Top 10 Gifts for Cooks They'll Use Every Week
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People who love to cook can be hard to shop for, because they've usually bought the fun stuff already. So I stuck to tools that get used daily and books that change how someone cooks.
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Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8-Inch Chef's Knife
Plenty of home cooks are still using a dull knife from a block set. This one is Swiss made, with a non-slip handle, and it's dishwasher safe. It also has a lifetime warranty.
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Lodge 10.25-Inch Cast Iron Skillet
Made in the USA and pre-seasoned with vegetable oil, so it's ready to use right away. It works in the oven, on the stove, on the grill or over a campfire, and it has two pour spouts and a helper handle.
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Microplane Classic Zester
The one tool I'd replace first if I lost it. The stainless blade takes off citrus zest without the bitter pith and turns parmesan into fluff. It's dishwasher safe.
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Alpha Grillers Instant Read Meat Thermometer
It reads in 1 to 2 seconds, has a backlight for grilling after dark and is rated IP67 waterproof. It can be recalibrated and comes in a gift box.
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Etekcity Digital Kitchen Scale
Weighs up to 11 lb in 1 gram steps and shows 5 units. The tare button makes measuring straight into a bowl easy. The batteries are included.
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KitchenAid All Purpose Shears
Cooks use kitchen shears for herbs, twine, packaging and spatchcocking a chicken. These have micro-serrated stainless blades, a soft grip and a protective sheath.
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OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner
Dry greens mean the dressing actually sticks. You pump it with one hand, a brake button stops it, and a non-slip base keeps it from wandering across the counter. The basket also works as a colander.
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Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
Teaches the "why" behind good cooking, with 100+ recipes and 150+ illustrations by Wendy MacNaughton. It won a James Beard Award and inspired the Netflix series.
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The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt
For the cook who likes to know how things work. It runs 958 pages, has over 1,000 color images and won a James Beard Award.
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Ottolenghi Simple
130 recipes, each simple in at least one way: 30 minutes or less, 10 ingredients or fewer, a single pot, pantry staples or made ahead. It was a James Beard Award finalist.
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How we picked
We chose tools that get used every week and books that make someone a better cook. Every item was listed on Amazon when we checked, and we stuck with brands cooks already trust.
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A quick buying tip
Take a quick look in their kitchen first if you can. If they already own a good knife or skillet, go with a book or the thermometer. Those rarely double up.