35 Gifts for Serious Home Cooks

Tear-open-the-box worthy gadgets, appliances, ingredients, and cookware? Yes, chef!

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October 26, 2023
By: Erica Finamore

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Real-deal home cooks tend to have a huge arsenal of cool cookware at their disposal, which makes them the best dinner hosts — and super tough to buy gifts for. They have all the essentials, so your best bet is searching for those niche items they may not have purchased yet (like a fish spatula or Himalayan salt block), or to splurge on a dream product (like a Dutch oven or high-end blender). Whatever your budget, we’ve found the best gifts for serious home cooks.

A giant slab of pink salt is bound to add a little pizazz to a meal. Use this 12” x 8” Himalayan salt slab to prep meat, fish or veggies on the grill. They offer great heat distribution, some mineral infusion, and a hint of salt. For non grillers, they make a cool and dramatic backdrop for serving cold apps.

This splurge will change their dinnertime (and lunch and maybe breakfast) forever. It’s a pizza oven they can use indoors or outdoors to get New York slice-style crust from the comfort of their own home. The whole thing can heat up to 850 degrees F in 20 minutes, then cook a 12-inch pie in 90 seconds. All they have to do is plug it in, and invite people over for an epic pizza night. We've tested it out and can confirm it's worth the hype.

$45

Spice up a cook’s life – and their food – with a sleek battery operated pepper and spice grinder. All they have to do is fill one of the spice pods with their go-to peppercorn, seed, salt, or garlic, press a button on top and voila. Fresh spices in an instant! They can make the grind more or less coarse with the turn of a dial at the bottom of the grinder. When they want to use a new ingredient, they can just pop on another pod. To quote the Barefoot Contessa: How easy is that?

$129 $100

Great cooks know that getting the sear right on a piece of meat is everything. So when the steaks are high (and hot), they’ll want to turn to a quality meat thermometer to make sure that the filet is fine. With the Chef iQ they can set their ideal temp, and put a tiny probe in the meat. Once it reaches that desired temp (140-150 degrees F for a medium cut of steak, for example) they’ll get a notification that the meat is done and ready to serve. It’s basically error-proof!

From $260

Dutch ovens look beautiful on a stovetop, sure, but they’re also one of the most versatile items in any chef's collection, which makes them a great gift. Lodge, the iconic cast iron company that’s been working its magic since the 1800’s, just launched a new collection of enameled cast iron Dutch ovens made in the USA and glossed in a gorgeous bright blue. Show up to a holiday or housewarming with one of these and you’re basically guaranteed an invite back.

Once they start using a fish spatula, they’ll never go back to turning trout with a regular old one. This longer, slimmer version is sturdy but flexible, which makes it ideal for sliding underneath salmon without tearing the skin. The slotted design also allows excess oil to filter out.

What do soup, mayonnaise, hummus and hollandaise have in common? They can all be concocted using an immersion blender. This one has a control grip and 15 speed settings, so the receiver can emulsify, puree, and blend at whatever speed they need. Another cool feature is the scratch-proof coating on the base to help shield your cookware from damage.

$180

Carve out a spot as your favorite gifter with this incredibly intricate board. Teakhaus, the brand that created it, sourced the wood from FSC-certified sustainable teak forests and pieced it together in a stunning checkerboard pattern. At 24 inches long, it’ll be a major statement piece on a kitchen island and a handy surface for all of their prep work.

Trust us, they will not be bitter about getting this tasty set. It comes with strawberry, tangerine, and blueberry fruit vinegars, which are not only super colorful and pretty in a pantry, but make great salad dressings and an unexpected addition to cocktails and desserts.

$31

Who better to learn from than the best? In legendary French chef Jacques Pepin’s new book, he gives over 150 recipes with a focus on cooking economically at home by shopping for seasonal ingredients, using cheaper cuts of meat, and saving trimmings for stock. Buy one for a friend and one for yourself. And, here’s hoping they’ll invite you over for some grilled thyme pork chops and gratin of butternut squash. Yum.

For friends with limited cooking space (we see you, apartment dwellers), this do-it-all device is a life and space-saver. It is a small package (under a foot wide) that can do big things like air fry, roast, bake, toast, reheat, and broil. It also preheats 75% faster than a regular oven, so food gets on the table faster.

$399

A sous vide cooker the go-to gift for foodies and tech geeks alike. The Anova allows for water to circulate at extremely precise temperatures (within .09 degrees Fahrenheit), allowing for a perfect temperature to cook meat, veggies, poached eggs, and so much more.

From $60

If there’s one thing cooks do a whole lot of, it’s standing around the kitchen…and pacing while waiting for things to finish cooking. Give their feet a break with a cushioned mat that fights fatigue. This one has beveled edges for safe stepping and waterproof woven-tweed exterior to keep it, and the kitchen, looking good.

$500

Whether they’re smoothie fanatics or soup season fans, cooks love a quality blender that helps them get the job done. The Vitamix is the Rolls Royce of blenders, and this new one has built-in timers and a self detecting container that tells you when your food is blended and ready.

It’s a sad but true fact that the person cooking breakfast get’s to enjoy it last. Same goes for the morning cup of coffee they were trying to drink while flipping pancakes, that is now lukewarm at best. But fear not, this self-heating mug is an easy solution! It keeps beverages nice and hot at 130 degrees F and doubles as a phone charger when not holding a cuppa.

For truly rockin’ guac, you need a good mortar and pestle set. This marble one is just 3" x 5" so it won’t take up a ton of cabinet space but will come in handy for making great guacamole or crushing herbs and spices to release maximum flavor.

$50

Stylish kitchens require equally good-looking products that includes smaller items like kitchen timers. This analog model designed by Michael Graves in 1992 is a modern piece of design history, and more than worthy of counter space.

A nice apron is a non-negotiable for cooks (especially messy ones). And if you’re going to buy a chef an apron, it should be a Hedley & Bennett: a pro chef favorite thanks to their sturdy build and myriad of color and pattern options. Their Essentials apron comes in over 60 colorways and has a lifetime guarantee, so they can really put it through the ringer.

It’s a book. It’s cheese spreaders. It’s both! This quality set of three stainless steel cheese knives (pronged, chisel, and heart) comes in a storage case that looks just like a pretty letterpress cookbook.

$300

The king or queen of the grill deserves their own set of cool tools, and this barbecue set definitely qualifies. It comes with a 4 ½-inch utility knife, 6-inch boning knife, 8-inch chef’s knife, 10-inch slicer, and 10-inch curved blade. All of that comes in a sleek and sophisticated leather knife roll, so it basically gift-wraps itself!

There’s nothing like fresh herbs and the best way to have them on hand is to take the thyme to grow them! This AeroGarden comes with an LED light grow system, a seed kit of your choosing (gourmet herbs, heirloom salad, red heirloom cherry tomatoes), and plenty of plant food. It grows plants up to six times faster than in soil and gives you reminders for water and food, and who doesn’t need that?

The best presents are both pretty and useful, so this hammered copper and glass dish really checks all the boxes. Use it to store butter at room temperature (which is the most delicious way to eat it!) and then serve it in this pretty container.

Roasted garlic anyone? Give garlic lovers (that doesn’t narrow down the pool much) the best way to turn it from a regular old bulb to silky buttery goodness— a cast iron baker! All they have to do is put a whole head inside, drizzle olive oil, and let it cook. Now it’s ready to spread.

There are kitchen pans, and then there are works of art that also happen to cook food well. This hand-forged iron skillet is the second. It’s a modern heirloom that they can feel good about using now and handing down. For an extra special add-on, you can have the skillet engraved with their name, the date, or a personal message.

Let’s face it, everything is cuter when it’s teeny tiny, and that includes Dutch ovens. Le Creuset makes this adorable set of four 8 oz. stoneware cocottes that look just like shrunken down versions of their five-quarts. The gift set also comes with a cookbook full of ways to use the mini pots (think baked eggs, individual souffles).

Everyone likes a nice new appliance, but what people who are cooking every day really need are awesome gadgets and tools. An upgraded zester, like this one which is made of matte black photo-etched stainless steel, will have them making killer cocktails, tangy dressings, and other zesty dishes with a smile.

$14

OK so this cute set of socks might not directly help them in the kitchen, but they will keep them stylishly on brand right down to their toes. Decorated with aprons, oven mitts, spatulas, and whisks, they’re the perfect little gift for chefs of all levels.

$19

When gifting a cult-favorite ingredient, more is more! Maldon sea salt flakes are both a cook and baker’s best friend. Sprinkle them on top of caramel, butter, vegetables, you name it. It instantly elevates a dish, even if it’s just Tuesday morning’s buttered toast.

$85

Their own private cheese cave? You better brie-lieve it! Give the biggest fromage fans in your life somewhere to stash their favorite rinds. This collapsible birch grotto comes with a clay brick to keep humidity levels just right and a plexiglass door that can slide out to become a tiny cheese board.

$18

Staff makes everything more fun – or at least all those utilitarian household items we usually don’t give much thought to. This funky baster is the perfect example – it’s happy! It’s pink, purple, smiley-faced, and definitely something they don’t already have.

Make no mis-steak, meat lovers will be thrilled to open this box from famous butcher, Pat Lafrieda. It comes with two black angus 30 day dry boneless strip steaks, two 30 day dry aged boneless ribeyes, four dry aged hamburgers and a bottle of steak sauce.

$30

These stretch silicone bowl covers turn any vessel into an airtight container, making it quick and easy to keep leftovers safe and secure. The lids are especially handy for people who tend to lose the tops of their Tupperware containers (no judgment).

Everyone knows that “ugh” feeling of carrying a heavy cast iron piece over to the dining table only to realize you forgot to put down a trivet. This sleek walnut one is magnetic so it can stick to cast iron, stainless steel, and induction compatible pieces. All you have to do is place your dish on it, then carry both to the table.

Using rolls and rolls of paper towels for kitchen clean-ups can be wasteful, so help them help the environment with a charming set of Swedish dish cloths made of compostable materials like cellulose and cotton. This set comes with nine of them in assorted patterns and each can be washed up to 200 times before they’ll need to toss them.

Frequent bakers have their go-to dishes, but there’s always room for a new favorite in a new size. The Little Hottie (how great is the name?) is just 8” x 8”, so it’ll become their go-to piece or smalling servings. The retro scalloped print comes in four bright colors and will be the envy at any potluck.

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