I’m always being asked what my favorite kitchen tools and gifts are. If you are shopping for somebody that loves to cook this list is for you. I’ve put together all of my favorite kitchen things that I ACTUALLY USE into this Holiday Gift Guide For Home Cooks. If I don’t use it and love it in my own kitchen then it didn’t make the list. I’ve used Amazon links mostly to make it easy for you to find. I am an Amazon Affiliate but I suggest you shop around and watch for sales as the retailers start trying to woo your business through the gift giving season.
I’ve Packed 50 Gift Suggestions Into This Year’s Holiday Gift Guide For Home Cooks
I love giving cooking gifts!
- They are practical – everybody has a kitchen and needs to eat
- There are cooking gifts available for every budget from $10 on up
- From stocking stuffer, to Hostess Gift, to Favorite Things Parties, to something for your Mom – there is something for everybody
I’ve mixed up my picks so that some are practical, some are just fun, some are beautiful but everything is a quality I’ve been happy with! I personally own everything on this list and love it so much.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of my favorite kitchen things – you would be reading all night! But these are some favorites that I think are super giftable
This Holiday Gift Guide is Broken Into Four Sections
- Gifts For The Everyday Cook
- Gift’s For The Kitchen Gadget Lover
- Gifts For The Baker
- The Best Small Kitchen Appliances to Gift
Gifts For The Everyday Cook
These gifts are items almost every home cook should own and many don’t!
If you want a high quality gift your cook will use week in week out for years this list is a great place to start.
High Quality Chef’s Knife That’s Actually Affordable – This wonderful Victorinox knife has been my favorite for over five years now! It holds an edge just as well as my much more expensive Wusthof knifes. And because it runs around $50 I don’t mind packing it up and taking it to an Air B and B with me! I have given this knife for Christmas more than once and it always meets with rave reviews.
Victorinox Bread Knife – I’m shocked how often I’m in a kitchen without a bread knife. With the wonderful renaissance in sourdough baking and artisan bread everybody needs one of these. And chances are, if they already have one this one is way better and still right around $40. The quality of this knife is exceptional.
Vegetable Peeler – Every cook needs one that is comfortable and easy to use. This one from OXO is high quality and works well for my kids who are learning to cook as well as me! A peeler that fits well in your hand is less likely to slip and cut somebody. (Great stocking stuffer.)
OXO Kitchen Scale With Pull Out Display – When my old scale got hinky I did a lot of research before I replaced it. One of my favorite food writers tested all the top kitchen scales and chose this one after burying it in a tub of flour to see how easy it was to clean up after! That won my heart and I’ve been using this one more than four years now. It is my go to for estimating vegetables in soup, measuring out potatoes to peel for my magic Holiday Mashed Potatoes and I use it for baking and Sourdough all the time. This is one of the most used and practical items on this list – it is out of my cupboard daily.
Beautiful & Sturdy Butter Dish – From cooking to toast keeping a stick or two of butter at room temperature is important and this dish has survived my three young kids for over six years! Yes, it goes in the dishwasher. I treasure it! If you need a bigger one for European style butter (or multiple standard sticks) this one is a stunner and I might be coveting it for Christmas…
Liquid Measuring Cup – I use my handy 2 cup Pyrex for almost every recipe I make. The measurements go all the way down to 1/4 cup which is excellent. I cook a lot so I keep two in my kitchen. If you can afford the splurge, grab a 4 cup one too! I also use the 1 cup size a lot but Pyrex makes a weird shape that is hard to store. I use this brand instead for a 1 cup liquid measure. (Note – liquids should always be measured in liquid measuring cups and dry ingredients in dry measuring cups!)
Good Whisk – A high quality whisk is a dreamy gift for the cook who is whisking up waffle batter or scrambled eggs or baking up some treats. I love the OXO steel 11″ but you need the 9″ whisk too for little tasks. Actually two of each is about perfect… 😉 OXO also makes a mini that is just 7.25″ and that would be a darling little stocking stuffer or even use it to decorate a package.
Digital Instant Read Thermometer – Everything from Thermoworks is excellent. They make the top cooking thermometers in the industry. I use thermometers to check the temperatures on casseroles and meat and even bread that I’m baking! I’ve owned this one for years and my husband even forgets it outside overnight sometimes when he is grilling and it is still trucking. This one gets the temp in under a second which is wonderful! You can also grab the Thermopop if you need a gift that comes in closer to $35.
Salad Spinner That’s Actually Easy to Store – If you know a salad lover they need this. A good salad spinner means no more soggy lettuce! And this one pops down nicely for easy storage. I love mine and have gifted it before to people who really love a good salad spinner!
Sturdy Ice Cream Scoop – Ice Cream Anybody? The scoop does some serious heavy duty scooping and is basically indestructible! It’s been our favorite for more than three years now.
Multi Purpose Bench Scraper – Use it to scoop up veggies for soup, chop things, portion bread dough and scrape up your pie crust dough. There are cheaper versions but this one is sharp and durable.
Stunning Trifle Bowl – This is my special, indulgent bowl for under $25 I serve the fruit salad in it for every holiday. It holds special treats and occasionally even a fun drink. My daughter asked me to make sure to always use this special bowl for the holiday fruit salad. It has become a precious tradition for us. (I will also note our “energetic and enthusiastic” children haven’t broken it – so it is fairly sturdy!) You can grab the link to this tasty Red White & Blue Fruit Salad here. 
Microplane Zester – Great (SHARP) tool for zesting your citrus and grating parmesan. This company got their start in woodworking tools and they make some of the best zesters and graters on the market!
Libbey Yucatan Glass Pitcher – I have two of these and I treasure them. They are showpieces I bring out for ice water at nice dinners or fill with fresh juice at brunch or lemonade for a kid’s party. They always look amazing. Libbey has several styles to choose from in the $20-$40 range. 
Hadley & Bennet Cross Back Apron – For years I hated wearing aprons that hung from my neck. This beautiful cross back is a work of art and will last many years. It wraps securely around without pulling on your neck! They come in many colors and patterns and styles but all of them are for serious cooks that need a quality work apron that will hold up wash after wash.
Screw On Plastic Caps for Mason Jars – We love these really handy screw on lids! When we open something like a jar of homemade jam or if I want to store a jar of nuts in the pantry this is my go to! They come in both wide mouth size and regular (narrow mouth) size and fit all standard canning jars. You can gift a set to a friend who will be super impressed or you could use them as lids on jars you are gifting full of homemade granola for a lovely reusable gift that lasts and lasts!
2 Quart Batter Mixing Bowl / Liquid Measure – This wonderful tool is a great all around gift. I use it to whip up big batches of French Toast Casserole or buttermilk pancakes. It comes out every time I’m making a soup or canning. I love that I can pour something like milk in to the measurement I need and then add my other ingredients. Once everything is in I can just whisk it all together in the same dish! So easy and of course then there is the practical pour spout. It is the perfect tool!
M Design Pantry & Cabinet Storage Boxes – We love these easy boxes for keeping things sorted in the pantry or even in the fridge! They have been a life saver and we have used them all over the house. The clear plastic is easy to see through and nice and sturdy. You could even put some fun pantry staples or snacks in them to gift them!
Simple, Minimalist Sink Caddy – I’m far from being a minimalist but I really appreciate a tidy kitchen. Having a tidy sink area is extra important to keep clean up fuss to a minimum. I picked up this inexpensive caddy a few years ago not expecting to like it long term. But I actually love it – practical and attractive! It is just right for a few scrubbers and my sink plugs. It doesn’t pool water up and the price tag comes in at about $12 making it a great budget or white elephant gift.
Flexible Slotted Turner Sautéing – This is the spatula I reach for most often in my kitchen. It is so light and flexible. While meant for flipping fish, I’m always using it for veggies, stir fries and even browning hamburger! This one is dishwasher safe and one of my favorite small items to gift.
Gifts For The Kitchen Gadget Lover
Know somebody who loves kitchen gadgets? This is my list of kitchen gadgets that are actually worth the kitchen space to own! Most of them are very practical but specific to one kitchen task so they make a good gift people who are otherwise hard to shop for!
Electric Crepe Maker – Ok, the first time I saw this I thought it was crazy but somebody I know said it was amazing so I gave it a shot. It is actually the best thing ever! We are so hooked I bought two so we can have crepe parties! We even take them camping when there is electrical hook up options. (My kid’s idea but it was FUN.) These little tools are so easy you will want to make crepes every day which honestly becomes a bit of a problem! 
Electric Citrus Juicer – Nothing is more delightful in winter than bringing home a bag of sweet, tangy oranges and making your own juice! Likewise in summer we haul bag after bag of juicy lemons home from Costco and delight in making our own fresh squeezed lemonade or fresh Lemon Drop Martinis or Anne of Green Gables Raspberry Cordial. And I can’t forget the delights of making our own Brazilian Lemonade! This machine is very simple but it makes quick and easy work of juicing your favorite citrus. Give it this Christmas with a big bag of oranges! (The version I own is so old you can’t even read the writing on it anymore. I think I got it when I was still in college! But this one is similar in function and well reviewed.) 
Apple Peeler and Corer Machine – Know somebody who loves to make applesauce or pie or apple crisp? This machine is absolutely fun and it cuts the prep time way down. It is also pretty easy to rinse clean. My kids adore it though my youngest (age 3) is determined I use it to peel potatoes because he saw this on the box it came in. The machine does do pears and potatoes in addition to apples. The coring / slicing blade can be removed for potatoes but I don’t usually do 20 pounds of potatoes at a time like I do with apples!
Mandoline Slicer – A good slicer is a life saver! Use it to thick shred carrots for stir fry, make French fries, slice cucumbers (my go to task), slice potatoes thinly for au gratins and more. This machine will more than earn it’s keep in a kitchen! I own two: I own this Japanese one and this one by Mueller. (Pictured.) Both are excellent and work well. I like the profile of the Japanese one and the ease of storage. However, the Mueller you don’t have to swap the blades in and out. Whichever you choose I suggest gifting it with these excellent cut resistant gloves. They prevent a lot of crazy!
Stainless Steel Multipurpose Slicer With Seven Blades – This is one fierce cutting machine! We eat mushrooms more than half of our dinners! Crazy, right? This thing just goes right through them and it will hold up for years! I also use it for strawberries, olives, hard boiled eggs, and other small things like this. I’ve even taken it on trips and every time a new person sees it they want one. 
Food Saver Vacuum Sealer – A vacuum sealer is a game changer! We buy big wedges of cheese at Costco and cut them into smaller ones and vacuum seal them. Of course we also buy big packages of meat and break them down and seal them. They last way longer using a vacuum sealer than Ziploc bags. I seal stuff up when I’m packing the cooler for camping – no more crazy leaks or wet chocolate bars! I seal nuts and other things to keep them fresh. And of course you can also use it for sous vide cooking. It is one of the top used gadgets in my home and is a wonderful gift for the practical cook!
Cherry and Olive Pitter – Every summer we take our kids cherry picking at an orchard and then come home and make Black Forrest Cake and eat way too many cherries! This cherry pitter has a lovely splatter shield that comes off for washing and is generally amazing. It makes a lovely stocking stuffer or gift for the fruit loving cook in your life! You can also pit olives with it – I just don’t usually need to pit a bunch of olives at volume!
Fat Separator – For the cook that is often making stocks, broth and gravy this is a must! It is the easiest way to get the fat and juices separated in a hurry. We have owned two different ones during our marriage and this one is by far our favorite. The other was glass and it got smashed a few years in… Also it was SO hard to clean. This one is easy peasy!
Vidalia Chop Wizard – This little tool is one of my top kitchen tools and I always love to gift it! It is the secret to speedy Pico de Gallo, and how I dice up pounds of bell peppers in minutes and how I prep for big pots of soups. I also use it to dice up fruit when I’m canning up yummy peach jam! Everybody always wonders how I get so much food made from scratch so quickly and this is one of my super secrets! It is also a very durable machine that lasts and lasts! 
Tovolo Silicone Popsicle Molds (Slimline Design) – Shopping for somebody who loves a great frozen treat? I’ve tried a bunch of different popsicle molds and these are my favorite by far! Easy to fill, wash, and most importantly easy to store in the freezer! My kids and I have gotten really into making our own decadent popsicles full of sweet summer fruit and yogurt. They are the ultimate summer treat during the hot months.
Crab Dinner Set – This set has everything for a fun crab dinner (just add crab of course). You get the butter warmers, the candles, the crackers and all the picks. We actually gifted this set to my oldest son for his birthday one year and had a wonderful snow crab dinner to celebrate which is a memory we all cherish. We use it on special crab dinner occasions and sometimes even take it to Air B and Bs on the Oregon Coast for crabbing trips. I’m picky about what I store in my kitchen but this set has become a symbol of special events and memories for my family and we all enjoy getting it out. For a little extra silliness be sure to get some plastic crab bibs!
Gifts For The Baker
These fun baking gifts will make your favorite baker swoon. And you just might get something delicious baked up from their kitchen!
Rectangular Measuring Spoons That Actually Fit In The Jar! – these wonderful measuring spoons are rectangular and very cost effective. They fit IN the mouth of spice jars so you can just dip and level. It is fantastic! I’m always surprised how many people don’t have a set of these yet. They should be in every kitchen! This set also goes down to 1/8 teaspoon which I find very handy!
USA Pans Muffin Tin – Has your baker discovered the amazing quality of USA Bakeware yet? I’m slowly replacing most of my baking dishes with stuff from the USA Bakeware line. It is strong and bakes up so evenly. It usually bakes up faster too due to excellent heat distribution in baking. They make regular size muffin tins and mini muffin tins! Both are wonderful gifts to give and receive.
USA Bakeware Nonstick Half Sheet Pan – Have you ever used a truly high quality baking sheet for your cookies? It’s a game changer. A quality pan controls even heat distribution and helps the cookies bake evenly and with perfect texture. Every baker needs 2-4 of these wonderful half sheet pans! If you want to jazz it up a bit more throw in my favorite Cookie Baking Sheets too!
Heavy Duty Cooling Racks – I bake all of our own bread and I am frequently baking cookies and quick breads and cakes. The first thing you need to do with most baked goods is slide them on to a good cooling rack to properly cool without getting soggy. These racks are workhorses that most people need in the kitchen. I also use them to bake bacon in my oven (yes it is excellent!) A set of these will last for years and keep your favorite baker feeling loved. 
Joseph Joseph Precision Pin Rolling Pin With Adjustable Thickness – This rolling pin is all the things and usually priced under $20 which makes it an excellent gift for modest budgets. You pick the exact height you need for roll out cookies or pie crust and set the rolling pin to THAT height. It’s baking magic!
I’ve given these so many times over the years. It is also one of the things I end up discussing with strangers in the grocery store frequently. (I have a LOT of random and hilarious conversations with people at the grocery store because I cannot stop teaching about food. I need an intervention and I don’t care!)
Your baker needs one for sure! This is an extra great gift for beginning bakers who are learning or young people just venturing into the kitchen.
Commercial Grade Food Color Gel – Food coloring that you find in the grocery store is watery and destroys the texture and often the flavor of your food. These professional gels are so fun to work with and often just a drop will color an entire batch of buttercream! Your baker will love getting artistic and enjoying some frosting tinting. I’ve used this brand for about five years now and it’s easy to work with and lasts a long time.
Danish Dough Whisk – I ran into these amazing tools five years ago when everybody was baking bread like their sanity depended on it. I was experimenting with No Knead Bread and fell hard for this sturdy dough whisk! You can use it for bread dough and cakes and cookies and eggs etc. I mostly use it for yeast dough but it is a really helpful tool to combine the dough and it is easy to wash afterwards. This is also a cost effective gift usually coming in around $11. I like this one because I can toss it in the dishwasher but I’ve seen some really beautiful ones with wooden handles too!
The Best Small Kitchen Appliances to Gift
Getting the perfect small appliance for Christmas is always a delight. They bring so much use and value to the kitchen. I’ve used and tossed many small appliances over the years but these are the ones I love the most and the ones that make the best gifts!
Cuisinart Hand Mixer – This lovely little mixer is one of my dear buddies! I should name it… It is great for a batch of cookie dough, mashed potatoes, or other modest size kitchen tasks. For the cook that doesn’t bake a lot this is a perfect all around mixer. For the cook that bakes a ton this is a nice option for those days when a stand mixer isn’t really necessary. So I think I just made a case for this being the perfect gift for everybody!?! This version comes with a little plastic tub that clips into the bottom to hold all the attachments which is my favorite. You can also grab a model without the storage part for about $10 less. Totally worth the $10 IMO.
Zojirushi Electric Griddle – This is NOT your average $30 Presto griddle (no shade but for real). This is a cooking beast! I bought it initially after seeing somebody in an Amazon review who literally heat mapped the thing! It had fantastic, even heat distribution. In human words? No hot and cold spots! Just perfect, even cooking. We use this all the time – pancakes, eggs for a crowed, pot stickers, quesadillas for 10 kids, grilled cheese, hashbrowns, sausages… Need I go on?
Basically it is a brunch beast that is also practical at dinner time and beyond. It comes with a lid which helps with cooking and heat loss. Zojirushi cooking tools are usually best in class and this one is not an exception. Funny story – we took to to a church potluck once and made fresh buttermilk pancakes from scratch and served them hot off the griddle. It was amazing!
Bosch Stand Mixer – I was raised on Kitchen Aid but I’ve done the testing and they just don’t compare anymore. Now I love my Bosch which has been a faithful machine for over seven years now! If the person you are shopping for needs a stand mixer they need a Bosch! You can read all about my stand mixer faceoff and testing here. (I also go into detail of who needs a stand mixer and who should just use a hand mixer.) I have a special coupon for my readers for $20 off of mixers. Use the code 20OFF at checkout.
Air Fryer – I was about the last person on the planet to jump on the air fryer band wagon. But when somebody gave me the Foodi 5-in-1 I fell head over heals. We are a family of five and this is perfect for doing some French fries, heating up chicken, meatballs, burgers, mini tacos, and so much more. It cleans up well in the dishwasher. We use it frequently through the week and it is easy for my young children to use with little to no help (compared to the normal size oven). Not all air fryers work well but this one has been well worth it and saves me a lot of time and energy. Hot Tip (literally) in the summer I take it out on the deck and cook on it outside to keep from heating up the house!
Ninja Blender – Gone are the days when I long for a Vitamix or Blendtec. Now I keep a Ninja on my counter and I’m a happy girl. They cost WAY less!) I just got whatever Costco had on sale the last time my Kitchen Aid blender died (not a brand I buy anything from these days sadly). The one I bought came with a dough set up intended for things like cookie dough. I tried it once and decided blenders shouldn’t be used for cookie dough (not good for creaming and too hard to clean). But for all the normal blender things like smoothies and making purees etc. this workhorse will do a great job and last for years. There are lots of options to choose from – look for the highest wattage motor you can afford and the features you want. For example, many now come with single serve smoothie blender attachments that are nice.
Sous Vide Machine – For the busy cook or meat lover sous vide machine would be a treasured gift! We make perfect pork tenderloin, juicy steaks, and seriously amazing corned beef – the best I’ve ever had! We’ve been using the Breville for years now and love it. I consider it the top of the line option because I can set it up and then preheat it from my phone and other fun stuff which is helpful for me because I work at home with three young kids. Their latest version has a neat turbo option that reduces cooking time. I haven’t gotten to test it out yet but I’m longing to! However, if you want to get a sous vide at a lower price point the Anova sous vide machines have a great reputation for less money.
Fancy Crock Pot AKA Ninja Multi-Cooker – This machine is a beast! It is so much better than a standard crock pot and you can really do some excellent cooking with it. I will never go back to a traditional crock pot. For one thing, this has a sous vide option that is excellent to get your feet wet and try sous vide or if you are cooking for a crowd and need a little extra space. This is a great gift for somebody who has a lot of kitchen things but needs a crock pot upgrade!
Japanese Rice Maker – My husband is half Korean and good rice is a big deal. When we got married the first thing I learned to do was use the rice maker! We bought this wonderful Zojirushi in 2012 and it’s still going strong! It has Neuro Fuzzy technology in it which basically just helps gage the rice timing. I use a rice maker as a set it and forget it tool. Asian food tonight? I toss rice in the rice maker sometime in the afternoon when I marinate the meat and then it’s ready when I am. This machine makes incredible rice and comes in two sizes. For the cook that entertains a lot or has a big family get the 10 cup uncooked size. (We have the big one.) A smaller family could get away with the 5.5 cup. Heads up cheaper American rice cookers are usually way lower quality and provide mixed results.
Electric Knife Sharpener – Know a cook that never has sharp knives? Maybe they need a good electric sharpener! This Ken Onion Edition from Work Sharp is easy to use. We bought it when I had some serious tennis elbow and needed my kitchen knives to be super sharp. (Sharper knives were less wear and tear on my healing tendons.) It does a good job quickly and takes the teeth out of needing to sharpen knives every week or two. It is a great gift for the cook who deals with arthritis and needs to reduce the stress on their hands. This was a tool I let my husband loose on and he researched it to the hilt and picked this to try. You may find a better deal at Cabela’s for this gift!
Smart Stick Hand Blender – I use this convenient immersion blender to make soups, in my canning, for some sauces, a quick smoothie – even for homemade mayonnaise! It is small which makes it easy to store and it comes in clutch frequently in cooking life. This is a great gift for your scratch cooks and those that lean into a Homesteading Lifestyle. They will use it all the time! (Just never use it to mash potatoes… I learned that the hard way and turned a batch into glue!)
Ninja SLUSHi Machine – I laughed when this trend took off – until we stayed with a friend in Hawaii for six weeks. Guess what we used EVERY day? It was so fun and refreshing and incredibly cheap to buy things at the store and slush them instead of buying vacation drinks. My daughter is asking us to go back because she misses good slushies! We made every kind of juice into a fun frozen drink. I enjoyed mocha breve slush and canned Hawaiian coffee drinks made into slush. One of our all time favorites was to make root bear into slush and serve it with big scoops of vanilla ice cream! So if you know somebody who loves drinks and they live in a warm climate at least part of the year… Grab one of these! But don’t tell my daughter – she will probably leave us to move in with them!
2 Quart Electric Ice Cream Maker – If you know an ice cream lover they need this. It churns up fantastic homemade ice cream in 30 minutes. A friend served us some really great homemade ice cream and I went out and bought one that week. We make salted brown sugar vanilla and cherry amaretto with chocolate shavings and of course mint chocolate chip! So many wonderful flavors! It has become our special family activity and we are still going strong into the fall. I mean after all, I need to make peppermint candy ice cream to float in their Christmas Cocoa! (To take this gift over the top try including a wooden spoon / spatula like this one to help scrape out the ice cream when it is done churning.)
Kitchen Brands That Make Good Gifts
If you scanned through all 50 of these gifts you probably noticed a theme. Certain brands just make great stuff and they come up over and over again. Ninja, Zojirushi, and OXO were brands that were a theme across all my suggestions.
When I give a gift I want it to be something that the gift recipient will enjoy for many years to come. Quality matters and these are brands I’ve found to be reliable through the years.
Do you have favorite kitchen things to gift? Let me know in the comments! I’m always excited to try something new.
Leave a Reply