We have a couple of amatuer male chefs in the family. What have you seen in Thailand to bring back as gifts to them? Spices? Cookbooks? Utensils? Any info appreciated!

P.S. Leaving in 7 days for Thailand!!! I'm ssssooooo excited!!!

You will find lovely brass woks - the deep sort, lots of utensils, interesting moulds made from brass that are dipped in batter and then into a pot of hot oil - they are shaped like flowers etc. Some great little vegetable peelers that are used there to shred green papaya for salads - they have a waivy blade and usually have orange plastic handles - I use mine for lots of things. Lots of stainless steel made in Thailand like Zebra brand - this is not so good for saucepans as its not really heavy enough but nice steamboats, double boilers and other things - all very cheap. You'll find such things in a number of places - easiest is at the big department stores - Central and Robinsons - they have good cookware sections. Also out at JJ Market on the weekend and in Chinatown.

Where are you staying and where are you from. I ask where you are from because if its Australia you'll have problems with spices etc coming back in. Some things are okay like coffee and tea but a lot of others aren't. Worth a phone call to your customs wherever you are before you leave. Its so disappointing to have the bits you've carefully chosen taken away.

I've accumulated a number of Thai cookbooks from my travels.

Buying coooking ingredients of various types is chancy. Sauces often come in glasss jars (visualize the sauce all over your careully packed clothes...). Spices that are dried and commercially packaged are fine to bring back to the US (though make sure you declare them!). As I live in Seattle there aren't many foodstuffs that are legal to bring back that I can't get in the local markets here. But in some parts of the US Thai spices are hard to come by.

you will not want for items to bring home...there are many from odd pots and pans to utensils and ingrediants...

lots of nice wooden utensils are available all over....salad tongs...

there are fabulous hand hammered stainless steel cooking and serving items sold around town...(i have a factory if you want to visit not far from shangri-la---send me an e mail and i will dig out the contact info: [email protected])

brassware is also very nice but watch the quality...esp. the alloy content...some stains and discolors after use....

There are a lot of amazing things especially if you go into local markets and their hardware/kitchen places, many items you probably wouldn't find at home.

be wary about spices as these are things that could cause a hassle in customs.

As already mentioned, check if wood items are allowed, e.g you would have problems taking anything made from wood into Australia.

Great pounded-stainless steel serving dishes in different shapes. Some really nice ones I saw last summer were at a store called, Bright Gems #342 on the third floor of the Siam Center Shopping Mall.The best ones were at #A306 of the same mall.They were beautiful. I was there a few weeks ago and the mall is pretty torn up...under renovation...and I couldn't find the store and didn't have time to see if it had been relocated to another floor in the mall.Maybe you can find it. I waited a year to go back to #A306 to get those serving dishes! Happy Travels!

hmmm how aboiut someting that just about every thai cook uses . A morter and pestil set.

a set of gensu knives.

KENSA. lol your a nut... nampuang asks about you all the time. so where are you now?.
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OHH yah. a bottle of naam plah prik.. (spicey fish souse) would be a nice adition too any kitchen..

KYwood. just go too a supermarket and stock up on souces and/ or spces not found at home.

Thanks to everybody. These are great tips. I will try the local markets and grocery markets. I live in the U.S. Thanks again.

just make sure you can bring the spices in. And make sure that they aren't available where you live. I can get virtually any thai spice these days in Chicago.

orgy; still in hi, but counting the days. say hi to nam for me, and hope to see you guys in nov., and any other fodorites who will be there.

Kuranosuke...I thought maybe you had fallen off the end of the earth or something. Where've you been? Happy Travels!

guenmai; been kinda busy at work, and took a short trip to lv, only losing half a cow.(got lucky).

Okey...Dokey...Kuranosuke...Viva Las Vegas! Happy Travels!