We all have foodies in our lives—and they’re notoriously hard to buy gifts for. What’s the newest trendy kitchen appliance? Which restaurants should they check out? Where can I find a not-your-average wine gift basket? We’ve scoured the Web to find gift ideas—and things we’re adding to our wish list—that’ll impress even the most discerning foodies. From wine-infused jerky to the must-have cast-iron skillet, gift giving just became a piece of cake.
Less Than $30
Fred Mix Stix
Kitchen utensils should be versatile. These wooden spoons don’t just mix and beat ingredients—they double as drumsticks, so they can actually drop a sick beat. Maybe that’s what Michael was talking about when he said “Just beat it!” Either way, these wooden spoons will help your food hit all of the right notes. ($11; fredandfriends.com)
Coffee Keeps Me Busy Until It’s Time to Be Drunk Flask
Have truer words ever been spoken? Sometimes we like to keep our love of coffee and alcohol on the down low, and other times we love to shout it from the rooftops. This flask is for those latter occasions. The salmon-colored container is classier than any brown paper bag you’d otherwise be toting. The flask is also the perfect way for you to save money during a night on the town. ($27.95; zazzle.com)
OpenTable Gift Card
It’s hard to remember exactly which restaurants your foodie friends have already been to—and more importantly, which restaurants they like. The OpenTable gift card lets your friends and love ones pick a restaurant they’d like to try from thousands of options nationwide. The best perk of all: They can make their reservation online. (starting at $10; opentable.com)
Sriracha2Go
We’ve never met a meal that couldn’t be improved with a few squirts of sriracha. Our real problem is not having sriracha at arm's length at all times. Thankfully, we now have a solution: Sriracha2Go, a convenient ounce-and-a-half refillable bottle of the sweet and garlicky hot sauce. The bottle also comes with a carabiner clip making it easy to attach to key chains, bags, and even belt buckles. (starting at $7; sriracha2go.com)
The Greatist Cookbook
We have tons of cookbooks with dog-eared and sauce-splattered pages. But we could never find one resource where every recipe was healthy with a few easy-to-find ingredients and minimal preparation time. So we created our own e-book with recipes from our favorite food bloggers. Each recipe has no more than eight everyday ingredients and takes fewer than 20 minutes to prepare with basic kitchen equipment. ($24.95; greatist.com)
Greenblender Holiday Smoothies
Smoothies taste great, but it can be hard for the at-home smoothie enthusiast to track down all of the necessary ingredients, like hemp seed and camu camu. This holiday box from our friends at Greenblender includes a superfood sampler with more than a dozen hard-to-find ingredients. And best of all: The box comes with 10 amazing smoothie recipes, from green tea eggnog to peppermint mocha, that’ll leave you wondering why didn’t jump on the smoothie bandwagon sooner. ($25; greenblender.com)
Less Than $50
Sur La Table Vegetable and Fruit Spiral Slicer
Zucchini noodles (a.k.a. zoodles) are one of the hottest food trends right now. They’re super versatile and healthy—and couldn’t be easier to make when you have your very own spiralizer. This contraption spins the produce of your choice into a spaghetti-like strands that can be pan-fried, baked, added to soup, or simply eaten fresh. Mangia! ($35; surlatable.com)
Carnival Hand-Blown Tequila Shot Glasses
These colorful confetti shot glasses are almost too pretty to use—almost. The set of six hand-blown glasses tells guests that you’re down to have fun but have grown past those shot glasses from your college days with sayings like, “Hit me with your best shot.” Plus, they’re sold through a fair trade company that helps support small artisans. ($39.99; novica.com)
IMUSA Espresso Maker
Sometimes a cup of coffee just won’t give the caffeine kick you need. For those days, there’s always espresso. And rather than buy a fancy espresso maker, opt for this simple, no-frills version. Put in your ground beans and water, and in minutes you’ll have a few steaming shots of espresso. ($37.30; lowes.com)
OneHope Pinot for Paws Woof Gift Box
Wine might be a top contender for man’s best friend, but inevitably dogs always win out. This gift set can give you the best of both worlds: a bottle of wine for you and treats for your furry friend. And it’s not just the pinot noir that’ll leave you feeling good. More than half of all profits support the ASPCA and its programs to help animals throughout the U.S. ($49.00, onehopewine.com)
Snow Leopard Vodka
Looking for a gift for someone who loves animals as much as they love happy hour? Here you go! Snow Leopard Vodka was started in an effort to raise awareness and save the animals from extinction—and 15 percent of company’s profits go toward snow leopard conservation projects. Now that’s something to drink to. ($39.99; astorwines.com)
Less Than $100
Mouth Indie Christmas Stocking
Skip the stocking stuffers and go for the whole shebang with this pre-stuffed stocking Mouth, one of our favorite marketplaces for indie food. This stocking comes with the perfect mix of savory and sweet treats: cinnamon goat milk caramel, organic dried cherries, strawberry lemon gum drops, peppermint sticks and bark, and candied ginger dark chocolate and sea salt chocolate bars. ($60; mouth.com)
Man Crate Personalized Barware
An essential part of any man (or woman) cave are personalized pint glasses. (And it makes it much harder for any of your friends to accidentally walk off with any of your glassware when they have your name right on them!) This Man Crate gift set comes with four personalized pint glasses and coasters, as well as pistachios, beer nuts, peanuts, and corn nuts—all the fixings to make a killing counter chow. ($99.99; mancrates.com)
Swiss Diamond Nontsick Fry Pan
It’s always nice to add a little bling to your kitchen. And we’re not talking about embellishing your mixer with gold like Beyonce. The diamond-reinforced coating makes this the best nonstick pan you can find. There’s no need for butter or oil, and clean up couldn’t be easier. Both fashionable and functional, this is like the little black dress of the kitchen. ($99.95; swissdiamond.us)
Bulu Box Healthy Cooking Gift Bundle
So many of us make resolutions to eat healthier in the new year after indulging during the holidays. This gift set—from the people at Bulu Box, who are already experts in sending monthly boxes of healthy goodies—makes keeping that resolution even easier. The bundle includes superfood oil, green tea, chia seeds, and a specialty cutting board to prep all of those healthy meals. ($65; bulubox.com)
Clos du Bois Krave Jerky Gift Set
How do you make beef jerky even better? Infuse it with wine. The good people at Clos du Bois have partnered with Krave Jerky to create these mouthwatering bites of meaty goodness. The set comes with a bottle of chardonnay paired with honey rosemary turkey jerky or cabernet sauvignon matched with balsamic blackberry beef jerky. It’s the perfect gift for the classy people in your life who occasionally like to celebrate their caveman roots. ($65; closdubois.com)
Cheers to Brooklyn Holiday Box
If you have any former New Yorkers on your gift-giving list—or even those who aspire to one day live in the concrete jungle—this is the present for them. The holiday box comes with lots of Brooklyn provisions, including a bottle of wine, roasted garlic pepper seasoning, pasta, and organic chocolate. The only thing left to do is channel your inner Hannah Horvath. ($65; bkwinery.com)
Club W Gift Card
Wine is one of the tried and true gifts of any holiday season. But does your friend like sauvignon blanc or was it cabernet sauvignon? Club W takes away the guess work. The company’s gift cards allow friends and loved ones to choose the perfect bottle for them from dozens of the world’s top-rated wines. (starting at $50; clubw.com)
Splurge (Because #yolo)
Bisbell Knife Rack Gift Set
This is the perfect present for any cooks in your life—especially ones that are pressed for space. The beautifully design magnetic wall rack provides a convenient spot for the five colorful knives. The gift set also comes with hooks and a cup to hold other kitchen essentials, which will leave the kitchen so organized that there will always be plenty of room for slicing and dicing. ($102.09; bisbellmagnets.com)
Keurig 2.0
We didn’t think the people at Keurig could make brewing a cup of coffee any easier, but that’s exactly what the Keurig 2.0 does. The new model sports a fancy touchscreen, and this Keurig isn’t just a single-cup coffee maker. The new model come with a larger 4-cup coffee pot and bigger pods that can be used to make two- and four-cup brews. (starting at $149.99; keurig.com)
Krups Grind & Brew Coffee Maker
This space-saving coffee maker tops the list for those who prefer that their cup of joe doesn’t come from a pod. The all-in-one device comes with a grinder on top of the typical coffee pot set-up. Our favorite part: The factory settings come with five levels of coffee grind and three levels of coffee strength, which means we all can make a mug to our liking. ($179.99; krupsusa.com)
Blendtec Classic 575 Blender
This amazing blender will pulverize whatever food you put in its chamber and turn it into a drinkable treat. After all, this super powerful appliance has blended everything from iPhones to Rubik’s Cubes, so your kale and cucumbers will be a piece of cake, er, smoothie. And best of all: The blender’s clean cycle will make washing a breeze. ($379.99; blendtec.com)
Finex Cast-Iron Skillet
The price tag might seem steep, but this skillet is one of the rare things you’ll buy for your kitchen with a “good forever” warranty. The design of the skillet is a feat of modern engineering. The octagonal shape makes pouring foolproof and the stainless steel spring handle means that griping and holding the skillet is easy despite being heavier than most pans. And our favorite feature: The skillet is oven safe up to 500 degrees. ($195; finexusa.com)
Omega Nutrition System
We’ve found the perfect gift for all of the health nuts in your life. This super powerful masticating juice extractor can make everything from wheatgrass shots to nut butters to baby food. That means spending more time at home and less time at the local juice bar. The nutrition system even grinds spices and minces herbs—a serious upgrade to the flavors you can get from the store bought varieties. ($379.95; omegajuicers.com)
Belkin Crock-Pot Smart Slow Cooker With WeMo
Slow cookers haven’t changed much since they became the must-have kitchen appliance (and wedding present) in the 1970s. But considering our current obsession with networked devices—from smart thermostats to air conditioners—it was only a matter of time before the Internet of Things caught up with our trusty Crock-Pot. Enter Belkin’s Smart Slow Cooker With WeMo, a technology that allows users to control the temperature and timer of the Crock-Pot from their smartphones. ($129.99; belkin.com)