If you’re one of those humans lucky enough to have loved ones making delicious meals for you, and want to buy them something special, you’ve come to the right place.
Striking the perfect balance while buying a gift that is both personal and utilitarian can be a daunting task. Especially when you’re not very well acquainted with the ins and outs of cooking or baking yourself. However, rest assured that gift choices for someone who spends most of their time in the kitchen (regardless of gender), are seemingly endless!
So, if you’re looking for the perfect gift that will not only thrill them but also ensure many more breakfast, lunch, and dinner invitations, and everything in between, here are our top five recommendations.
Airtight Food Containers
Only someone who cooks and stores meals, leftovers and other food products on a regular basis understands the true value of airtight food containers.
This might sound like an item too common or boring to buy for someone as a gift, but it’s truly useful for someone who does weekly meal preps, daily lunches, or even has limited storage space in their pantry.
Many companies have a wide range of stackable, air-tight containers that come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors and designs. These can be used for maximizing storage space in the fridge, cupboards, or pantry, or even for transporting food on the go.
Air-tight containers are extremely handy for packing away everything from leftover cooked food to dry ingredients such as coffee, flour, sugar, cereal, and pasta. Any serious cook will surely be very happy with them!
A Pressure Cooker
As a stranger to cooking, you might not yet be aware of the wonders of a pressure cooker. But for an individual who not only enjoys cooking but also has a hectic schedule, it’s truly life-changing.
A pressure cooker is the exact opposite of a slow cooker, but only in terms of cooking time. This speedy contraption cooks deliciously tender and succulent dishes in a fraction of the time it would take without one.
A pressure cooker is a fantastic tool for making all sorts of recipes like stews, rice, lentils and more. Think about how much time you’ll save them!
A Blender
Perhaps your beloved home cook is an avid maker of sauces, soups, shakes, smoothies, and purees. A blender is the perfect gift as it can be used to beat, whip, blend, puree, emulsify, and mix. It’s an extremely versatile tool and there are many price ranges and types!
You get two types of blenders – the standard countertop blender and the immersion blender (otherwise known as the handheld or stick blender). Both types have their pros and cons but what truly sets them apart is their power.
For the cook who has ample counter space and loves to make soups, smoothies and large batches of food or drinks, the standard blender is perfect. It’s far more powerful than an immersion blender and can disintegrate everything from ice cubes, frozen fruits and vegetables to nuts and hot soups.
The immersion blender is a handheld device which is better for smaller tasks. It’s much lighter and easier to clean and great for making dressings, salsa, simple smoothies, soups, and mixing batter. It’s portable, easy to handle and takes up little counter space.
Not sure which type is best for you and your home cook? We’d suggest checking out the reviews and ratings on Amazon or ebay, or reading the reviews on blogs and websites such as Blender Babes.
A Unique Cookbook Stand
If your home cook loves to flip through a recipe book for inspiration, a cookbook stand is a great gift idea for adding more convenience to their home kitchen.
The advantage of most bookstands these days is that they’re designed to support not just books but also digital tablets. If you’re going old school though, consider a bookstand with grips for holding the pages open.
A Knife-Sharpener
Knife-sharpeners are an extremely useful piece of equipment for home cooks who know the benefits of a razor sharp knife.
Dull knives are far more dangerous than sharp ones, especially for someone who does a lot of cutting and chopping. They require a greater degree of force for cutting through materials and have a higher risk of slipping and causing an injury.
Having a sharp knife is crucial for any home cook who knows their stuff. Regardless of the kind of knives your favorite home cook uses – be it German or Japanese styles, cheap or expensive, stamped or forged, there is a sharpener for every genre.
Many websites provide detailed reviews of all the different types of knife sharpeners. You could refer to sites like Wirecutter or Healthy Kitchen 101.
So there you have it: our top five choices of gifts for those exceptional individuals in your life who love to cook and make the world a better place for you and your stomach! Happy shopping!
