Several housewares and specialty food players are in the field getting nods of recognition and accolades from consumer media. So, as you stock and restock for holiday sales, you might want to consider highlighting recommendations from third-party sources.

Cook's Illustrated (CI) test-drove chef knives for the December issue, discussing the East-meets-West trends of today. Editors selected eight "fusion" knives, six by Japanese companies and two from European manufacturers with a price cap of $200. The "hybrid" chef knives were tested against the editors' favorite traditional model, the Victorinox Forschner Fibrox 8-inch Chef's knife ($24.95), which is Cook's Illustrated's "Best in the West" selection. Highly recommended winners include Masamoto's VG-10 Gyutou ($136.50) and Misono UX-10 ($156), both 8.2-inch chef knives. Also making the recommended cut were Togihara Inox Gyutou, MAC Professional 8-inch Chef, Global's G-2, and Akifusa Gyutou.

And the best way to care for these knives? According to Cook's Illustrated, Chef's Choice Model 463 Asian Knife Sharpener is the "sharp choice" as well as the electric Chef's Choice 130 model -- more kudos for Chef's Choice came with CI's nod to its Diamond Sharpener for Asian Knives, Model 315S.

Cook's Illustrated also pulled out the cinnamon this month, picking Penzey's Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon as its best recommendation and Durkee's Ground Cinnamon as the "best buy." Another segment of the issue gave praise to basting spoons, with top praise going to Rosle's basting spoon with hook handle. The best small appliances to make the grade for the holiday season included: KitchenAid 12-cup food processor; KitchenAid Professional Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer; Cuisinart's 5.5-quart stand mixer; KitchenAid Classic Plus Stand Mixer, 4.5-quart; KitchenAid Immersion Blender; Cuisinart Power Advantage 7-Speed Hand Mixer; Chef's Choice 130 Professional Sharpening Station; Black & Decker Grill and Waffle Baker; Cuisinart Automatic Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt and Sorbet Maker ICE-20; BroilKing Professional Griddle; West Bend Cool-Touch Nonstick Electric Griddle; Hamilton Beach Michael Graves 4-Slice Toaster; Sanyo 5.5-Cup Electric Rice Cooker and Steamer; All-Clad Stainless Steel Slow Cooker with Ceramic Insert; Capresso Cool Grind 501; Capresso H2O Plus Glass Kettle; Technivorm Moccamaster Coffee Maker KBT-741; Breville Citrus Press; and Black & Decker CitrusMate Plus.

Over at Saveur, there's talk about the best method of brewing coffee, with the old-fashioned drip method in focus. You can check out more at www.saveur.com/issue124 for the best selections. The best in new baking cookbooks was also of note, with "Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts" (Stewart, Tabori & Chang); "Baking" (Ten Speed Press); "The Craft of Baking" (Clarkson Potter); "Rose's Heavenly Cakes" (William Morrow); "Artisan Breads Every Day" (Ten Speed Press); "Bread Matters" (Andrews McMeel); and "My Bread" (W. W. Norton) garnering attention.

Bon Appetit is serving up the holidays with its favorite pie servers, including DeNatura's Handmade Cow-Horn Server, Sagaform's Cake Server, Ikea's "Envis" Cake Slicer, and Teroforma's "Duro" Polished Serving Knife. Quick holiday nibbles include D'Artagnan's Duck Foie Gras with Black Truffles (a personal favorite at TGR as well), Zingerman's Fried Dried Red Peppers, The Fine Cheese Co. Mustard & Black Pepper Oat Crackers, Il Mongetto Medium Hot Peppers Stuffed with Anchovies; and small artichokes in extra-virgin olive oil.

Kitchen organization picks at Bon Appetit included Simplehuman's Front Load Recycler, Umbra's Two Step Can Recycler and Mode's Premium All-in-One Recycling Center.

Food & Wine takes note of Ecuadorian Chocolate from Republica del Cacao; Japanese Yuzu marmalade from Yakami Orchards; great new Peruvian flours on the horizon from Zolalo Gourmet; and A L'Olivier's new Piment d'Espelette Vinegar.

Consumer Reports mentions some best wine and coffeemaker picks, selecting the Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 as its top model. Other top specialty brands making the grade include Zojirushi Fresh Brew EC-BC15 and Krups Coffee Machine FMF5.

We'll have more national consumer news for you next week -- meanwhile, here are some sound bites to fill your own stockings:

Sheila Mains, president and founder of Sheila G Brands, Inc., a 17-year-old woman-owned business that specializes in creating innovative brownie products, made the front page of the Sept. 14 issue of the Palm Beach Post. A PDF of the page is available at http://www.ereleases.com/pr/2009-SheilaG.pdf. To enter the competitive grocery market, Mains developed a unique item, sold under the Sheila G's label, called Brownie Brittle. Much like the crunchy corner pieces on a traditional brownie, this rich chocolate snack has generated a huge buzz at trade shows and buying offices. Sheila G's Brownie Brittle is infiltrating the Northeast market through independent grocers and was recently approved by Big Y, a 57-store chain located in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Award-winning author Michael Pollan speaks candidly about what's truly organic, first lady Michelle Obama and what he sees for the future beyond organic in an exclusive interview that appears in the November/December/January 2009-2010 issue of Organic Gardening magazine, on newsstands now.

Pollan sat down with Organic Gardening's managing editor, Therese Ciesinski, for an interview in his garden situated in the hills of Berkeley, Calif. During this controversial conversation, Pollan reveals his opinion of what's truly organic, stating that "organic is in danger of being co-opted" and that he's been on organic factory farms and "… if most organic consumers went to those places, they would feel they were getting ripped off." He goes on to say he thinks "… organic risks a real crisis of perception if the values that they're selling don't accurately reflect the practices they're engaging in. They're organic by the letter, not organic in spirit."

Pollan also praises first lady Michelle Obama for her efforts to emphasize the importance of fresh food. "She talks about organic, but she [also] talks about fresh. Basically, getting away from processed food is key. And if you're eating produce, and it's not organic, it's a big step up from eating processed food. All these partial steps are very important."