Just in time for Christmas, I’m sharing my 10 favorite gift ideas for the home cook — items that I use most often in my own kitchen.
If you’ve read my blog for any period of time, you know that I have lots of kitchen favorites…and if it’s something I don’t like, then I don’t share it. A friend recently asked me, though, about which of my kitchen tools & appliances were the ones I use again and again. Since holiday shopping is in full swing, I got to thinking that now is the perfect time to share my most used favorites with you too.
The 10 items below are my very top choices right now. These are things that if they broke or I lost them, I would buy that exact same item again because that’s how much I enjoy them. Maybe some of these ideas will help you in your holiday shopping, or maybe you are wanting a gift for yourself? Either way, all of the items below are one of my favorites for one reason or another. You’ll find there is a variety of prices too — something for every budget. Oh, and as a matter of full disclosure, the links below are affiliate links, which means if you were to happen to buy something, I would earn a small commission — which Amazon usually gets back from me when I buy more must-haves for my food blogging. 🙂
KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer: My most favorite kitchen tool and I use it constantly. I had always wanted a KitchenAid and, one day, it showed up at my home as a surprise gift from my Dad. I used it for everything — the first thing I made it in was whipped cream, but my most favorite use is making homemade marshmallows. I have one in Empire Red, but there is so many color choices available that you will have no problem picking on that is perfect for your someone special.
Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor: After owning several other food processors that cost less, but broke, this is the one that I “splurged” on. I absolutely love it and I use it almost daily. This version is actually a bit older, so it costs less than the newer version, so if price is a concern, you’ll be very happy with this one. If you want the newest version (which I haven’t used, but imagine it would be awesome), you can find that one here: Cuisinart Elite Collection 14-Cup Food Processor
Nordic Ware Original Platinum Collection Bundt Pan: I have a bundt cake pan that I love that was passed down to me from my grandmother-in-law, and while I still use it, I was concerned that my constant use was end up ruining it. My husband knows how much I love Nordic Ware products and he surprised me with this bundt cake pan for Mother’s Day. I love the details and it’s high-quality construction. I can see that this as being something that I leave to my children someday.
OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Mixing Bowl Set: I love glass mixing bowls and it’s REALLY, REALLY hard for me to be happy with plastic ones. I actually vowed to not buy plastic ones again. And even though I love OXO products, I probably wouldn’t have chosen these on my own because of not liking plastic bowls. But, my daughter bought them for me for Mother’s Day and and I am so glad she did because I am beyond happy with them. They are light, but durable, easy to clean, and my favorite part is the non-slip bottom, which works wonderfully. I also like that they have a spout and a “handle” for holding onto. My set is the one that is white bowls with Blue/Green/Brown handles, but there are other color options.
OXO Good Grips 5-Pound Food Scale: I got attached to having a food scale a while ago. At first it was because I wanted a more precise measurement of food as part of my weight loss goals. But, over time, I started using it more and more while I was cooking — and especially for weighing ingredients for baking. I’ve had a couple kitchen scales that have all broke or became unreliable until I finally got this OXO one and I wish I hadn’t wasted my time on the others. This OXO one is realiable, easy to use, and I love that I can pull out the display, which is sometimes hidden by a large bowl or plate.
Copco Medium Bag Cap: Ok, you might be looking at that photo and thinking what the heck is that?? It’s a bag cap! I used it constantly in my kitchen. Copco Bag Caps allow you to leave food in their original bag, but seals it tight and makes pouring easier. I use them mostly on bulk items, like big bags of cereal, chocolate chips, etc. This one is a medium size, but they sell other sizes too.
Bormioli Rocco Frigoverre Jug with Hermetic Lid: I love quality glass products and I’m absolutely in love with my Frigoverre Jug. I ended up with one because it was on clearance at local store — the inexpensive price caught my eye, but I also liked how it looked. Now I’m hooked and want even more of them in other sizes. They have an air-tight lid so you can use them for food or drink storage, plus it’s odor proof and stain proof. Made in Italy.
Emile Henry 2-1/2-Quart Lasagna Dish: I received my Emile Henry lasagna dish in a La Fuji Mama giveaway that I won in April 2010. Before that, I wasn’t aware of them. Of all the bakeware in my kitchen, this is my most favorite. I seriously love it so much — amazing quality and I love the azure blue color, plus it’s SOOO easy to clean. Food bakes beautifully in it too. This is another one of those items in my kitchen that I can see handing down to my children someday. I can’t recommend it enough. Note: My lasagna dish is in azure blue but I’m not seeing those at my link about, but there is other beautiful colors available. If you really like the blue, you can get it in a larger size: Emile Henry 12-by-8-1/2-Inch Lasagna Baker, Azure Blue
Best Ceramic Peeler By Cooksharp: This is a new product for me, but it’s well deserving of a mention. For years, I used a old, cheapy potato peeler (kind of like the one on the packaging in the photo above), which didn’t work well at all. Eventually I moved up to other better peelers, but this month I got this ceramic peeler (sent to me for free to try out). I was skeptical if a ceramic peeler would work as well, or better, than my metal peelers, but so far it’s proving to be awesome.
OXO Good Grips Silicone Spoon Spatula: Yes, another OXO product…but truly, they are one of my top favorite kitchen brands. This is another new product I started using in my kitchen this month. I participated in the Food Bloggers Cookie Swap again this year and OXO sent participants a few of their Silicone Spatulas. Now, typically, I don’t get excited over kitchen tools like this — spatulas are a bit boring, in my honest opinion. But I loved the colors, but tucked it in my kitchen drawer, figuring I’d use it here and there. Well, with all the holiday baking I’ve been doing, I’ve grabbed for this more than any others because of how well it works and I love the way it feels. The bright colors are pretty awesome too.
These 10 gift ideas for the home cook should be enough to get you started. I have no doubts that I’ll have to do a follow-up to this post in the future, as I fall in love with even more new products.
Which of these items would you like to have, or already have, in your kitchen?
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