Best 21 Gifts for Foodies
Cooking is an art, and so is the bearing of fitting gifts. But what does ‘fitting’ mean for that special food aficionado each of us has in our lives?
Is yours an annoying know-it-all with in-depth knowledge of the vast world of earthly cuisine, or simply a true-at-heart foodie who thinks good food not only brings people together but has the potential to end wars?
We take them both on here, because we know these wonderful food indulgers really could save the world one day – one good, tasty bite at a time.
And to help them in that quest, when the time comes to gift your special food lover, what better than to present a food related goodie?
Whatever the occasion, a well-thought gift is always well received and has that incredible power to put a smile on their face.
Perhaps that special sauce you noticed them smother their French fries with last summer holiday, some exotic almost unheard-of spices, a cutting-edge piece of cutlery, or even going the whole nine yards with a cooking course or a dinner prepared by their favorite chef, there is indeed an entire world of gifts for foodies.
The list below will help you find the perfect one for that special foodie in your life. And, if you get it right, you might even get invited to dinner.
Drop it like it’s hot… because it is!
You know your foodie friend likes it hot, but you’re not so sure about the what-kind-of-hot part. This is no longer a problem anymore because the right amount of hot and spicy, flavor and instant tears are now to be found in the Uncommon Goods’ DIY sauce kit. The best of the best when it comes to real hotness – dried guajillo peppers, dried chipotle peppers, dried arbol peppers, cayenne, ancho chile – have been put together here to help any hot-and-spicy lover make their own selection of piquant sauces.
Following simple instructions, your favorite chef will soon fill the six bottles that come with the kit with the tastiest hot sauce they’ll be happy to put their mark on. This DIY kit includes: vinegar, sugar, gloves, sterilizing solution, small funnel, six fl. oz. bottles, and bottles labels.
Price: around $40
On a lower hot key…
After an epic visit to Thailand, your foodie has returned not only with lots of vivid memories but with a newfound love for Thai cuisine and its flavored spiciness. Since then they have been hunting down the Sriracha – a mild dipping chili sauce from Thailand – any chance they get. You cannot add any more to their Sriracha pantry stash, but you definitely can put an extra ring on their key chain, and a smile on their face, with a handy little bottle of hot sauce to go.
This rather adorable Siriracha keychain duo is made of two miniature empty bottles for filling with sauce and carried around to spice up any food at any time, from sandwiches to elaborate restaurant dishes.
Price: $13.99
The cookie master
Who would have thought that cookies and milk – that ultimate tasty combo – could get any better with an addition to their unbreakable chemistry? This quintessential tool is designed to make every cookies-and-milk lover submerge even more into this sweet delicious process.
A definite must-have, The Ultimate Cookie Spoon from The Dipr will immediately take its rightful place in any foodies cutlery drawer, offering the most complete cookie dipping experience anyone could ask for.
Price: $9
A cheesy cut
Perhaps your special chef has a particular love of cheese. Made from stainless steel with a rather rustic touch of rattan, these serving knives are an essential addition to cheese boards and would make an elegant addition to the picnic basket.
Price: $42
Dinner plates to contemplate
Whether we’re talking about delicate china, transparent glass, or hard wood, whether plain white or bedecked with color, the tableware is an important part of any successful dining experience, making the food look even tastier. A true feast for the eyes, these four Renee Dinner Plates are an elegant combo of artful design, depicting birds and flowers, and fine ceramics.
Price: $88
Pasta in the house
There is no pasta lover in the world who doesn’t wish (secretly at least) to make their own pasta. You can recognize a pasta devotee by the fact that they can tell with ease the difference between linguine, fettuccine and spaghetti and that they usually enjoy them at trademarked Italian restaurants. (These places are well known for their fresh homemade pasta and special recipes that chefs carry on as a legacy from their nonna.)
This Atlas 150 Pasta Machine, made in Italy by Marcato Design from nickel and chrome plated-steel, does not take too much space in the kitchen, or storage space for that matter, and is considered “the Ferrari of the pasta machine world”. It’s easy to use and, with the right ingredients, will make and then cut pasta dough for traditional types of Italian pasta.
Price: $74.99
Be the Family Chef
Not that you aren’t already! This handcrafted enamel dutch oven from Crumble Cookware is perfect for cooking and baking for the entire family, especially if you love slow-cooked soups and stews. And it’s gorgeous – you can almost use it as decor as it provides a sweet pop of color on the stovetop.
Pink sand (see picture below) is our favorite color, with five other options available to customers.
Add it to the mixer
Any lover of good home-cooked food will appreciate a good mixer on their kitchen counter (I know I would!). With a unique design and enough capacity to feed a family, this 100-year celebratory limited edition Queen of Hearts Stand Mixer by KitchenAid® is but a piece of true beauty that will give any kitchen a splash of style and color.
As its name suggests, the mixer can help to prepare not only dough and batter, but most daily meals “from pasta to burgers, veggie noodles, ice cream and more”, making it a really important aid in the kitchen.
Price: $399.99
Ironman in a pan
A good strong cast iron skillet is practically indestructible and a must-have in any dedicated cook’s household. This 12.5 inch Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet – Utopia Kitchen allows superior heat retention, which keeps food warm for longer. It also adds some extra iron to the food – an important feature to take into account, especially if you’re foodie is female.
Price: $24.95
Fondue at your service
This melting (literally) dish lets everyone at the table participate in preparing their own food – from pieces of bread to pieces of meat and fruit – by dipping them in warm melted cheese, hot oil, or warm chocolate.
Whether it is melting cheese or chocolate, this innovative Oster Fondue Pot | Titanium Infused DuraCeramic Fondue Maker cooks the ingredients faster, saving up to 30% energy and time, and makes any table gathering of friends or family a warm delicious event.
Price: $34.99
A sharp cut
The Japanese are well-known not only for their trademark foods but also for their trademark kitchen knives – miniature Samurai swords, one might say. Definitely a gift for a foodie who likes to cook, cutting every piece perfectly in the process, a Japanese blade makes a wonderful addition to the kitchen collection.
Crafted in the workshop of a real blacksmith, the ‘super shark & ultra light’ Yu Kurosaki Knives will rank amongst the most prized possessions and rule over the cutlery of any household.
Price: $219 – 749
A toast to memory lane
A good Western breakfast requires a good bread toaster. But how about a nostalgic elegant looking one which, besides browning the traditional slices of bread, will give even more meaning to bagels and muffins? The New and Improved Retro Wide 2-Slice Toaster by Nostalgia comes with five browning levels, a defrost function, and a crumb tray that can be easily cleaned.
Price: $29.56
Chocolate like a pro
Is your foodie person also a party lover? Then this Chocolate Pro Chocolate Fountain – Chocolate Fondue Fountain by Wilton will give their future parties another ‘dip’ meaning: a sweet chocolaty one. Designed with a special bowl to keep the chocolate “melted and flowing”, this fountain holds up to 4 pounds (1.8 kg) of melted chocolate and will keep many party guests happy.
Price: $45.44
By the book
Just like the country itself, Indian cuisine is filled with color and aroma, not to mention the perfect balance of the ingredients found in every single bowl of food.
That being said, it is almost impossible to find a true foodie who is not fond of at least one single Indian dish, if not of the entire delicious cuisine. And because Indian cooking is anything but simple – a single dish has at least seven basic (read: highly important!) ingredients – an Indian cook book is a must-have for the home chef.
Restaurant at home
A gift for a friend who loves the eating out experience? Buy them an elegant cutlery they will love you for. The “Contemporary in style” Villeroy & Boch’s Boston set goes perfectly with an elegant dinner table setting, as these stellar stainless steel cutlery pieces were surely created to impress.
Price: £629.30
For the urban-modern foodie, go for this elegant matt black luxury 20-Piece Stainless Steel Satin Finish Flatware Set Service for four, a Tableware Cutlery Set for Home and Restaurant by Sharecook that will make every home served meal feel like dining out. Suitable for daily use or for special gatherings, this set is made of stainless steel, is durable and eco-friendly, and can be cleaned easily by hand or in the dish washer.
Price: $55.99
Personalized cutting boards
Crafted from a special kind of wood, like the very beautiful Greek boards made from chunks of olive tree, these wooden cutting boards are not only very beautiful but are also required equipment in any kitchen.
The personalized ones come with an equally beautiful written message, elegantly carved on one side of the board, a cute drawing, or even with a recipe, all depending which special foodie the customized cutting board is intended for.
Price: $15 – 100
Cheese lover starter pack
No cheese lover will say no to this Cutting Board Cheese and Bread Serving Tray Board with Tools from Teals Prairie. Handmade and ready to be engraved on request, this cutting board comes with three nifty tools that take cheese serving to a new level – the professional one.
Of course, you’ll still need to add a fine assortment of cheeses, crackers, nuts, and a matching wine to make the gift perfect.
Price: $49.99
Stellar dinner experiences
Maybe your foodie friend is more into culinary experiences (and what food lover isn’t?) than practical gifts. So a very appropriate thing to do would be to take them out to a superstar restaurant. You could choose between specific cuisines, finding one that your friend has yet to try, a fusion place or, even better, a restaurant whose chef is proud of their one (or more) Michelin star.
Better still, you could surprise your foodie (especially if your friend has a sweet tooth) with a dinner at their favorite pastry chef’s place, where they can enjoy that special and unique dessert they love so much. And maybe, who knows, the pastry chef in question will be there to even make it for them.
Last but not least, take your favorite foodie to a restaurant where they can enjoy the company of the house chef cooking in front of them.
Japanese places are renowned for creating a culinary experience where all the senses are practically served, but you can definitely find various other places where the chef will cook in front of you and even prepare a specially designed menu with all your friend’s favorites.
Make sure to organize this surprise dinner in plenty of time as the restaurants offering this kind of culinary experience are always booked well in advance.
If your beloved foodie is the romantic kind, choose a restaurant serving French food. There’s nothing more romantic than French cuisine. And if you happen to be celebrating an anniversary, there here are more romantic anniversary ideas you can check out.
Learn to cook like a pro
At the end of the day, a cooking class could be actually the best gift you could offer your foodie friend. There are now online versions of these rather delicious schools that they can save you a lot of time and money, and you get to use you own cooking tools and make the best of your kitchen.
Taught by prestigious chefs from all around the world, these online classes teach you the basics, and the final touches that make all the difference, of some of the most famous international dishes: from the light and sweet desserts of the French, the infamous macaron, to cooking lobsters to discovering the secrets of maybe a less-explored cuisine, such as Vietnamese.
The online cooking classes can also teach your foodie how to be a daredevil in the kitchen and how to… innovate, innovate, innovate. Let’s not forget the ‘certificate of completion’ received at the end.
Prices: $18.99, $29.99 – 299
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