Valentine Gifts for the Cook in Your Life

January 12, 2018

Looking for some affordable, colourful and practical gifts for the Valentine foodie in your life? We’ve come across several great products from Kuhn Rikon (including their newly-launched hand-held spiralizer), makers of Swiss-designed kitchen goods for a variety of cooking needs.

Why gift a box of chocolates or bouquet of flowers when you can help someone create pretty (and healthy!) floral bouquets of zucchini or carrot? Or get that perfectly grated dark chocolate for steamy hot cocoa?

Here’s five items that any cook would be happy to include in their arsenal.

PARING KNIFE COLORI®

We love a good, solid, versatile paring knife. This one can chop and peel a wide range of fruit and veggies as well as slice cheese.

They also come with a matching sheath so you can prep meals on the go or take them camping. The nonstick coating makes them easy to clean and the Japanese stainless steel blade is razor sharp and durable. Available in 11 colours plus black and white; USD $10

CLICK N’ CURL SPIRALIZER SET

I’d been curious about this product since it was announced on Kuhn Rikon’s site last year. While we don’t own a table-top spiralizer (due to limited counter space), we find it ideal for small jobs and as an occasional substitute for pasta.

This hand-held spiralizer set comes with two cones and sharp-bladed peelers for creating julienne and straight cut curls.

The peeler and cone snap into one another, so you’ve got the option of first peeling your veggies then clicking on the cone to start twisting away while holding the handle.

Easy to store and wash by hand, the spiralizer set is great for veggie garnishes, salads, stir-frying and snacking. Swiss made; USD $20

SILICONE SCALLOPED TONGS

Kuhn Rikon’s scalloped-edge tongs are perfect for gripping food tightly via their flat, grooved edge. They’re made of steel, coated with high heat-resistant (to 230º C/445º F) silicone so they won’t scratch non-stick cookware.

– Measures 29.8 cm x 9.5 cm x 4.4 cm (11.75″ x 3.75″ x 1.75”)
– Scalloped edge lifts and turns even delicate foods

We’ve hung ours up on a hook so they’re close to the action in our kitchen. These tongs are available in both graphite and red. USD $14

SMALL SANTOKU KNIFE COLORI®

This handy, super-sharp-edged knife is great for chopping and slicing fruits, veggies and meat. Its nonstick Japanese blade contains unique holes and ribs to make sure food releases easily.

It too comes with a safety sheath for storing in a drawer (or taking on the road) but it looks a lot nicer on a knife bar. In green and red; USD $16

SWISS GRATER SET WITH STORAGE CADDY

This set of three laser-etched, super sharp blades will grate a variety of coarse to fine foods. The included storage caddy even contains side markings to let you know which blade goes where and the entire block is compact enough to fit on kitchen counters with limited space.

The coarse grater is ideal for potatoes, soft cheese and cabbage; the medium grater works well with carrots, apples and hard cheese; the fine grater suits ginger, garlic, chocolate and zests citrus. Available in red; USD $20