If you happen to have a foodie in your life, this list will give you a few fresh ideas as you shop for them. If you happen to be a foodie, feel free to send this link to someone who loves you and loves the food you cook for them. Bon Appetit!
Classic Basics:
Williams-Sonoma Classic Striped Dishtowels. These towels are without a doubt the BEST. I know, it’s a towel– but these are the most long-lasting, absorbent towels and they hold their shape after countless washes. They are huge too, not your typical tiny towel. They come in several pretty colors, including a Holiday Stripe which is SO fun. Seriously. Have I ever steered you wrong?
All-Clad Stainless Steel Measuring Cups. These are more in the luxury items than the melamine ones I used to cook with, but these do not warp, melt or disappear in my dishwasher. All the love for things that don’t do that. And they look like itty bitty cooking pots.
All-Clad Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
Anthropologie Milk Bottle Measuring Cups
Anthropologie Aprons! This one and This one!
Glass 9-piece Nesting Bowls. I have had a set like this for 15 years. Completely Indispensable.
10-inch Cast Iron Skillet by Lodge. We cook in this non-descript, un-fussy cast iron skillet nearly every day and it’s quite reliable. The 12-inch size is great too. Also, the Cast Iron Flat Griddle makes the BEST pancakes!
This Glass Salt Cellar, We have this and I love having my salt handy but still covered.
Olivewood Salt Keeper. This one makes a gorgeous gift for the foodie in your life.
Pretty Books to Cook from:
(Don’t Forget there is a $5 off a $15 Amazon book purchase with the code, GIFTBOOK.)
The Joy of Cooking Cookbook
Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child Volume I.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 2 Volume hardback set. Timeless and thorough if you’re interested in French cuisine the Julia way. Which really, what other way is there?
Deep Run Roots by Vivian Howard. This one is not on my shelf (yet!) but comes highly recommended and is the most gorgeous book in person!
Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist. I cook from this beautiful life and table memoir that it remains in my kitchen.
Stocking Stuffers:
Honestly, I could do an entire post on this.
Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste. I knew I married the man of my dreams when he gave me a jar of this goodness in my stocking. It is the BEST for adding to cake batter, frostings, glazes, anything that you want to have vanilla bean flavor and those gorgeous dark flecks without fooling with (or purchasing) vanilla beans themselves. This one I linked to is a set of two, but you can try your local fresh market.
Full-circle Bubble Up Ceramic Soap Dispensing Brush. Looks great on the counter and handy for cleaning that cast iron skillet.
Lizzy and Jane by Katherine Reay. I still love this delightful foodie novel.
My Life in France by Julia Child
Kuhn Rikon Colored Paring Knife. I use these little knives more than once a day– and I love that they come in their own sleeve.
Zak Garlic Peeler. This is my recent discovery and wow. For all of you out there that have already known that this little gadget already works… WHY DIDN’T YOU SHARE THE LOVE?? Really, though. I have been peeling garlic with my fingernails for years and we cook with a lot of garlic, especially for salad dressing. This works like a magical garlic charm. Never have I loved a uni-tasker Kitchen tool more. Ok I’ll stop. But really. Best five dollars spent.
Italian Olivewood Spoon. Beautiful and functional and looks great sticking out of a stocking or tied up with ribbon on a cookbook.
OXO Good Grips Fish Spatula. Okay this is indispensable in our kitchen– for way more than turning fish. It is my favorite Spatula, forever and ever, amen.
Gadgets & Luxury Items:
OXO Food Scale— Whichever one of these you choose, you want one you can use your own bowl with and one that has a Grams function as well as ounces.
An instant read thermometer. Wonderful for cooking meat, baking bread, etc. Here’s a luxury one you’ll likely never have to replace or a more reasonable option that has great reviews.
Boos Cutting Boards. I cannot speak from personal experience on these, but I do know them to be the best. One with feet like this one is nice, or I also like one you can flip over and use both sides. I know. Notice these are in the “luxury” category. These boards are great for cutting and even better for building a cheese platter.
Looftlighter Fire Lighting Tool. My friend Amanda told me all about this and I think it sounds way cool. If you hate waiting for your Charcoal to get ready, this lights fires and grills in an instant. No lighter fluid, No chemicals– just Hot air.
Le Creuset Dutch Oven. (Luxury Item/ Investment) Ok before you kindly scoff that I’m living in a dream world– do not, I repeat do not click on this link and purchase this pot from Amazon, no matter what. Go to an outlet store, pick up all the pots– see which size you really want. Imagine it full of soup and then decide. Shop your local Homegoods or T.J. Max, they have amazing deals on these! Or go during a sale, use a coupon, and still know that this Dutch oven is an investment. We bought ours on clearance when we were first married and it has served us better than anything in our kitchen. We will undoubtedly pass it down, only slightly worse for the wear, when we are too old and feeble to lift it out of the cabinet. But I would never condone paying full price for Le Creuset– even if they are awesome. Trust me.
Did you enjoy this post? I have something else you might like.
I would love to give you a free copy of my PDF E-book, Simmer: Six Seasonal Soups & the Stories that Inspired them.
( All particular product photographs are credited to Amazon, Sur la Table, and Williams Sonoma. Amazon Affiliate Links do appear above. This means that at no additional cost to you, Amazon thanks a blogger like myself with a tiny percentage of every sale made as a result of pointing people in their direction. These little percentages help offset the cost of this site. As always, I never recommend a product to you unless I know it’s good. Most of the things on this list are in my kitchen so I know they are great!)
Fantastic list!