W4D GIFT GUIDE
These are a few of our Favorite Things!
Not Just Another Gift Guide…
Exclusive DISCOUNTS for What’s 4 Dinner? subscribers!
EK: If you are like me, while I’m shopping for gifts that I need to buy for other people, I wind up buying myself a few gifts along the way. I love all these items so much that if I didn’t already own them, I’d have to gift myself, and you may find yourself doing the same!
AU: Yes, there’s nothing more distracting than your own taste when shopping for others… But these are such good ideas, it would be a crime to not enjoy them yourself, too!
1. Wildgrain Bread Box
EK: Remember during the pandemic when you grew a sourdough starter and fed it everyday like a baby, and made bread a few times a week?! Yaaah, I’m not ever doing that again. But I do love a great loaf of bread! Wildgrain Bread Box to the rescue!
Wildgrain is an artisanal bread and pasta subscription that comes par-baked and frozen. When you bake it, you have the most delicious fresh bread, just like you were a world-renowned baker, but YOU made it in 25 minutes!
This is a gift that is so good, you’ll want to buy it for yourself! You get to decide the frequency of your box, and you can skip or cancel anytime after your first order. People learn about Wildgrain mostly through word-of-mouth and social media (which is how I found it).
EK: My friend Matt brought a frozen loaf of Slow-Fermented 3-Seed to my house for dinner and all it took was one bite for me to say, “sign me up!” I baked a loaf for my friend Kirsten and before the night was over, she had signed up for her subscription... It’s that good! Plus you get FREE CROISSANTS FOR LIFE with every order. And the croissants are legit! I mean just as good as the best ones that I have had in France, but hot from your oven! Can you tell I like this?!
AU: They just GIVE YOU CROISSANTS?!?!?!?
EK: Yes! But only if you subscribe by 12/31/22. There is so much more to say, but besides tasting like you’ve scored the best bread you’ve ever tasted, it is all fermented. Meaning the fermentation has already broken down some of the gluten (so it’s easier on your tummy), and it’s full of probiotics and lactic acid that help your body absorb more nutrients. You can read all about it here. But don’t just take my word for it, try it for yourself!
Wildgrain.com. $10 off your first order with PROMO CODE: WHATS4DINNER.
2. Après Supply Co.
EK: The days of “Chef Whites” being the uniform of great cooks is all but done. These days every cook needs a bad-ass apron. And, if you cook for a living like I do, you’ve tried on as many aprons as village hopefuls tried on Cinderella’s shoe.
Après Supply Co. aprons fit the bill. They are not your average, everyday aprons. The owner and creator of Après aprons, Michael Wendland, was looking for a special apron as a gift for his wife. When he couldn’t find what he was looking for, he decided to create his own.
AU: Is it just me or have aprons become as expensive as designer denim??
EK: I know…aprons are an investment and a good one should be able to stand the heat! Après aprons are up for the challenge and if they fail, it’s your gain because they have a lifetime guarantee—something I have never heard of in the apron business. Après offers free exchanges for the lifetime of the product, but the real reason to love it is that it’s both fashionable and functional.
The aprons are made from premium materials including leather, waxed canvas, premium denim, recycled, cotton, and premium cotton blends as well as brass grommets and heavy duty trims.
EK: If you’re looking for a seriously heavy-duty apron, the Premium Grill Master is like a Barbour coat for the outdoor cook. It is made of 16oz waxed recycled cotton with leather trims and interchangeable straps. You have an option to personalize the apron and it includes a bottle opener.
The Premium Pizza Master apron is made from a lightweight cotton canvas and has faux-fur lined pockets. If you live in the Northeast, Midwest, Canada or another cold and blustery area, you can put your hands in your pockets and keep them warm. Even if you don’t need the fur-lined pockets for warmth, they feel good and are a nice touch.
AU: I have the Pizza Master apron, and aside from the fur-lined pockets, it also has plenty of pockets for my iPhone, thermometer, tongs, etc. A true Swiss-Army-Knife of an apron!
EK: The premium aprons are competitively priced at $115.00 and other models are a little less, but not for readers and friends of What’s 4 Dinner? Just for you, there is a limited-time offer of 20% off a purchase of $50 or more and Free Shipping. But you must act fast, the special offer expires December 10th to allows enough time to fulfill the order for Christmas.
The aprons come in a nice black gift box so all you need to do is tie a bow around it, and it’s ready to give. Aprons can be purchased at apressupply.com and you must use this link for the promotion.
USE THIS LINK FOR 20% OFF (must be $50 or more) + FREE SHIPPING: Apressupply.com by 12/10/22.
3. Fredericks & Mae
AU: If you want to add some cool to your kitchen, look no further than the iconique NYC boutique by the name of Fredericks & Mae. You’ve no doubt seen their signature confetti cutting boards and kitchen knives all over social media, from fashionable food creators to Kendall Jenner cutting a cucumber. I like to use a plastic cutting board for certain kitchen tasks (like raw meat), but they also have small ones that would be great on a bar station for slicing citrus, and they’re so dang cute, they’re practically begging to be a cheese board!
But they don’t stop at cutting boards! Fredericks and Mae carries everything from cutlery, candles, sculptures, spoons, and ceramics (and more!). This is definitely the place to find a unique present for that artsy friend. You’ll up your street cred, too.
Fredericksandmae.com Use the code Whats4Dinner?CHOPCHOPCHOP for 10% OFF through 12/31/22.
4. Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill
AU: Full disclosure: both Elizabeth and I worked on developing/launching this product for Ninja.
HOWEVER… We don’t recommend anything we don’t believe in, and I gotta tell ya… This is one cool grill! It makes weeknight grilling as easy as 1, 2, 3… and, since it uses electricity to power the grill (instead of wood pellets, propane, or charcoal), folks with rooftops, balconies, or RVs can use it without worry. I love that I can set it to preheat, and it tells me when it’s ready to throw on my food. Then, once I put whatever I’m cooking on it, it will tell me when to flip it!! The Woodfire truly takes all the guesswork out of grilling…
EK: Anthony is right! I was predisposed to not like an electric grill, but every single thing that I cooked on it came out great! It’s hard to say that about your typical outdoor grill.
AU: But wait. There’s more! It’s called the Ninja Woodfire because—for the first time ever—you can infuse smoke flavor into everything you cook on an electric grill by adding just 1/2 of a cup of wood pellets and pressing a button. So it’s a smoker, too. And the brisket, ribs, and pork butts I tasted that were smoked on this thing are LEGIT. Did I mention it’s also an AIR FRYER?! Now you can have smoked cheeseburgers AND crispy fries on the table in minutes. We had so much fun creating and cooking recipes for this product, and hope you do, too!
Ninja Woodfire Grill Use this link to get $40 OFF the base model
5. Ardesia Wine Club
AU: Are you someone who often finds yourself in a wine rut? I know a good-tasting wine when I drink it, but I am often perplexed when choosing new wines to purchase. Don’t you wish you had your own sommelier to guide you??
Enter Mandy Oser and Ardesia Wine Club. Mandy—who was named one of Wine Enthusiast’s Future 40 tastemakers—created AWC during the pandemic, as a way to bring her (perfect) Ardesia Wine Bar to folks at home during shut down. Each month a selection of curated wines hand picked by her are delivered to your door (or you can pick them up, if you live in NYC).
AU: For $90/month you will receive 3 gorgeous bottles of wine, guided tasting and food pairing notes, and an invite to join a members-only Zoom tasting & discussion of one of the wines at the end of the month, led by Mandy.
I also love that she gives just the right amount of information about each wine, including what food would be great with it, where it comes from, and why she chose to include it in your wine box that month. This ain’t your snooty-old-man wine club. Mandy’s picks are always high-value, vibrant, and decidedly unstuffy. She talks to you like you’re a real human, and makes wine—which can be overwhelming for some of us—fun and easy to digest (ah thank you!). A great way to put your home’s wine program on autopilot and learn from the best along the way!
Ardesia Wine Club use code WHATS4DINNER15 to get 15% OFF your order
We hope you enjoy our gift ideas this year. Thank you to the brands listed for offering our subscribers special deals for the holidays. Happy Shopping!!
xoxo EK & AU