It’s that time of year again, folks. It’s time to head to your nearest Sur La Table or Crate & Barrel and stare blankly at the shelves of glassware and kitchen tools, wondering what to get for your favorite foodie friend or family member.

But don’t stress! I have made a list of some of my favorite picks for foodies this holiday season. Some of these things I have already and some are on my own wish list. If you have ideas of your own, I’d love to hear them! What are you giving to foodies? If you are a foodie, what is on your wish list?

(Shopping lists for fitness freaks, goofy geeks, and beauty queens coming soon!

1) Love With Food: $10/month

Love With Food is a monthly subscription box and these subscription plans are “so hot right now.” What I love about this particular box is that it’s filled with delicious gourmet samples and the organization also donates a meal to a hungry child with every box purchased. It doesn’t get better than that, does it? I actually just started receiving this subscription box because I found a Groupon for it. I’ve only received one box, but I already love it. So send your foodie friend a little bit of love over the next few months (monthly, 3-month, 6-month, and annual subscriptions available). They will think fondly of you each month as they dig into scrumptious truffles and handmade sea salt caramel popcorn. Also a great small gift for a family!

2) Foodie Fight: $13

Foodie Fight is a fun trivia game your foodies can use to prove to all their other foodie friends how knowledgeable they are! Seriously though, I got this game for Christmas last year and we had a good time playing it throughout the holidays. Best for a friend who has foodie friends, otherwise they will hear a lot of, “I don’t want to play. You always win!” (wink, wink)

3) Microplane Soft Handle Zester/Grater: $12

I have this exact Microplane Zester/Grater and it’s one of my favorite kitchen tools. It creates a beautiful zest for your lemons and grates parm off the block perfect for your Caesar salads. Easy to use, store, and clean, this makes a gift that any home cook will end up adoring.

4) Cooking Classes: $20-120

If you have never taken a cooking class, you are missing out big time! Sur la Table hosts my favorite cooking classes; the classes vary from knife skills to Winter Shellfish to Homemade Cheese & Butter workshops. The cost varies depending on the class and the organization, as well as your area. It’s a great gift to attend with a friend, family member, or significant other, and you will create memories to last a lifetime. (Right, mom? *wink*) Sur la Table lets you give a cooking classes gift card virtually or tangibly.

5) Cuisinart Pro Classic Food Processor: $100

Some home cooks may already have a food processor, but if they don’t, you’ll be a knight in shining armor when you give them this wonderful Cuisinart Food Processor. I can’t imagine hosting another Thanksgiving dinner without having one of these around. It grates, blends, mixes, chops, kneads, and more. You can’t go wrong with this gift.

6) French Press: $40

No joke, when I moved in with my wonderful love, our biggest fight was over which coffee maker to keep: his or mine. In the end, I gave mine back to my mom to borrow since she was in need of one, and then a few months later, Jay broke his (the one we had decided to keep) that was given to him by his mom. I feel like karma was involved, but regardless, we ended up with no coffee makers and had to dig out my old Bodum 8-cup french coffee press. Now, we love the french press, it’s easy to use and clean, and our coffee tastes so much better. Viola!

7) Molcajete: $30

Okay, you’re probably wondering why I put a molcajete (mole-kah-HE-tay) on the list, or maybe you’re wondering what the hell this thing even is. Regardless, a true foodie knows the value of making things fresh versus buying them jarred. This tool makes that easier. Your foodie friend can mash up perfect salsa to go with the chips you brought or they can make table-side guacamole at your next taco night. The molcajete is a weighty Mexican piece hand carved from volcanic stone perfect for grinding spices or making sauces and dips. Doesn’t get much better than that!

8) Adopt an Olive Tree (Nudo): $69 and up

Okay, this gift idea makes me swoon and gasp, my eyelashes flutter, my eyes water, and my heart melts. Nudo is a truly unique gift for your foodie, especially if they have ever traveled to the beautiful land of Italy. Trust me, anyone who has been to Italy is in love with Italy. Nudo allows you to gift someone the adoption of an olive tree – you choose the grove, based on taste profile, region, varietal, and farmer. The recipient receives an Adoption Gift Pack which includes an adoption certificate, a photograph of their tree and description of the grove, and includes the spring cold pressing of olive oil from their tree (three tins.) You also have the option of  including future seasons for an additional $49/season. Readers, Mom, Santa: this gift rocks.

9) Silpat: $20-27

 

I bought my French-made Silpat mat a long time ago, and I wonder sometimes how I ever used my oven without it. It’s a silicone mat made to use as a liner in your baking pans and sheets that is completely nonstick as well as washable! It’s the best timesaver when baking cookies or a savory galette – it has a million uses, comes in multiple sizes, and did I mention it’s reeeeeeally easy to clean? I’ve had mine for years and I have a feeling it will last me forever!

10) Shun Cutlery: $90 and up

 

A good knife is essential to any chef’s kitchen and while it may seem more fun to buy a huge block of knives for $100, I would rather have one solid chef’s knife that will last me forever. I might have felt differently a decade ago when I was still collecting the basics, but now that those are taken care of, I’m going for quality. And if you want quality, look no further than a handmade Japanese knife. Shun is one of the most popular, but there are many good ones to choose from. I’d recommend talking to someone at a reputable shop (again, Sur la Table has a pretty good collection of quality knives) to get a recommendation of a knife you can afford that will also be diverse and long-lasting. This is probably already on your foodie or chef’s holiday gift list as it is definitely on mine!

 

{Happy holidays, y’all!}