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Picking out thoughtful, personal gifts for your friends & fam can send you spiraling into “what does she REALLY want this year?” holiday stress mode.
All you know is that she (1) loves to cook (2) is a freakin boss in the kitchen and (3) is obsessed with healthy, interesting ingredients. So what do you get the healthy foodie in your life that’ll make them stoked to throw on an apron and start cooking all-the-things?
I created this curated list for you, filled with healthy foodie approved gifts – like coveted kitchen tools + useful gadgets + top-notch ingredients. So you can wow the culinary goddess (or god) in your life by gifting them with something that’s likely been sitting on their *someday* wishlist for years.
A Professional Blender
This Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender is a beast in the kitchen. You can use it to make blended lattes, green smoothies, creamy soups, smooth sauces, pestos, nut butters, fruit purees, homemade nut milks. You NAME it.
This one features a low-profile but high-capacity container. We have this shorter style in red and it fits perfectly in our apartment-sized kitchen. I use mine at least twice a day and even have a friend who lives the #vanlife (aka has had to edit her possessions down to JUST the essentials to save space) and you know what made the cut? Yep. Her VITAMIX.
Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker
This Instant Pot Duo Plus 60 6-Qt pressure cooker can replace a bunch of appliances and combine them all into one. So if kitchen space is at a premium in your house, this workhorse appliance can help you consolidate down and save valuable cabinet space.
In addition to being able to pressure cook soups, stews, meat, grains and a number of other things that usually take a long time to cook – the instant pot can take the place of a slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, egg cooker etc. because it has ALL those programmable functions available in one device. Perfect for people who love to batch cook as part of their weekly meal prep.
Slow Cooker
Instant Pot’s do have a slow cooker function but I have a confession – I still own two slow cookers (programmable just like this one, only mine is much less pretty) and you’ll have to pry them from my cold dead crock-pot obsessed hands if you want em.
This 7 Qt Crock Pot is great for set-it-and-forget it style meals and you can leave them on all day without using much power or being worried about burning down the house. This is great for slow braising meats, simmering bone broth, batch-cooking steel cut oats, or cooking flavorful stews. If you have a friend who really wants to be a Martha Stewart protege but struggles with stove-top prep or knife skills, then this is the perfect “gateway” gift to get them cooking more in the kitchen.
Wooden Cutting Board
Boos Block cutting boards are known for their quality and durability. You can get these in a variety of different colors / types of wood, and they come in small kitchen countertop friendly sizes also.
We just upgraded to one of these, keeping a quality plastic board for cutting meat etc. This is an investment piece that (with proper simple care and cleaning) can last for DECADES.
Quality Chef’s Knife
We were gifted this Global G-2 8″ Chef’s Knife a few years ago and it’s hands-down one of my favorite gifts I’ve ever received. Why? Because we use it every.damn.day
Prepping ingredients is so much more enjoyable (and safe) when you’re doing it with a sharp, professional quality knife.
Cast Iron Skillet
There’s just something that feels so rustic (and so right) about cooking with cast iron. This Lodge 12″ Cast Iron Skillet is a versatile addition to any kitchen.
You can cook with it on the stove-top or use it to finish dishes off in the oven. Opening up the door to make skillet-baked cornbread, a crispy sweet potato breakfast hash, seared grass-fed steaks, the pan pizza of your dreams, epic shakshuka dishes, one pan chicken dinners, and more.
KitchenAid Stand Mixer
This holy grail of kitchen appliances is perfect for people who love to create made-from-scratch baked goods – like bread, cookies, muffins, cakes, pizza dough, frosting, whipped cream, mousses, and more. They can even add on attachments to turn this into a multi-function appliance.
The most beloved KitchenAid Stand Mixer attachments include – the Spiralizer Attachment, Pasta Roller & Cutter Attachment, Sifter & Scale Attachment, Vegetable Sheet Cutter Attachment, and Food Grinder Attachment. There’s even an ice cream maker attachment you can get to fit your model.
Food Processor
This Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor with three blade attachments lets you slice, grate, chop, and grind ingredients down to size for both sweet and savory recipes.
Essential for making your own homemade flours, nut butters, baked goods, shredded veggies, and more. It cuts a ton of time off your prep, dicing ingredients you’d otherwise have to chop by hand in a flash.
Organic Spice Blends
These Primal Palate Organic Spices are top notch and full of flavor. This food lovers pack is a great one to get that person who loves to play around with fun flavors in the kitchen. Or an easy starter pack for that aspiring home chef in your life.
And yes. That bottle on the left DOES say: “New Bae Seasoning”
Pour Over Coffee Maker
This Chemex pour over coffee maker turns your morning cuppa into a luxurious ritual. Help your bestie upgrade their caffeine routine and get them set up to become their own barista.
Gift basket idea: this Chemex Glass Coffee Maker + a set of filters to get them started + some whole beans from a local coffee roaster. No matter how far apart you live, this is a sweet way to be part of their morning.
Handheld Latte Whisk
Is your friend obsessed with almond milk lattes? If you really wanna spoil them, gift them with a latte whisk so they can get that perfect foam every time. It’s also perfect for blending up matcha if green tea is more their thing.
Coffee Grinder
This OXO Conical Burr Coffee Grinder is another way to give the gift of better coffee everyday. Keeping coffee as a whole bean and grinding it fresh before each cup lets the oils in it stay fresher, creating a better brew.
Whole Bean Coffee
This Intelligensia Espresso is perfect for that person in your life who loves their espresso (but who you aren’t about to drop several grand on buying their own espresso machine).
Either pick out something you know they already love OR mix it up and pick up a pound of whole bean coffee from a local roaster near you. This will send them a little piece of your town that they can carry with them to wherever they call home.
Inspiring Cookbooks
I still haven’t picked up a copy of What’s Gaby Cooking: Everyday California Food yet but every time I’m in Williams Sonoma I find myself thumbing through the drop-dead gorgeous photos and drool-worthy recipes.
If you’ve got a foodie in your life who’s always looking to add new recipes into their regular rotation, putting a new cookbook in their hands might be just what they need to kickstart another fun year in the kitchen.
Homemade Nut Milk Kit
Dairy-free foodies or people who love plant-based milks will love getting a DIY kit they can use to make their own homemade nut milk.
The Ellie’s Best Bigger Better Nut Milk Bag is super easy to clean and can be used for more than just nut milk. It’s a great strainer for making homemade cold brew coffee or straining the pulp for fresh veggie & fruit juices too.
You can either put together your own kit on Amazon by combining this bag with some organic nuts and some cute glass jars to store their creations in. Or you can buy this handy starter kit from Ellie’s Best’s website to get a ready to go bundle (if you buy direct on Ellie’s Best website and want 10% off your entire order, use code = freeyourfork)
Premium Olive Oil + Balsamic Vinegar
Every foodie can find dozens of uses for good quality olive oil or balsamic vinegar in the kitchen. From flavorful salad dressings, marinades, and sauces – pick out a versatile duo of high-quality oil and a high-quality vinegar for that person in your life who has a taste for premium ingredients.
Baker & Olive is my personal favorite – this Persian Lime Olive Oil and this Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic would be my picks for placing underneath the tree this year.
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