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The 43 Best Gifts For Foodies

Top gifts for those who love to cook and eat.

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cocktail simple syrup, microplane, and sea salt gifts on pink background

Southern Living / Kevin Liang

When shopping for those who love to cook and eat, it’s best to look for items they might not be inclined to buy for themselves but can still use on a regular basis. A luxurious piece of cookware, gourmet ingredients, or a ready-made food gift from a legendary Southern restaurant all make great gifts for foodies. 

“I like to go with more experiential gifts rather than adding to the clutter of someone else's kitchen,” says Will Edwards, chef de cuisine at Sweet Basil. “It's also not often that you get to cook with some of the more luxurious ingredients out there.” 

In terms of which gifts to avoid when shopping for foodies, Edwards says he avoids giving knives to more experienced cooks: “There is so much about a knife that is personal to the chef/cook who is using it.” But for beginner cooks, you may want to help them build their collection with high-quality basics. No matter what type of foodie you’re shopping for, we’ve curated a list of food and kitchen gifts with the help of Edwards and Southern Living editors.

This comically large bucket of finishing salt is sure to get a smile from the foodie in your life. The pyramid flakes from the British salt maker have become industry standard for finishing off everything from grilled meat to chocolate chip cookies. “It brings a subtle amount of texture to the plate as well,” says Edwards. 

Dale Gray chronicles her time living in South Africa, South Korea, and the American South through a collection of unique yet attainable recipes. Standout dishes include Porch Party Shrimp With Mississippi Comeback Sauce, Salmon Ssam Feast, and Garlic Peri-Peri Roast Chicken. Alana Al-Hatlani, assistant food editor, describes it as a “beautiful book, full of approachable recipes, with a really strong point of view.”

Cottage Lane is a woman-owned, family business with ties to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that’s been making spicy pepper relish for four generations. The Hissy Fit Hot Sauce is a cayenne pepper vinegar-based hot sauce that will add a little heat to everything from eggs to pizza.

For the cook who likes to prep ingredients or meals ahead of time, these prep bowls will make a useful addition to their kitchen. The durable Tritan makes it easy to see the contents of each bowl, all of which nest neatly inside each other for compact storage. And each bowl is fridge and freezer friendly, as well as microwave and dishwasher safe. 

Designed and produced in Tennessee, Lodge’s USA Enamel Collection is a step up from the brand’s standard lineup. “It's American-made enamel-coated cast iron,” says Kimberly Holland, senior digital food editor. “First of its kind to be made in the U.S.!” 

The self-basting lid locks in moisture while the glossy enamel finish makes it an excellent centerpiece that can go straight from the oven to the table. Choose from three different color options—red, white, or blue—as well as four different sizes. 

These New Orleans-inspired cocktail syrups can be mixed with liquor, seltzer water, and even salad dressings or marinades. “I can't get enough of Gris Gris's Jalapeño Hex Syrup!” says Betsy Cribb Watson, senior homes and features editor. “It adds just the right amount of heat to margaritas and makes a fun host gift.” Available in both Basil Habanero and Jalapeño flavors, each syrup is slow cooked with fresh herbs and produce and bottled in a beautiful glass vessel.

A Microplane is one of those kitchen items you don’t think you need until you get one. “There are so many great uses for a Microplane,” says Edwards. “It works great for minced ginger or garlic without needing to dirty a cutting board and a knife. It's also a great tool for finishing with a touch of citrus zest or making it snow with parmesan.” This essential kitchen tool is available in over two dozen colorways, including fun patterns like Buffalo Plaid and Tropical Palm.

A food scale is a useful tool in any kitchen, especially if they like to bake. Using a measuring cup to scoop ingredients like flour out of the container can pack too much into the cup, resulting in dry, crumbly dough. This one has a pull-out display that slides back in as needed, so large plates or bowls won’t obstruct their view. 

If their apron has seen better days, it may be time for an upgrade. Hedley & Bennett aprons are made of 100% cotton twill fabric and come with a lifetime guarantee. “These aprons are as comfortable as they are functional and you can't have too many,” says Edwards. You can even personalize them with text or a monogram for an additional fee.

When it’s time for spice rack overhaul, Diaspora Co.’s Build Your Own Spice Shelf allows you to choose three to 12 spice tins based on their needs. If they love to bake, you can stock their shelves with pumpkin spice seasoning or cardamom, while grill masters will appreciate the steak masala seasoning. Al-Hatlani says it’s a great gift for “people who have had the same jar of cumin in the pantry since the early 2000s.”

“There is no shame in using a thermometer to get it right,” says Edwards. “I think it's important to work with exact temperatures in order to understand the differences and nuances to cooking meat and understanding carryover cooking as well as why medium rare isn't always the best temperature for every cut of beef.” The Original Meater is a wireless smart thermometer that connects to Bluetooth so you can monitor your cooking from a phone or tablet. 

Handmade in Harpersville, Alabama, Stone Hollow Farmstead’s drinking vinegar can be added to sparkling water, tequila, rum, vodka, gin, sparkling wine, and even salad dressings for a bit of farm-fresh flavor. Choose from either blueberry rose geranium or strawberry rose. 

Porter Road works with select farms and hand-cuts every piece of meat at its Kentucky facility to ship pasture-raised meat nationwide. The Best of Porter Road Box features a curated selection of steak, pork chops, ground beef, bacon, country sausage, and chorizo sausage, so they can sample it all. 

After testing 18 different cast iron skillets, we named the Stargazer 10.5-inch skillet our favorite splurge option, so what better way to spoil the foodie in your life? It maintained its nonstick surface throughout our testing, and the angled rim made pouring easy. Plus, the unique bronzed look adds a touch of elegance to any kitchen. All Stargazer cookware is made in the U.S.A. and backed by a lifetime warranty. 

This personalized cutting board will double as decor while they’re slicing and dicing. Everything about it is customizable, including the design, style, and size. Add any names of dates of your choosing—this makes a great gift for couples, too.

If they love to cook, chances are they’re holding onto some treasured family recipes. This customizable recipe book is the perfect way to keep all their beloved recipes in one place, whether it’s Grandma’s cornbread or Mom’s lasagna. There’s space for over 80 recipes, as well as blank pages for photo galleries, family recipe reviews, notes, and more. 

While The Peach Truck is known for shipping fresh Georgia peaches nationwide, you can also order fresh-off-the-tree pecans in the off season. Grown in Peach County, Georgia, the pecans are hand-shelled with care. Choose from raw pecans (perfect for baking pecan pie!), roasted and salted pecans, and even gingerbread pecans. 

Need a last-minute gift for the food lover on your list? Boarderie will ship a freshly made, ready-to-eat charcuterie board to their doorstep with free overnight shipping. These editor-loved charcuterie boards come pre-arranged—all they’ll have to do is open up the individual bags of nuts and place them on the tray. Included in the box are artisan cheeses, meats, dried fruits, nuts, chocolates, and crackers with an acacia wood serving board and bamboo cutlery kit for serving. 

Rather than adding to their growing utensil collection, this stunning crock from the Southern Living collection at Dillard’s will help keep everything organized. Made of solid olive wood with a stunning grain, it’s sure to last for years and blend seamlessly with any kitchen decor.

Hand milled on antique machines in Edisto Island, South Carolina, these stone-ground grits are extra creamy once cooked. They can use them for everything from classic shrimp and grits to breakfast casseroles and much more. 

Whether this will be their first KitchenAid or you’re looking to upgrade their existing stand mixer, this will be a memorable gift that’ll give them years of use. KitchenAid’s color of the year is Hibiscus, a vibrant pink that will pop against neutral color schemes. The Hibiscus model includes both 3-quart and 5-quart bowls, as well as a flex-edge beater, pastry beater, dough hook, wire whip, and pouring shield.

Thomasville’s Sweet Grass Dairy partnered with other Georgia makers to highlight some of the best flavors the state has to offer. In this box, they’ll receive a variety of handmade cheeses, including Georgia Gouda and a whole wheel of Green Hill, as well as salami, blackberry preserves, and flatbread bites. All that’s missing a bottle of wine. 

A high quality bottle of olive oil is a guaranteed hit with any foodie. “This is a new company out of Birmingham importing olive oil, oregano, honey, and more from Greece,” says Al-Hatlani. “The olive oil is lovely.” 

There’s no such thing as too many silicone spatulas, especially if they’re GIR spatulas. These catch-all tools have a strong yet flexible blade that can be used for mixing and scraping both dry and wet mixes. Plus, the unibody silicone construction is heat resistant up to 550 degrees F and safe to use on nonstick pans.

Based in Yazoo City, Mississippi Cheese Straw Factory is a family-owned business best known for its cheddar cheese straws. However, the peppermint cookie straws make an excellent gift, especially around the holidays. They feature real peppermint chips embedded in buttery shortbread. Plus, the decorative tin makes them perfect for gifting. 

Using fresh herbs is an easy way to elevate any dish, and this Italian herb growing kit comes with everything they need to grow fresh herbs indoors for an entire year. It comes with the Smart Garden 3 as well as thyme, basil, and marjoram plant pods. All they have to do is insert the plant pods into the Smart Garden, add water, and plug it in. They’ll be able to harvest herbs four to five weeks after planting.

Edwards recommends this guide for those looking to stretch themselves in the kitchen. “It's a great reference tool to get inspired,” he says. “Anytime a cook can build on their base knowledge of classic pairings and combinations, it creates the foundation for being able to develop their own dishes and recipes.” The Flavor Bible serves as a guide to hundreds of different ingredients, along with herbs, spices, and other seasonings to glean the most flavor from them.

With a MasterClass subscription, they have access to over 180 classes led by experts in every field, including food. “Part of developing as a cook or chef is learning how to work clean and organized,” says Edwards. “Watching chefs like Thomas Keller and Dominique Crenn work is inspiring and the standard for how you should carry yourself in any kitchen. There is also a lot to be learned from their perspectives on food and technique and the knowledge is even more powerful when you know the why behind it.” 

If they have some well loved fry pans in need of replacing, this set is an excellent value. Made of tri-ply stainless steel with a nonstick ceramic coating, this Southern Living by GreenPan fry pan set offers the durability of stainless steel with the ease of nonstick. It’s dishwasher safe and oven safe up to 600 degrees F, as well as free of PFOS, PFOA, lead, or cadmium. 

Located in an old Greyhound bus terminal in downtown Savannah, The Grey is one of the South’s, and the country’s, best restaurants. But they don’t have to make the trek to Savannah to get a taste of the flaky biscuits from the restaurant’s pastry team. This set includes a dozen biscuits with all the fixins’, which include bacon jam, a seasonal jam, and pimento cheese, and can be shipped right to their doorstep. 

Material’s Salt Sphere keeps salt within arm’s reach whenever they need a pinch—whether to salt pasta water or season a steak. The magnetic swivel lid keeps the salt protected while not in use, and the fluted stackable base can be used to store finishing salts, pepper, or other spices. Available in both maple and walnut, it makes a stylish edition to any kitchen. 

If fresh seafood is hard to come by where they live, a box sent straight to their doorstep will surely be appreciated. This combo pack features the company’s most popular sustainably-sourced seafood items, including coho salmon, ahi tuna steaks, Maryland crab cakes, mahi mahi, smoked sablefish, and smoked salmon. 

An Ooni is the perfect gift for the foodie who also loves to entertain. The Karu 12 has a small footprint that can work in a backyard, on a balcony, or even on a camping trip. They’ll have the option to use wood, charcoal, or gas to cook restaurant-quality pizzas in just 60 seconds. 

Proprietor of Austin barbecue hotspot Franklin Barbecue, Aaron Franklin created this cookbook with James Beard Award–winning food writer Jordan Macakay as a resource for using any type of backyard grill, from kettle-style grills to hand-built fire pits. The book is chock full with techniques and recipes for grilling and smoking a variety of ingredients, no matter their experience level.

Purchasing kitchen knives as gifts can be tricky, since they can be so personal to every cook. But a beautiful way to display and organize their beloved knife collection will certainly be appreciated. The Stand from Material has magnetized walls on both sides, allowing them to store up to eight knives without having to drill magnet strips into the wall. 

Named to Oprah’s Favorite Things List 2023, Le Creuset’s Bread Oven has a domed lid that traps and circulates steam for maximum rise and a perfectly crisp crust. Whether they’ve been baking their own bread for years or are looking to start, this will help them achieve bakery-quality results at home.

“In professional kitchens, your most prized possessions are your knives and your spoons,” says Edwards. “The Kunz spoon is perfect for basting, plating, measuring and saucing. You can never have too many, so when in doubt, an extra Kunz spoon will impress the ultimate foodie.” The deep bowl that tapers to a point and the short, easy-to-control handle make this spoon equipped for a wide variety of kitchen tasks.

For such a simple ingredient, rice is all too easy to overcook or undercook. Plus, it requires constantly babysitting a pot, that is, unless you use a rice cooker. The Zojirushi features settings for white, sushi, porridge, sweet, brown, rinse free, and quick cooking—so there’s very little thinking involved. Plus, the automatic keep warm setting ensures cooked rice stays at the optimal temperature until it’s ready to be served.

Ashley Marie Rouse started making her small batch jams in her apartment on Trade Street in North Carolina in 2008. Now based in Brooklyn, Trade Street Jam Co.’s vegan jams are low in sugar but high in fruity flavor. This set includes four of the brand’s classic flavors—blueberry lemon basil, strawberry raspberry tarragon, blackberry mulled merlot, and plum and rose—as well as a downloadable cookbook with recipe ideas for making the most of these jams. 

While simple, a set of melamine mixing bowls is a gift they’ll use for years to come. Melamine feels like ceramic, but it’s virtually unbreakable and extremely lightweight. This set includes three nesting bowls, each with an easy-grip handle, a contoured pour spot, and a footed nonslip base for stability when mixing. 

They can use this bourbon-infused caramel sauce to zhuzh up everything from brownies to baked brie. Mark and Evane Stoner, the father-daughter duo behind Poppy & Peep, founded their business in Nashville after attending chocolate school. 

In addition to truffle, this shaver can be used to shave cheese, vegetables, and garlic to add the perfect finishing touch on any dish. “Works great for chocolate as well,” adds Edwards. “How often do you get to experience a little shaved truffle at home?”

Based in Birmingham, Sachai Tea Company’s masala chai concentrate is brewed with black tea sourced from the Assam region of India. To prepare, simply mix one part of the chai concentrate with one part milk (or a milk alternative) and enjoy hot or iced. Southern Living editors love this well balanced blend of spices that’s comforting without being overly sweet. 

Questions and Answers

What kinds of gifts should you give the cook who has everything? 

Whether it's a birthday or Christmas gift, consider elevated versions of some of their favorite ingredients for the cook who already has a well-stocked kitchen. Edwards suggests heirloom grains, rare spices, and artisan cheeses. He also suggests items that are local and seasonal: “The memory of an amazing peach will be more lasting than the latest kitchen gadget,” he says. Be sure to check out the many Southern makers on our list for an out-of-the-box gift. 

What are the most useful items to give to a beginner cook? 

“Anything that you think will inspire them to cook more,” says Edwards. “Maybe a cookbook for the person with a limited palate, or a cutting board for the person who likes to work with knives or a Dutch oven for the person who just wants to be able to make dinner more often.” Useful cooking tools that go a little beyond the basics can also help them build their kitchen arsenal. A Microplane zester or a food scale both make great options for beginner cooks. 

Why Trust Southern Living 

This article was written by Melanie Fincher, commerce editor at Southern Living with over four years of experience reviewing products and finding top gift ideas across a variety of categories. She was previously a food writer at Allrecipes, where she acquired a wealth of knowledge on all things food and cooking. To come up with this list, she relied on her knowledge of the best in food and kitchen gifts, as well as expert recommendations from her fellow Southern Living editors and Will Edwards, chef de cuisine at Sweet Basil. 

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