I love the holidays for many reasons, the time with family and friends, the end of the year (especially 2020), and most of all the great food! One of the things I don’t love is coming up with gift ideas for friends and family. It is so hard to think of things that are both unique and bring value to someone’s life. But one thing I am an expert at, is all things food / chef related! If you are shopping for a foodie, an at home cook, or even a chef, I created a list of presents that will be LOVED by any foodie in your life! These are all items I have either received as presents, or bought myself and absolutely love to use! Check it out, and feel free to email me with any questions!
Sous Vide
A sous vide is one of my favorite cooking tools in the kitchen. It is a method of cooking where food is placed in a plastic bag / vacuum sealed bag and placed in a water bath for longer cooking times at a certain temperature. The sous vide device keeps the water at a certain temperature, circulating it. This means that the food you have in the bag will cook to that temperature throughout the entirety of it. Meaning, you could cook a steak at the perfect 125*F for rare and the whole steak will be rare, then you quickly sear the meat once you remove from the bag. It will be the same color throughout, since it was cooked at a perfect 125*F. It is perfect for people who want to set and forget a steak, ribs, fish, etc, and finish with a quick sear!
Sous vides are now used by almost every restaurant out there. If you had a steak, pork tenderloin, lamb chop at a restaurant, there is a good chance it was cooked by a sous vide since it gives perfect results.
I have used the Anova sous vide for the past 3 years and have absolutely loved it. I cook tons of steaks in there, along with other items like pork belly and lamb shanks for longer periods of time. It is the perfect gift for someone who loves to cook – especially meats!
Boos Cutting Board
Ever since culinary school I ONLY use a Boos cutting board. This is the best brand I have ever worked with, and the boards last for a very long time. If you do any cutting at home you should always use this board. It keeps knives sharper for longer, it is sturdy, and looks beautiful in the kitchen!
Shun 7″ Santoku Knife
Every cook needs a nice knife in their kitchen. It needs to be sharp, have multiple uses, and fit well in your hand. I have tried many out, and this 7 inch Shun Santoku is my absolute favorite. It is a Japanese knife, so it is extremely sharp, light, high quality, and gorgeous. I have been using it daily for the past 2 years.
AeroGarden
I got this as a gift years ago and absolutely loved it! I am AWFUL at growing plants / herbs, but managed to keep this herb garden alive. It makes it super easy to water your plants / herbs, give it enough light, and have a wide variety of herbs. It made cooking with fresh herbs so much easier!
Thermapen Meat Thermometer
I have used this meat thermometer for the past 4 years and literally will not use anything else! It is the best meat thermometer out there. It is even used by the health department when testing foods in restaurants. It has a great warranty, so if you ever break it, they will replace it for you. I broke the back once by dropping it and they sent a new one out immediately!
Butane Kitchen Torch
Every cook needs a small kitchen torch! This thing has come in handy so many times, even when I don’t think I need one! If you are wanting to brown a small item, like a marshmallow topping, or creme brûlée, than this is what you will want to use! It also comes in handy when I need to light something and don’t have a lighter around. You can easily find these on amazon!
Rotating Spice Rack Set
I got this last year as a gift and absolutely love it! It is so handy to have a ton of spices right in front of you, and have them organized with names on them. Whenever I run out I just refill them with spices bought from a store!
Butcher Box Subscription
Unless whoever you are shopping for doesn’t eat meat, this is the best gift you could possibly get them! It is a monthly subscription that delivers meat to your door. It is the highest quality of meat that is extremely nutritious + great tasting! If I received this as a gift I would be floored!
If you have any questions about the above suggestions, leave a comment or shoot me an email! And sign up for my newsletter to get notified when I post my upcoming stocking stuffer list!
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