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Looking for something special for the food lover in your life? Instead of going the typical route and buying them a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant, give them the gift of a new skill and a delicious meal with a cooking kit or interactive cooking class. Chances are they'll love learning how to make something new -- and maybe you'll benefit in the end if they decide to share. If you're vying for this outcome, we highly suggest gifting the sushi-making kit or the Rainbow Explosion cake set...just sayin'. If that doesn't work out, you could always gift a kit to yourself too!
We've compiled a great list of cooking classes and kits that are great for aspiring chefs of all ages and experience levels. From a samosa kit to s'mores sandwich cookies, there's plenty of deliciousness to go around.
Make a meal at home
There's something so satisfying about a home-cooked meal, especially when you don't have to think about it too much or go buy a ton of new ingredients. It's even better when you can gift someone this same satisfaction, via one of these cooking kits.
Not only does this kit come with all the spices you need to make delicious samosas at home, it also includes a masher that will help achieve that ideal smooth texture and mix of flavors in the filling. It also comes with a serving bowl that only elevates the experience. Whether this is a gift for a loved one or a treat for yourself, it's sure to be a delicious hit. Plus, we love that the items in this kit can be used over and over again.
If anyone you know loves cheese, this kit will surely bring them joy -- and plenty of cheese. All the recipient needs is basic kitchen equipment and their favorite milk to make portions of mozzarella, ricotta, burrata, string cheese, paneer, queso blanco, goat cheese and farmer's cheese. Are you already drooling at the thought? The cheeses can be further customized with their favorite herbs and add-ins, like honey or red pepper flakes. Yum.
The best part? Making cheese with this kit isn't overly complicated or time-consuming -- it can be made in less than an hour. Quick, easy and delicious? Count us in.
Looking to boost your favorite foodie's pantry? Look no further than the Momofuku bestseller pack. It contains the brand's signature original Chili Crunch, of course, as well as 25 individual servings of the brand's noodle packs and sauces (five of each flavor), a soy sauce, and savory seasoned salt. They'll think of you every time they need a quick and delicious meal -- and when they put a scoop of Chili Crunch on their eggs, BBQ, pizza, etc.
I made my first paella this year and it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. But it helps to have the proper ingredients -- bomba rice, paella spices -- and a pan to both cook and serve it in. This kit from Williams Sonoma has much of what you need for under $60.
The MakiMaki sushi kit has everything to make fresh sushi at home. And I mean everything, including slabs of sushi-grade tuna, toro, hamachi, salmon and all the fixings. Making sushi turns out to be a whole lot of fun, satisfying and quite a bit easier than I thought it would be. This is a fun gift for the DIY foodie and one you can all enjoy together.
Learn from top-rated chefs
If your giftee is into cooking and is constantly looking to expand their repertoire, there's no better gift than having a professional chef walk them through a new skill or recipe step-by-step.
There may not be a chef working today who has a better beat on cooking vegetables and legumes in interesting ways than Yotam Ottolenghi. His MasterClass course explores plant-based spreads and dips, including labneh, muhammara and other tasty mezze that are perfect for the serial entertainer or host.
Explore all of MasterClass' food and drink lessons here. A subscription is $180 for the year and includes the entire library of classes in dozens of categories and practices.
Here is all the fun and know-how of a private cooking class from world-class chefs, but from the privacy of your home or apartment. The Chef & The Dish brings Michelin-level culinary masters into your kitchen via video chat, from places as far away as Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, New Orleans, Turkey and Thailand. Dinner is going to be awesome from now on. Classes for two start at $299, plus $50 for each additional person, making a four-person class as inexpensive as $100 each.
You can also purchase cooking class gift cards and let them choose the lesson themselves.
DIY kits for bakers
Whether you're looking for a gift for an experienced baker, someone just starting out, or a loved one who's eager to dive into a new genre (like sourdough), there's a baking kit out there for everyone. The following kits cover the full spectrum and are sure to produce delicious treats in the end.
While French macarons may look simple enough, making them can be quite a challenge, even for seasoned bakers. That's where this Red Velvet NYC DIY kit comes in. The kit includes all the pre-measured ingredients the recipient will need to bake 20 delicious sandwich cookies, plus helpful accessories like parchment paper and a piping bag and piping tip. Of course, a step-by-step recipe card comes with it as well. In theory, the recipient's macarons should turn out picture perfect, but don't hold us to it.
For a prospective bread baker, this experiential kit has the essentials for getting your sourdough starter, well, started. The bundle includes three packets of instant sourdough culture, artisan salt (16 ounces), muslin cloth, a proper dough scraper and dough whisk. Plus there's a recipe book to whip up some very tasty bakes.
Every month the Eat Bake Love box contains pre-measured ingredients, a tool used for the recipe, and step-by-step instructions and video tutorials. Whether the giftee is an experienced baker or just starting out, they'll love trying a new, delicious recipe every time. You can't go wrong with a gingerbread cake roll with eggnog whipped cream, for example. Since each box makes around 12 to 20 servings of the dessert, maybe you'll even be lucky enough to get a sample.
You can opt to gift the Eat Bake Love subscription for one month ($49.49 per box), 3 months ($47.66 per box), 6 months ($46.75 per box), or 12 months ($45.65).
Chances are you're at least somewhat familiar with the Flour Shop Rainbow Explosion cake that went viral. Well, the brand teamed up with Williams Sonoma so now you can make or gift a mini one. This set includes all the cake mix, coloring gels, frosting mix, and sprinkles (of course) you'll need to whip up a small version of this Instagram-worthy dessert. Note that this kit does not include the baking pan, which can be purchased separately.
Cook with kiddos at home
Getting kids involved in the kitchen benefits everyone. They learn valuable life skills and their parents can reap the benefits of an enjoyable shared activity and the delicious outcome! Whether you're buying for your own kids or giving a gift, you can't go wrong with these kid-centric kits.
For better or worse, kids usually love getting involved -- and messy -- in the kitchen. And with these KiwiCo Science of Cooking kits (ice cream, bread & butter and mini cakes), they can help create something delicious and also learn the science behind yeast, weighing ingredients and more.
Note that these sets contain tools, not actual food ingredients. However, the required ingredients are probably things you have on hand already or are easily accessible at the grocery store. They do come with an illustrated instructional booklet that explores relevant science topics (like crystal formation in the ice cream kit). For this reason, they're recommended for kids 5 and older.
If you're hoping to see a kiddo in your life make it to the small screen on Kids Baking Championship, perhaps start with these tasty Duff Goldman DIY baking sets. This particular kit contains most everything they'll need to create delicious s'mores sandwich cookies. Need we say more? The ingredients look amazing even before they're assembled.
Setting kids up for success in the kitchen is one of the keys to fostering their interest in cooking and also getting a yummy meal out of the deal. This Step Stool Chef cooking kit is easy to make, contains high quality ingredients, and will give a child in your life a big confidence boost when they are able to whip up dinner on their own. Plus, a double layer pasta bake sounds downright delicious. It's a win-win.
Aspiring pint-sized chefs will love this MasterChef Junior dumpling kit that comes with all of the tools needed for the job: steam basket, dumpling press, measuring cups and steamer paper. It also comes with eight recipe ideas (geared towards all different levels of experience) and a blank card for writing down their own recipe iteration. How fun is that? It's one thing to teach a kid how to make a sandwich on their own -- learning to make dumplings will hopefully take their cooking interest and skills to the next level.