Gift for dad who loves to cook

[1ceng1]

My dad loves to cook so I am looking for a b-day gift for him with that inmind. I am look to spend around $100. He loves making bread, soups, pasta dishes, and Asian foods. Can anyone suggest any good quality gifts for the cook? He is a stickler for good quality baking stuff (ie William Sonoma). I was thinking maybe an herb garden? I already got him some WS baking pans so he doesn't need that.

Thanks!

[miki]

How about a mandoline? If he likes cooking Asian foods, it can save him a lot of knife work when dishes call for many vegetables.

[Jenn98]

Penzey's spices, hands down! We get them for my dad all the time, and I love getting them. I've tried a wide range of their stuff and I have never been disappoi9nted with any of it.

http://www.penzeys.com

[kelly ann]

Maybe some really nice serving dishes/plates. I am always looking for some unique serving pieces and I never seem to have enough when it is time to entertain.

Another idea is to sign him up for a special cooking class for half a day. Maybe one that caters to what he likes to cooks...bread, pasta, etc.

ETA: My favorite gift thus far has been my santoku knife - LOVE IT! Maybe a good quality knife that he can use everyday

[kijip]

My father, who loves to cook, just got us a smoker attachment for the grill he gave us as a housewarming gift (even though we have not moved yet, LOL). It is something I never would have thought of myself but I love it already. Very tasty. He said it was about $50.

Another thought, if he is a baker, does he have a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer... If he does, there might be an attachment he wants for it? I got J a special hook for his and he loves it.

[peasprout]

I think a great gift for anyone who loves to cook is a subscription to Cooks Illustrated. It's different from other cooking magazines and it gives a lot of really cool tips. My DH loves it but he would never spend the money on it himself,...it's a bit expensive. But great as a gift!
JP

[peasprout]

I think a great gift for anyone who loves to cook is a subscription to Cooks Illustrated. It's different from other cooking magazines and it gives a lot of really cool tips. My DH loves it but he would never spend the money on it himself,...it's a bit expensive. But great as a gift!
JP

[ppshah]

Does he already have a nice food processer and mixer? I got DH a Le creuset pan one year, cooking classes at the viking store. He also loves Bon appetit. There are also photo aprons. Good luck!

[BeachBum]

I agree that Penzey's spices are very nice. Their cinnamon is incredible! I think one of their baking packages would be really nice if you know he loves to bake. Consumables like spices are a great gift particularly if you don't know what "tools" he may already have.

I also think that the "cook's Illustrated"subscription is a nice gift.