compiled by Laura Morriss

OK, you've figured out that a cooking-related gift is the way to go for the baker in your life, but knowing is only half the battle. How do you narrow down your search for the perfect holiday present when there's such a huge array of pans and gadgets? PastryScoop.com's editorial staff presents their favorite presents (to give or to receive).

COOKBOOKS Each holiday season a slew of new volumes stock the shelves, but here are a couple that go above and beyond the usual.

Instead of the traditional chapters on cookies, cakes, and chocolate, Emily Luchetti of San Francisco's Farallon restaurant arranges the sections of A Passion for Desserts seasonally. By taking this approach, she encourages you to use produce at peak ripeness and to allow each season's fleeting flavors to shine by emphasizing only two or three ingredients per dessert. Plus, there's gorgeous photography and an introduction that serves as a helpful guide to the equipment and ingredients you should have on hand to make it all work. Chronicle Books, October 2003, 192 pages, $35

One glance at The Secrets of Baking will explain why it took Sherry Yard more than five years to compile her first cookbook. This is more than a collection of Spago's sweets; it's a guide to understanding the inner workings of all things pastry. Each chapter concentrates on a master recipe and then demonstrates how that recipe can be varied to create a wider range of desserts. Yard deftly describes how ingredients work together and why certain reactions occur so that there's no more guesswork in the kitchen. Houghton Mifflin, November 2003, 448 pages, $35.95

GADGETS If you're looking to accessorize an already well-equipped kitchen, here are a few more tools that no good cook should live without.

Does a liquid measuring cup really need improvement? Haven't we been cooking just fine with the same cups our grandmothers used? Leave it to OXO, makers of the Good Grips products, to take a good thing and make it even better. The Good Grips Angled Measuring Cup comes equipped with a tilted measuring indicator so you can measure by looking straight down into the cup. No more side-bends for filling, checking, adjusting, filling, checking, emptying…you know the drill. One staffer admits to leaving it on her counter to measure everything, including the milk for her morning cereal! www.oxo.com or (800) 545-4411, $5 for the one cup measure

All those custard recipes ask you to whisk your eggs while pouring hot milk in a steady stream. Are they kidding? No one has a third hand to keep the bowl steady while pouring with one and whisking with the other. These are the bowls that finally let you do it with ease. Bowl them over with Crate and Barrel's stainless steel mixing bowls with non-skid bottoms allow you to stir away without the bowl slipping and sliding around the counter. www.crateandbarrel.com or (800) 323-5461, $41.85 for a set of three

APPLIANCES The big-ticket items that really impress.

Make fruit purees in a flash! Emulsify broken chocolate sauce in seconds! Chop nuts in no time! KitchenAid's KHB 300 immersion blender with whisk and chopper attachments multitasks like no other kitchen appliance. The powerful motor can handle any job, and each attachment is dishwasher safe for easy clean-up. And now it comes in a cheery, festive red—just in time for holiday cooking. www.kitchenaid.com or (800) 541-6390, $119

A stand mixer can be the most cumbersome device in your kitchen. Fortunately, Viking had the good sense to put it on wheels. Now you can pull that baby out from the darkest corner of your kitchen counter with ease. In addition to the convenience factor, this mixer is available in a formidable seven-quart capacity model (in addition to the usual five), has special "planetary mixing action" that reduces the number of times you have to stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, and counts a blender and a juicer among the optional attachments so you get the most out of one machine. www.vikingrange.com or (888) VIKING1, $535 for the seven-quart model

BAKEWARE What you make it in can be just as important as what you make.

From the creators of the original Bundt pan, Nordicware know how to dress up holiday baking with a flurry of flakes. Give your favorite cake some seasonal flare using their silver snowflake pan (and a little dusting of powdered sugar). Solidly constructed, using top quality materials, this cake pan is bound to last for many winters to come. www.nordicware.com or (877) 466-7342, $27

Pecan, apple, pumpkin—no holiday feast is complete without pie. Unfortunately store-bought tins and utilitarian glass pie plates don't always complement your décor. Proudly place your pie in plain sight with Chantal's attractive new line of red and white ceramic bakeware. This deep dish pie plate can go from oven to table with ease and style. Check out their oval and rectangular baking dishes for your favorite bread pudding. www.chantal.com (800) 365-4354, $20

FOR THE PROFESSIONAL Something to make work a little more fun.

Wearing a uniform day in and day out can get monotonous, so here's a gift that will jazz up the usual blur of black and white. Troentorp's flower and leopard print clogs add just enough color to give the work day a little excitement. Hand-crafted in Sweden since 1904, Troentorp clogs have a sturdy alder wood base and non-skid polyurethane sole, making them durable as well as comfortable. Cute and comfy. Who could ask for more? www.troentorptoffel.se for retailer, www.clogsonline.com, $99

TREATS For those who need a break from the kitchen.

Nothing cuts winter chills like hot chocolate. And no one does chocolate like Jacques Torres, a.k.a. "Mr. Chocolate." There's no cocoa powder here—only real, rich chocolate for the fullest flavor. And if you really need warming up, try the "wicked" version of the original with allspice, cinnamon, ground sweet ancho chili peppers, and smoked ground chipotle chili peppers. www.mrchocolate.com or (718) 875-9772, $16

How can you not love a company that holds an annual candy cane festival? Hammonds Candies has been in the confectionary business since 1920, and they still pull their candy by hand as they did 83 years ago. With a variety of flavors like clove, sugar plum, and cranberry, these 10-inch canes aren't just for kids any more. Traditionalists need not worry; the classic red and white peppermint version is also available. www.hammondscandies.com or (888) CANDY-99, $13.50 for a set of six

EDUCATE YOUR PALATE Inspire the epicurean on your holiday shopping list with the gift of knowledge.

Tired of bringing the same old box brownies to the holiday pot-luck parties? Do yourself (and your co-workers) a favor and give yourself the gift of expertise. In addition to top-notch career programs, The French Culinary Institute offers an intensive 20 session "mini" course, The Essentials of Pastry, modeled after their renowned professional program. Classes take place on Saturdays from 9:30AM to 2:30PM and covers the how-to's of perfect cakes, cookies, tarts, mousses, hot and cold desserts, petit fours, and glorious presentation. The FCI promises it will be "the sweetest 100 hours you've ever spent." Click here to find out more, (888) FCI-CHEF, 462 Broadway, New York, NY 10013, $4,675 for 20 sessions (100 hours)

Behind every dessert fan you'll find an equally enthusiast food lover. And what better complement to great food than great wine? Give your special someone the ability to appreciate, select, and pair wine expertly with food (including the dessert course) in Great Wine and Food Made Simple taught by Andrea Immer, celebrated author, Master Sommelier, and Dean of Wine Studies at The French Culinary Institute. Andrea, along with The FCI's wine faculty, will uncork the mysteries of flavor affinities with delectable wine and food tastings in a fun "wine by immersion" approach. Classes meet Tuesdays from 6:30PM to 8:30PM for six weeks. As an added bonus, students can put their skills to test over dinners at L'Ecole, the Restaurant of The French Culinary Institute where they will receive a special 50% discount during their course. A sweet deal indeed. Click here to learn more, (888) FCI-CHEF, 462 Broadway, New York, NY 10013, $895 for 6 sessions (12 hours)

GIFTS THAT SHARE Cooking is so rewarding because you can share the end result. Why not buy a gift that does the same?

In Cooking from the Heart, 100 Great American Chefs Share Recipes They Cherish, some of this country's best-known chefs contribute recipes and stories that have a personal meaning. Pastry enthusiasts will certainly not be disappointed with contributions by such award winners as Ann Amernick, Karen Barker, Marcel Desaulniers, Gale Gand, and Nancy Silverton. A portion of the profits will benefit Share Our Strength, an organization dedicated to fighting hunger and poverty. Edited by Michael Rosen, Broadway Books, September 2003, 320 pages, $29.95

The little pink ribbon you see adorning the lapels of celebrities can now be a part of anyone's kitchen. The Pink Ribbon cookie cutter from Ann Clark Ltd. brings breast cancer awareness home. Fifty percent of all sales are donated to cancer research and the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization, which ensures that no one battles the disease alone. www.annclark.com or (800) 252-6798 for retailers. Broadway Panhandler, 477 Broome Street, New York, New York 10013, (866) COOKWARE, $3.95

Laura Morriss is a freelance writer and pastry professional living in New York. She is also an editorial assistant at PastryScoop.com.