Best cookbooks
Is there anything better than a big hardcover cookbook with beautiful images — even if you'll never cook a single recipe in its pages? Well, yes — it's the big hardcover cookbook with beautiful images of recipes that you WILL cook — and this is it!
Featuring recipes that are super simple (obvi) but still delicious, the book is a #1 bestseller on Amazon in the Natural Food Cooking category, with more than 8,000 reviews averaging 4.8 out of 5 stars. Be sure to invite yourself over on the evening your friend makes the Easy Spinach and Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells
Half Baked Harvest Super Simple by Tieghan Gerard
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1 – 20
Best cookbooks
Another gorgeously photographed cookbook full of recipes we might actually cook? Count us in.
This book is giftable beyond belief, with amazing recipes like Scallion Noodles, Pasta with Shrimp and Browned Butter, and West African Peanut Chicken. Best of all, all the recipes in the book are pretty straightforward — requiring oil, salt, pepper, and a maximum of six other ingredients.
It's got more than 1,000 glowing Amazon reviews, and it's a hefty 352 pages — so there are plenty of recipes for your giftee to explore.
Cookish by Christopher Kimball
$$
2 – 20
Best cookware and cutlery
As we all well know, the worst part of cooking is cleaning up afterward. That's why your friend would SO appreciate these pots and pans from Ninja Foodi.
The NeverStick material is some kind of wizardry, we're guessing? It can go straight from the stovetop to the oven to the dishwasher, and it's really, truly nonstick. (Trust us, we've put ours through the ringer.)
While it can cut down on cleanup, this five-piece set is a bit on the expensive side. But a single piece — like the 12-Inch Everyday Pan with Glass Lid — still makes a great gift.
Ninja Foodi NeverStick Premium Cookware Collection
$$$$
3 – 20
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Best cookware and cutlery
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For the absolute kitchen n00b, the chronically busy, or the friend who's living on their own, the Bonbowl is a must-have for quick and easy home cooking. It consists of a small induction burner with a bowl made especially for using on it.
The induction burner actually directs all the heat to the INSIDE of the bowl using magnets (how do they work??), so you can cook and eat out of the same dish without waiting for it to cool down. It gives "one-dish meals" a whole new meaning, and reviewers say that it's a WFH, tiny kitchen, lazy cook lifesaver.
Bonbowl Cooktop+Bowl
$$$$
4 – 20
Best cookware and cutlery
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We never realized how much more difficult using crappy knives made literally everything in the kitchen... until we got our hands on this HG of chef's knives, the Intempora from Opinel.
It's solid but not overly heavy, and — as one reviewer puts it — "it grows on you." We've reached a point where we'd rather wash this knife 20 times a day than use a knife that's NOT this one.
It's pricey for a single knife, but don't think of it as a gift — think of it as a solid investment in the recipient's culinary future.
Opinel Intempora 6 in. Chef's Knife
$$$
5 – 20
Best cookware and cutlery
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Fresh lemon juice is an easy way to add a hint of brightness and acidity to any home-cooked meal. But squeezing lemons by hand usually results in lemon seeds in your food and not enough juice. Enter: the lemon squeezer.
This inexpensive one from Prepworks by Progressive is a sunny shade of yellow and makes it so *easy-peasy lemon squeezy* to add lemon juice to everything. It's an essential tool in our kitchen.
Prepworks by Progressive
Lemon Squeezer
$
7 – 20
Nothing will make your friend feel like more of a pro than *ahem* decanting some fine EVOO from a beautiful piece of kitchenware. This one comes in several colors, so you can match their kitchen vibes.
It is a little modern-looking, though — so it may not be a good look for your friend with the rustic farmhouse kitchen.
Rachael Ray Solid Glaze Ceramics EVOO Dispenser
$
8 – 20
Best virtual cooking class
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Using real, whole ingredients and beginner-friendly techniques, Alexandra of the popular Alexandra's Kitchen blog walks you through cooking a full meal or taking on a big cooking project like making homemade bread. Your giftee can choose prerecorded classes or hop on a live class once live classes make their return.
Her watermelon margaritas were our official drink of summer, and we still have dreams about her stuffed peppers. The classes have received rave reviews from participants too.
Alexandra's Kitchen cooking class gift card
$-$$$
Best virtual knife skills class
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Ever bled all over your mother-in-law's kitchen after trying to carve a ham while holding the knife upside down — and then gotten to the ER and filled the whole room with the smell of honey-roasted ham after lifting the gauze off of your cut? Or is that *not* a universal experience?
Either way, proper knife skills are ESSENTIAL for any home chef who wants to hone their craft. To Taste's team of expert dietitian-chefs are the ideal teachers.
To Taste Knife Skills 101 class
$$
Best meal-planning subscription
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Some people are passionate about meal planning. Calendars! Color-coding! Pantry inventory! Sales ads! Thrilling stuff.
Other folks... not a chance. If your giftee is part of this crew, a meal-planning service like PlateJoy may be just what they need to add some joy back to cooking.
PlateJoy will build them a custom meal plan based on their preferences, along with a grocery list that keeps track of what they already have. Best of all, your friend will be able to import their list directly into Instacart or Amazon Fresh to get grocery shopping taken care of fast.
PlateJoy gift card
$$
11 – 20
Best online grocery store
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Umamicart is an online grocery store offering up all the tasty treats, seasonal surprises, and perennial favorites to be found at Asian markets — including tons of hard-to-find fresh ingredients.
So if your giftee loves Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indian, Vietnamese, or Thai food, then it's pad *thai-m* to get them an Umamicart gift card. (Pssst... be sure the service is available in their zip code first!)
Umamicart
gift card
$$
12 – 20
Best grocery
subscription services
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Got a veg-forward friend getting food delivery on the regs? Swap out those takeout boxes for (eco-friendly) produce bags with Hungry Harvest.
Hungry Harvest has filled in a gap where lots of unused produce was previously going straight into the trash. The company builds a produce box each week that you can then edit (and add regular groceries to, like eggs, milk, or bread). It's pretty much like a foodie grab bag of delicious fresh produce every week.
Note that some reviewers have received produce that's not in great condition, but most people are pretty happy with their Hungry Harvest harvests.
Hungry Harvest gift card
13 – 20
$-$$
Best virtual cooking class
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Club Corto membership
$$$$
15 - 20
Best grocery
subscription services
Best grocery
subscription services
If there's one oil that every cook needs in their kitchen, it's olive oil — universally agreed upon as one of the healthiest fats on the planet and perfect for everything from light frying to making salad dressings.
This membership from Club Corto is available for a modest price considering what it delivers in return: a year's supply of the highest-quality cold-pressed California olive oil money can buy, plus fun bonuses like cooking classes and virtual tastings.
And best of all, olive oil aficionados are big-time fans of Corto's California Olive Oil Council-certified oil. Forget hot sauce — put THIS on everything.
Best cookware and cutlery
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Fresh garlic is soooo much more flavorful than garlic powder or pre-minced garlic, but mincing it can be a PITA.
This press from KitchenAid will allow your budding-chef buddy to finely mince garlic with just a single press of the handle, and they don't even have to peel it! The steel insert will keep the peel contained and away from the prepped garlic. Since we got ours, we've been adding garlic to *everything*.
KitchenAid Classic Garlic Press
$
6 – 20
Best meal kit
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If you're shopping for someone who loves bold, exciting flavors, you can't go wrong by gifting them a HelloFresh subscription.
HelloFresh is a meal kit service that delivers fresh ingredients and flavorful recipes each week. Some recent meal options: Apricot Almond & Chickpea Tagine, Spicy Harissa Chicken Bowls, and One Pan Sesame Beef Tacos. YUM!
HelloFresh is moderately priced among meal kit services and has great reviews. Most customers are really pleased with the quality and freshness of ingredients and the taste of the meals. AND cooking your way through these boxes is a great way to brush up on cooking techniques and methods.
HelloFresh gift card
$-$$$$
16 – 20
Best ready-to-eat meal delivery
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If you know your friend isn't a cooking person, why not just stock their fridge with some yummy, healthy, and tasty ready-to-eat meals? Territory Foods offers heat-and-eat meals that are dietitian- and chef-approved for all kinds of tastes and dietary needs — paleo, keto, vegetarian, vegan, Whole30, etc.
The cool part is that the company's menu varies slightly depending on where you are. It partners with chefs in your area to provide a local food experience with the logistical power of a national company. Its meals are delivered fresh twice weekly, and your friend will ~defo~ adore you for it.
Territory Foods gift card
$-$$$
17 – 20
Best food containers
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Let's be real here: Cheap plastic food containers are sad, and doubly sad if you actually have to eat out of them. They take all the life out of leftovers, and all you get in return is, well, spaghetti sauce-stained plastic food containers.
That's why INKA is mixing things up with a line of insanely gorgeous, prep-ready containers made from super high quality materials. They're also microwave-, dishwasher-, and freezer-safe, and the rubber gaskets come with a lifetime warranty.
They're an investment for sure, but reviewers love how lightweight, functional, and beautiful they are.
INKA Food Containers
$$$
18 – 20
Best condiments
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Good Food for Good has made tasty, fast, AND healthy meals totally weeknight-possible with its line of no-sugar-added, organic sauces.
This bundle features two Indian flavors and two Mexican flavors. Add protein, veggies, and rice and boom! Supper's ready. (Psst... these do need to be refrigerated, so let your giftee know they can find their beautifully wrapped gift in the fridge.)
They're arguably the most delicious way to get your giftee absolutely sauced — and we're speaking from experience here.
Good Food for Good "Cook It Your Way" Bundle
$$
19 – 20
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Best cookware and cutlery
Best condiments
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These jams can help your friend get out of all sorts of culinary jams: spread on toast, stir into oatmeal or yogurt, and even use as the base of a sweet-and-salty sauce for meat or veggies.
Best of all, they're sugar-free, keto-friendly, vegan, and really tasty (again, speaking from experience). This pack contains blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, and apricot.
Good Good Jam 4-pack
$
20 – 20
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10 - 20
9 – 20
Best virtual cooking class
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Want to stock your giftee's freezer with organic, grass-fed meat? Um... we wanna be your friend.
Belcampo offers fresh meat, cured meats like bacon and hot dogs, bone broths, and jerky. The company's got some brick-and-mortar locations in California, but a good deal of its business is online, so its products are available nationwide.
Be aware that this is on the pricey side, even for grass-fed beef and other high quality meats, but it's oh-so-perfect for a friend whose heart beats for beef.
Best grocery
subscription services
Belcampo gift card
$-$$$$
14 - 20
Best grocery
subscription services
