Unique Graduation Gifts

These gadgets have several things in common that make them attractive to people with limited time, patience and culinary skills. They are all easy to use and clean, and they work with microwave ovens. They are easy to pack and transport for those ever-so-numerous moves that tend to occur during the first few years away from home. Most important is that they are goof-proof; as long as the brief instruction sheets that come with them are read and followed, there should be no difficulty fixing basic dishes for even the most cooking-challenged.

Mixing It Up
One terrific tool is the immersion blender, and according to testing by Cooks Illustrated magazine, the Kitchen Aid brand does the best job. Its stainless steel wand and powerful motor make quick work of blending and chopping, and the blender maintains power during stressful jobs, such as blending chilled or frozen drinks. The wand can be rinsed off easily after use.

Microwave Meals In Minutes
Another unusual & and useful & gadget I've purchased is Mainstay's Rice Cooker/Vegetable Steamer. This handy little pot contains is fashioned for cooking either rice or pasta to delectable tenderness in any standard microwave. It works beautifully with white, brown, and wild rice or rice blends, as well as standard or whole-wheat pasta. The interior is nonstick, so a little overcooking doesn't result in the usual sticky mess left with stovetop preparation. This device also comes with a basket for preparing steamed vegetables. I've tried it with freshly picked asparagus, frozen cauliflower and brussel sprouts and snow peas with great success. Ears of sweet corn will probably need to be halved to fit into the pot. Finally, the rice cooker also contains an array of smaller tools, such as a rice paddle and set of measuring spoons.

A second gadget that may fall into the category of "why would anyone need one of these" but is a real gem is the NordicWare Egg Cooker. Don't let its "cutesy" egg shape fool you - this egg steamer turns out four perfectly hard-boiled eggs in as little as eight minutes. The eggs don't crack, are never rubbery, and are consistently easy to peel. It may not be practical for boiling a basketful of eggs for Easter use, but it is great for whipping up a few egg salad sandwiches or boiling enough to add to potato salad

Finally, popcorn poppers come and popcorn poppers go, but Presto's "Orville Redenbacher" branded microwave popper sets a new standard. Its space-age design maximizes and reflects microwaves throughout the batch, resulting in relatively few unpopped kernels. Adding the "power cup" & a reusable cardboard disc & keeps stray kernals from lodging in the bottom of the popper, and also shortens popping time. Although Redenbacher popcorn is recommended as the brand to use with the popper, it works very well with any store brand or name brand popcorn available at the grocery store. The Presto popper also includes recipes for interesting popcorn creations and flavors in the owner's manual.

A Touch of Luxury For Small Spaces
An incredibly generous gift idea is the Hamilton Beach Tabletop Oven. This miniature oven can bake and broil, and has rotisserie and convection features. The interior can holds a seven pound roasting chicken, 12" pizza or standard Bundt cake pan. I've used mine to barbecue a ten pound rack of ribs that I cut in half and roast a small leg of lamb. The convection feature is amazing, and is a remarkable addition on a device that retails for around $200.00. Convection cooking crisps the exterior of chicken and turkey while maintaining a moist, juicy interior, and cakes and cookies bake thoroughly without drying out or becoming overly browned. The clear acrylic front door and removable shelves and crumb pan make this the easiest oven to clean, and the entire device weighs less than 50 pounds.

These gadgets are available at discount stores such as Wal-Mart or K-Mart or on line through one of the kitchen outlet stores. Be assured that your new grad can eat healthy meals in a hurry without worrying about when the drive-thru window closes.

Related Posts:

Comments Unique Graduation Gift Ideas I like the idea of kitchen gadgets as a graduation gift. It's one of those things that everyone needs, but you never think to buy it until you are without one. You just expect it to be there. Good call. #0 - Jeff Swanson - 10/10/2007 - 08:41 Name Title Comment To prevent automated Bots form spamming, please enter the text you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.