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These great gifts for home cooks are sure to delight all people who love food and those who love them. Hand-picked and organized by a pro chef!
Do you love spending time in the kitchen? Or love someone who loves spending time in the kitchen? I put together this list for everyone like you, from beginner all the way through to seasoned professional!
Table of Contents
Why this gift guide is perfect for your home chef:
- Caters to every kitchen enthusiast. Whether you’re cooking for your family or for a crowd, these will help make everything extra delicious!
- Practical gifts hand-picked by a pro chef. These are the tools, ingredients, and tricks a professional chef uses in her own kitchen!
- Put some delight back in the kitchen. Sometimes the best gift is something that makes the mundane feel creative again. I got you covered fellow foodies!
Handcrafted Kitchen Essentials
Handcrafted Wooden Rolling Pin
I love the look and practicality of this Earlywood French Rolling Pin. And you know how I feel about having a good steady rolling pin for my plethora of pie crust recipes! This rolling pin is a great gift because it’ll be cherished every time the recipient makes anything that needs to get rolled out, from pasta to pastry.
Personalized Recipe Box
This handcrafted and engraved recipe box can be customized for your loved one who still writes out their own recipes. Even though the blog has ‘gone digital’ you know I’m here for the old fashioned recipes! Super cute.
Shun Cutlery Classic Chef’s Knife 8”
Shun Cutlery Classic Chef’s Knife is a less expensive excellent option, but for the professional touch, give the gift of a knife from Korin. I used to walk to their shop from the restaurant and just admire all the beautiful, high-end knife blades. This red handled Suisin gyuto (chef’s knife) has been catching my eye recently. A sharp edge in the kitchen keeps your loved one safer and gives more precision.
Chef Lindsey’s Tip
Nothing is more essential (or as overlooked) than food prep and leftover storage! These Rubbermaid food storage containers have changed my life. I first purchased them for meal prep because I could bring them to work and they DO NOT LEAK anything, even sauces or condiments! Then I got a variety of sizes and now it is all I use! These large flat containers are great for ingredient prep or lots of leftovers. Maybe it isn’t the sexiest gift, but why not treat yourself to a year of happy fridge and freezer storage?
Sweet Treats for Sharing
Hotel Chocolat Advent Calendar
Nothing says ‘tis the season like a cup of homemade hot cocoa! Hotel Chocolat’s small batch, ethically sourced Advent hot chocolates will send you on your way in style.
Gourmet Cookie of the Month
My pastry shop, Les Filles (formally known as Pastry Creations) is putting on its finishing touches this year. But, you know I wouldn’t leave you without excellent cookies to send while you wait! I recommend you get your loved one a “Cookie of the Month” membership from one of my favorite charities Cookies for Kids Cancer. Not only are the cookies delicious all year round, but you can support a meaningful cause!
Specialty Christmas Cookies
One of my favorite Christmas cookies is the Moravian Christmas Cookie. It is a bit of a project, so purchase the best instead! Wilkerson Bakery was my favorite when I was in College and still to this day. Also, Highly recommend their sugar cookies!
Homemade Cookie Tin
Christmas cookies happen to be one of my favorite topics! Here are my personal favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes! I’ve even included shipping instructions for most of them in the FAQs. 😉 You could send them out in these classic cookie tins! Don’t forget the wired festive ribbon!
Béquet Caramel
I didn’t think I’d fall in love, but I literally cannot stop eating these Béquet Assorted Caramels! They’re so creamy and rich, when you order some for your loved one feel free to send me a package as well!
Inspiring Cookbooks
Tastes Better from Scratch Cookbook
Lauren Allen of Tastes Better from Scratch built her Tastes Better from Scratch Cookbook to give you a variety of easy-to-follow recipes from different cuisines! Adventure a little!
Comfort Baking Cookbook
The Comfort Baking Cookbook from Stephanie of Girl Versus Dough focuses on easy-to-follow recipes that make people feel good from the inside out. For anyone who is looking for a moment in the kitchen as a time to create, worship, relax, or prepare a recipe for a friend in need, this is your guidebook.
Ottolenghi Comfort
Ottolenghi, the veggie-forward flavor master, has a new cookbook that is on my wishlist called Ottolenghi Comfort. His dessert cookbook, Sweet, is one of my favorites for easy, delicious desserts.
My Personal Favorite Cookbooks
I have hundreds of vintage and modern cookbooks on everything from canning, to bread to modern dessert plating techniques. There are some that I reach for more than others. I love the 1971 edition of Southern Living’s Homemaker’s Cookbook: Cakes, Dolce Italiano by Gina Depalma, The Italian Baker by Carol Field, and Bravetart by Stella Parks.
For the aspiring bread baker, get the classic tome called Bread by Jeffrey Hammelman. Many of the recipes from professional bread school were adaptations from this wonderful book. I actually have it in several editions alongside The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. Honestly you can’t go wrong with any of her books!
Chef Lindsey’s Tip
The book that every savory or pastry chef needs is The Flavor Bible. For the pastry chef in your life, consider one or several additions of the professional pastry magazine (more like a book) So Good. This was an invaluable resource for me as a NYC restaurant pastry chef.
Flavorful Finishes & Essential Ingredients
Vermont Maple Syrup
Nothing compares to pure Vermont maple syrup – and nothing is more confusing than the ever-changing designations! Choose a Grade A syrup that is at least “dark amber” for all your pouring and baking needs, or dive deep into the flavor-pond with a Grade A Dark Color, Robust Taste syrup! Make it a gift with Ronamok’s gift set of infused, barrel-aged maple syrups.
Chocolate!
Everyone knows that the right chocolate can set any sweet treat above the rest! I have been loving Scharffen Berger’s baking chunks in my thick chocolate chip cookies and their unsweetened cocoa powder in my hot cocoa mix recipe!
Vanilla Beans
I prefer Grade A vanilla beans from Madagascar for baking. Tahitian vanilla beans are better for vanilla extract but I find their flavor a little light for most baking projects. You could also opt for Grade B if you want the flavor on a budget and will be doing mostly infusing! Oh hello, vanilla crème brûlée!
Sprinkles
The creative sprinkle market has blown up and you can find excellent options on Amazon, but I still get my fun, sprinkle mixes from Sweetapolita. They are creative, beautiful and also delicious. This year they also have a cute sprinkle Advent Calendar!
Chef Lindsey’s Tip
The key to any great dish is using great ingredients. Start with the herbs in your spice cabinet! Spicewalla, a chef-owned business, has a fantastic variety staples gift set including Sicilian salt, or try Burlap & Barrel’s Curious Cook Gift Set. Who wouldn’t be curious how “Silk Chili” flakes can transform everything from chili to sunny-side-up eggs?
Equipment Sets for Home Bakers
Spice Jar Measuring Spoons
These spice jar measuring spoons are a stainless steel kitchen staple. But, I recently purchased these copper and walnut measuring spoons, which would make a beautiful gift! Precision AND elegance, I’m all in!
OXO Nesting Liquid Measuring Cups
If you watch my YouTube Baking Tutorials, you know that I use these nesting liquid measuring cups in every single recipe video. They are genuinely the best thing ever! You can quote me on that!
Holiday Bakeware
No one does holiday cookware better than Le Creuset! Everyone needs a round le creuset Dutch oven with a lid. It’s what you use for baking crusty bread and mixing up your famous chili recipe or soup! I personally have more pot sizes and colors than I care to admit! Or perhaps this season, gift beyond the essentials and give these adorable and festive Noel Mini Cocottes from Williams Sonoma, they’d be so cute ‘sur la table’.
Chef Lindsey’s Tip
Don’t stop with just a book for your favorite bread baker, give the ultimate sourdough bread baking set! It has rattan banneton (baking baskets), a bread lame, dough scraper and more! Get your friend a new kitchenaid stand mixer and some fancy Brightland olive oil to dip the bread in, and you’ve got a whole theme going.
Stylish Kitchen Accessories
Engraved Serving Board
For the consummate host, an engraved serving board is how you level everything up! From charcuterie board to raspberry ribbon cookies, it makes everything extra fancy.
Decorative Cast Iron Trivet
A cast iron trivet is just plain useful. Full stop. From serving warm dishes like my steak chili recipe, to just protecting your table while things cool, it’s important! While you’re on a cast iron journey, this is my favorite, inexpensive cast iron skillet.
Hot Chocolate Maker
Hotel Chocolat’s Velvetizer (currently on sale!). Not only does the copper velvetizer look stylish on your counter or breakfast table, but it also makes luxurious hot chocolate as easy as a push of the button! I love the Classic 70% chocolate flakes but a close second were the salted caramel!
Chef Lindsey’s Tip
Give the gift of organization! Several years ago I transformed my kitchen cabinets with labeled storage containers. Start with a variety pack like this one and then build from there! I also adore these extra large rectangular containers for items like sugar, flour and oats!
Specialty Baking Gadgets
Nordicware Bundt Pans
You should know from the sheer number of pound cakes I have on the blog that bundt pans are a must-have, and Nordicware bundt pans are the best. I have almost all of their molds. I have used them to make my chocolate pound cake, sour cream pound cake, and maple pound cake, among countless others!
Butane Torch
I’m all about my kitchen torch with butane. It’s what gets me that perfect caramelization on top of my vanilla crème brûlée or lemon meringue cheesecake. There are so many fun techniques your home baker could experiment with this gadget. All to get their desserts one step closer to looking super professional!
Silicone Dough Mat with Measurements
I find these silicone dough mats really useful for measuring out my dough for pie crusts, hungarian nut roll cookies, and inverse puff pastry. It’s especially useful when I’m latticing pie crusts!
Easy Homemade Gift Ideas
Give the gift of homemade desserts! These homemade gift ideas are easily packaged and shippable. Find ideas for blends of spices and delicious baked goods!
Spice Mixes
Every single holiday season, I whip up BULK batches of my Speculoos Spice Mix, apple pie spice mix, and pumpkin spice mix. Sometimes I gift them to friends, but mostly I use them entirely up.
Candies
I know we talked about cookies earlier, but don’t sleep on homemade candy possibilities. Pecan pralines, old fashioned chocolate fudge, and homemade toffee are some of my favorite gifts to give and to receive! And, don’t forget nostalgic holiday treats: salted chocolate bark and peppermint pretzel bark!
Fruitcake
It’s a classic for a reason. I’ve broken down every step and almost any question that could possibly come to mind in my best fruitcake recipe and my Grandmother’s fruitcake video tutorial. I turned from a fruitcake-non-believer to a complete devotee. Easier and more moist and flavorful than I could have ever imagined.
A little sweetness and a pinch of effort always goes a long way!
