The 25 Best Gifts for Home Chefs (And Anyone Who Just Really Loves Food)
Usually, the best way to someone's heart is through their stomach, but for your foodie BFF, it's helping them stock their kitchen with goodies to take their next meal to new heights. So if someone on your holiday shopping list considers themselves an at-home chef, the time to start shopping for—or in this case, cooking up—gift ideas is now.
Whether you're searching for legit gifts for chefs who treat their kitchen like a Michelin-starred restaurant, or a creative present for foodies who hopped on the sourdough starter train last March (and are still posting about it on Instagram), there's plenty on this gift guide to keep them, and their stomachs, happy. From handy kitchen appliances and cookware sets to to virtual classes and baking essentials, here are 25 gifts that will take them from amateur home cook to pro-level chef in no time.
Related: The 50 Best Gifts for Moms from $5 to $500 (Even Though She’s Totally Priceless)
1. Click & Grow Smart Garden 3 Self-Watering Indoor Garden
For the chef who loves fresh herbs
Give them the gift of fresh herbs and veggies with this indoor garden. It's self-watering and includes a built-in light to help seeds become fully grown, fresh ingredients (think: cilantro, basil, rosemary and chili peppers) that they can use in the meals they cook up.
2. Dot and Army Bread Bag and Bowl Cover Set
For the sourdough baker
They’ve already stocked up on proofing baskets and artisan flour, but there’s one more way to take their loaves to the next level. These cloth bowl covers pop over mixing bowls when it’s time to let the dough rise (buh bye, plastic wrap), and the matching drawstring bags will keep boules and baguettes from going stale after they come out of the oven.
3. Made In Knife Set
For the budding sous chef
This set contains the essentials for proper slicing and dicing: a chef’s knife for everyday tasks, a Santoku knife for hefty vegetables, a paring knife for precision jobs and a utility knife for slicing bread, hard cheeses and meats (among other culinary delights). They’re all fully forged, aka made from one solid piece of stainless steel, so they’ll age gracefully.
4. Biscuitier Gift Bundle
For the pastry lover
Whether they're partial to baking pastries, breads or biscuits, this gift set comes with three essentials needed to help them nail their fave recipes each time: a pastry mat, an egg wash brush, and one stencil to let them mark each of their goodies with a pretty design.
5. Smeg '50s Retro Style Electric Kettle
For the tea aficionado
If their morning drink of choice is a warm cuppa, they'll love this kettle that delivers pipping hot water within seconds. And with the aesthetically pleasing, retro vibe, they'll want to leave it out on their counter year-round.
6. YesChef Virtual Classes
For the cook looking to learn
Let them learn from the best with virtual classes taught by experts in the field—from Michelin-starred restaurateurs to award-winning chefs. The different courses cover of variety of topics, so whether they're interested in Middle Eastern cousin, recipes with a southern flair or looking to beef up their butchery skills, there's a course they're going to love.
7. Kaf Home Tailor Cotton Apron
For the messy chef
You spend the entire year thinking about your mom's drool-worthy holiday cookies—but the mess she leaves in her wake post-bake, not so much. Help her keep her clothes flour-free with this cotton apron that's complete with an adjustable neck strap and large pockets perfect for holding her spatulas and mixing spoons.
8. The Caker Lemon Strawberry Poppy Seed Cake Kit
For the person who loves a shortcut
This one goes out to that person you know who buys boxed brownies and tries to pass them off as homemade, no shame. Gift them a major upgrade in the form of these inventive and—dare we say?— chic cake mixes from The Caker, a New Zealand-based cake company. Each mix, including this lemon strawberry poppy seed number, comes with fun add ons like freeze-dried fruit and a sweet glaze, plus they’re vegan-optional. Oh, and it just might *actually* pass for homemade this time.
9. The Festive Capsule Olive Oils, Vinegars & Honeys
For the flavor enthusiast
So your best bud loves playing around with new ingredients. With a mix of Brightland's flavorful olive oils, vinegars and honeys, her pantry will be stocked with delectable goodies she'll be thrilled to mix into her recipes the next time she hosts a dinner party.
10. Our Place Always Pan
For the master multitasker
It’s no secret we love this do-it-all skillet. The nonstick, nontoxic pan comes with a modular lid, custom nesting wooden spatula and steamer basket; can replace eight pieces of cookware (at a fraction of the price); and comes in five soothing colors. Even better, the brand is BIPOC-owned. Buy it for your city-dwelling friend who’s obsessed with one-pot meals and is also short on storage space. (FYI, it's on major sale right now, so scoop it up while it's still available!)
11. Material The (mini) reboard
For the slicer and dicer
While a large cutting board is nice, a tiny one is essential for slicing and dicing midday treats like cheese and produce. “I want this itty-bitty set because I LOVE slicing fruits for snacks,” says senior editor Cristina Gutierrez, who already uses Material’s larger cutting boards on a regular basis. The aptly reBoard is made from eco-friendly sugarcane and recycled plastic.
12. Schmidt Brothers Acacia Magnetic Wall Bar
For the chef who hates a cluttered counter
Knife blocks are fine and all, but anyone who cooks on the regular will tell you that they could always use more counter space. Help a friend out with this wall-mounted magnetic knife racks help keep their most frequently used utensils within arms reach. The wood finishing will complete their current kitchen decor and is a great way to help keep their counters clean and clutter-free.
13. Aarke Sparkling Carbonator
For your soda-obsessed BFF
If your pal is a little *too* obsessed with Diet Coke, gift her this elegant sparkling water carbonator that makes the switch from soda to a healthier alternative much easier. Just fill the bottle with water and any flavorings, screw into the top of the appliance, pull down the lever and ta-da! Freshly carbonated water that tastes just like her fave brand of pop with none of the bad stuff.
14. OXO Silicone Baking Mat
For the cookie monster
A home baker can never have enough of these silicone mats, which turn any baking sheet into a nonstick surface and replace all that parchment paper that would end up in the trash. It’s dishwasher-safe but also easy enough to clean by hand and it works for sweet and savory recipes alike. (Buy two—including one for you—is what we’re saying.)
15. Cast-Iron Tortilla Press
For the chef looking to try something new
We can't think of anything better than the gift of freshly made tortillas. All they need to do is whip up some fresh masa, roll the dough into balls and place onto the press. The heavy, cast-iron plates flatten the dough into perfectly sized rounds they can use in an array of dishes.
16. Breville Joule Sous Vide
For the tech-savvy chef
This top-rated sous vide device connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth, so you can literally cook short ribs from the couch. It works by circulating a water bath at a constant temp, so nothing is ever under- or over-cooked. We like this model because it’s small enough to fit in a kitchen drawer when not in use.
17. Chasing Flavor: Techniques and Recipes to Cook Fearlessly by Dan Kluger and Nick Fauchald
For the recipe follower
Dan Kluger, chef of NYC restaurant Loring Place, knows his way around a to-die-for recipe. His debut cookbook—packed with simple yet flavorful produce-forward dishes—is designed to help you master technique while becoming a more flexible and creative cook in the process.
18. Vitamix Professional-Grade Blender
For the smoothie-a-day chef
You won’t get creamier purees or, well, smoother smoothies from any other blender. Vitamix’s pro-level machine combines a high-power motor and stainless-steel blades to blend even the toughest ingredients, and the 64-ounce pitcher can handle everything from a single-serving smoothie to a full batch. Basically, this is one appliance they’ll use every single day.
19. Hive Snack Set
For the (healthy) snacker
Boost their snack game with one of Hive Brands' curated boxes. This mix comes with all the healthy-ish (and artisanal-tasting) goods they'll love to munch on, from cool ranch kale chips and rosemary popcorn to molasses spice cookies.
20. The Original Baking Steel
For the pizza lover
They’ve perfected that naturally fermented dough, now it’s time to nail the bake. This carbon steel slab—which is like a pizza stone on steroids—won’t convert their oven into a wood-fired stove, but it’s the next best thing. By increasing the thermal conductivity in the oven, it cooks up crispy, airy pizza crust and sourdough loaves. Not to mention, it’s an easy way to upgrade frozen pizzas too.
21. Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer 7-in-1 Oven with Rotisserie
For the French fry connoisseur
An air fryer gives you the same texture and flavor as a deep-fryer but without all the unhealthy oil and messy cleanup. This one has the capability to bake, roast, toast, broil, dehydrate and even rotisserie a whole chicken. Says managing editor Rachel Gulmi, “I already have an air fryer…but I really want this one, because it’s bigger and does so many things!”
22. The Ultimate Sichuan Pantry
For the cook who loves heat
Let them crank up the heat with an array of flavor-packed sauces and spices. From the Sichuan chili crisp to the Erjingtiao chili, your spicy-loving bestie can add these delectable flavor packed options to everything from leftover pizza to ice cream. (Yes, you read that correctly.)
23. Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Stone Pro Sharpening Stone
For the wannabe butcher
Ask any chef and they’ll tell you that a dull kitchen knife has the potential to ruin a meal…or at least the meal prep. This whetstone set, which is what the pros use to sharpen knives, comes with a dual-sided stone for sharpening blades, plus a rubber-footed tray to hold it securely on your countertop.
24. KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer
For your great British baker
This stand mixer needs no introduction. But in case you’ve never heard anyone brag about their KitchenAid, its tilt-head design allows easy access to the bowl; it’s sturdy enough to last a lifetime; the 10 speeds can do hours of work in minutes; and it also comes with a flat beater, dough hook and wire whip. Plus, you can buy all sorts of different attachments for it (like a pasta maker, food processor and spiralizer).
25. The Book on Pie by Erin Jeanne McDowell
For the baker extraordinaire
We’re slightly biased, since Erin McDowell is PureWow’s own recipes editor, but this is the only pie book your star-baker will ever need. Seriously: There’s an entire chapter devoted to crust, as well as detailed how-to’s that will make crimping and filling techniques easy as, well, pie. Oh, there are also drool-worthy recipes for masterpieces like peanut butter cream pie with raspberry meringue and Reuben pie.
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