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Need a great gift for someone who loves to cook? Chefs can be rather picky about the kitchen appliances, gadgets and tools they use. So it can be tricky finding cooking gifts that they’ll actually use (and don’t already own).
Having a hard time coming up with kitchen gifts for a finicky chef? Here are 19 gift ideas they’re sure to love!
What Kind of Chef Are They?
In order to pick a great gift for a chef, you’ll need to think about what kind of chef they are.
Are they a pastry chef who loves to bake? Are they a professional chef that works in a fine dining restaurant? Are they a great home chef that enjoys making meals for family members?
Whether they cook professionally or for fun, it’s also important to think about what kinds of dishes they like to make.
Here are 19 unique gifts for the home cooks or professional chefs you know and love, from grilling gadgets to everyday kitchen tools.
Le Creuset Cast Iron Skillet
The Le Creuset Cast Iron Skillet is the perfect gift for any chef, professional or amateur. Chefs love cast iron pans because they cook evenly and deliver the ideal distribution of heat. And when it comes from the Le Creuset brand, it’s even better.
This cast iron skillet offers versatility, allowing you to do everything from searing meat to baking cornbread.
Available at Le Creuset, $180
Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker
Know a chef that loves to sous vide? The Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker features a durable stainless steel design with Bluetooth capability so you can cook manually or within range of the Anova app. It’s detailed with an adjustable clamp to fit on any pot, and it offers consistent, precise cooking every time.
It also includes smart controls and cooking notifications, making it ideal for the hands-off chef who needs a kitchen break.
Available at Amazon, $249
Related: The 13 Best Meal Delivery Services To Unlock Your Home Cook
Breville Sous Chef Food Processor
Let’s face it – most home cooks don’t have the knife skills of a professional chef. But that’s okay – the Breville Sous Chef 16 Peel & Dice Food Processor can do it for you.
Chop. Dice. Peel. Slice. Julienne. This thing does it all.
This food processor comes with pretty much every attachment you could ever think of. And the name is perfectly appropriate – because it’s sort of like having an experienced sous chef by your side to do the hard labor for you.
Available at Breville, $499.95
Everpride Chef Knife Carrying Case
Professional chefs that cater on-site events or do demonstrations need a way to carry their knife set. And the Everpride Chef Knife Roll Carry Case is the perfect way to do so.
It’s sort of like a briefcase for chefs, only instead of holding a laptop and files, it fits up to ten knives. It also includes a little zipper pocket to hold other essential kitchen tools.
This carrying case is made from soft faux leather with a canvas interior that includes ten individual slots to hold each knife.
Available at Amazon, $64.99
Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Stone Pro Sharpening Stone
A good knife may be the most important tool in a chef’s arsenal – but it’s equally as important to have a sharpening stone to keep that blade super sharp.
The Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Stone Pro Sharpening Stone features a double-sided design for rough and medium-fine sharpening.
This sharpener also comes with a tray with rubber feet, allowing for steady sharpening without risking the danger of slippage.
Available at Amazon, $100
KitchenAid Pasta Attachment Set
Pretty much every serious home chef already has the classic KitchenAid mixer. But do they have all of the attachments to go with it?
For chefs that love to make fresh pasta, the KitchenAid 3 Piece Pasta Roller and Cutter Set is the way to do it. This attachment set includes a pasta roller as well as cutters to make the perfect spaghetti and fettuccine.
Available at KitchenAid, $199.99
Booker & Dax Searzall Torch Attachment
Looking for a gift for a chef or grillmaster that loves to break out the torch? Check out the Booker & Dax Searzall Torch Attachment.
This attachment goes onto the end of a 16.4oz propane gas cylinder. It sears food quickly and easily, making it great for use in the backyard, in the kitchen or when cooking in the great outdoors.
Available at Amazon, $75
Yaki Yaki San Smokeless Grill
Made from clay from Japan, the Yaki Yaki San is a smokeless grill that combines earth, water and fire elements. Even for a professional chef, that’s a pretty cool combo!
It cooks like a traditional grill without the need for a direct flame. Just fill the outer reservoir with water and it works like a hearth, building heat slowly while preventing the grill from becoming too hot.
Available at Toiro, $220
Cuisinart Classic Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
Cuisinart doesn’t just make great espresso machines and countertop appliances. The Cuisinart Classic Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls are perfect for any home cook, pastry chef or pro chef in need of a way to mix ingredients.
Featuring three bowls that measure 1 ½ quarts, 3 quarts and 5 quarts, this bowl set is incredibly useful.
Use the small one to serve popcorn on movie night. Use the big one to refrigerate dough for your favorite pastries. This isn’t just a chef’s gift – this is a gift that will get used in any and every kitchen.
Available at Amazon, $38.99
Related: Are You A Home Cook Or A Home Chef?
Tamagoyaki Egg Omelette Pan
Have scrambled, sunny side up, poached, soft boiled and over easy eggs become a bore? The Japanese tamagoyaki omelet offers a fresh alternative to the classic egg breakfast. But to cook a Japanese omelet properly, you’ll need a square pan.
The Tamagoyaki Egg Omelette Pan is made in Japan from Japanese copper. For the chef who wouldn’t even think about starting the day without a proper breakfast, it offers a fun and tasty way to cook fried eggs.
Available at Amazon, $33.36
Personalized Cutting Board
A Personalized Cutting Board isn’t just a useful gift – it’s also a thoughtful gift.
There’s no chef anywhere who doesn’t already have a cutting board to chop veggies and slice cheese. But a personalized one is way more meaningful.
This cutting board is available in a variety of wood finishes. It can also be engraved with a variety of different names, patterns, designs and graphics.
Available at Etsy, $19.95
HOMWE Extra Long Silicone Oven Mitts
It doesn’t matter whether your chef prefers to make sweet or savory dishes – no one enjoys getting burned!
The HOMWE Extra Long Silicone Oven Mitts cover the hand, the wrist and then some. Whether you’re pulling a hot potato from a boiling pot of water or retrieving a cast iron skillet from a 450-degree oven, these mitts will protect you.
Available in a variety of colors, these oven mitts are heat-resistant and flame-retardant. They also have a non-slip grip so that you won’t have to worry about dropping hot pans or trays from the oven.
Available at Amazon, $19.97
Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors
From snipping herbs to deveining shrimp, the Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors are made for all sorts of uses.
These scissors aren’t intended for cutting open pre-packaged foods (though they can certainly serve that purpose if need be). Instead, these scissors are designed for heavy-duty use. You can use them to cut through chicken bones or to snip thick weeds in your garden.
Reliable and affordable, these scissors are the perfect gift for any home cook, professional chef or gardener.
Available at Amazon, $25.99
Molcajete Mortar and Pestle
Do you know a chef that loves to mix and blend their own spices? The Molcajete Mortar and Pestle is one they’re sure to love.
Made from volcanic rock, this mortar dish has a rough interior that makes it easy to crush and grind ingredients. It also makes a stylish serving dish for guacamole and comes in different sizes ranging from 6” to 10” in diameter.
Available at Williams Sonoma, $29.95 and up
MASAMOTO Professional Japanese Chef’s Knife
A chef is only as good as their knives, and we all know that the best knives are made in Japan. After all, that’s how real deal sushi chefs cut your sashimi with such precision!
The MASAMOTO Professional Japanese Chef’s Knife is made from double-bevel stainless steel. It’s super sharp, making it perfect for everything from cutting veggies to slicing beef and filleting fish. This is an authentic Japanese knife, made in Tokyo by the MASAMOTO company, which has been making knives for over 150 years.
If your chef doesn’t appreciate this gift, they’re not a real chef.
Available at Amazon, $198
Infused Oil Gift Set
There are many more varieties of cooking oil than just EVOO. For the chef who likes to play with flavor profiles, the Infused Oil Gift Set is a great way to do so.
This extra virgin olive oil set includes four distinct flavors and varieties, including blood orange, roasted garlic and white truffle (yummmmmmm).
From salads to dipping sauces to pasta and seafood dishes, these oils offer tons of flavor – ideal for the chef who’s in experimental mode.
Available at Williams Sonoma, $39.95
The Spice Lab Gourmet Salt Collection
Not willing to splurge fifty bucks on something as simple as salt? Don’t worry, The Spice Lab Gourmet Salt Collection isn’t your average canister of crystallized white sea salt.
This set includes eleven salt varieties, including Himalayan pink salt, Bali pyramid salt, ginger chili salt and tropical hibiscus salt. Pretty fancy stuff. Plus, each flavor is packaged in a slim tube with a wooden base, making it a decorative addition to any kitchen countertop.
Available at Caviar Lover, $54
The Fish Weight
Chefs that love to cook fish know how tricky it can be to get that perfectly crispy skin. And if they haven’t perfected that yet, the Fish Weight makes it easier to achieve.
Just place the weight on top of the fish once it’s in the pan. The heat from the pan transfers through the weight so that the fish is cooked perfectly on both sides.
Available at Josh Niland, $150
Mauviel Copper Butter Warmer
Chefs can melt butter and make all sorts of sauces and soups inside the Mauviel Copper Butter Warmer. Designed to heat and melt butter quickly (so that it doesn’t burn), this butter pan is great because it transfers heat quickly and allows it to cool down quickly.
A stainless steel interior, copper finish and bronze handle also make it a pretty option as a tabletop serving dish.
Available at Williams Sonoma, $90
What Are the Best Gifts for Chefs?
Maybe you’re buying a gift for a home cook. Maybe you’re gift shopping for a professional chef. Either way, it can be overwhelming sorting through the thousands of appliances, gadgets and foodie gifts available online.
But there’s no need to get overwhelmed.
Think about what your chef likes to cook. Think about what they already have or what tools they may need to up their chef game.
Most people will agree that gift cards are always a welcome gift, but they’re rather expected. With the ideas in this gift guide, you should be able to find an amazing gift that you can actually wrap and top with a bow.
You might also be interested in: The 11 Best Wine Delivery Services [Sip, Sip Hooray!]
The 19 best gifts for chefs:
- Le Creuset Cast Iron Skillet
- Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker
- Breville Sous Chef Food Processor
- Everpride Chef Knife Carrying Case
- Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Stone Pro Sharpening Stone
- KitchenAid Pasta Attachment Set
- Booker & Dax Searzall Torch Attachment
- Yaki Yaki San Smokeless Grill
- Cuisinart Classic Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
- Tamagoyaki Egg Omelette Pan
- Personalized Cutting Board
- HOMWE Extra Long Silicone Oven Mitts
- Joyce Chen Unlimited Scissors
- Molcajete Mortar and Pestle
- MASAMOTO Professional Japanese Chef’s Knife
- Infused Oil Gift Set
- The Spice Lab Gourmet Salt Collection
- The Fish Weight
- Mauviel Copper Butter Warmer
Jessica Heston
view postJessica Heston
After 15 years in the fashion industry, this Philadelphia native ditched her corporate career to focus on writing full time. Jessica is a TV junkie, whiskey lover and true crime addict. She finds inspiration from Broadway musicals, Hitchcock films and The Beatles. She is happily married without children, which she credits as the reason for her professional success, youthful attitude and solid eight hours of sleep every night.
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