The Mark Bittman Guide to Holiday Materialism (AKA Our Gift Picks)

As many of you might imagine, it took a little prodding from me to convince one Mark Bittman to run a gift guide. (He’s more of a “just because” kind of gifter, refusing to pay attention to any specific time of year, which I totally respect.) But since I love a good gift guide, I managed to wrestle his and Daniel’s favorite kitchen-related items out of them (and our colleague Kerri’s too, for good measure). I was not surprised to see that my picks were more of the, ahem, aesthetic variety, and the boys chose more utilitarian items. But it’s a good list, and we hope you find it useful.

— Kate

Kate’s Picks

Burkelman Opalescent Champagne Coupes
It’s not possible for a picture to show how pretty these coupes are in person; I fell in love with them upon first viewing (my sister got them as a wedding gift). You can get them for a gift, but a gentle warning: you’ll likely end up buying yourself a set, too (although, as of this writing, I have yet to treat myself. Talk about restraint!). They’re that special.

Dinner: Changing the Game
I use this indispensable Melissa Clark cookbook almost as much as I use How to Cook Everything, and that’s saying a lot. MClark is that rare breed of cook who can create recipes that are as easy as they are impressive-feeling.

Shibori Cocktail Napkins
You know what’s underrated? Cocktail napkins. Every time my husband and I have people over, I find myself wishing I had those dainty little napkins popular among all our friends who really have their shit together (and I think these ones are just so pretty). Great for any host—seasoned or aspiring.

Dandelion Chocolate
I do not discriminate when it comes to chocolate. I eat a lot of garbage chocolate (Twix, Baby Ruth, etc.), some middle-of-the-road chocolate (Justin’s peanut butter cups), and a good amount of fancy-ass chocolate. My favorite in the latter category is small-batch, bean-to-bar Dandelion Chocolate (their Wampu, Honduras bar is my favorite). It’s rich and just-sweet-enough and equally fantastic for snacking and for baking things (you might try their chocolate chip cookies). The packaging is beautiful and (full disclosure, I worked with them a while back) the Dandelion team is the best. Gift the three-bar set or their hot chocolate mix, which is the ground chocolate base—made from their 70% Camino Verde, Ecuador single-origin chocolate—the team uses for all of their hot chocolate drinks.

La Maison Inondée Bowl
I don’t know how I’m going to resist not buying myself this bowl, or a few of them.