2015 Gift Guide, Day Four

Steam Me Up

This traditional Japanese rice pot somehow makes rice taste better.  And it goes easily from the stove to the table, where it sits looking serenely ceramic and incredibly lovely.

But that's not why I love  it so much. These days I find myself steaming foods  - from vegetables to seafood to dumplings - with increasing frequency. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a great steamer? Like most steaming enthusiasts I've got a cupboard filled with bamboo steamers, and I like them fine.  They're useful. They're cheap. But they take up a lot of space and they're nearly impossible to clean.

If you have a conscientious eater on your list, someone who’s low on time and eager to steam, check out this beautiful rice cooker from Shed. It’s not cheap ($180), but its a truly beautiful object, a little piece of kitchen sculpture.  And it's incredibly easy to clean.