BTW, if you hate the gallery format as much as the Grinch hated Christmas, click here.

Portable Induction Cooktop: I always assumed getting into induction cooking meant gutting your kitchen and calling in some expensive Euro gear. But the truth is, getting a plug-in induction burner is an easy, affordable way to get into a cooking science that's already taken off in other parts of the world. Wired's Mark McClusky told us that Max Burton was a good 'un, and you know, I'm actually pretty tempted to buy one for myself. Just make sure your gift recipient has steel pots and pans, cuz aluminum doesn't do the magical magnetic thing. $75 [Company Page; Amazon]

All-Edge Brownie Pan: For anyone who loves the crunchy-chewy edge of the brownies that touch the pan's outer wall, this is absolutely the gift. However, as we learned, there are legions who feel the exact opposite, that edges should be soft and knife-cut only. For them, this gift would be a hand-holdable version of hell itself. $35 [ThinkGeek]

Stick Blender: Good lord what would I do without my stick blender? Soups sure wouldn't be the same, nor jams, nor sauces. It saves you from having to transfer hot ingredients to and from your blender, where you risk 12 different kinds of third-degree burn. Of course, it takes a steady hand, and someone smart enough to not stick their finger where the spinning blade is, so choose your gift recipient wisely. I found out while researching this that my own 400-watt Braun may well be discontinued, and if it's not, it costs an arm and a leg. (I think it was a wedding present.) In lieu of that, go with the Cuisinart CSB-76 Smart Stick. It's both cheap and highly rated, at least by Amazon customers—a much better gift. $30 [Amazon]

A Window Fan, Air Filters and Bungie Cords: What better experience to offer your favorite food nerd than a DIY home dehydrator, the most foolproof Alton Brown hack we know of? Throw some meat in between the filters, run the fan overnight, and in the morning you got jerky. And we know for certain it's foolproof because our own Macgyver Chef tried it out and didn't die! Our only recommendation is to find out what your recipient already has—if they have it all, just buy the meat and point them to the guide. $30 to $40 [Alton Brown's Recipe; Our MacGyver Chef Experience]

My Weigh KD-7000 Digital Scale: Don't let the corny Frank Sinatra reference fool you, this scale is what pros favor (at least for their home cooking). The My Weigh line is a tad confusing, but our friend Michael Ruhlman says the KD-7000 is the one with "percentage" weighing, so you can bake in precise weight ratios rather than imprecise volume measurements. Best of all, for what it does, it's really not expensive. $38 [My Weigh; Amazon]

Good Eats: The Early Years by Alton Brown: The commander-in-chief of food nerds just published a cookbook that mirrors his show, so you can skim to find the tips and recipes in episodes like "Squid Pro Quo" and "American Pickle." It's way better than trying to recreate things by looking at the Brown's barebones Food Network recipe listings. The book covers the first 80 shows, so it's got a crazy variety of themes to get the apprentice kitchen whiz on your list started. $22 [Book Review; Amazon]

PolyScience Immersion Circulator plus a Vacuum Sealer for Sous Vide Cooking When I asked Alinea co-owner Nick Kokonas what a great long-shot fantasy kitchen gift would be, he said, without hesitating, a sous vide setup. This style of "cooking in a vacuum" relies on a precision water bath to get your meat or other ingredients to exactly the right temperature, with zero risk of overcooking. The setup is insanely expensive, and if you don't know what you're doing, you could risk sharing some food-borne illnesses. But what does all that amount to against the spirit of holiday gift giving? $1000 and Up [ Circulator Kit with Thomas Keller's Guide; Vacuum Sealer]

DON'T BUY a Knife Sharpener: Confession: Two years ago for Christmas I gave my in-laws a knife sharpener, and that same year I got one from my wife. We thought we were the coolest. But now we know the truth, in the form of dull knives. When I interviewed Alton Brown this summer and asked him if he'd ever use one, he replied, "If I had any knives I hated that bad, sure." This year, I have asked my wife for professional knife sharpening. I'll let you know how that turns out. [Good and Bad Kitchen Gadgets]

This list is by no means comprehensive, so go ahead and comment on any potential kitchen-oriented gift that strikes you as a good idea. Better still if you included a pic and price.

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We'll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.

And if you like the style, Bugatti also does a toaster (don't ask me why). I prefer their shiny fast cars and boats, even though I'll never be able to afford them.

If you take your water boiling super seriously, you'll be able to pick one up in late September for $300. Yikes. [Wheredidyoubuythat via Unplgged]

Ice Cream Maker
• I don't have a lot of reasons for a regular ice cream maker. Good continuous-churn models are expensive, $800 to $1000. Frozen core models are messy—you have to store them in the freezer, and you're always losing parts. I don't have any great need for that.

If I didn't have access to liquid nitrogen, maybe I would. Maybe I could use one for something other than ice cream that I haven't thought up yet. Nay

Garlic Press
• There is absolutely no reason for a garlic press to exist. It is utterly completely magnificently useless. Nay

Electric Knife Sharpener
• If I had any knives I hated that bad, sure. No. There's not a good one made. I like my knives and use them too much to use a sharpener—maybe I'd use it on garden tools. Nay

Melon Baller
• I use a melon baller. Melon ballers have some good uses besides the obvious melon balling, like dosing out small sizes of doughs or candies. I probably reach for one every month, the two-ended model. I prefer a "disher," a spring-loaded version. [Ed. note: Alton used a disher to measure his famous buttermilk waffle batter. Mere mortals call them "ice cream scoops"—is that wrong?] Yea

Rice Cooker
• Rice cookers are good. I like them and use them. If a tool is used almost ubiquitously by a culture—such as the rice cooker in Japan and parts of China—there's going to be a good reason for it. It's extraordinarily good at doing, yes, one thing but one thing you need to do right. I especially like the fuzzy-logic models which gauge when it's ready and switch to warming. Rice isn't easy.

But I wouldn't call that a unitasker. You can use a rice cooker to make steamed puddings and custards, make oatmeal in them over night. You have to ask, "What else cooks like rice?" Odds are, you can cook that in a rice cooker. Yea

Stick Blender
• Absolutely. Whoever invented that deserves a Nobel Prize. It's so great for sauces, fast emulsions. I still make salad dressings in a cocktail shaker, but I would definitely reach for a stick blender otherwise. Most of them are much too ornate, though. You don't need multiple speeds. You need on and off. If you need that much control, get a blender. Yea

Dehydrator
• Useless. Why should I get that when I can get a box fan, bungie cords and cellulose furnace filters from the hardware store. I used it twice on Good Eats for herbs and all kinds of jerky. Nay

Margarita Machine
• What's that? Oh, you mean blenders with stickers on them? I believe in having a really good blender. I have a Vitamix blender, which I believe to be the finest on the planet. I suspect people who would buy a "margarita machine" have already been drinking heavily. Nay

Alton Brown is celebrating his 10th year of Good Eats, commemorating that with a live taping in Atlanta this week and the launch of his cookbook all-around kitchen sourcebook Good Eats: The Early Years, covering recipes and tips from the first 80 or so episodes. Those pics up top are in the book—along with about a million other crazy ones.

Taste Test is our weeklong tribute to the leaps that occur when technology meets cuisine, spanning everything from the historic breakthroughs that made food tastier and safer to the Earl-Grey-friendly replicators we impatiently await in the future.

It's a chestnutter! If you knew the answer to this, you're a nuttier individual than me. I've spent quite a few autumn afternoons trying not to slice my fingers off while scoring X's into the faces of chestnuts—so they don't explode while roasting, open fire or not. Still, I have never once thought about sinking $30 (wait, $30???) into something called a chestnutter. I am willing to bet you can't even ship those to certain southern states, just because of the name. [Bed Bath & Beyond]

In her series Nicht Klotzen, Sondern Kleckern Sarah Illenberger assembled a collection of slick European blenders, hand mixers and stick blenders and put each one to use as a brush in a different painting. I'm no art critic, but I'm gonna say the hand mixers were the most aesthetically pleasing, while the big tabletop Bosch was pretty much a bust. The real question is, what gear should Illenberger use to paint with next? [Today and Tomorrow]

The On-Orbit Coffee Cup uses surface tension to hold liquid in zero-g. It was invented by astronaut Donald Pettit after what we can only imagine to be a particularly infuriatingly cup-o-joe-less space mission—STS-126.

The renders are by graphic artist Travis Baldwin and not of a real product since, obviously, the market for people who want to drink out of coffee cups in space is somewhat small. [Tuvie via Dvice]

Too bad is not actually motorized, but I can only hope someone buys it and puts an electrical engine in it. [Fred via Nerd Approved via Serious Eats]

The Armadillo Breadbox, a real, purchasable product ($90), will store your bread in a segmented, brushed aluminum shell. Then, when you are hungry for some carbs, just fold back the sneeze/bullet shield and eat the delicate product of flour, yeast and baking that's sustained Man for centuries.

If food isn't your thing, we also think this breadbox could be an excellent means to store a small baby. You might need some air holes. [Wheredidyoubuythat via cribcandy]

Foreman's Lean Mean Fryer uses a “Smart Spin” technology after your food's been fried to allegedly whirl out 55% of the fat absorbed during frying using centrifugal force. I'm not sure how scientific that fat-busting claim is or how safe I feel having boiling oil spinning around in my kitchen, but if you're a fan of fried foods, this cooking godsend is now available in North America for $150.

New Kitchen Innovations Unveiled: The George Foreman® Lean Mean™ Fryer

George Foreman® Cooks Up Newest "Lean, Mean, Fat-Reducing" Machines

Miramar, FL, October 14, 2008 – Those looking to enjoy their favorite foods without guilt can look to the newest appliances in the George Foreman® family introduced today by Applica, the Florida-based company that markets and distributes the George Foreman branded product line.

Innovative Technology: The George Foreman Lean Mean Fryer

The George Foreman Lean Mean Fryer uses unique, patented Smart Spin™ technology to knock out up to 55 percent of the fat absorbed during frying, delivering crisped, fried foods with less grease. After a conventional deep-frying cooking process, the Lean Mean Fryer enters the second phase of cooking – a "spin cycle" in the cooking basket. The basket is lifted from the cooking oil and Smart Spin technology is engaged, leveraging centrifugal forces to deliver a finished food product that retains up to 55 percent less fat than conventional frying methods*. During the spinning process, the food continues to cook through hot air convection to stay crispy and hot.

Additional Features:

· A viewing window allows consumers to safely check food while it's cooking without having to stop or open the deep-fryer.

· A variable thermostat dial, dual-speed spinning basket and spinning timer selection allows consumers to customize the cooking process based on the food selection and desired amount of oil removed.

· The Lean Mean Fryer contains a replaceable and washable filter, which reduces the release of oil vapors and odors into the kitchen.

· Other convenience features include a breakaway cord and dishwasher-safe (including the basket, frying bowl and filter) parts for easy cleaning and care.

With a suggested retail price of $149.99, the George Foreman Lean Mean Fryer is widely available at U.S. and Canadian mass merchants, specialty stores and online retailers now.

"With this ever changing economy, George Foreman invites people back into the kitchen with innovative and multipurpose appliances that offer a great value," said Hidalgo. "From the kitchen novice to the cooking aficionado, George Foreman appliances make cooking healthy, fun and easy."

Introduced in 1994, the George Foreman grill continues to serve as a kitchen staple for the health and time-conscious at home chef. The appliances knock out up to four times more fat than competitor grills through their patented sloped grill plates. The fat rolls down the slope into the grease tray leaving a leaner, healthier meal that's full of flavor.

For more information on George Foreman products or to watch the "Knock Out the Fat with George" interactive Web show, please visit www.georgeforemancooking.com.

*Percentage of fat reduction refers only to the percentage of fat absorbed during frying, in comparison to conventional deep fat fryers. This product does not remove the original fat present in food items prior to frying. Results are based on independent laboratory testing, using a two minute spin cycle. Results are not typical and may vary based on food type and brand. Average reduction of absorbed fat of tested food items is 38 percent. Fried foods should be eaten in moderation and only as part of a well-balanced diet. Consult your physician or nutritionist for dietary advice.

That liquid boils up in there, infusing your turkey with marinated goodness while decreasing cooking time. Whatever you decide put in this auto-basting container/impaler is entirely up to you, with ideas ranging from cranberry juice, wine, herbs, various marinades, or heck, you could even put yer weed in it. [Camp Chef, via Hardware Aisle]