2019 Best Kitchen Gifts for the Holidays

It’s that time of year again and we’d love to help you tick something off your undoubtedly long to-do list. That’s why we put together a list of 19 kitchen gift ideas that will guide you through some of the hottest cookware, appliances, and flavor collections this year. Since everyone’s got to eat, why not equip your loved ones with ways to make the process of preparing meals more efficient, delicious, and fun?

Let’s dive in to our game-changing gift ideas that range from $10 – $80 in 4 categories: Mastering Knife Skills, Starting to Meal Prep, Becoming a Flavor Aficionado, and Relying Less on Recipes. Keep reading to see our insights into what type of cooks might enjoy each item!

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Gifts for Mastering Knife Skills

1. Knife Sharpener

In the kitchen, a sharp knife is the safest knife to use. With a handy knife sharpener, you can help your loved ones avoid those nasty little cuts. This is a great present for anyone who likes to save money (no new knives to buy!), is passionate about reducing waste and protecting the planet (less knives thrown out!), or is short on time (faster slicing and dicing!).

2. Santoku Knife

To really up your dicing game, a good quality santoku knife is the way to go! This nimble knife prevents food from sticking to the blade due to the clever design of hollow dimples that create air pockets with each slice. This knife is the perfect gift for anyone who loves investing in quality and would love to speed up their cooking time by not having to constantly slide pieces off the blade.

3. Culinary Knife Set

A culinary knife set complete with chef’s, paring, and serrated paring knives and protective sheaths is a must in any kitchen. Whether slicing, chopping, or peeling, this versatile trio will get any home cook through their prep with ease and on towards a delicious dinner! This set is a great gift for a friend or relative who just got married, is moving into their first apartment, or wants to get into cooking more.

4. Curious Chef Knives

Equipping any family kitchen with a safe knife set for kids is always a good idea. Nylon blades are gentle on the skin of youngins learning the wonders of home cooking. By having the tools to let kids help with meal prep, you provide integral opportunities for bonding, making memories, and gaining confidence in the kitchen. This is a great gift for any kid who is 4+ years old and loves watching their parents cook.

5. Dual-Sided Cutting Board with Phone Holder

Having a multi-functional bamboo cutting board makes every day easier in the kitchen. The liquid groove on one side eliminates the mess of cutting and carving juicy ingredients while the other flat side is perfect for everyday chopping and slicing. When you add the handy phone slot into the picture, following any recipe or tutorial video quickly becomes infinitely easier. Anyone who enjoys resourcefulness, technology, or aesthetics will love this cutting board.

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Gifts for Helping with Meal Prep

1. Microwaveable Nested Storage Bowls

Colorful and microwave-safe nesting storage bowls are the meal prep answer we’ve all been looking for. With one bowl, you can go from prep, to fridge, to table. They are perfect for getting a head start on taco bars, brunch buffets, tomorrow’s lunches, and all of the weekend prep suggestions included in our meal plan service. These are great for someone who just moved to a new place, has limited kitchen space, loves efficiency, or wants to Mari Kondo their home.

2. 5-in-1 Vegetable Slicer

A budget-friendly 5-in-1 veggie slicer is a great device to navigate all of your vegetable prep with speed and ease! For all of your mandoline, julienne, ribbon, grating, and spiralizing needs, you can turn to 1 compact slicer that is perfect for kitchens without a lot of space. Bring zoodles, au gratin potatoes, and coleslaw to a friend’s (safe and intact) fingertips.

3. Wide Mouth Mason Jars

You don’t have to be a hipster to make good use of mason jars, which is great for fermenting, storing homemade dressings and sauces, taking a make-ahead lunch to work, and enjoying drinks and smoothies. If you give these jars along with a print out of our How to Make a Mason Jar Salad Infographic you’ll earn extra brilliance points!

4. Eco-Friendly Reusable Storage Bags

Having eco-friendly storage bags around your kitchen is one of the best things for you and the planet! They make it easy to prep ingredients for the coming week’s dinners, keep freezer leftovers, and bring healthy snacks to work. These are the perfect gift to let any environmentally-conscious friend, neighbor, coworker, or relative know that you care about their passions, too.

5. Avocado Food Huggers

Avocados are notoriously tricky to keep fresh once cut. Luckily, there is a solution: avocado huggers! These are a fun gift or stocking stuffer for any vegetarian, guacamole enthusiast, home sushi maker, or avocado tree owner.

6. Cook Smarts Meal Plan Subscription

One of the keys to meal prepping is being ready ahead of time. Sending a gift meal plan subscription to your loved ones will ensure they have weekly menus, weekend prep steps, and prep videos integrated into each recipe. This is a great present for anyone who likes being organized, wants to cook more healthy meals at home, or is interested in creating better habits.

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Gifts for Becoming a Flavor Aficionado

1. Chef’s Trio Hot Sauce Set

Samples are one of life’s most fun ways to try new things. This hot sauce sampler set comes with an Asian-inspired spicy ponzu, a curry-rich kerala sauce, a hot umami sauce with infused mushrooms and olives, and a log book to record every saucy impression. This set is a great gift for that friend or family member who loves trying new flavors or likes a spicy kick without bringing on the tears.

2. Moroccan Spice Collection

For anyone who savors the flavors of Marrakesh or wants to venture outside their dinner routine that has gone a bit stagnant, this Moroccan spice set is a must-try. The curry-like blend of ras el hanout, the heat of harissa, and the poultry-and-fish-perfected tagine spices can bring excitement and intrigue to anything from dips to entrees to seasoned french fries.

3. The Flavor Bible

Since flavor can make or break a dish, The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity is a wonderful way to ensure every home-cooked meal is one to remember. This one flavor guide combines the first-hand experience of dozens of exceptional chefs from top restaurants and is a great gift for anyone wanting to take cooking to the next level.

4. Tagine Herb & Spice Pinch Pots

Since not everyone likes the same amount of salt, pepper, or spice in their food, these mini tagine spice pots create the perfect solution. Traditional tagines are earthen cookware used in North Africa and West Asia and have a rich history dating back to the 9th century One Thousand and One Nights. These colorful pinch pot versions are handmade in Tunisia and are great for anyone who loves to host dinners or give an extra punch of flavor to all of their meals.

5. Jacobsen Black Garlic Sea Salt

Salt is one of the 4 essential elements of deliciously balanced cooking. That’s why this black garlic sea salt makes a great gift or stocking stuffer for anyone who wants to up their flavor game in a big way. If you want a smart gift combo, pair this artisan salt with the tagine pinch pots above!

6. Cook Smarts Flavor Profiles Print

Flavor is great, but without the right balance it won’t function right in a dish. That’s why having a print or poster of our guide to flavor profiles is an important addition to any kitchen. This is a great gift for anyone who likes to cook and wishes they could create culinary masterpieces with ease.

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Gifts for Learning to Rely Less on Recipes

1. Magnetic Pressure Cooker Cheat Sheets

When relying less on recipes, it’s imperative to know cooking times and liquid ratios. These cheat sheet magnets cover common proteins, grains, legumes, and veggies to help any home cook prepare a delicious dinner on the fly. They can serve as a great gift for anyone who uses a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.

2. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

Striking the right ratio of flavors and ingredients can be challenging without a guide, so help a friend out by giving them Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat. This ingenious cookbook has won international acclaim and can revolutionize the way your friends and family learn to cook new dishes without recipes. To add some cheeky charm to your gift, include a bottle of oil, a lemon, a chile, and that jar of black garlic sea salt we mentioned above.

3. How to Cook Without a Book

For any friend or family member that would love to be able to simply cook by heart, How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson is a must-read. This new edition includes delicious modern flavors and new techniques that can benefit anyone who wants to prepare dinner without needing a recipe.

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Helping friends and family have an easier and more enjoyable time preparing daily meals is a truly incredible way to demonstrate your love and appreciation for all that they do. With the new year right around the corner, we know any of these presents can give your loved ones the opportunity to experience less stress and enjoy more smiles in 2020.

If you want more cooking gift ideas, check out our past 6 years of curated lists:

2018 – 30 Meaningful Presents for Friends and Family
2017 – Great Kitchen Gift Combos
2016 – Gifts for Everyone – From Parents to Small Space Dwellers 
2015 – Gifts Ideas for Novice, Pro, and Kid Cooks
2014 – Presents Every Home Cook Can Use
2013 – Colorful Gifts to Bring a Bit of Fun to Any Kitchen

If anyone you know is struggling with what to buy for who this year, send our gift ideas along to them!

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A little note:

Some of the above links are Amazon affiliate links, which means we earn a small percentage from those sales. We use this affiliate revenue to support the continued growth of Cook Smarts. Thank you!

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