There’s an old proverb that goes something like this: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime.
This Christmas, give novice cooks lifetime gifts. If they want to learn to cook, send them to culinary class where they'll learn everything from knife basics to braising or present them with a cookbook for in-home learning. Check out the four gifts below. While they are for giving, it’s perfectly fine to treat yourself and receive too.
Cookbook: Sure, you're gifting the "Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book" to a novice cook, but you'd do good to get one for yourself. The book is filled with easy-to-follow recipes for meats, fish, veggies, desserts, breads, drinks and more, which makes each dish seem like a culinary masterpiece. It's filled with great images of what the dish should look like as well as colorful tabs for easy flipping and measurement guides. This book is a classic. Keep it handy.
$21.99, Barnes and Noble, various locations, barnesandnoble.com.
Culinary class: Instead of trial and error dishes, register for a cooking class at The Cook's Warehouse to get started. In February, the Chamblee location will offer Cooking Fundamentals, a three-day hands-on series that will teach participants basic knife skills, cooking techniques such as poaching, sautéing, braising, frying and more. The class, which takes place from Feb. 23 – 25, will be limited to 12; register your gift recipient now.
$225, 5001 Peachtree Blvd., Chamblee. 678-691-8600, cookswarehouse.com.
Crockpot: Recipients can take things nice and slow with a four-quart All Clad slow cooker, which is available at Sur La Table . This one features four cook settings with a programmable 26-hour timer for cooking an array of dishes; a built-in setting that switches to warm once the food is cooked; ceramic insert that's easy to clean up; and a glass lid for looking in without letting the flavors out.
$230. Phipps Plaza, 3500 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta and North Point, 1082 North Point Circle, 678-280-0086. 404-973-3371, surlatable.com .
Essential spices: Give dishes flavor with a collection of salts and seasonings blended by Kevin Gillespie, owner of Gunshow in Atlanta and Revival in Decatur. As part of this year's Beardsmas holiday gift collection, the Beautiful Briny Sea and Red Beard Essential seasoning set includes two tins of salt, meat seasoning and ham sugar.
$48, Red Beard Merchandise, redbeardmerch.com.
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