34 Gifts for Your Amateur-Chef Friend Who’s Looking to Level Up Their Cooking Game
Give them the tools to become the next great chef—or at least, get them cooking with gas.
Looking for something else? Check out the rest of our holiday gift guides here.
Instant Pot Ultra
You loved home-cooked meals but have limited time to make them. A programmable cooker, like an Instant Pot, allows you to throw all your ingredients in, press a few buttons and come home to a delicious, hot meal without you needing to stand over a stove.
ShopKinto Kakomi Ceramic Rice Cooker, 1.25QT
A petite pot for your fluffy grains. This petite clay rice cooker is just the right vessel for about 4 servings of perfectly steamed rice. We love all the little features that make this little guy stand out from the pack: The clay walls helps retain heat, while the rounded shape of the pot facilitates even heat transfer, making sure no liquid boils over the pot’s edges. The double lid generates just the right amount of pressure inside the pot, which helps every grain cook evenly. Oh, and the whole thing is also dishwasher and microwave safe. You’re welcome. For use with gas cooktops only. Safe for use in microwave. Photography by Rocky Luten & Julia Gartland
ShopHow to Cook Everything: Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition
The ultimate kitchen companion, completely updated and better than ever, now for the first time featuring color photos. For twenty years, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything has been the definitive guide to simple home cooking. This new edition has been completely revised for today's cooks while retaining Bittman's trademark minimalist style—easy-to-follow recipes and variations, and tons of ideas and inspiration. Inside, you'll find hundreds of brand-new features, recipes, and variations, like Slow-Simmered Beef Chili, My New Favorite Fried Chicken, and Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce; plus old favorites from the previous editions, in many cases reimagined with new methods or flavors. Recipes and features are designed to give you unparalleled freedom and flexibility: for example, infinitely variable basic techniques (Grilling Vegetables, Roasting Seafood); innovative uses for homemade condiments; easy-to-make one-pot pastas; and visual guides to improvising soups, stir-fries, and more. Bittman has also updated all the information on ingredients, including whole grains and produce, alternative baking staples, and sustainable seafood. And, new for this edition, recipes are showcased throughout with color photos. By increasing the focus on usability, modernizing the recipes to become new favorites, and adding gorgeous photography, Mark Bittman has updated this classic cookbook to be more indispensable than ever.
ShopLavatools Javelin Cooking Thermometer
The Lavatools Javelin cooking thermometer is designed to help you become a better cook – even if you're a master chef. With a 4-second response time, ultra-high accuracy, large 1.4" display, magnetic attachment, and splash-resistant construction, Lavatools Javelin helps you achieve eye-opening results every single time.
ShopGefu Vegetable & Fruit Prep Tool
Slice in the fast lane. You can finally say goodbye to tedious food prep, because this nifty gadget is about to save you a lot of time in the kitchen. Berries, cucumbers, baby potatoes, mushrooms—this razor-sharp beaut can handle it all (yes, even tomatoes!). Simply choose between quarters and eighths, place the fruit or vegetable inside, and push the presser through to slice away. Chopping something slimmer like a carrot? Insert the handy guide to get that cut just right. All parts separate for easy cleaning, and *ahem* you can even toss ‘em in the dishwasher. Photography by Ty Mecham
ShopZwilling Stainless Steel & Silicone 3-Piece Cooking Utensil Set
The magic number. When it comes to food prep and serving, these sleek German-designed tools don’t mess around. Here in a can-do set of three, they include a spatula, serving spoon, and slotted turner (it’s aces at flipping bacon, we might add). Each piece is outfitted in 18/10 stainless steel—it’s super tough and corrosion-resistant—with a silicone base and features a hanging loop for easy storage. Oh...and they’re 100% dishwasher safe, too.
ShopChefSteps Joule Sous Vide
Take the guesswork out of cooking and achieve the perfect medium-rare steak every time with the world's smallest and smartest sous vide (pronounced sue veed). Joule is an immersion circulator designed to precisely heat and circulate water to cook food perfectly and evenly, giving you the power to cook like a pro in your own kitchen. Featuring an intuitive, video-rich companion app, you get start-to-finish, step-by-step instructions to prepare everything from asparagus to zucchini to a creamy crème brûlée. Due to the enhanced flavors of sous vide food, little or no additional salt or fat is required during cooking. Plus, vitamins and minerals are not lost during the cooking process unlike boiling or steaming. Photo Courtesy of Nordstrom
ShopMaterial The Trio of Knives
Just the right size, just the right weight, just what you need. A trio of high-performance knives, made from cryogenically-tempered Japanese stainless steel and high carbon making them meticulously sharp and incredibly resilient. With a matte, stain-resistant handle, you’ll want to show these off (The Stand can help).
ShopVictorinox Swiss Army Swivel Knife Block With Tablet/Cookbook Stand
From the creators of the Swiss Army knife comes this multifunctional knife block that features 13 slots on one side, and a ledge on the other that's perfect for propping up iPads or cookbooks. It all rests on a 360-degree swivel base, making it easy to switch between your tools and recipes.
ShopAlessi Mami Casserole
Since graduating from the University of Florence in 1978, Stefano Giovannoni has worked out of Milan as an interior and industrial designer and architect. He’s designed a variety of unassuming kitchenware for Alessi, all part and parcel of what he refers to as “poetics of emotion,” by which he breathes new life into normally ordinary objects. A reinterpretation of ancient terra-cotta pots, Mami Cookware (1999) is playful yet eminently functional, with hollow ear-shaped handles that retain less heat and allow easy lifting. Available in silicone resin-coated or mirror-polished stainless steel. Suitable for electric, gas and induction stovetops. Made in China. Photo Courtesy of Design Within Reach
ShopMicroplane Herb Mill & Stripper
Parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme. You can give your knives and cutting boards the day off (they’ve earned it, after all): This mill and stripper will whiz through your sage and cilantro like *snaps* that. For freshly minced greens, simply drop some leaves in and twist away to let those extra-sharp, photo-etched steel blades work their magic. Wanna strip some fresh rosemary? That plunger has three graduated holes built right in for easy-peasy herb stripping, too. Now, if only choosing which recipe to whip up next were this simple... Photography by Rocky Luten & Ty Mecham
ShopMellow Sous Vide Precision Cooker
Mellow is the first sous-vide machine designed around a busy home cook's day: it combines the technology to make jaw-dropping food with a 30-second setup, an in-app assistant chef, and built-in refrigeration. Photo Courtesy of Mellow
ShopZwilling Twinsharp Stainless Steel Handheld Knife Sharpener
Gain an edge. A honing steel won’t make a dull blade any sharper, but it’s an indispensable tool for keeping a well-maintained knife’s edge in tiptop shape between sharpenings (more on how honing works here). This nifty little handheld tool is a great alternative to a honing steel to quickly realign your knife’s edge for better cutting—simply hold onto the curved handle and draw your knife through the V-shaped slot toward your body. The combination of steel and ceramic wheels acts to polish the blade, restoring its sharpness so you can fly through tomatoes, bell peppers, and fish filets with ease.
ShopFood52 x GreenPan Nonstick Skillet (Set of 2)
The total package. In the words of our co-founder Amanda Hesser, "Many nonstick pans are appealingly affordable but not at all visually appealing. With GreenPan, we set out to create a pan that would be a real looker—chic, even!—yet still have the great functionality that would make this your everyday workhorse." So voilà! Our design comes to life here—these pans not only slide out omelettes, crepes, fish filets, and the like with ease but their sage-blue exterior and brass hardware cuts quite a pretty profile if we do say so ourselves. But don't let all that eye candy fool you, these pans have power behind 'em, too: They're made from natural ceramic nonstick without PFAS, PFOA, lead, or cadmium, and are oven and broiler safe up to a whopping 600°F. They also won't blister, peel or release toxic fumes even if heated up to 850°F (unlike most nonstick pans) and the 100% natural ceramic coating can take a beating and then some (it’s even dishwasher and metal utensil-safe).
ShopBlomus PUNCTO Kitchen Timer
Bake your cakes and roast your roasts for just the right amount of time with the Blomus PUNCTO Kitchen Timer. This petite timer is programmable by the minute, up to an hour. Simply twist the top of it clockwise to activate the timer, and then line up the arrow to the exact amount of time a recipe calls for. Photo Courtesy of Lumens
ShopJK Adams Wall-Mounted Pot Rack With Shelf
How’s it hanging? This rack is giving us room to stretch out once again thanks to its 3-foot-wide shelf and hooks aplenty for pots, pans, and lids (six of ‘em, to be exact). This superstar holds up to 75 pounds of cookware or whatever you wanna display, and with two stunning finishes to pick from, our eyes can’t get enough. Oh, and yes—all the hardware you need is included!
ShopRoostmade Organic Cutting Board Care Set
Wooden cutting boards are true superstars in any kitchen, but even they need a little care and attention every now and then. Thankfully, this all-natural set has everything we need to care for our most-loved tools. Use the oil to nourish the wood and prevent cracking, followed by the wax to create a barrier that repels water and stains. (Psst...the cotton round pads make this a cinch!) Need to do some deep cleaning? The coconut scrubber was born to tackle stubborn spots without scratching. And when things start to get rough, the sanding sponge will smooth it all out. This one comes with a step-by-step guide, so you’ll be a wood care master in no time! Photography by Ty Mecham & Julia Gartland
ShopFuego Box Small-Batch Quarterly Hot Sauce Subscription
It’s getting hot in here, all year. Fuego Box has searched high and low to collect quality craft and small-batch hot sauces from all over the world—and now you can enjoy their bounty year-round. Your subscription will include 4 quarterly shipments of the best hot sauce you’ve never heard of. Photography by Rocky Luten and Linda Xiao
ShopCalifornia Living + Eating: Recipes Inspired by the Golden State
California: Living + Eating is a glorious celebration of Californian food, looking at its history and origins and journeying through the state's varied landscape, from Sonoma's rolling vineyards to the deserts of Palm Springs, via the foodie hotspots of San Francisco and Los Angeles. Over 80 recipes capture the heart of the Californian spirit, with chapters covering a bright array of sweet and savory brunch dishes including Whipped Ricotta on Toast with Blackberry Jam and Breakfast Burritos with Cheddar Scramble and Coriander Salsa. Colorful salads and light meals, such as Salmon, Citrus Kale and Black Rice Salad, are ideal for everyday eating, while the likes of Roast Chicken with Grapes, Onions and Sourdough, followed by stunning Cherry and Almond Galette are perfect for weekend entertaining. Recipes are designed to be accessible to all home cooks, with a focus on seasonality and good-quality produce.
ShopGefu Digital Radio Roast Thermometer
Roastess with the mostest. Meet the roast thermometer that takes precision cooking to the next level. Real time updates on the temperature are sent to a handheld screen by radio, which you can preset according to the type of meat and how well-done you want it. And when it reaches the target temperature? A signal will sound—no need to keep rushing over to the grill or oven to check every two minutes! This one's simply perfect for technical cooks and culinary science enthusiasts.
ShopPhilips Premium Digital Airfryer XXL With Fat Removal Technology
Philips brings exciting innovation to healthy airfrying with its largest, most powerful Airfryer ever. Like its smaller siblings, this cleverly designed machine uses patented heat circulation to quickly fry food to crispy, golden brown perfection – using little or no oil. Even better, the Twin TurboStar technology removes fat from food so it contains 90% less fat than conventionally fried food. Designed for family-sized meals, this Airfryer has a generous capacity that enables you to cook for a crowd. Not just for frying, this machine is great for baking, roasting and grilling, too. Photo Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma
ShopUSB Lighter Company Rechargeable Lighter
We all love to have a lighter handy for candles, incense, birthdays, and the like. And no matter which one you may have on hand, this rechargeable wonder is sure to be an upgrade. It’ll give you up to 300 uses on a single charge from your USB port, and—bonus—it’s completely butane-free. It’s slim, elegant, easy to slip into a drawer or a pocket...no wonder our founders are fans!
ShopFood52 Five Two Essential Knives
Our Five Two knives have handles that are good-looking enough to steal the whole show—but that’s just the beginning. Our Five Two knives have handles that are good-looking enough to steal the whole show—but that’s just the beginning. After 4,500 community members weighed in, we reimagined your regular slicers and dicers as three indispensable blades: a classic chef’s knife that’s your all-around MVP, a serrated blade for breads and so much more, and a paring knife for small jobs. They’re all fully forged and crafted from super-sharp Japanese steel, with soft-touch handles and an extra-comfy grip. No other knives need apply.
ShopDining In: Highly Cookable Recipes
All 125 recipes in this cookbook have one thing in common—they’ll make even the most oven-phobic or restaurant-crazed person want to stay home and cook. Alison Roman’s ingenuity will keep seasoned cooks intrigued, while her warm writing makes the recipes practical and approachable enough for a beginner. This collection of recipes proves casual doesn’t have to mean boring, simple doesn’t have to mean uninspired, and dining in can bring you just as much joy as dining out. Photos Courtesy of Amazon
ShopAlessi T-1000 Spoon Rest
Designed to look like the two pools of mercury the villain T-1000 melts into in Terminator 2, this spoon rest is anything but ordinary. Made out of stainless steel, with two slightly concave surfaces this modern looking spoon rest is perfect for placing cooking utensils and keeping surrounding surfaces clean. Photo Courtesy of Lumens
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