Side Orders: Five gifts for your kitchen

photo Peugeot Annecy Cheese Mill
photo Anne Braly
photo Lodge Cast Iron's new 11-inch griddle
photo Aerolatte Milk Frother
photo Capresso Iced Tea Maker
photo Black and Decker's Mill & Brew coffee maker

What will you be getting the cooks on your list for Christmas? Most often, they have just about everything they need, but there's always something that piques their interest, particularly with all the new items manufacturers have developed to make cooking just a bit easier.

"Kitchen products manufacturers and retailers tell us that the holiday season is their key selling opportunity each year," says Perry Reynolds, vice president of Global Trade Development for the International Housewares Association. "Well-designed kitchen appliances are high-demand gift items and, with a large variety of functions, colorful kitchen tools also make meaningful gifts that can easily update a kitchen's look. And for holiday entertaining, the latest appliances and kitchen tools can make preparing large family meals easier and more enjoyable."

You can spend thousands of dollars on kitchenwares, buying luxury items such as All-Clad's new c2 Copper Clad line of cookware, ranging in price from $799 to $1,599. Yes, with it's stainless-steel lining and solid copper exterior, it's lovely, but few can afford such extravangances. So here are examples of five new kitchen items, all priced at less than $100 and available in area stores and/or online:

• If you can't get enough delicious cappuccino, but find it hard to stop by a coffee shop every morning, Aerolatte has a device that will have you frothing the milk like a barista to put the finishing touch on your morning java. Available at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $19.99 and online at Amazon for $17.50, it's steam-free and makes hot chocolate, cafe latte and other drinks that are better with a little froth on top.

• Iced tea is a religion of its own in the South. The sweeter the better. We drink it year-round and, of course, fresh-brewed is best. The new Capresso Iced Tea Maker will make it in a matter of minutes. It uses your favorite loose or bagged teas, so you can brew it as strong as you'd like. And it can make a good pitcher of iced coffee, too. The stainless-steel exterior is durable and looks good enough to leave out on your counter, but it's also portable enough to bring out any time you want. All that for $59.95 at amazon.com, cooking.com or bedbathandbeyond.com. Here's a recipe for a tasty tea you may want to include with your gift or keep for yourself.

Honey Pear Ice Tea

6 individual green chai tea bags

3 cups boiling water

3 cups pear nectar

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup honey

Thin pear slices

Steep tea in water for 3 minutes; discard tea bags. Cool. Refrigerate until chilled. In a pitcher, combine the pear nectar, lemon juice, honey and chilled tea. Garnish each serving with a pear slice. Makes 6 servings.

To make in iced tea maker, make iced tea according to manufacturer's instructions, using the 6 bags of green chai tea. When tea is ready, combine with remaining ingredients and garnish individual glasses with a pear slice.

• You no longer need to haul out your food processor or tire your hands with your cheese grater now that the Peugeot Annecy Cheese Mill is on the market. Simply place a block of cheese in the reservoir, and grind the way you would a pepper mill, turning the top part of the mill. It offers a choice of grinds: fine, medium or coarse. And it does a good job on nuts and chocolates, too. You'll find it online at amazon.com for under $37.

• Support local manufacturing and give the gift of steel this Christmas with one of Lodge Cast Iron's new line of seasoned steel cookware which includes an 11-inch griddle. You'll find it hard to believe that such a tough piece of cookware can make delicate crepes. But it should come as no surprise that it works equally well when searing a man-size steak. It's made right up the road in South Pittsburg, where you'll find it locally in the factory store, located at 503 South Cedar Ave., for $55. It's also available online at lodgemfg.com, amazon.com, williams-sonoma.com and chefscatalog.com.

• Coffee makers with built-in coffee bean grinders are a luxury when it comes to drip-brewing coffee, and most are quite expensive. Now, though, Black+Decker has put one on the market for under $100. With the Black+Decker 12-Cup Mill & Brew Coffee Maker, you get the ease of having the machinery to grind and brew your java. And it's programmable, so you can set it in the evening and have your coffee ready when you rise and shine. It's new on the market this season and available at Target for $89.99.

Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.

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