35 Best Kitchen Gifts for a Home Cook in 2024

Rubber chicken wine stopper

If you know a wine person who could stand to take themselves less seriously, here's your chance to drop a hint.

Chameleon tongs

Aside from being undeniable fun, these chameleon-inspired tongs are sanitary since the grabbers stay high in the air when you rest them between fetching cheeses or olives.

Fluicer

Earlier this year, I discovered the Fluicer, and my home citrus-juicing will never be the same. Most clamshell juicers kind of suck, but this bend-and-squeeze version gets nearly every bit of juice from a lemon, lime or orange wedge. There are three sizes, but I'm partial to the medium, yellow Fluicer, which is sturdy enough to juice the dickens out of lemons and limes. Read my full review of the Fluicer here.

Oxo meat thermometer

If you're going to cook expensive steaks (see above) you'll want to make sure you nail the internal temperature. Oxo's simple precision digital thermometer gives an instant read between -40 F and 302 F and costs just $23. 

Star Wars cheese board set

If you're a Star Wars fan who happens to love cheese, this Death Star cheese board and toolset feels like an absolute must-have. The cheese board is made from eco-friendly rubberwood with over 81 inches of serving space. The swivel top opens up to storage for four stainless steel cheese tools: a cleaver for crumbly cheese; a planer for hard cheese; a fork-tipped knife; and a classic hard cheese knife and spreader.

Dreamfarm kitchen tools

I've had a fun time playing with Dreamfarm's innovative cooking utensils, most of which make me think, "Duh, why didn't I think of that?" I especially love the silicone serving spoon that twists into a ladle and rests on a hinge so it doesn't need a spoon rest to keep from dirtying up the counter. I also like the Chopula, a spatula with one sharp edge so you can chop things up that are already in the pan. 

Snag a fun and colorful set of five Dreamfarm kitchen utensils for less than $50. The foodie on your list will definitely thank you, and wonder why they didn't think of these.

Sichuan chili crisp

The chili crisp obsession has reached a true fever pitch in my home, and I'm not the only one. Lao Gan Ma chili crisp has been around far longer than most and this crunchy, slightly spicy, sweet umami bomb adds incredible flavor dimension to blank-slate foods, including eggs, chicken, fish, veggies and lots more.

John Boos maple block

If you're looking for something at a more wallet-friendly price, you can't really go wrong with a Boos. This 16x11-inch maple block is light enough to fling around the kitchen, but maple will last a while if you care for it properly. This is perhaps more of a workhorse than a showpiece, but any home chef will appreciate it for many chops to come.

Laguiole carving set

While you might not use it at every meal and a good chef's knife works in a pinch, having a proper carving knife is a total chef's kiss when you need it. Laguiole's elegant carving knife and fork set is feast-ready.

Earlywood spatulas

My new favorite hybrid kitchen utensils are as beautiful as they are useful. Tenderly toss and serve a salad or break up diced meat for chili right in the pan with these wooden spatulas handmade in Montana. A four-pack means your giftee won't have to choose which job to use them for on any given night.

Molcajete

Few serving vessels get more compliments than the mighty molcajete. Use the bowl to make and serve fresh salsa and guacamole, and the hand-woven basket for storing the molcajete but also for serving chips or warm tortillas on taco night. 

Tiger rice cooker

There isn't a small kitchen appliance that I use more than a rice cooker. In our testing, this $25 Oster model did excellent. For a more giftable version with fancy features and a sleek look, I recommend Tiger's 5.5-cup rice cooker. It has a special setting for brown rice and doubles as a slow cooker and steamer.

Aged balsamic from Modena

The production of D.O.P. balsamic vinegar is about as tightly regulated as any other food. Crafted in small batches in Modena, Italy using special grapes, a meticulous aging process (12 years minimum in wooden barrels), this "liquid gold" is as sweet, complex and flavorful as it gets. 

All this careful production comes at a cost -- it's much cheaper if you go to the source -- but you can lay a small bottle on someone for less than $75 and it should last a while. Just don't let them waste it on sauces or salad dressings. This special balsamic is meant to be used sparingly to finish pasta, risotto or served solo with bread and cheese. 

Lodge carbon-steel paella pan

Making paella at home is fun and much easier than you might think, but you need the right pan if you plan on serving a group. This excellent 15-inch carbon steel pan from Lodge is reserved for those with kitchen space to store it although it's not nearly as heavy as it appears (remember, it's carbon steel and not cast iron). It also looks darn good hanging from a cookware rack. 

Pair it with some quality saffron-seasoned salt, saffron threads or paella spice blend and wait for your invitation to paella night to roll in.

Elevated cocktail shaker

The cocktail shaker has been around for a long time but it's been short on innovation. This elevated shaker from Huckberry is double-walled so your hands don't freeze and has a no-stick lid so you're not pounding it around the kitchen like a maniac to get into your drink. It's also large enough to make four drinks at once.

It might just be the perfect shaker. 

Anova Nano

Sous vide is the perfect gadget for a food nerd. This water bath cooking method requires little technical skill and produces excellent results and consistently tender chicken, steak and fish filets.

Ninja Crispi

Glass-bowl air fryers are my trend to watch in 2025. This model packs all the punch and convenience of a normal air fryer but without the nonstick basket. It's perfect for an air fryer enthusiast with concerns about PFAS.

Williams Sonoma Steakhouse Steak Knives, Set of 8

A beautiful set of steak knives is an often overlooked holiday gift but it shouldn't be. This striking eight-piece set has full-tang blades for increased strength and comes housed in a handsome wooden box.

Cruz BlenderCap

This isn't the first portable blender ever made, but it might be the most powerful. This blender is chargeable so you can take it anywhere and use it without a cord. If it looks like an Apple product, that's because a team of former engineers from the tech giant are behind this sleek new kitchen gadget.

Lancaster cast-iron skillet

You can't go wrong with a $30 Lodge skillet, but if you're looking to splurge on some luxury cast iron, Lancaster's lighter 10.5-inch pan is a thing of beauty. It weighs in at 4.5 pounds, a full pound lighter than most cast-iron skillets of this size.

Aarke pitcher

This stylish, Swedish water purifier is great at removing dissolved solids and looks fabulous doing it. What's not to love?

Made In carbon-steel frying pan

You may need different types of cookware depending on what you're making and the results you're after. For searing steaks, burgers, pork chops and other meats, it's hard to beat carbon steel. For one, it holds heat well, getting and staying hotter than Hades, but it's also lighter than cast iron, so you can maneuver it over the stovetop easily. Pair this sleek pan with a box of quality cuts of meat from one of our favorite online butchers.

Breville Control Grip

Immersion blenders are one kitchen tool that even some seasoned home cooks don't have in their arsenal -- but they should. For pureed soups and sauces, a stick blender is far easier than trying to transfer hot ingredients to an upright blender. Breville's Control Grip model is the best one I tested, with tons of power and a sleek and sturdy build.

Vermicular frying pan

The Vermicular cast-iron skillet is a wonder to behold and perhaps the best piece of cookware I discovered this year. The Japanese cookware company managed to create a skillet that holds heat just about as well as thick cast iron but weighs a fraction; a 10-inch pan is just 2.4 pounds. 

The skillet is also very nice to look at if not just a tad fussier to care for than the classic cast iron. It's not a budget buy -- $170 for the pan and another $45 for the striking lid -- but it's one of those kitchen splurges I believe is completely worth the money.

Aarke water carbonator

Making seltzer at home is a good idea. It'll save you money and keep loads of cans from clogging up the recycling system. Plus, no more lugging them out to the curb. SodaStream is the most well-known brand, but Aarke has the plastic seltzer makers beat big-time when it comes to style. The Aarke carbonator is made from stainless steel and comes in both shiny and matte finishes.

It also uses the same SodaStream CO2 canisters, which are easy to find and have a great exchange program that'll only cost you $15 per bottle.

Lomi countertop composter

If you've tried traditional compost but can't handle the smell, a Lomi will make green living much easier. It's shocking how much organic waste goes into the trash bin and landfill, but not with Lomi. This small countertop machine turns egg shells, rinds, coffee grinds and other food scraps into sweet soil for the yard or garden.

Le Creuset 3.5-quart round Dutch oven

If a chef on your gift list is short a Dutch oven, Le Creuset's 3.5-quart round Dutch is a no-brainer. They'll praise you every time they bust out this elegant and durable pot for making a slow sauce, braise or soup. These luxury French pots can cost upwards of $500 so $288 for the 3.5-quart (a good size for cooking for two or three) is a proper steal.

Ooni Karu pizza oven

I am a big fan of the at-home pizza oven. Not just for pizza but for all sorts of meal-making when you don't want to turn the oven on. You can cook burgers, fish, veggies and lots more in very little time since these ovens get up to 900 degrees. And with its sleek, modern design, the Ooni Koda would make a stylish, as well as delicious, addition to anyone's backyard space.

Riviera Seafood Club

There are the gifts we think people want and the gifts they definitely want. An absolutely beautiful piece of sushi-grade tuna belly is the latter for a foodie, I promise. If you're looking to give a special piece of tuna belly, hamachi or yellowtail, I suggest this family-owned online seafood purveyor based out of Los Angeles. The Ito family procures some of the best high-end sushi-grade fish, along with more common catches like wild salmon, prawns and unagi. 

Riviera ships fresh or flash-frozen fish to all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and most of it is sashimi-grade, meaning you can slice and eat -- no cooking necessary.

ButcherBox Steak Lover's Box

ButcherBox is known for sending premium cuts of beef that are 100% grass-fed, grass-finished and humanely raised to satisfy even the choosiest carnivores. Most customers choose a subscription that can be canceled or paused easily, but you can also gift someone a one-time send like the Steak Lover's Box. This collection of cuts includes two 10-ounce rib eyes, two 10-ounce NY strips, two six-ounce filets and four six-ounce top sirloin steaks for $175.

Japanese pantry staples

For someone who likes to toy around and tinker in the kitchen, a bundle of interesting pantry staples is about as good a gift as they could hope for. Bokksu sells loads of Japanese pantry staples including misos, chili crisps, spice mixes and plenty of snacks, too. Snatch a preassembled bundle or curate your own for the home chef on your list. The Discovery Pack (shown here) costs $50.

RawSpiceBar subscription

This is another gift for a foodie or home chef that's about as foolproof as it gets. Every chef uses spices, but sometimes we're limited by region or a meager selection at the grocery store. RawSpiceBar opens up a world of exciting spice blends for less than $12 per month, sending freshly ground global spice mixtures to your giftee's home along with recipe ideas to try them with.

You can give a one-, three-, six-, nine- or 12-month subscription or buy a gift card for the person on your list.

Blue Apron meal kits

If the person you're buying for could use a lift in the kitchen, a few weeks of handy meal kits will do the trick. Blue Apron is one of the best meal kit services we tested with fancy bistro steak and fresh seafood options included in a basic subscription. Not only is it great value, but recipes are easy to execute and often take less than 30 minutes.

Mosaic Foods vegan meals

Sometimes the best gift you can give a busy home chef is a night or two off from cooking. If you're looking for a great gift to send from afar, Mosaic Foods' inventive plant-based meals are my pick. It's one of the best prepared meal services I've tasted and the brand allows for easy gifting. You can send six meals (four servings each) for under $100 or create your own custom box. 

Read my full review of Mosaic Foods. 

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