15 Christmas Gifts For Anyone Who’s Passionate In the Kitchen
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As a cook the gifts that interest me most are ones I can use in the kitchen, but a lot of people who arent particularly passionate about cooking just don't know what to buy or instead, buy some crappy, novelty kitchen gadgets that really don't have an practical use. Dog shaped pepper mills or some weird 5-bladed herb sissors are a no go for a chef, try one of these practical gifts we'd actually enjoy (or need) using.
1. A Kitchen Timer
A kitchen timer is super useful for keeping you on track when you’re making several dishes or one dish with several different aspects. In my experience using a phone is pretty inconvenient and a timer is much easy to clean should you touch it with dirty hands.
Whether you go for a digital or mechanical timer, you want to make sure you buy a timer that durable that’s easy to wipe down with a cloth. It may seem like an underwhelming gift at first, but a timer is a great way for a cook to test their speed, among other things.
2. Culinary Torch
A culinary torch isn’t something you think you’d need but once you have it, it opens up a lot of doors. It’s not only good for specific dishes like creme brulee. It has a lot of practical uses for things like melting sugar or cheese or adding some color to a dish like meringue or a gratin.
3. Beeswax Food Wraps
Beeswax food wraps are thin cotton cloths soaked in food-grade beeswax as well as rosin and edible oils. They’re reusable and an eco-friendly alternative to one-time plastic wrap.
Beeswax paper can be used to wrap almost any food from fruits and vegetables to leftovers and baked goods. Although you can wrap meat in it without affecting the flavor and texture of the meat, although there is a concern about pathogens.
4. Heat Resistant Gloves
Heat resistant gloves let you handle hot things with much more control than oven mitts. They’re a must for people who enjoy grilling and baking because they have a much higher heat tolerance than conventional mitts making them perfect for hot stones or controlling a fire in a grill.
5. Sourdough Proofing Baskets
You’re not a real baker until you can make a beautiful loaf of sourdough, and this is the perfect gift to get a person started. Even if you know an avid sourdough baker, you can never have too many proofing baskets. While you’re at it, you cant make proper sourdough without a bread lame.
6. A Spice Grinder
Switching from pre-ground and processed spices to grinding my own improved my cooking by a long shot. It’s not an expensive gift but it goes a really long way in the hands of a chef.
7. A Knife Sharpener
Take it from someone who constantly sharpens his own set of kitchen knives, you can never have enough sharpening devices be it a whetstone or one of those little pull-through sharpeners. If you or someone you know is a true ‘razor’s edge freak’ invest in a good Japanese water stone for them.
8. A Cooking Stone
Not enough cooks have a cooking stone. Compared to metal baking sheets, baking stones have a porous surface, which means the surface has these minute interstices that allow air and water to flow through them.
Anything you bake that needs to come out crispy can be baked on a stone. Loaves of bread, pastries, scones, and pretty much anything else you can think of in that nature. Stones can also be heated and then placed on a table to use as a grill because they retain their heat very well.
Stones are a secure option when buying a gift for a chef because they come in many different sizes and materials like marble, granite, pink salt, slate, fire clay, and lava stone.
9. Pastry Set
Pastry Sets are by no means a must, but they make life a lot easier, especially when you’re dealing with something as delicate as pastry. Pastry sets come with a number of handy tools like rolling pins you can measure with, dough blenders, bench scrapers, and a baking mat for measuring and baking as well.
10. Cast-Iron Crockpot
As someone who loves to cook, I don’t like using instant pots or slow cookers. A cast-iron Crockpot is bright, stylish, and last a lifetime assuming you (or in this case the recipient) knows how to care for it.
11. An Immersion Circulator
An immersion circulator for sous vide is another good first for a passionate chef. Unless it’s their particular style, not many chefs would think to buy a sous vide circulator. Note that if you are buying an immersion circulator for someones who has never used sous vide, you should buy the whole set.
12. A Good Meat Thermometer
You can’t go wrong with a proper meat thermometer. It’s the best and most accurate way to cook any type or cut of meat. These remote thermometers connect directly to your phone via an app and it makes everything about smoking, grilling, and roasting a charm.
13. Carving Knife
Carving knife blades are thinner and more narrow for more accurate slices.
14. Stand Mixer
While it’s pricy a stand mixer is one of the most multi-functional pieces of cookware anyone can own. The list of things you can do with one of these especially with all its attachments is endless.
15. Dog Food Cookbook
If you know a chef who has a particular love for his or her cainaine buy something with which they can improve their dogs life. I love dogs. I've been around them my whole life and I don't like the idea of feeding them dried kibble day in and day out throughout their lives. Fresh meats, fish, organs, and vegetables are just as beneficial for our furry friends than they are for us, a dog food cookbook is a great way to strengthen the bond between man and his best friend.
