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Holiday gift guide for serious home cooks

It’s that time of the year again! We’re making our wish lists and our gift lists. This holiday gift guide is for the serious home cook in your life, that might even be you! We’re talking about it all – from cookbooks that are a must have for the food nerd to the latest gadgets for your kitchen. From everyone’s favorite – Instant Pot (try this Instant Pot Split Pea Soup), to the lesser known, but equally fun tools, there are gifts for every budget.

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Holiday gift guide for serious cooks

For those of us who feel like food and cooking is a part of who we are, there are a handful of essentials for the kitchen. This is by no means a comprehensive guide, but a smattering of things in all price ranges that home cooks should have.

holiday gift guide chef knife

• Sharpening stone – this is the stone I have and recommend. Sharpening your knives properly is a skill every home cook should have in their arsenal.
• Chef’s Knife – This knife is a workhorse. It can handle pretty much anything. If taken care of properly, you’ll never buy another chef knife.
• Knife Roll – Now that you have some new knives, you’ll want to store them properly.
• Knife Guards – protect the edge of your knife blade with these guards to keep them safe and sharp.
• Kitchen Scale – This popular and recommended kitchen scale is great and very affordable.
• KitchenAid Stand Mixer – I cannot recommend this mixer enough. This 6 qt. professional series can take on bigger tasks, which leaves it’s smaller counterpart in the dust.

Cookbooks for serious home cooks

This is the most difficult category for me to narrow down. I have a cookbook obsession and I’m also very selective about which books I’d purchase. My collection has taken over the office. With limited space, being particular has made me really focus on the book as a whole, which isn’t a bad thing.

If you are a paper and pen person, I love a good recipe journal. This one is fantastic and would make a lovely gift for taking notes and writing down your favorite recipes.

Books for the food nerd in your life. These books are very in depth, they focus more on science and history of food. I have all of them, so I can wholeheartedly recommend the read. If your cookbook lover is also a reader and loves learning, these are a great gift.


The next cookbook section on our holiday gift guide is for those who like to travel the world from their kitchen. These books feature cuisines from across the globe.

holiday gift guide cookbook


• Jerusalem – Yotam Ottolenghi – beautiful cookbook with gorgeous, glossy photos
• The New Book of Middle Eastern Food – Claudia Roden – full of delicious, classic recipes and stories
• Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking – Marcella Hazan – If you love Italian food (and who doesn’t?), this is basically the Bible of Italian cooking
• The Art of Mexican Cooking – Diana Kennedy –  Mexican food is popular for a reason – it’s delicious. Learn how to make amazing Mexican food at home.
• The Food of Sichuan – Fuchsia Dunlop – A truly comprehensive look at the food from the Sichuan province.
• The Indian Cooking Course – Monisha Bharadwaj – A masterclass in Indian cooking with 300 recipes!

Kitchen gadgets for home cooks

Fun (and useful!) toys for the kitchen.

culinary torch for holiday gift guide

• Instant Pot – If you have been on the fence about an Instant Pot, let me tell you one thing – you can make perfect, fall-off-the-bone short ribs in 45 minutes instead of 4 hours.
• Culinary Torch – To perfect sear fish or create the perfect crème brulée. 
• Vacuum sealer – No more freezer burn or wasted food. Plus if you’re into using a sous vide, you can seal your food perfectly before cooking!
• Food Processor – This big guy has a 14 cup capacity, perfect for making big batches so you can feed the whole family.

Stocking stuffers for home cooks

salt box

The most expensive item in this category is $13. A stocking stuffer should be a fun little treat, nothing too spendy, so here are a few fantastic options!

• Microplane zester – Absolutely one of the most used tools in my kitchen!
• Terracotta pinch bowls – perfect size for spices and for holding dipping sauces at the table.
• Maldon sea salt – The best big flakes of sea salt on the market. My kitchen is never without it. Seriously.
• Silicone bench scraper – these help you get every last bit of food or scrape a board clean. The flexible version, like this one, also helps scoop up food to take it from board to pot.

Holiday gift guide for the cook who has everything

This is where we have some fun. Whether the cook in your life is you or someone you love, you are sure to find something for the person who has everything.

sous vide

 
• Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker – I love this thing. It helps you make the juiciest meats you’ve ever cooked by cooking it to a perfect temp.
• Smoking gun – Seriously cool. Add smoke flavor to everything from drinks to meat without the heat.
• Searzall – When a culinary torch just isn’t enough heat! This attaches to a propane gas cylinder to give you a perfect sear.
• Vitamix – Way more than just a blender! This is the only blender you’ll find in professional kitchens because it is that good. It can handle everything from beautifully puréed soups to cracking ice.

Shopping for a baker? Here’s a gift guide for the baker in your life.

With something for everyone, this holiday gift guide for the serious home cook in your life should help make your holiday shopping a little easier!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂

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