12 Best Gifts for Foodies (Whether They Like to Cook or Not)
The hardest part of celebrating the holidays is finding the perfect gift, even for a seemingly easy-to-please food enthusiast. While yours truly might never turn down a pair of oven mitts, not all foodies actually love to cook. Foodies have different food preferences, culinary interests, and experience levels. While one friend may be obsessed with food-themed clothing, another may have chef goals. From the scientific to the esoteric to the bizarre, there’s something for every food fanatic on this list. Here are the best gifts that will show off the love for the foodie in your life this gift-giving season.
Cooking lesson
Let’s complete this gift list with one of my favorites: a cooking lesson. Cooking classes are something that most chefs (both amateur and professional) want to take up but would never invest in for themselves – a combination that makes the perfect gift. One-time cooking classes can range from wine pairing to frying homemade donuts to learning how to grill the perfect steak. Classes are often small, which means the instructor can help those who need more attention while accommodating different skill levels.
I suggest visiting local culinary schools. Instructors are usually current or former professional chefs, and schools often offer public classes along with professional programs. I’ve always enjoyed the live entertainment programs at the Institute of Culinary Education – you can view their calendar here .
If an accredited culinary school is too formal (or unavailable), try something more intimate, like League of Kitchens . With a focus on learning about cultural cuisine, the Kitchen League offers classes such as online Persian cooking courses or the Taste of Japanese Cuisine workshop. Some classes are held in person, where people come to the teacher’s home to learn and cook, and some are taught online, meaning you can access quality cooking instruction from anywhere.
A real beautiful apron
Do you know what professional chefs and home cooks have in common? No person likes to ruin their clothes. A good apron is always appreciated, but it does not last forever. This means that even if one of them is in use right now, they will likely need a backup soon. Try this set of two bib aprons for everyday cooking at home, or the stylish yet comfortable chef’s coat from Hedley & Bennett for professionals at work.
Restaurant gift card (seriously)
It may sound cliché, but an all-expenses-paid meal at the restaurant you were planning on going to is a treat if I’ve ever heard of one. This is a gift that spans the entire spectrum; it’s perfect for foodies who hate cooking, or for those who need a break from constant meal prep. And there are people who are real restaurant managers. They may dabble in cooking, but in reality they just enjoy keeping a list of all their latest discoveries and counting their victories. Look for hot new restaurants in your nearest metro area, make a reservation (in a smart way so you know they can do it), get a gift card, and give them the gift of being trendy and full.
SOS Taco Bell Set
If you follow Taco Bell news (like a decent adult), you already know that this kit is a firefighter item. The $7.99 SOS kit was intended for college students who don’t have a Taco Bell nearby to fuel their studies, but earlier this month the kits sold out in record time, which tells me that there are more than just college students who miss the smell. processed cheese and spicy meat.
We hope the fast food chain restocks soon, and when they do, you should grab two—one for your Taco Bell-obsessed friend (we all have them) and one for yourself. Each kit includes four full bottles of delicious hot sauces – Diablo, Fire, Hot and Mild, two boxes of taco shells, powdered seasonings and a stain-resistant sheet. Yes: it’s purple and pink, it has tacos on it, and it’s an honest admission that you need a rag when you eat it.
The Hot Ones Hot Sauce Competition Kit
You only need to watch one episode of Hot Ones to be convinced that you’ll be great at Hot Ones . This means eating 10 chicken wings, each covered in 10 hot sauces that get progressively spicier. Yes, and then answer questions under physical and emotional stress on your body regarding the unnatural amount of capsaicin it is dealing with.
A 10-pack of Hot Ones is the best gift for the hot sauce lover, wings lover, or Hot Ones fan in your life. Even if you’re pretty sure they bought themselves a set, they probably didn’t buy everything . Choose from 10 sets from the latest seasons, or create your own fire festival from select trios from different seasons; interview questions that you will have to ask yourself.
S’mores Retractable Skewers
Surprisingly, there are more dining options than you might think, and almost everyone loves them. Whether you’re a camper cooking over a campfire or a snack lover warming up marshmallows on the stove, telescoping skewers allow you to enjoy them all year round. The retractable skewer allows you to cook dinners comfortably. Simply pull the jagged end away from the handle to fully extend it and insert a marshmallow or two into the ends. Then you can fry at a safe distance without straining your shoulders or feeling heat on your hands.
These skewers are great for use in any situation, but they are especially valuable for those who cook outdoors. I bought the set for my brother when he bought an outdoor fire pit, but he and his family also go camping often. He used them to roast marshmallows and sausages.
Bee wrap
Plastic film is a common waste item in both home and professional kitchens. For the eco-conscious chef who wants to reduce their reliance on flexible plastic, consider gifting Bee film . This is a washable, reusable bandage made from cotton fabric coated with beeswax. Cotton is flexible and the wax coating seals the fabric, making it waterproof and bacteria resistant. Simply use the warmth of your hands to press the wrapper into a glass bowl with leftovers, or press it toward you to wrap half of the bell pepper you didn’t use. The wax will heat up and gently adhere to the surface for temporary storage, so you can use less disposable plastic wrap.
Celebrity art print on sandwiches
Think your favorite foodie has it all? They may not have sandwich art yet.Celebrities on Sandwiches is watercolor art that depicts exactly what it says: your favorite celebrities relaxing on sandwiches. It’s usually a sandwich that applies to them in some modern sense, or a clever pun, like Freddie Mercury with his shrimp po-boy or Taylor Swift with his chicken fillet and “apparently ranch.”
These prints are great for just about anyone because we all have our favorite celebrities and the sandwiches add a whimsical touch and always bring a smile. Find a celebrity your foodie loves or check out the Chef Collection .
Food fashion
For professional chefs or foodies who love to express themselves, give them some fancy food. You can be practical by wearing a professional chef’s hat from Hedley & Bennett or something less serious, like a Christmas red velor jumpsuit from popular tomato sauce company Rao’s Homemade, emblazoned with the same words on the back. If none of these seem right for Christmas, you can always look for something a little more sensible, like this pineapple onesie for adults .
Combination steamer Anova
When it comes to kitchen accessories, this is the best gift in kitchen appliances: the Anova Combi Oven delivers the powerful, fast convection you love from a countertop air fryer, but with steam injection. Instead of simply adding a pot of water to cook sourdough loaves, your giftee can now actually control the humidity level for baking bread or lower it for roasting carrots without drying them out. This is an incredible gift for the nutrition scientist in your life to help you get the hang of it.
International culinary magazine
I get my best ideas from looking at food magazines, especially from other countries in languages I can’t read. While you don’t have to go that far, a subscription to an international food magazine is a wonderful gift for the cook who enjoys exploring the broader culinary experience. The pictures are always phenomenal and the dishes are likely to inspire new flavor combinations or cooking methods. Most of the time I experiment with dishes in my own way, but if there is a recipe that I’m going to replicate, I use the Google Translate app with a camera to help me review measurements and keywords.
Meal kit subscriptions
Meal kit subscriptions are a great gift for a budding cook, an experimenter with a first home, or a time-poor family member who loves to cook but doesn’t have time to shop. You can choose how many kits you want per month, your dietary preferences, and generally how much you want to cook (cook in the microwave or shape into hamburger patties). Blue Apron offers a huge list of options so you can narrow it down to what your foodie needs.