8 Clever Gifts for the Home Cook Who Has Everything
They'll be happy to make space for these upgrades and pretty pieces.
You thought an Instant Pot would be a smart gift — but then you noticed your pal already has two (the 6-quart and the 8-quart, wow!). She makes far better food than would come in any gift basket or fancy-looking starter kit. And how many serving bowls, spoon rests and tea towels can a person possibly own?
What do you get the hobbiest chef who already seems to have all the good cooking stuff? These gifts are the answer — because there's always a new tool to experiment with, pretty upgrade worth splurging on, or essential item of which you can never have too many.
BUY IT: KitchenAid 5-Qt. Textured Ceramic Bowl, Macy's, $112.99
If your favorite baker displays her KitchenAid mixer like a trophy on her countertop, she'll love this swap for the appliance's generic metal bowl. This pretty ceramic white number has a textured pattern that almost mimics a basketweave or hobnail effect.
BUY IT: Danks Niklas Pepper Mill, Food52, $35
Freshly ground pepper is the finishing touch that makes every dish more special, and no home cook would forget to reach for a pepper mill as lovely as this one.
BUY IT: Cravings by Chrissy Teigen Serrated Santoku Knife, Target, $14.99
The surprising stand-out of Chrissy Teigen's Target cookware line was her serrated santoku knife — when it was first released earlier this year, it sold out crazy-fast and was even spotted on eBay for three times the retail price (!). Now it's back — and at just 15 bucks, it's an affordable (and perhaps formidable) challenger to your friend's fancier knife set. We know he'll have fun putting it to the test.
BUY IT: The Dutchess, Great Jones, $145
A newcomer to the cookware scene this year, Great Jones promises fashionable, thoughtful and highly functional cookware at a nice price. But mostly their insanely pretty Dutch oven (aptly named The Dutchess) makes us swoon. It comes in best the colors — even sweet pink called "macaron" and a bright "blueberry." What project cooker wouldn't welcome it to their kitchen family? It'll look smashing sitting on the stove.
BUY IT: Stasher Reusable Silicone Food Bag, Amazon, $11.99
These silicone numbers replace single-use plastic storage bags (win!), are dishwasher-safe and freezer-safe (win-win!) and can go in the microwave, work for sous vide cooking, and are even OK to use in the oven (win-win-win!). With so many uses, they're primed to transform any kitchen routine.
BUY IT: Just Ripe Fruit Bowl, Uncommon Goods, $65
Every home cook knows the pain of buying fruits and veggies and then watch them ripen at widly varying rates. Cross-reference that with your meal plan for the week and ... well let's just say there's a reason you always have banana bread around. This space-saving bowl might help. Not-quite-ripe produce goes in the bowl, where the trapped ethylene gas it emits can coax it along. Ready-to-eat items sit on top of the bowl within easy reach, and bananas hang so they don't bruise. And a stacked design means the genius ripening system doesn't take up too much countertop real estate.
BUY IT: Yeti Hopper Flip Soft Cooler 8, Williams Sonoma, $200
For the pal who insists on bringing pershiables to every sort of gathering (I mean, not that we're complaining about eating the perfect cheese at outdoor movie night, or mind a painstakingly selected cut of meat making the trip to a weekend getaway in the mountains), the Yeti is perfect. This soft cooler with sturdy strap is durable, totable and keeps everything inside super chilled.
BUY IT: Mauviel 10-inch Copper Bowl, Amazon, $99.93
Copper mixing bowls improve basically just one cooking technique — they help stabilze egg whites as you whip them to lofty peaks. But we're not judging — and your meringue-obsessed baker will certainly love the indulgence. Plus, this gleaming bowl is certainly a sight for sore eyes; it will look incredible on her Julia Child-inspired pegboard.
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