Whether the cook that you’re looking to get a gift for is an amateur home cook or a professional chef by trade, one thing that’s likely sure is that they love all things related to making food.
Read on to explore our list of unique and interesting gift ideas for cooks.
Be A Part Of A Live Studio Audience On A Cooking Show
Cooking shows are exciting to watch, seeing people perform at the highest level of their abilities.
Sitting in on at a cooking show session live in person can be all that more exciting, and can be a great gift or celebration activity.
One popular cooking show that hosts a live studio audience is Beat Bobby Flay. See if you could perhaps get tickets for in-person filming, it would make for a great time spent for you and the recipient.
Master Chef Live Tour
Chefs are generally familiar with the greatly coveted MasterChef show. Did you know that there is also a MasterChef live tour?
Packed with fun challenges and showcases, a ticket to a MasterChef Live Tour can be a fun and wholesome activity. Being suitable for all ages, it’s also a great idea to get tickets for the recipient and their family, and make it a family fun event for them.
Visit A Michelin Star Restaurant
Michelin Star restaurants are regarded as providing the best of the best in culinary experiences. Generally, dining at one of these restaurants does come at a bit of a hefty pricetag.
However, it fits in your budget, and you want to do something extra special for them, considering taking them out to a Michelin Star restaurant.
You can explore all of the Michelin Star restaurants around the world here.
Subscription To Cooking Magazine
Magazines can be a great way to stay informed and engaged in the subject or activity that you enjoy.
If you think that it’s something that they would like, consider getting them a subscription to a cooking magazine.
You could check out this handy resource here for a list of some of the best cooking and food magazine subscriptions.
Online Cooking Masterclass
There’s always potential for one to further develop their skills, in whatever domain they are in.
A good way to do that is by learning from some of the best and most skilled people who practice their craft. For cooking, there is a category on Masterclass for Culinary Arts, offering courses from some of the culinary greats such as Gordon Ramsey.
You can consider gifting them a subscription to Masterclass, for access to some of these great courses.
Infused Sea Salt Sampler
Moving on to more tangible things, we start with salt – one of the foundations of most dishes that one can imagine.
But not just any plain salt – a neat gift idea is to get them a nice gift bundle pack of different infused salts, letting them take their flavors to another level.
Spice Set
Thinking of something more flavor packed then salt? Then consider a seasoning set instead.
This seasoning set comes with a variety of vibrant and fragrant seasonings and spices, with individual grinders to let them get the freshest spices in real time.
Flavored Olive Oils
Another cooking staple is olive oil. Take their olive oil game to another level with some high quality flavored olive oils, that are cold pressed and made in Italy.
Gourmet Vinegar
Vinegar is another item that is both a staple but can also have a gourmet twist. Consider this gourmet balsamic vinegar that’s revered as among the best balsamic vinegars available.
Saffron
Lastly, if you want to go for the highest of the gourmet ingredients to gift, then look no further than Saffron. This ingredient is used in the most sophisticated and lush dishes, and is a staple in a lot of dishes that you can expect to get from a Michelin Star restaurant.
Meat From A Gourmet Butcher Shop
If they enjoy cooking with meat, then a neat gift would be to get some fine cuts. One option is to visit your local butcher store, and ask for some of the best steak cuts.
If you want to take a more unique and convenient approach, you can order different steak cuts and meats online. Check out a service such as Goldbelly, where you can buy meat from some of the most popular steak houses and butchers.
Meat Delivery Subscription
Another option is to get them a subscription to a meat delivery service. ButcherBox is a leader in this area, offering delivery of high quality and sustainably sourced meats and seafood.
Cast Iron Skillets
If you ask any chef what one of their most essential items in their kitchen is, many will say a cast iron skillet.
Although they can get quite pricey in some instances, there are good options that are both at the lower and higher price ranges.
Lower Price Option
Higher Price Option
Wok
A wok is great for making stir fry’s and other Asian inspired dishes. If they don’t already have one, a Wok could make a great addition to their cooking repertoire.
Book - The Food Lab
Cooking is part art part science. Help them get a stronger grasp on the intricacies of the science aspect of cooking, with this great book that’s highly revered by chefs and home cooks alike.
Book - Ad Hoc At Home
Another great book choice is Ad Hoc at Home, by the greatly acclaimed author Thomas Keller.
Knife Sharpener
Knives are used extensively while preparing and making food. To help keep them maintained a great idea is to get them a knife sharpener. There are both traditional and electric options, depending on what you think they would prefer most.
Traditional
Electric
Digital Scale For Cooking
When you want to get precise with ingredients and proportions, a digital cooking scale comes in great use. Make sure it’s one that is made specifically for use in the kitchen, and has accurate and detailed readings.
Meat Thermometer
Another place where precision is important in the kitchen is with temperature. More importantly than with anything else, meat needs to be cooked to the right temperature.
If they don’t already have one, a high quality digital instant thermometer is a great gift idea.
Rotary Cheese Grater
Grating food can be quite a hassle. Make grating cheese a breeze for them, with a cool and nifty handheld rotary cheese grater.
Pizza Stone
Pizza is among the most popular foods in the US and also beyond. The key to making a nice pizza pie is having a good pizza stone.
If they like to make their own pies and don’t already have a stone, then this could make for a great gift idea.
Pizza Wheel
Once a pizza is made, it needs to be sliced. A fun novelty pizza wheel can make for an entertaining gift. Consider making the pizza wheel a bundle gift with the stone, or just on it’s own.
Immersion Blender
An immersion blender is one of those great tools that don’t often come to mind readily as being one of the most essential or go-to’s. However, those that make use of them will tell you that they can be a game changer in the kitchen.
Customized Cutting Board
Make your gift extra personalized with a customizable cutting board. You can add their name or a message of your liking, that’s sure to showcase your thoughtfulness and effort with your gift.
Fermentation Kit
Cultures around the world rely on fermentation for food preservation and preparation. If it’s not something that they’re too advanced in yet, a fermentation kit could be a great entry point for them to learn and practice fermentation themselves.
Tart Dishes
When you think of tarts, you likely think of the words flaky, crispy, velvety. Help them level their tart making game up with a quality tart dish.
Food Processor
Whether it’s making sauces, purees, or just simply chopping vegies without a hassle, a food processor adds a lot of dynamism to anyone’s cooking abilities.
Nowadays, you can get a high quality food processor for a fairly reasonable price, and it’ll likely be something that they’ll truly appreciate and make great use of.
Ramekins
Going a bit more into the gourmet food preparation route, ramekins can help them elevate their servings. They are great for preparing things like dips, custards, and much more.
Half Sheet Pans & Cooling Rack
Cooling racks are integral to making fried food properly, by letting their items sit without being soaked in oil.
Consider a cooling rack and baking pan sheet combo, that’s a highly functional addition to a kitchen.
Dansk Kobenstyle Cookware
Are they into a vintage aesthetic? Then a great idea for what to get them could be a vintage cookware piece. One of the classic highly acclaimed vintage cookware’s are from Dansk Kobenstyle.
Cut Resistant Gloves
Getting nicks and cuts while preparing food is not fun. A good solution for preventing these are cut resistant gloves.
Oven Gloves
Another type of glove that you can consider are oven gloves. They can help them safely place and remove items from a hot oven, while offering the versatility and dexterity that conventional oven mitts don’t have.
Sous Vide Precision Cooker
Sous Vide is a relatively recent revolution in cooking, that has gathered a slew of fans and proponents.
Check out the video below to get familiarized with Sous Vide cooking, and consider getting them a Sous Vide cooker.
Bread Maker
The amazing smell of fresh baked bread is something that stimulates the senses. They can enjoy that very feeling in their own homes, with a quality bread maker.
Pasta Maker
If you’ve cooked with both fresh and dry pasta, you’ll know that the difference is monumental. Making fresh pasta can be simple, with a pasta maker.
For those who love cooking up a nice spaghetti or penne, then a pasta maker is a great idea for them.
Air Fryer
Air fryers have seen increasing buzz and popularity over recent years. If they haven’t yet tapped into the air fryer craze, then you can consider getting them one.
Home Countertop Garden
Fresh herbs add great taste and aroma to dishes. But sometimes staying stocked with fresh herbs can be cumbersome.
Help them overcome this issue and have fresh herbs readily available, with a home countertop garden.
Precision Oven
A precision oven can take home cooking to another level, allowing one to control every aspect of cooking, including precise temperatures and humidity.
Although it’s on the higher price range of cooking gifts, if it’s something that fits your budget, then it could make for an incredible gift.
Vacuum Sealer
Vacuum sealing is one of the most reliable ways of keeping food fresh and preserved.
Also, if they want to try the Sous Vide method, then a vacuum sealer is an essential to have.
Touchless Faucet
While cooking, one makes use of the faucet constantly. Turning the faucet on and off constantly can be tedious, and isn’t the most sanitary either.
A great way to overcome these drawbacks is by getting them a touchless faucet for their kitchen.
Tagine
A tagine is an integral tool used in Moroccan cooking. If you want to help them explore different cooking methods that they may not have explored yet, a tagine is a great start.
Catering Essentials
Has the gift recipient expressed an interest in potentially starting a catering business themselves? Then one idea potentially could be to get them some gear that could help them towards this end.
Although there are a lot of pieces required for them to actually go through with starting catering, getting them some equipment could be a good starting point, or a motivation booster at the very least.
And, if nothing pans out of it, they can always use the gear for preparing food and hosting events with family and friends.
Table Food Warmer
Catering is often done by having food prepared in advanced, and being served all at once. To do this effectively, the food needs to stay warm. To keep it warm, a table food warmer is essential.
For a more professional and effective option, you can consider higher quality commercial electric food warmers.
Food Delivery Bag
If they’re preparing food elsewhere and need to transport it, then a food delivery bag is a great thing to have.
These are just some small essentials, and of course much more significant things have to be covered if they want to start catering themselves.
However, a small gift like these and some encouragement can be a great initiative to take.
Recipe Holder
If they have recipes printed, written down, or if they’re fans of using recipe books, a recipe holder could be a nice thing to have. They are effective in keeping the recipes upright and visible, so that they can be read and used while in action in the kitchen.
Spiralizer
Lastly, a spiralizer is a great tool that has seen increased popularity over the years.
It’s great for making spirals out of many different veggies, and it’s an easy and effective way for creating things like zucchini pasta.
There you have it! Those are some cool and interesting ideas to help you get a gift for the cook in your life, that they’ll enjoy and make use of.
Make sure to always keep the recipient in mind and get them something that you think they’ll appreciate the most, and of course, always remember to show your gratitude for them above all else.
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