Great Ideas for Kitchen – Gifts & Gadgets

By DEBORAH G. SCANLON

Considering the amount of time that most of us spend in kitchen, it would make sense that any gadget to make that time more interesting and productive would qualify as a good holiday gift. 

And that gadget or tool doesn’t have to break the bank. One of my favorite kitchen tools is a mini cheese grater that is perfect for small amounts—like a dusting of Parmesan on pasta. It cleans easily and costs $3.49. It came from Eastman’s Ace Hardware on Main Street before they expanded their kitchen store, which as of Mother’s Day this year occupies the space next to the 102-year-old hardware store on the corner of Main Street and Post Office Road.

Eastman’s carries many of the same items they did in the old kitchen section, fortunately, but they have added many new items, and there are three levels of pricing now, said manager Len Hunt: “good, better, best.” They still have my favorite $3.49 grater but they also have fancier ones. There is a classic 12-inch iron frying pan that costs $29.99 and the same size Viking fry pan at $149.99 (that actually looks too pretty to cook in).

There are newer, trendy items like Raclette granite or steel cooktops that can be put in the middle of the table to cook veggies, steak or fish. And then there are older items that are back in style, like fondue pots.

Ethnic special cookware, from Asian cookware and utensils to pasta makers and other Italian cookware, has a special section in the store. The store sells Henckels knives, and will host “Knife Nights” through the year, complete with wine, beer and food samples, with local chefs cooking and demonstrating the proper use of the knives.

A section of the store is devoted to an extensive range of canning supplies, which were very popular this fall, Mr. Hunt said.

Engraved glassware has been popular, with the favorites being those featuring the “Entering Falmouth” sign and another that has Falmouth’s longitude and latitude engraved on it. A dishwasher-safe Epicure cutting board made of wood fiber, in the shape of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a popular product.

Eastman’s has a kitchen club that offers 10 percent off and free knife sharpening.

A nice feature of Eastman’s kitchen shop is that it opens at the same time as the hardware store, 7:30 AM, allowing customers to stop in on their way to work.

Down the street is LeRoux, where a couple decades ago the kitchen store, Marshmallow, also sold kitchen products. Its owners have stores on Martha’s Vineyard, in Portland and Scarborough, Maine, and in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Store manager Jason Montecalvo and employee Adam Wilczak showed the range of products, with “something for everyone.” Mr. Wilzcak said there are items in the store “I didn’t know existed until I was opening the boxes to load the shelves.”

They sell 12 different garlic presses: the Rosle garlic press costs $50 and “cleans so easily,” while the standard sells one for $9.99. Blenders range from $40 to  $600; there are classic percolators for coffee and there are French presses. There is a 14-inch Cuisinart frying pan for $40, then a 10-piece All Clad set of pans for $700.

My favorite cast iron frying pans were for sale here too, including a little guitar-shaped one that is on my holiday list.

In Mashpee Commons, Williams-Sonoma is bustling with products and activities for cooks.

The store’s staff said the most popular item now is the spiralizer, which takes veggies and makes them into ribbons or spaghetti. There are three-blade and four-blade models, which start at $49.95. A cookbook (sold for $14.95) shows delicious-looking spiral French fries, onion rings, and zucchini spaghetti.

Also in demand at Williams-Sonoma are gift sets of different types of olive oil and of balsamic vinegar; herbs, seasonings, bread mixes such lemon poppy seed or pumpkin, and mixes for drinks like Bloody Mary, Margarita and Sangria.

An added benefit to stopping by Williams-Sonoma are their food stations, with wonderful smells wafting through the store. On a recent Saturday there were sweet and sour meatballs and spicy buffalo meatballs with blue cheesing dressing, while at the other end of the store, turkey and stuffing were served next to a display of Thanksgiving-themed china and serving dishes.

There are other stores in the area that offer kitchen accessories. If the recipient of your gift is a serious cook, you might consider stopping by the New England Restaurant Supply store on Industrial Drive in Mashpee. A colleague shops there for ceramic covered pots and pans, pizza stones, pastry and baking supplies, and commercial grade pots and pans: “professional grade at reasonable prices,” he says. Another friend who is an excellent cook shops there for her kitchen knives. The store is open weekdays only from to 9:30 AM to 4 PM.