Best Gifts for Home Cooks (Under $50)
You’ve come to the conclusion that you need a kitchen gift for a food lover. Congratulations, this is already more than half the success in finding a good gift. As for the rest of the gift battle, there are tons of great, truly useful kitchen appliances available at surprisingly affordable prices. This time you can show how thoughtful you are and really stay within your budget here. Here’s my list of really useful kitchen appliances, all under $50.
Fast electric kettle
I can’t tell you how often I use the kettle for anything other than tea. I boil water for instant noodles, set up water baths, brew coffee, preheat mugs, and generally use it to water houseplants (not with boiling water, it’s just a pretty vessel). The reason I don’t recommend the stove is because it takes forever. The universe will end before you have boiling water. An electric kettle will boil water in about five minutes or less. I prefer a model with a digital temperature control panel so I can brew green tea to the ideal temperature of 170°F or maintain water temperature at 200°F for pour over coffee.
Serious kitchen scales
No home cook, chef or cooking enthusiast should be without a digital kitchen scale. Not only do scales give you access to recipes recorded by weight rather than volume, but they also allow you to be more precise in all your preparations. Measure out meal prep portions, add the correct weight of chocolate chips if the recipe calls for chunks, and make sure your Thanksgiving rolls recipe turns out perfect year after year. Heck, you can even use it to measure your dog’s dietary prescriptions. Many are small, lightweight, and last about a year on a pair of A batteries.
Useful handheld vacuum cleaner
I know this isn’t the first thing people think of when they think of gifts for chefs, but having a small, portable vacuum has really helped me stay organized. When cooking daily (perhaps several times a day), you’ll throw in crumbs, coffee grounds, grated cheese, cereal, and more. A handheld vacuum and 30 seconds can make all the difference and leave you feeling calm if you have to run out the door. You can find models designed for use in the kitchen, but car vacuum cleaners or upholstery vacuum cleaners are essentially the same thing. Just be sure to find one that has a thin and precise attachment, like the vacuum cleaner below.
Attractive toaster
Some people think that toasters are good enough to toast bread, but if your giftee is a true toast lover, they should have an appliance designed specifically for toasting. Nothing makes toast better than a single-purpose spring-loaded toaster: air fryers and regular ovens dry out bread, and toasting bread in a pan is a recipe for accidentally burning it. This is a good gift and choosing an attractive gift makes it a great gift.
Universal waffle iron.
Waffles are a fun breakfast that people who don’t have waffle irons crave before they make the same old pancake recipe. Give them a fun breakfast. I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that a waffle iron is actually a versatile cooking tool . You can make more than just waffles: meats, cheeses or entire breakfast sandwiches.
Small air fryer
These pint-sized air fryers are the perfect gift for those who aren’t quite ready to purchase a larger one. Whether they live in a dorm, a small apartment, or are just unsure about the efficiency of air fryers, give them a try with this tiny convection oven.
Immersion blender
We all know that a regular blender works well, but I think we all hate cleaning it. For a great gift, I recommend an immersion blender, also called a hand blender or immersion blender. The biggest advantage of using one of these is that you can blend in reverse: instead of being limited to placing things inside the blender container, you place the blender in any container. As long as it has enough liquid to mix, it will work great. I often blend smoothies, make whipped cream and pureed soups.
Milk frother
You can choose between two types of milk frothers: an electric steamer and milk frother , which costs around $50, or a milk frother attachment , which costs between $10 and $15. Budget is the biggest deciding factor here, but beyond that, they both give different results. The electric one is great for the coffee lover who wants to imitate a cafe-style latte or cappuccino but doesn’t want to bother with a steamer. The device heats the milk, creating microfoam.
The battery-powered milk frother is just a stirrer. It doesn’t heat the milk or create silky microfoam, but it does create foam with larger bubbles. This is good for coffee lovers who aren’t too picky but like something in their morning drink.
High quality coffee grinder.
Coffee drinkers typically prefer whole beans, which means they’ll need a way to grind those beans at home. While blade grinders tend to be cheaper, I recommend conical burr grinders for a more even result. They can usually process more coffee at once and can be adjusted so you can make either a fine espresso or something coarser for French-pressed coffee. Conical burr mills typically cost well over $50, but this one from Hamilton Beach has a small footprint and keeps the cost low.
Universal rice cooker.
A rice cooker is a very useful appliance, even if you don’t cook a ton of rice. This little appliance is great for making oatmeal, steaming cereal, or even hard-boiling half a dozen eggs. While you can buy expensive models with all the bells and whistles—digital screens, precook settings, and spring-loaded lids—a simple two-mode rice cooker will do all the same things. Load the inner container, turn the switch to the “cook” position, and when everything is ready, the rice cooker will automatically switch to the “warm” mode.
Cozy multicooker
A slow cooker is a great gift for the person who loves a variety of cuisines but may not enjoy spending hours in the kitchen. You can make anything from soups and stews to cakes and casseroles by adding ingredients, setting the time, and letting the process do its thing. While some of the other appliances on this list are smaller models designed to fit a smaller budget, you can easily purchase a large slow cooker for under $50.
Mug warmer
One of my most frequently used kitchen accessories during cold weather is an electric mug warmer. This is an electric stove with a set temperature that not only keeps drinks hot, but can also be used for proofing bread . This is a great example of a simple device that someone probably wouldn’t bother with. But this is where you get a mug warmer that allows them to keep their tea hot at the table, on the porch, or in the kitchen while they get ready for work.
Compact juicer
This is a great gift for people who love fresh fruit and vegetable juices but hate the price. I drink juice sometimes, and it makes more sense to me to throw a few fruit halves into the juicer than to buy a whole liter of orange juice that will most likely go to waste. Masticating juicers are expensive, but centrifugal juicers, like this one from Hamilton Beach, are much more affordable.