipment for Perfect Holiday Cookies Nothing compares to the joy of homemade cookies, especially when shared with friends and loved ones. Is your kitchen ready for all of the end-of-the-year baking projects? We’ve rounded up the best equipment for perfect holiday cookies—items that we rely on in the test kitchen every day. [View the guide ›] [Order Cook's Science for just $24 →] EQUIPMENT GIVEAWAY Cuisinart Elite Collection 4-cup Chopper/Grinder [enter now] This processor has a sharp blade with great coverage, turning out crisply cut vegetables and nuts and fluffy parsley. Its strong motor blends hummus and pesto with minimal scraping. It can be yours! All you have to do is [click here] and you’re done. One lucky winner will be chosen at random each week, so keep reading The Well-Equipped Cook for your chance to win! [America's Test Kitchen] [Cook's Illustrated] [Cook's Country] [Cook's Science] America’s Test Kitchen is the home of Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country magazines, America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country from America’s Test Kitchen public television shows, dozens of best-selling cookbooks, member websites, the America’s Test Kitchen Cooking School, and Cook’s Science , a new digital experiment with cooks, scientists and journalists reporting from the world of food and science. We have a single mission: to help you succeed every time you cook. FOLLOW US [Facebook] [Twitter] [Pinterest] [Instagram] [YouTube] [Forward to a friend →] View this email in a [Web browser]. Offer expires December 14, 2016. All prior sales excluded. No substitutions. We sent you this email because our records indicate that you requested to receive email from America's Test Kitchen. We don’t want you to miss out on our emails: Please [add our email address] to your address book or “safe” sender list today. Unsubscribe or manage your [email preferences]. View our [privacy policy.] DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. Unfortunately, replies to this email will not be answered. If you have questions, please visit our [Customer Service] page. America's Test Kitchen, 17 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445