From Instant Pots to ice cream makers to knife sharpeners anyone can use, we have ideas that will keep the curious cook in your life tinkering away.
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The Best Instant Read Thermometer
ThermoWorks Thermapen One
A Luxe Cast Iron Skillet
Field Company No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet
A Classy Apron
Hedley & Bennett Waxman Apron
The Ultimate Cast Iron Cleaner
Field Company Cast Iron Care Kit
Shopping for the foodie can be tough, especially if you aren’t one yourself. To help you out, we’ve been testing and rating kitchen gear for years. If you have a dedicated amateur chef in your life who can’t let anyone nearby go hungry, we’ve gathered up some of our favorite gift ideas for every budget.
For more inspiration, be sure to check out our guides to the best blenders, essential pots and pans, chef knives, pizza ovens, and camp cooking.
Updated December 2024: We’ve added the Breville Smart Oven, an Ooni pizza oven, a walnut handled turner, a bread banneton, and an apron for the ages.
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Photograph: Thermoworks
The Best Instant Read Thermometer
ThermoWorks Thermapen One
Instant read thermometers are something every cook should have. It might be cool to saunter over to the grill and gently prod your steak with a finger and pronounce it medium well, but few of us can reliably do that. The Thermapen One will tell you the exact internal temperature in one second. No need for elaborate guesswork.
Cheap instant read thermometers litter Amazon, but we like the more expensive Thermapen One for its reliability (mine is five years old and still going strong) and speed. Yes, speed really does matter, because the longer the oven is open or the grill lid off, the more it cools and the more unevenly you end up cooking. Get them the best thermometer and you should guarantee they’ll temp your hanger steak exactly the way you like it.
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Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
A Luxe Cast Iron Skillet
Field Company No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet
This one isn’t your grandmother’s pan (which would be nice), but Field Company’s cast iron skillets are built to become your grandchildren’s pans. This isn’t our top pick in our forthcoming guide to cast iron pans, but it’s nicer (the top pick works fine, but isn’t really gift-level excellent). Field Company’s skillets are a cast above: well made, nicely pre-seasoned, and weighing considerably less than others (making them easier to handle), all of which makes them a great gift for any cook.
Another thing that sets Field Company pans apart is the hand-machining that’s done after it’s cast, which smooths it out and balances the pan pretty near perfectly. The pre-seasoning means your giftee doesn’t have to season it before use, though as with any cast iron pan, this one isn’t exactly nonstick out of the box. It takes a little while to build up a nice, smooth seasoning layer that’s truly nonstick, but once you do this pan will be very nearly as nonstick as a polymer-coated pan and last 100 times as long.
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Photograph: Martin Cizmar
A Classy Apron
Hedley & Bennett Waxman Apron
I’m going to spare you my rant on how waxed fabric is the best and just say that these aprons from Hedley & Bennett are the sort you’d expect to find in professional kitchens. They’re sturdy, well made, and—thanks to that waxed fabric—able to withstand a significant spill without any trouble. Unlike those tacky Kiss the Cook aprons most people are gifting, these actually stop stains from getting to your clothes. They’ll also last a lifetime. Hedley & Bennett does offer some customization options, including monogramming, so if you must add a cheesy slogan, you can. But don’t. Seriously. Don’t.
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Photograph: Field Company
The Ultimate Cast Iron Cleaner
Field Company Cast Iron Care Kit
If you gift the Field Company pan above, or if your foodie friend already has some cast iron pans, this cleaning kit is worth its weight in gold. The chain mail scrubber makes cast iron cleanup insanely easy—easier than a nonstick pan, in fact.
I’ll admit I was hesitant to use this at first, fearing it would strip off my hard-won seasoning, but that turns out to be a nonissue (well, I suppose you could strip your pans if you went overboard on the elbow grease, but I’ve had no issues in six months of testing). Instead, the scrubber made cleaning cast iron so easy my kids can do it.
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Photograph: Amazon
A Basket for the Baker
Bulka Banneton Bread Proofing Basket
I’ve been baking sourdough bread for years, though I am somewhat new to gluten-free sourdough, which I am currently trying to master. In all that time, I just let my loaves rise laid on a towel in whatever bowl was handy. This worked (especially using the trick of sprinkling some rice flour on your towel, which stops sticking), but it is nowhere near as nice as using this bowl.
This makes a great gift because this is the sort of thing many of us would never have bought on our own, but immediately simplifies life, thanks to the nonstick properties of the wood pulp. I don’t even have to use the rice flour trick with this thing. Dough just doesn’t stick. I also like the nice waffle texture this adds to the loaf, though there is also a smooth version and a grooved version if you prefer. Want to make a bread-baking package gift? Throw in a nice Danish dough whisk ($20) and a good bread lame ($15).
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Photograph: Ninja Kitchen; Getty Images
The Gift of Homemade Ice Cream
Ninja Creami
This gift never stops giving because once you make ice cream at home, that’s it—you’re addicted. It never stops; there must always be ice cream available. Fortunately, Ninja’s Creami (the name pains me, maybe take a Sharpie to it before you wrap it) can make all kinds of things, not just ice cream. Reddit is full of recipes from people making protein-rich, less-sweat treats in their Creamis. One thing to be aware of: The Creami is not small, so make sure whomever you’re buying it for has plenty of counter space so they can actually use it.
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Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
The Gift of Meat
Porter Road Meats
You know what cooks love more than tools and gear? Food. Why not give your favorite cook some actual food, like a gift box of richly marbled grass-fed beef, pasture-raised pork, and free-range chicken? Porter Road is one of our favorite online sources for meat thanks to its huge selection of cuts (though my favorite, the hanger steak, is rarely in stock). If you’re not sure what your giftee likes, you can always get them a curated box.
This is another one I know makes a great gift because I got Porter Road as a birthday present years ago and I’ve given it as a gift to several people since. You really can’t go wrong with anything here, unless the person you’re buying for is vegetarian or vegan, in which case you can get them a gift box from Purple Carrot.
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Photograph: Breville
A Counter Top Oven/Air Fryer Combo
Breville the Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro
I think I am the third person on the Gear Team staff to replace their oven with this Breville. Not that you have to replace your oven—just that this is so good, you could. We have. That’s why I think it makes a great gift. What cook couldn’t use a second oven?
You’ll often see this Breville listed as an air fryer (it’s in our guide to air fryers), but this is much more than an air fryer. It offers 13 cooking functions, from air frying to roasting to plain old baking. There’s even a mode for slow cooking and another for proofing your sourdough. It’s surprisingly roomy inside for how little space it occupies on your counter (it’s 21.5 inches wide, 15 inches deep and just over 12 inches tall). There’s 1-cubic-foot of cooking space, which Breville says can roast a 14-pound turkey. I haven’t tried that yet, but it will handily crank out fries to feed my family of five without even using all the spaces for trays (there’s room for four). Cleanup is nice and easy as well, though I will say you’ll want to clean regularly if you do anything greasy, as there’s nowhere for grease to go save your towel.
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Photograph: Zero Japan
A Salt Cellar
Zero Japan Salt Box
If you’re not a cook this might not make sense, but trust me; few things will improve cooking more than having a salt box (or cellar or pig or whatever you want to call it) by your stove. Sure, you can get by with a ramekin or similar small dish, but that’s the point of giving gifts—to elevate your loved one’s cooking experience in ways they never would themselves.
The thing about a salt box is you want easy access, but you also want to keep moisture at bay as much as possible. This salt cellar is the best compromise. It comes with a hinged lid that is easy to lift open with a fingernail, sits propped up while you’re cooking, and is easy to flap back down when you’re done. While you’re at it, grab them some fancy Peruvian pink salt to put in it.
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Photograph: KitchenAid
The Stand Mixer
KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer
There are other stand mixers; in fact, we have a guide to stand mixers, but let’s face it—this is the stand mixer. If your food-loving friend doesn’t have a KitchenAid stand mixer, and you can afford it, this will probably be the best gift they get. KitchenAid has been making this thing since 1937. While I wouldn’t say the design is unchanged (the original apparently weighed more than 50 pounds and wasn’t as sleek), it hasn’t changed much, which is a testament to how well it works.
In our testing, it was the most stable mixer at high speeds, and the tilt head model makes changing attachments a snap. It’s also quite versatile, with extra attachments such as a metal food grinder for meat, an ice shaver, a pasta roller, and a spice and citrus grinder (most sold separately).
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Photograph: Amazon
A Cutting Board Above
John Boos End Grain Maple Cutting Board
This one I have actually received as a gift myself—about 15 years ago and it still looks more or less like it did the day I got it. I know $250 seems ridiculous for a cutting board, but there’s a reason you find these in professional kitchens around the world. The end-grain build is made from cross sections of wood, so every part of the board is an end piece. This not only resists and hides blade marks, but it should keep your knives sharper longer.
That said, this thing is massive and heavy, so it’s not a great choice for some people, especially if your giftee has a small kitchen. If you don’t want to spend that much but like the idea, this edge-grain block from Boos is also great, and it’s only $87. There are also some smaller, lighter options in the edge-grain boards.
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Photograph: Masienda
A Tortilla Press and Heirloom Masa Harina
Masienda Tortilla Starter Kit
After living in Mexico for a year, I am unable to eat store-bought tortillas. Sure, they’re easy, there’s nothing to do but warm them, but they’re also limp, flavorless, sad little excuses for food. Fortunately making your own tortillas is incredibly easy—well, if you have a tortilla press. The best tortilla press I’ve used is this one from Masienda. I particularly like the ability to press larger tortillas.
If your foodie friend likes Mexican food, this gift will change their cooking world. This combo pack gives them everything they need to get started making their own tortillas: masa and a press. Homemade tortillas are things of beauty and exemplify what I love about cooking: using simple, high-quality ingredients to produce something far better than you would expect. The key to great tortillas is great masa harina and Masienda’s flour is my favorite (well, outside of Mexico anyway).
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Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
Linen Tea Towel Set
Rough Linen Orkney Linen Tea Towel Set
I know these make a good gift because I was gifted them. Actually just one, but that’s OK, it’s an awesome towel. These are meant to dry dishes, which they’re good at, and linen inhibits bacterial growth. That said, I don’t dry dishes much with mine—I find it a bit too nice and only do it in a pinch. I use it to cover dough while it rises and wrap up fresh-baked goods. These also just look good hanging in your kitchen. If you go with the full set of towels, your chef can do all of the above and more.
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Photograph: Ooni
The Gift of Homemade Pizza
Ooni Koda Pizza Oven
Home-baked pizza is a gift from the gods, but pizza ovens can be fiddly. You don’t want to gift your loved one with what amounts to an engineering project involving attachments, chimneys, and griddles. That’s where the Ooni Koda (8/10, WIRED Recommends) come in. It’s our favorite pizza oven for beginners. At around 21 pounds, the Koda is light and portable. The thin, powder-coated steel shell insulates well enough that it remains cool to the touch, even when the fire is burning (the Koda is a propane oven). Just slide in the baking stone, screw on the propane tank, and you’re ready to go. The door fits 12-inch pizza peels and 10-inch cast-iron skillets. The one downside is that you don’t want to store this one outdoors, because it will rust over time.
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Photograph: Amazon
A Stocking Stuffer Turner
Dexter-Russell Walnut Handled Pancake Turner
I got my first Dexter-Russell turner years ago now, and I like it so much I went out and bought three more. Perhaps it is irrational to like a $25 turner this much, but these are what enabled me to give up nonstick pans. Using this turner with a well-seasoned cast iron, in my experience, makes flipping food as easy as it is in a non-stick pan, but without the weird polymers potentially in your food.
These days I cook exclusively with cast iron and stainless steel, and these are hands-down the best turners I’ve ever used for everything except fish. For delicate things like fish you need a slotted turner like this ($25). For everything else, this is what you need. Stick a couple in your foodie’s stocking and I promise they’ll love it.
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Photograph: Instant Pot/Drop
The Good Instant Pot
Instant Pot Pro Plus
There are many Instant Pots, but the Pro Plus (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best. The big difference is that the cooking surface is nice and flat (unlike most of the others where the center is domed up slightly), which means your oil is distributed evenly and you can properly sear things in this model. The control panel is definitely the nicest of the Instant Pot line. There are eight programs, including pressure cook, slow cook, steam, rice, sauté, and warm. The Pro Plus also has a bit more power—1,200 watts to the 1,000 watts on many of the other models, which makes for better browning, a key component of many pressure-cooker recipes. Speaking of recipes, the one downside is the smart portion of the equation. We found it not that smart. Instructions are vague, and recipes did not come out well in our testing. Tell whomever you give it to to just ignore the app.
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Photograph: Amazon
The Best Home Knife Sharpener
Walnut Rolling Knife Sharpener
This is the easiest, most consistent way to sharpen knives, which means your beloved chef will not only have a way to sharpen their knives, they’ll also actually use it. Knife nerds turn up their noses at this sort of thing, but most cooks, even professional cooks, don’t really care about burr building and knives that slice paper to a clean edge. We just want a way to sharpen a knife to a good edge with little to no time and effort. That’s what the Horl system provides.
In my testing it produced a more consistent edge than any of the pull-through sharpeners most home cooks rely on, and it’s smaller to boot. I should probably point out that there are cheaper, knock-off versions of this available. Do not buy them. Their magnets are inferior, the rollers aren’t nearly as smooth, and the results are noticeably worse. Just because everyone on TikTok and YouTube is hawking them does mean they’re good, it just means they have a larger advertising budget. Get the original, get the Horl. Yes, it costs more, but it’s a better value because it actually works. The bundle version linked here includes extra sharpening grits and a nice strop, and makes the better gift, though you can also buy those separately for $139.
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Photograph: Bee’s Wrap
Natural Wrap
Bees Wrap Cotton Food Wraps
Let’s face it. Plastic is kinda gross. Do you really want to swaddle your food in it? Help your friends and family kick the plastic habit with these awesome plastic wrap alternatives. Made of organic cotton that is then coated with a blend of beeswax, plant oil, and tree resin, these wraps take the place of plastic-wrap-seal containers. You can store cheese or even wrap up sandwiches for a picnic. This three-pack makes a good starter set with sizes ranging from the smallest—perfect for wrapping up the other half of that avocado—to the largest, which is 13 by 14 inches. If your friend is vegan, Bee’s Wrap also has some non-bee wraps coated with coconut and soy.
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Photograph: Amazon
The Book of Mexican-Style Grilling
by Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral
Every year WIRED does a roundup of our favorite cookbooks, and this was our pick from last year’s guide. It’s so good, I am putting it here again. Most cookbooks I’ve ever had I end up trying maybe a dozen recipes and coming away with one or two that I actually make regularly. Not so here. I’ve made almost everything in Asada in the past year and regularly cook at least a dozen of the recipes. The Pollo Yucateco Asado and Arrachera Verde are favorites in my family, as is the Cauliflower and Jalapeño en Escabeche, which even my vegetable-shunning 10-year-old loves. If the cook in your life likes Mexican food, this is one of the most consistently excellent cookbooks I own. Pair it with the tortilla press gift set above to get your cook off to a solid start.
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Photograph: Opinel
Gateway Knife
Opinel Le Petit Chef
If there’s a budding young chef on your list, this knife makes a fantastic gift. French knifemaker Opinel—best known for its folding knives—offers this mini chef’s knife set for kids who want to help slice and dice in the kitchen. It’s a real chef’s knife, with a real edge on it, which means it might not be the best gift for other people’s kids, but perfect for your own. The size is good for child hands and the red ring helps ensure they keep a good grip. It was a little small for my 10-year-old, but my 7-year-old loves it. I think it’s probably ideally suited for ages 4 through 8, but of course, every child is different, so you’ll have to use your own judgment.
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Photograph: Amazon
The Best Blender
Vitamix 5200
I initially resisted the Vitamix. How can a blender possibly be worth that much money when others sell for $50? There’s a good chance your giftee feels the same way, and you’re going to turn them into a fan of the Vitamix. Yes, they are expensive. But also, yes, they are totally worth it, even if your favorite chef is not a “blender person.”
The Vitamix 5200 is the reference blender in the world of blenders. Once you have one, you will find a million uses for it. Whipped cream? Of course! Ultrasmooth refried beans? Sounds great. Homemade chocolate-date energy bars? Check, although this is the one thing that has ever actually made the motor overheat. My point is: The Vitamix isn’t just for smoothies. In fact, I’ve never made a smoothie in mine.
Scott Gilbertson is Operations Manager for the WIRED Reviews Team. He was previously a writer and editor for WIRED’s Webmonkey.com, covering the independent web and early internet culture. You can reach him at luxagraf.net.