OT: Interesting Christmas gift ideas for the missus?

[Deepster]

Just ordered the 16 piece dark chocolate collection. Sounds great. Thanks again; this will be a hit.

ETA: @Deepster, just checked out the immersion blender and I think that might work, too. Two questions: (1) What do you mostly use it for? (2) Is there one you recommend?

Whenever you make something like a pea soup, marinara, red beans and rice, pasta fagiole, you throw the immersion blender in the pot, as it's cooking, towards the end to thicken it up. It's like a hybrid blender/food processor that you can stick right in a pot or a bowl and just blend up something quickly. A Cuisinart for like 40.00 is fine. Also for like a hollandaise or even whipped cream, it works. Cleanup is a cinch. Cool, handy tool.

 

[crewbear742]

Women stereotypically like things that are small, delicate, pretty and otherwise generally useless. Blown glass, for example. I once bought my wife a blown glass unicorn. Another time a blown glass rose.

A good bottle of wine that she likes and a couple of crystal glasses is a good default. Crystal in fact is a good option.

My wife likes puzzles so I bought her some of these Mystery puzzles where you put the puzzle together, and then study the picture to solve the mystery. If you buy this, you are committed to help her with the puzzle though.

My wife is also a horse woman, which means anything equine always works. For our anniversary once, I took her to a horse show. That was a major success. Analogize as appropriate.

 

[UconnFanNVa]

A calendar with pictures of your family. Was a big hit with my wife last year. Takes time to put together so it's a thoughtful gift that has tear jerker potential. Kinda cheesy and inexpensive, but I think she liked that more than diamond earrings.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Do you have any pets? I had a portrait done of our dog (my wife has had him since he was a puppy). The portrait is super unique, colorful, a little quirky, but nice enough to hang up. Ours is hanging above our fireplace.

The great thing is I just sent her some photos, she didn't have to see our dog in person. Here is her yelp page. It wasn't cheap- I think it was about $250, but it was the best present I've gotten her.

I think it took her two weeks total, so you'd be cutting it close.

If you don't have pets, maybe you can find someone with a similar style (no need to meet in person) and have them do a portrait of you and your wife?

Great idea. I would like to do something like that in the future.

 

[jleves]

Just ordered the 16 piece dark chocolate collection. Sounds great. Thanks again; this will be a hit.

ETA: @Deepster, just checked out the immersion blender and I think that might work, too. Two questions: (1) What do you mostly use it for? (2) Is there one you recommend?

You could also look at a sous vide machine. Really fun to cook with and it makes some amazing stuff. Anova is the best known, but there are several in the $200 range that should all work about the same.

 

[8893]

You could also look at a sous vide machine. Really fun to cook with and it makes some amazing stuff. Anova is the best known, but there are several in the $200 range that should all work about the same.

Thanks. Never heard of them until a discussion here a few months ago; turns out her brother just bought one for their mother for Christmas and we were just discussing it. Based on initial research and feedback from others with them I don't think it's something for us, at least not until we see her mom using it and can check out the results.

 

[uconnphil2016]

I bought my Mrs. a 50L hiking backpack and a sleeping back good for down to 15 degrees F. Figured I'd get her something that would allow us to go out in the woods together and spend some quality time. I tried to get her to bite on letting me get her a mountain bike, but that was a no go

 

[NJHusky]

You could also look at a sous vide machine. Really fun to cook with and it makes some amazing stuff. Anova is the best known, but there are several in the $200 range that should all work about the same.

Doesn't everything just taste like boiled food? is it just for proteins?

 

[pnow15]

Thank God, there are guys out there still paying retail.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I have been advised off clothing or jewelry purchases.

Have done mani/pedi/spa gift cards a few times already; did movie gift card last year and she's still working on that one.

She buys her own books and knows what she wants to read; she likes books and not e-readers.

She no longer listens to CDs now that she has Sirius radio. Got her an iPod mini last year.

Cooking gifts are to be approached with caution, and household appliances are as well.

We already have a to do list of a handful of house projects for which she has the green light (e.g., back splash; redoing two bathrooms, etc.) and just needs to arrange.

I have already purchased concert tickets (Neil Diamond--don't judge), which will be part of the gift.

Looking for other ideas so she has a few more things to open on Christmas morning that she will appreciate.

Any ideas?

PS: Dick in a Box already been suggested.

How about a One Foot Cock?

 

[Bliss]

Women love diamonds, especially those large enough to be noticed by other women.

 

[jleves]

Doesn't everything just taste like boiled food? is it just for proteins?

Quite the contrary. You vacuum seal the food in plastic so the water doesn't touch the food directly. You can put aromatics and such in the bag with the food (don't want anything too wet) and they get infused into the meat. The really huge benefit is you don't have to cook things at nearly as high a temperature. You have to get traditionally cooked chicken to 165 because it takes about 12 seconds at 165 to kill bacteria in chicken. You can get the same level of bacteria kill if you keep the chicken at 136 for an hour - something that would be almost impossible to accomplish with traditional methods. It takes a lot longer to cook things, but you don't have to cook the flavor out. It's interesting to cook a pork loin at 140 for 3 hours and have perfectly safe pink pork that is way juicier and flavorful than pork loin roasted in a 325 degree oven for an hour+. The other really cool thing is that you can't really overcook things so if guests haven't arrived or you aren't done with the sides, you can just leave it in the 140 degree water for an extra hour with no ill effects. Eventually prolonged exposure to heat will start doing chemical things to the cells so they can get mushy if you tried to do it for 10 or 12 hours. I really like it for fish - super flaky and juicy. Also great for tougher meats. Sometimes you'll want to take it our and throw it in a hot pan to put a quick hot sear/crust on it so there is an extra step for things.

 

[jleves]

Doesn't everything just taste like boiled food? is it just for proteins?

Funny - didn't realize my wife had e-mailed me this link. Gives you a good idea what you can do with Sous Vide. <- that may change some minds.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Quite the contrary. You vacuum seal the food in plastic so the water doesn't touch the food directly. You can put aromatics and such in the bag with the food (don't want anything too wet) and they get infused into the meat. The really huge benefit is you don't have to cook things at nearly as high a temperature. You have to get traditionally cooked chicken to 165 because it takes about 12 seconds at 165 to kill bacteria in chicken. You can get the same level of bacteria kill if you keep the chicken at 136 for an hour - something that would be almost impossible to accomplish with traditional methods. It takes a lot longer to cook things, but you don't have to cook the flavor out. It's interesting to cook a pork loin at 140 for 3 hours and have perfectly safe pink pork that is way juicier and flavorful than pork loin roasted in a 325 degree oven for an hour+. The other really cool thing is that you can't really overcook things so if guests haven't arrived or you aren't done with the sides, you can just leave it in the 140 degree water for an extra hour with no ill effects. Eventually prolonged exposure to heat will start doing chemical things to the cells so they can get mushy if you tried to do it for 10 or 12 hours. I really like it for fish - super flaky and juicy. Also great for tougher meats. Sometimes you'll want to take it our and throw it in a hot pan to put a quick hot sear/crust on it so there is an extra step for things.

You've convinced me to look into these. My wife...being of strong Irish heritage and all, actually likes boiling things, like some hams. She also likes slow cookers/crock pots for certain recipes. This thing seems ideal. I can imagine as well, that the fish we often eat would not smell up the house to the same degree.

 

[jibsey]

Wives don't generally like cooking stuff, I once made the mistake of giving a waffle iron when I was young and dumb , but we recently picked up the 8 quart Power XL pressure cooker at Costco $89, the same one on the infomercial. It is amazing and makes Mexican, soups, stews on and on very well and quick. It's also a slow cooker. Certain things I still like conventionally baked like chicken. If you are a non cooker, you give the gift with the note that you will make dinner in it (the recipes are on youtube online) and clean up(easy) once a week. She will like this more than diamonds, trust me.

 

[Fishy]

If you buy your wife an Instant Pot, she can join the special secret subforum here dedicated to using them.

Have you considered a weekend away?

Maybe the Bar Harbor Grand up in Bar Harbor? A weekend at the The Essex in Vermont? (Bonus - the NE Culinary operates the restaurants there.) A Billy Joel concert at MSG on a Friday followed by a weekend in NYC? A cruise to Bermuda leaving from NY or Boston. (Shockingly inexpensive off-peak.)

 

[CTMike]

If you buy your wife an Instant Pot, she can join the special secret subforum here dedicated to using them.

Have you considered a weekend away?

Maybe the Bar Harbor Grand up in Bar Harbor? A weekend at the The Essex in Vermont? (Bonus - the NE Culinary operates the restaurants there.) A Billy Joel concert at MSG on a Friday followed by a weekend in NYC? A cruise to Bermuda leaving from NY or Boston. (Shockingly inexpensive off-peak.)

I don't know who decided that Instant Pot was the cult culinary gift of 2016, but it is absolutely on my wife's Christmas list.

Me : "But we have a perfectly fine stovetop pressure cooker..."

Her: "...why are you trying to ruin my Christmas list?"

 

[Dove]

I don't know who decided that Instant Pot was the cult culinary gift of 2016, but it is absolutely on my wife's Christmas list.

Me : "But we have a perfectly fine stovetop pressure cooker..."

Her: "...why are you trying to ruin my Christmas list?"

Instant Pot is Life!

 

[elmcityboy]

co-sign on a weekend away. perfect gift.

that, or go up to massachusetts and grab some newly legalized recreational weed.

 

[temery]

co-sign on a weekend away. perfect gift.

that, or go up to massachusetts and grab some newly legalized recreational weed.

Won't be able to buy legally for a year or more.

 

[Fishy]

I don't know who decided that Instant Pot was the cult culinary gift of 2016, but it is absolutely on my wife's Christmas list.

I am the first to admit that cooking and eating are not a priority in this house. I have cereal for dinner at least two nights a week. If it wasn't for the fact that we're responsible to keep a child alive, I doubt we would ever go food shopping.

HOWEVER....on a whim, we bought an Instant Pot.

It is straight amazing.

Example - the kid is currently sick with a cold. Throw a 5-lb chicken, three chopped carrots, three chopped celery sticks, a couple whole cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of salt and six cups of water in the Instant Pot. Thirty minutes later, chicken soup.

I've convinced five people to buy one and they are similarly enthusiastic.

 

[August_West]

I get her a coupon stating she is eligible to sleep by my side 365 days a year. Its a great gift.

 

[August_West]

I get her a coupon stating she is eligible to sleep by my side 365 days a year. Its a great gift.

Plus this year I threw in a tableside cheese melter as a bonus:

 

[Northbound]

Personal chef to come in once a week/month to cook dinner in your home

 

[temery]

I get her a coupon stating she is eligible to sleep by my side 365 days a year. Its a great gift.

Who gets Feb 29 on leap year?