19 Gifts to Buy for People Who Love to Cook
Shopping for people who like to cook can be a challenge, especially if you don't know what's already in their inventory. To help, we've gathered a variety of cooking, baking, and entertaining gift ideas for every foodie your list.
Image courtesy of Food52
1. Bento Lunch Box Set
For a desk lunch that's as happy as a summer day, stash leftovers in these bright, bamboo-fiber bento boxes. Each box comes with two food compartments, a cutlery set, and a silicone band to create a snug little bundle for worry-free commuting.
Buy It: Bento Lunch Box Cutlery Set, $35
Image courtesy of Earlywood
2. Versatile Wood Utensils
Need a gift for someone who already has a fully stocked kitchen? Earlywood's naturally colored wood utensils are beautiful and versatile for any type of cook. The Trifecta set includes a flat sauté, scraper, and spreader that can be used for anything, like scooping peanut butter out of a jar or scrambling a breakfast hash worthy of Ron Swanson’s appetite. Care is simple: Hand-wash with dish soap and warm water, and treat with mineral oil every few uses.
Buy It: The Trifecta, $35
Image courtesy of Amazon
3. Amazon Echo Show
Anyone who loves to spend time in the kitchen will want to get their hands on the all-new Amazon Echo Show this holiday season. With a vibrant 10.1" HD screen, the Show is the new essential kitchen companion. Use voice commands to stop and start recipe videos, set kitchen timers and alarms, and even add items to your shopping list—all while your hands are busy with chopping, kneading and stirring. The Echo Show also comes in handy even when you don’t need a kitchen assist: Use it to watch movies and TV shows via your Prime Video, Hulu, or NBC subscription or to make video calls to friends and family who have the Alexa app, an Echo Spot or Echo Show And, like other Echo devices, you can still ask Alexa to tell you a joke or two.
Buy It: Echo Show, $230
Image courtesy of Boxhill
4. Seed Bombs You'll Cook With
The gift of a kitchen garden, right-sized for stockings. Edible flowers, herbs, and greens sprout from these little seed bombs. Every screen-printed pouch is filled with five seed bombs, planting instructions, and a brief history of the practice.
Buy It: Culinary Seed Bombs, $9
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5. One-of-a-Kind Knife Storage
Part sculpture, part utility, this clever magnetized block keeps knives accessible. The sturdy designs are crafted out of sustainable wood by Italian artisans and hold up to 10 knives.
Buy It: ZWILLING Italian Magnetic Knife Block, from $140
Image courtesy of Williams-Sonoma
6. Round Cast-Iron Trivet
Its full-time gig may be safeguarding your countertops from piping-hot dishes, but this trivet gets major style points, too. The sturdy design resembles rose windows found in elegant cathedrals.
Buy It: Le Creuset Heritage Cast-Iron Deluxe Round Trivet, $75
Image courtesy of Amazon
7. A Slow Cooker You Can Write On
Finally, a slow cooker that takes the guesswork out of tailgates. Use a piece of chalk to label dishes or ingredients right on the cooker to inform guests of its contents before lifting the lid. Game. Day. Changer. Need recipe inspiration? Check out these fabulous 5-ingredient slow cooker ideas.
Buy It: BLACK + DECKER 7-Quart Digital Slow Cooker with Chalkboard Surface, $50
Image courtesy of Amazon
8. All-in-One Box Grater
Being a square is a good thing when it comes to this box grater. Microplane combined three of the most popular grating surfaces—cheese grater, citrus zester, and chocolate (or veggie) grater—into one brilliant multiasker. Removable blade panels make cleanup a breeze.
Buy It: Large Microplane Box Grater, $30
Image courtesy of Mark and Graham
9. Lucite Serving Tray
Customize this lucite tray with a pattern of your choosing and a monogram, then use it to serve up beverages, corral magazines, or contain odds and ends atop a coffee table or ottoman. It's a useful and stylish holiday gift for people who like to entertain, though new homeowners and newlyweds would appreciate it, too!
Buy It: Patterned Lucite Tray, from $99
Image courtesy of Boon Supply
10. Ramekins
Ramekins are great little dishes for perfectly portioned desserts and small courses. In our opinion, you can never have too many. Nab a set of these cheery yellow ramekins, and your gift does twice the good—50 percent of your purchase goes to the cause of your choice.
Buy It: Yellow Ramekins, $24 for four
Image courtesy of Amazon
11. 8-Inch Chef Knife with Locking Sheath
Channel your inner Food Network star and round out your kitchen knives collection with a durable, pro-style chef's knife. The Sasaki Masuta 8-inch knife has a long, curved blade that's designed to gently rock as you cut meat, mince herbs, and chop veggies. Its corrosion-resistant blade runs through the fiberglass handle, so it's both sturdy and balanced in hand.
Buy It: Sasaki Masuta 8-Inch Chef Knife with Locking Sheath, $89
Image courtesy of Amazon
12. Connected Kitchen Scale + Recipe App
Experimental cooks will appreciate having a recipe database and connected scale right at their fingertips. Browse recipes on the Drop app, scale portions for your needs, and get visuals for every step.
Buy It: Drop Scale - Connected Kitchen Scale and Step-by-Step Recipe App, $80
Image courtesy of Vinglace
13. Bottle Chiller
Vinglace's powder-coated stainless steel keeps wine and champagne bottles chilled for hours, so you can focus on your guests and not think twice about the wine getting too warm. Bonus: 5 percent of every purchase supports breast cancer research.
Buy It: Vinglace in Sea Glass, $90
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14. Gourmet Sea Salts
Every cook's go-to recipes can benefit from a shake-up, right? Help them flavor dishes with a set of fancy condiment-style salts that instantly elevate everyday mains, sides, and snacks like popcorn. This set also makes a terrific hostess gift.
Buy It: Casina Rossa Gourmet Sea Salt Gift Pack, $22 for six
15. The Latest Red Plaid Cookbook
There's something to be said about a classic. The iconic Red Plaid cookbook has been a household staple for generations, and for good reason: It’s chock-full of scrumptious standby recipes and culinary wisdom from the experts at Better Homes & Gardens magazine. It's the same book Grandma loved, but the latest edition's fresh design, recipe photos, and contemporary dishes give it all-around appeal for both new and experienced cooks.
Buy It: Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book, 17th Edition, $19
Image courtesy of Crate & Barrel
16. Multiuse Baking Dish
This French cookware’s timeless design and impressive ability to retain heat wow again, this time with a clever design that’s both baking dish and serving platter. Flip the lid over and use it to plate up everything from egg casserole to gooey brownies.
Buy It: Le Creuset Rectangular Baking Dish with Platter Lid, $100
Image courtesy of Jet
17. Bluetooth Speaker
Keep this small, water-resistant bluetooth speaker nearby so you can listen to music and podcasts (and answer incoming calls) while prepping meals. The speaker holds eight hours of battery charge, so it can accompany you outdoors or into other rooms long after the food's been enjoyed.
Buy It: Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II, $129
Image courtesy of Moo
18. Personalized Sticker Labels
Moo's cute custom labels are a super-thoughtful gift that lets cooks and bakers put a personal stamp on their signature goodies.
Buy It: Rectangular Stickers, from $17 for 50
Image courtesy of Amazon
19. Silicone Pressure Cooker Sling
"Fumble!" is an unwelcome exclamation on the field and in the kitchen. Pressure cooker and multipot enthusiasts will appreciate Oxo's heat-safe sling that wraps around bakeware and secures with an interlocking handle (it fits beneath the cooker's lid). When your dish is done, just remove the lid, grab the sling's handle, and lift it out of the pressure cooker.