The Grilled Cheese Social Holiday Gift Guide!

I've been thinking a lot about Christmas this week, mainly because it's in like two weeks and I haven't done any shopping yet AND because I need want a lot of new, awesome stuff. I'm not deprived in any sense, I mean, I work at a cheese shop and intern at Saveur magazine so I get a ton of awesome foodie stuff on the reg, but I am an American, so i always want MORE MORE MORE! And to be truthful, I don't know what Santa is going to think about my behavior year, because depending on how you look I've been naughty and nice, totally in a non-weird way, of course.

But to get some extra brownie points, I figured I should do something good and share with you an ultimate holiday gift guide for the Grilled Cheese obsessed. So there's two categories...1) that I'm cheesily posing by - which are the things that I absolutely swear by and couldn't be a grilled cheese gal without, and 2) things that I'm hoping someone puts under my Christmas tree.

So happy holidays everyone!

1. Ultra-thin ultra-excellent OXO silicone turners

 Let's get it straight, you need one of these. They're super thin, really flexible and they're heat resistant so it won't get really hot and burn the hell out of your hand. It can slide right up underneath one of your grilled cheese sandwiches without pushing it to the other side of the pan, and for that, I love it.

Want one? Click here!

Now this isn't for everyone, but if you've got a family or a bunch of friends that like to mooch off of your creations, then this is totes for you. It's super big and takes over two burners so you've got about three times the grill space. I couldn't live without mine and my grilled cheese parties would be a bust without it, so yeah, I dig it.

 Want one? Click here!

This grater has no label at all, WTF?!

I don't know if you can tell what this thing is, but it's a grater that comes with a multitude of different size grater sheets. You basically get about three different sheets and snap them onto a base. It comes with a little plastic storage case so you can keep them all together when you're not using it. I like it because I can get so many different size shreds out of it, and that's important in my world.

Want a similar one? Click here!
 

4. Heavy-ass press

I am not very strong and sort of lazy, so that's why I love having a heavy ass cast-iron press. I just set it on a super-hot burner and let it heat up for a minute and then place it right on top of my sammiches. It leaves nice little grill marks and it makes giant sandwiches more mouth accessible so you can pack a ton of stuff into your GCs.

Want one? Click here!

 

5. Sharp and sleek Henckels knives

I don't know a ton about knives but I know the ones that my uncle gave me are totally rad. They're sharp, strong, and cut like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho would have loved. Sorry that's a little macabre but you get what I'm saying. They can cut through GC's without smushing all the goodies out and I couldn't do my photo shoots wihtout 'em.

Want one? Click here!

I'm just gonna say it. I have a love/hate relationship with Rachel Ray. She does some awesome stuff as a human, but I just can't get into her shows. I can, however, get really into how much I love this cutting board that comes with a bunch of bacteria-resistant plastic covers. I've had mine for about five years and it's still in perfect condition, and I use mine a lot, like a lot a lot.

Want one? They don't make it anymore:( but here's a similar one

I don't think I've ever talked about what brand of butter I use, but I swear by Plugra. It's got a higher fat content than normal butter, about 85% I believe, so it makes a super nice, crispy crust and it's also a cultured butter so it has a more buttery taste which is oh-so-freaking-good! Salted or not, it's the only stuff I buy these days.

Want one? Click here!

My roommate turned me onto The Filling Station last Christmas as a gift and I can't get enough. They have a little shop in the Chelsea Market and I could spend my whole life in there, licking salt and taking mini-shots of fruity olive oils and fancy balsamic vinegars. I go through this stuff way too quickly, so I'm always trying new flavors. Right now, I'm on black truffle salt and Thai ginger salt. I LOVE salt.

Want one? Click here!

1. OMG SO HIP Brooklyn cutting board

I have to have this. It is so cute and awesome and I love my neighborhood so much and AHHH! I can't get over it. It will hopefully appear in a photoshoot sometimes soon!

Want one, too? Click here!

Jesus's face in a grilled cheese? Could there be anything more Christmas than that? I don't even know what else to say.

Want one, too? Click here!

Cellaphane and tinfoil just don't work at preserving cheese. But this cheese paper does and it's super awesome. It keeps it fresher, and doesn't allow for extraneous flavors to seep into your ultra fancy fromages.

Want some, too? Click here!

4. Cheese Subscription

What's better than receiving awesome blocks of cheese each and every month right to your doorstep? The only thing that I can think of is if the cute guys from The Bedford Cheese shop would hand deliver it and give me a kiss on the mouth. It might be a little better that way, I guess.

Want one, too? Click here!