6 Fabulous Foodie Finds

>Here’s a round up of helpful kitchen gadgets and accessories every chef (expert or amateur) needs:

Java Jacket

Made from reclaimed architectural veneer offcuts, these coffee cup sleeves do double duty as jewelry. Nathan Lee of Contexture Design says, ‘The coffee sleeve is an icon of the modern world, but it’s also inexpensive and disposable. Our cuff is a way of making reference to that by taking the form out of context and using it as a fashion accessory. Well, yes, and it looks great. (Bentwood coffee cuffs, $68, Contexture Design)

Grease is the Word

In her first cookbook, Bones, Canadian chef Jennifer McLagan showed us our mistake in overlooking the skeletons in our kitchen closet. Her latest offering, Fat, steers us toward perfecting our dishes by serving up history, facts and recipes using this misunderstood ingredient. (McClelland & Stewart, $38)

Liquid Gold

With a nutty flavour that rivals French walnut, this isn’t your everyday canola oil. Show it the same reverence you would a fine extra virgin olive oil: as a final embellishment to peppery arugula, crusty bread or pasta. (Extra virgin cold pressed canola oil, $8/250 ml, Pristine Gourmet)

Farm Candy

Gourmet licorice gets the Old MacDonald treatment with chocolate cows, red and black piglets and orange ducks, all decked out in retro-kitsch tins perfect for refilling with their barnyard shapes. Now that’s sustainable farming. (Barnyard Licorice Pals, $11, Route 29 Napa Confections, Indigo Books & Music)

On the Cutting Edge

Slice through that holiday turkey like a Boxster slices through air. F.A. Porsche – yes, that Porsche – designed these sleek and sexy knives in collaboration with Austrian chef J’rg W’rther. With seamless construction from blade to handle, each solid stainless steel knife is perfectly balanced and hand-sharpened by a Japanese master. (Chroma knives, $49 (5″), $89 (7-1/4″), F.A. Porsche, Lee Valley Tools)

New Kid in Town

After 46 years and 160 shops across America, Crate & Barrel is expanding into Canada with the opening of a 35,000-square-foot store in Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The store has a focus on sustainable or reclaimed woods, organic fabrics, fair value and smart design. To wit: A Crate & Barrel exclusive, chef Mario Batali’s risotto pan – also in pesto and white – delivers clever engineering and timeless, old-world charm. As an added bonus, each pan includes a Mario Batali recipe booklet. (Mario Batali’s risotto pan, $100, Crate & Barrel)

Product Photography by Geoffrey Ross