So, your favorite foodie only asked for practical kitchen gifts this Christmas. Yes, that may sound like the foodie equivalent of only asking for socks, but really there are so many gifts for people who love to cook that are practical and still a little luxurious. Since so much of home cooking comes down to the tools you use, surprise your amateur chef by decking them out in the good stuff: Le Creuset, Food52 goodies, and more.
To start you off, anything from the Food52 shop will make a foodie jump with joy. Browse Food52's list of must-have kitchen bestsellers to get an idea for what your giftee might like. But really, you can't go wrong with a single piece from the store; Food52 is just as much an online cooking community as it is a publication, and its store reflects the fact that passionate home chefs are watching.
For your particular home chef, you can't go wrong with a cast iron spice grinder. The $35 tool lets you toss in spices and grind them to your exact coarseness, and if you accidentally created too much, just pop on the beech wood lid for safekeeping. The fact that the entire tool is cast iron is an extra touch.
Speaking of cast iron: You've probably heard of Le Creuset's cast iron dutch ovens, even if you're more likely to order a pizza than cook a meal at home. You can find deals on the regularly expensive cookware for the holidays — like this 6.75-quart Le Creuset dutch oven on sale at $370 from $462.50 — thought the price still reflects the equally high quality. Even though it doesn't look like it, the dutch oven is made from cast iron, with an enameled coating that makes it dishwasher-safe. That means that your foodie will get all the benefits of a cast iron oven, like consistently even temperature distribution, minus having to do the more extensive maintenance bare cast iron requires.
Is your foodie already bonded with a cast iron oven or skillet? The Lovett Sundries Cast Iron Conditioner has a perfect rating on Tastemade's shop and only costs $17. Like conditioner helps maintain your hair, the specialized oil and sea salt blend will condition the cast iron cookware your foodie loves.
Maybe they already have the actual tools they need, but are lacking in storage to actually keep all the food they cook. In that case, give them some options that don't involve basic plastic storage they'll just end up throwing away. Namely, a ceramic lunch bowl, like this oddly pretty one from Terrain for $42. Who knew to-go containers could look so good? And if you cringe at the amount of plastic baggies they go through every week, throw in a few of these Reusable Silicone Half-Gallon Bags from Stasher, which will save them both money and plastic use.
If your favorite foodie has no need for wild gadgets, avoid getting them something that's just going to collect dust and opt for a practical kitchen gift this year instead. Ahead, 11 that'll easily transition into their daily home-cooking events, and make them wonder how they ever lived without them.
