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Post by Chips on Oct 11, 2024 16:03:17 GMT
My son is turning 23 on Monday and like any good Mom I have procrastinated on his gift.
He is really into programing and technology and I am a novice in that area. One thing he does consistently is after we have Sunday dinner he will bake a dessert (brownies, cookies, e.g.). Since I am last minute I can buy ingredients, gadgets/tools, and some cook books. Or I was thinking of a service that would send that monthly. The monthly service will probably be expensive in comparison.
Has anyone does this and what was successful and what was not.
Or if you have birthday gift ideas I would love to see those too!
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Post by scrapmaven on Oct 11, 2024 16:21:04 GMT
How about a gift card to a local store that offers baking classes? He might really enjoy learning new skills.
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Post by littlemama on Oct 11, 2024 16:30:14 GMT
If he is already baking, does he have all of the pans and utensils he needs?
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Post by Chips on Oct 11, 2024 16:38:50 GMT
How about a gift card to a local store that offers baking classes? He might really enjoy learning new skills. This is something I need to look into - it would be a great way to get his out and meeting new people too. Thanks! |
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Post by Chips on Oct 11, 2024 16:42:49 GMT
If he is already baking, does he have all of the pans and utensils he needs? Well he lives at home and I have everything but it would be nice to get him different/unique gadget/tools that are his. My stuff is good quality and some very nice quality so it would be nice to add on for himself. Anything you have recently purchased that was a splurge or upgrade from you started with? |
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snyder
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,342 
Location: Colorado
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Post by snyder on Oct 11, 2024 16:45:26 GMT
Oh my! I just google dessert subscription boxes and almost fainted at the prices. I'm cheap. I think a class would be fun, but also think some good quality baking pans and gadgets along with the ingredients to bake one of his favorite desserts would be a nice gift.
ETA, I was typing while your post went through. But as you said, some "stuff" to call his own would be nice.
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Post by littlemama on Oct 11, 2024 16:54:21 GMT
If he is already baking, does he have all of the pans and utensils he needs? Well he lives at home and I have everything but it would be nice to get him different/unique gadget/tools that are his. My stuff is good quality and some very nice quality so it would be nice to add on for himself. Anything you have recently purchased that was a splurge or upgrade from you started with? Oh. In that case, start buying him his own things that he can take when he moves out! |
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ellen
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,806
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Post by ellen on Oct 11, 2024 17:55:14 GMT
I think I’d be more inclined to buy him some quality baking pans/utensils - I like NordicWare. A Danish dough whisk is great if you don’t have one of those. Maybe find a good cookbook and buy some of the ingredients.
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Post by compeateropeator on Oct 11, 2024 18:38:03 GMT
Gesine Bullock-PradoIf there aren’t classes near you how about online baking classes. Something like this (while not necessarily this but just as an example ). It is called SugarGlider and it is Gesine Prado. She teaches a lot of classes for King Arthur and is an amazing baker, has a great personality and humor and I think would be a wonderful teacher. She has her own baking school /classes but also does an online one for people who enjoy them. You should check out her Instagram to see some of the amazing things she bakes and cooks.
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Post by caspad on Oct 11, 2024 18:59:38 GMT
Edit to add: Does your son already have a scale and use weights to measure his ingredients? If not, it might appeal to his technical side and it's something he'll use often and have forever. It is a game changer for consistency in baking. I like this OXO scale with pull out which is great when using a big bowl. If a recipe is only in cups (esp for flour and sugars), I use this ingredient weight chart so 1 cup of AP flour will always be 120 g and 1 cup of sugar is 198 g. is a fantastic resource with excellent instructions. Maybe pair it with a gift card to the King Arthur Baking Store for things like the Danish dough whisk or pre-cut parchment paper - theirs is the best! - or ingredients like fiori di sicilia or espresso powder that he might not buy but will use all the time. They also have in-person (Vermont, if you are in the Northeast) and virtual classes. Also see if your library or local bookstore have a cookbook club where instead of discussing a novel, the participants bring a dish from the cookbook to share and then discuss.
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Post by Lexica on Oct 11, 2024 19:32:07 GMT
I love the suggestion of giving him some classes to further his skills and interest. I don’t know what his career interests are now, but if he enjoys it and has a knack, he might consider culinary school to become a pastry chef. My niece’s best friend would make things with her mom for the mom to take to work with her to share with coworkers and her clients. She and her mom had so much fun creating themed desserts and they became really good at it. People began asking to hire them to make desserts for parties. She was so encouraged by the reaction from her mom’s coworkers that she started thinking of taking classes and making it a career.
Tragically, her mother was diagnosed with cancer and passed a few months later. Because baking had been something they shared, she decided to follow through and sign up for classes kind of as a tribute to her mom. She took classes locally and then eventually ended up going to Paris for additional training. She is now a pastry chef for an upscale restaurant and says she loves her job.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 11, 2024 20:23:03 GMT
If he is already baking, does he have all of the pans and utensils he needs? LOL IMO there is no such thing! I will never turn down new silicone spatulas, I really like the little ones for scraping out measuring cups, etc. and I have a whole drawer full of them. Another idea would be a great dessert or cookie cookbook. My favorites are from America’s Test Kitchens, Sally’s Baking Addiction (there are a couple different ones), and the King Arthur Cookie Companion. Pretty sure you can get all of them on Amazon. Another option would be a set of good quality cookie scoops, either Norpro or the ones from Pampered Chef. There are a LOT of junky cookie scoops out there and I’m pretty sure I’ve owned all of them. Since he likes baking brownies, my favorite size pan for that is 11x7 which is a little less common but I find I like them the best at that size. ETA: There are some good specialty baking classes online through the How To Cake It website. I’ve taken a few myself and most of them have been really good. |
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