Culture
2018 Cooking Gifts: Holiday Gift Guide for People Who Love to Cook
For anyone who knows anyone who loves to cook, it can seem like the cook in your life already has everything they need. But as a person who loves to cook, I can tell you the difference between handbeating egg whites to stiff peaks and doing the same thing with an electric mixer is about 10 minutes and a whole hand cramp.
So, even if you know someone who already makes the best angel food cake you’ve ever had, if they don’t have a hand mixer, it’s the essential tool to gift. Many kitchen tools and wares come from the same life priority pile as socks. They’re used constantly, but almost never upgraded or repurchased for oneself. Pot holders and dish towels get relegated to hidden drawers where they seldom get washed or re-evaluated for quality.
On this gift guide, you’ll find a delicately curated collection of perfect gifts for the person who seldom leaves their kitchen.
Vita Goods FitMix Pro Portable Blender Bottle
Why We Picked It: For anyone who enjoys smoothies or shakes but can’t get out of bed fast enough to enjoy one every morning, give the gift of smoothie on the go. All they have to do is throw their favorite fruits in the portable tumbler and they can press the blender button as they are walking out the door. The perfect smoothie without any tedious blender clean up or prep.
Price: Usually $39.99, now on sale for $27.99
Aquasprouts Garden
Why We Picked It: For anywhere that experiences winter for half the months of the year but loves to garden the other half, it can be big let down when fresh herbs and veggies cease to become an at-home option. With this indoor garden and aquarium, you can give the gift of a year round, user-friendly, fresh culinary garden experience.
Price: Usually $179.95, now on sale for $159.95
Boiling Beeper
Why We Picked It: There’s nothing more frustrating than having forgotten about water you set on the stove to boil, only to return to it to see less than an inch has been left unevaporated. On the flip side, time never moves slower than when you are watching a pot come to a boil. Never allow either situation to happen again with this neat little device that whistles like a tea kettle when your water has reached the perfect 212 degrees necessary to boil your preferred pasta.
Price: Usually $19.99, now on sale for $17.99
Material The Iconics Set
Why We Picked It: High quality kitchen utensils are something no cook can ever have enough of. Good metal utility tongs are something kitchen inhabitant needs multiples of. Spatulas. User-friendly knives. Whisks. Slotted spoons. Wooden spoons. Take it from a home-cook, these are the superheros of the kitchen.
Price: $245.00
Material 3 Knife Set
Why We Picked It: Where space is concerned, not everyone can afford to have multiples of all their favorite items. So if a full set is not an option for the home cook in your life, this set of knives will replace any dull and tired knife that’s worked overtime for too many years. Everyone needs good knives.
Price: $155.00
UBi-IND Apron - Denim and Leather
Why We Picked It: A messy cook is a creative work and I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t find themselves covered in flour or soaked at the belly every time they cook. It’s inevitable but able to be minimized with this denim one-size-fits all apron with pockets.
Price: Usually $185.00, now on sale for $166.98
UBi-IND Culinary Knife Roll - Denim and Leather
Why We Picked It: Not every cook has the luxury of cooking in their own kitchen all the time. Some of us show our love by bringing food to you, but there are few things more alienating than cooking in a foreign kitchn with foreign tools. Bring your own without fear of damage or disorganized storage with this knife roll.
Price: Usually $165.00, now on sale for $149.98
UBi-IND Pot Holder - Denim
Why We Picked It: To complete the gift of a new denim-outfitted kitchen, this pot holder is perfect. Even given on its own is the lasting gift of sustainability and superior performance as anyone who has ever owned a pair of good quality jeans knows that denim is a fabric made to be abused.
Price: $35.00
Bronsen Concrete Moon Coaster Set
Why We Picked It: It can seem like coasters just aren’t as important to this generation as those that preceded us—probably because we don’t own as much real wood as our grandparents, but for anyone who drinks a lot of cold beverages at their desk, condensation can be a real annoyance. Bonus: these look cool.
Price: $49.98
Farmhouse Pottery Live Edge Walnut Cutting Board
Why We Picked It: Everyone needs a good wood cutting board. Be it for perfectly stylized serving or for use as a reliable smooth surface for chopping, this 100% walnut wooden cutting board is both beautiful and utilitarian. You don’t even have to find a space to store it because it looks perfect just set out on the counter ready-to-use.
Price: Usually $95.00, now on sale for $79.98
Milo Classic Dutch Oven
Why We Picked It: It’s well known in the culinary domain that a good dutch oven is one of the most sought after appliances. And not all dutch ovens are created equal. Made out of solid cast iron with an enameled exterior, this dutch oven promises an even distribution of heat while the enamel provides easy-to-see cooking contrast and chip resistance, so you’ll surely own this for decades to come.
Price: $95.00
Meater Meater+ Wireless Thermometer
Why We Picked It: Take the guesswork out of cooking meat with this must-have wireless thermometer. There is nothing worse than perfectly searing a steak only to find to raw, or worse overcooked, in the very center. This device transmits exact temperature notifcations to your phone directly from inside the oven or stove.
Price: $99.00
W&P Design Porter Bowl
Why We Picked It: Anyone who makes great dinners is often left with great leftovers. Make them into a great second-day meal on the go with this innovative bowl with a built-in lid and ceramic bowl with shock-absorbing silcone wrap. It’s dishwasher and microwave safe making it the perfect vessel for all leftovers. Holds up to 4 1/2 cups of food.
Price: Usually $40.00, now on sale for $34.98
Lodge 10.25 Inch Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
Why We Picked It: Everyone, and I mean everyone, needs at least one cast iron skillet and as long as you take care of it, it will be the only one you will ever need. Lodge is among the most trusted brands, and one of the only American made, in cast iron.
Price: Usually $26.60, now on sale for $14.88
Oster Steamer Pot
Why We Picked It: Anyone trying to steam their vegetables the old fashioned way—or worse, in the microwave—needs this amazing multi-functional steamer pot. Use it as a double boiler. Use it as an oven safe stainless steel dutch oven. Use it as a quick soup pot.
Price: Usually $29.99, now on sale for $16.47
Corck Pot 6-Quart Programmable Cook & Carry Slow Cooker
Why We Picked It: Even the most seasoned of homecooks have long days at the office that never seem to end or recipes that require more hands-on preparation than there are hours in the day. A slow cooker is the best of homecooking without the heavy lifting. Bonus: Take it to your next tailgate with this model’s perfect traveling features.
Price: Usually $44.99, now on sale for $39.99
Ninja Mega Kitchen System
Why We Picked It: If you’ve read my kitchen round ups before, you know that I am firmly decided on the kitchen being no place for uni-tasker products. Everything has to be a multi-tasker. This Ninja blender meets food processor meets to-go cup is the benchmark of what all kitchen appliances should aspire to.
Price: Usually $229.99, now on sale for $170.20
KitchenAid 7-Speed Hand Mixer
Why We Picked It: It wouldn’t be a complete list, if I mentioned a handmixer in the introduction but neglected to include one. When it comes to handmixers, there are good and bad and where good is concerned, you want a wide variety of speeds. This one has that as well as Soft Start to prevent splatter.
Price: Usually $79.99, now on sale for $55.99
DRAGONN 10-Piece Airtight Food Storage Container Set
Why We Picked It: Anyone with a lot of ingredients would benefit from the use of these air tight containers. With easy to see through plastic sides, any ingredient is accessible just by looking at it. With air tight lids, you can save anything you might not get around to right away for much longer with more peace of mind.
Price: $59.99
COLE & MASON Capstan Wood Pepper Grinder
Why We Picked It: There’s nothing that transforms a home cooked meal into a restaurant experience quite like fresh cracked black pepper from a wooden pepper grinder. Transform all meals into restaurant dining experiences with this statement and functional kitcen piece.
Price: Usually $29.99, now on sale for $20.99
