For the Badass Chef: The Complete Cooking Gift Guide
We've got your holiday list right here.
*Affiliate disclosure.
For the one who says things like “sundried tomatoes are so 1987” and introduced you to something called fennel pollen. For the one who gets happier with every single chop on her end-grain wood cutting board. For the one whose dinner invitations you prioritize over your firstborn’s literal birth day…
We’ve got you covered.
Even the savviest of cooks have gotten perhaps a little bit too intimate with their cookware this year. We’ve taken inspiration from both time-honored classics and new-fangled tech to create a list of gifts with something for each and every cook.
Under $50
For the Apéritif Aficionado
Since we’re not going to cocktail bars anymore, it’s high time to bring cocktails home – without all the work. Haus is a Californian company founded by winemakers seeking to redefine quality apéritfs and put a modern spin on the European tradition. They are less sweet and less bitter than traditional apéritifs, deriving flavor from the fresh fruits, herbs and botanicals in every bottle. The result is fresh, complex, and easy to drink. Their product is farm-to-bottle with only real ingredients – no sketchy additives here! With seven drinks to choose from, each at around 18% ABV, Haus is sure to offer the perfect present to help flesh out the Aficionado’s bar cart. Choose from Citrus Flower, Bitter Clove, Lemon Lavender, or, new for the holidays, Spiced Cherry. Or, let Haus send a box of the four bestselling flavors in their sampler kit.
Get it for $40, Shop Haus now.
For the Italophile
High quality extra-virgin olive oil can kick simple dishes up to the next level, as Sardel’s organic extra-virgin olive oil will soon show. Made in Puglia using local Coratina olives grown on centuries-old trees, this oil offers a unique balance of spice, fruitiness, and bitterness, perfect for homemade pesto or drizzling over local burrata. If your favorite chef loves balsamic vinegar too, Sardel has a lovely organic balsamic vinegar made in Modena with local ingredients that pairs well with this oil.
Get it for $35, Shop Sardel now.
For the Instagram Cook
Our Instagram feeds have never been so drool-worthy thanks to cooks taking their latest culinary projects to social media. Help them dress up their ‘gram even more with this set of handmade wooden utensils (made from olive wood): the perfect photogenic gift for stirring, sautéing, and tossing on camera. With both a rounded and flat-bottomed spoon, this pair makes a gorgeous gift that will surely be treasured online and off.
Get it for $38, Shop Sardel now.
Under $100
For the Natural Wine Nerd
Made using low-intervention practices, native yeasts, and lower sulfites, natural wines are both sustainable and delicious – perfect for those looking to bridge the gap between wellness and wine. Dry Farm Wines allows you to send your favorite wine lover a curated box of three organic bottles (red, white, sparkling, rosé, or a combo) sourced from small family farmers and lab-tested for sugar, alcohol, and sulfites.
Get it for $88, Shop DryFarm Wines now.
For the Master Chef
If there’s anything your friend loves more than her kitchen island, it’s having her family appear around it to watch her sauté her famous stir fry, and Made-In’s Blue Carbon Steel Wok is just the pan to give the dish even more star power. Made for exceptional heat control and rapid movement, it’ll have her mastering not just her recipes but her stage presence in no time. (For more about Made-In’s professional-quality cookware, check out our guide to Made-In.)
Get it for $69 (after 30% discount), Shop Made In now.
Under $350
For the Former Restaurant Addict
Lockdown has inspired some restaurant stalwarts to approach home cooking for the first time. Celebrate your friends who have finally taken charge in the kitchen with a cookware set from Sardel. The small set comes complete with top-quality basics: a large skillet, sauce pan, and stock pot with two lids. Made of high-quality stainless steel crafted in Italy, these products are part of a time-honored tradition – all the better for paving the way for new culinary memories.
Get it for $260 (was $325), Shop Sardel now.
For the Slicer and Dicer
Any cook or chef will tell you, there’s nothing like a great knife to make a huge difference in the kitchen. Zwilling’s eight-inch chef’s knife is one that many pros swear by, made with a proprietary, nearly three-centuries-old formula. Pair it with the four-inch paring knife in a phenomenal knife duo, or spring for the ten-piece knife block set.
Get it for $149.99 (was $190), Shop Zwilling now.
For the At-Home Sushi Chef
For those who have taken advantage of this odd time to perfect their favorite restaurant sushi, the 7-inch rocking Santoku knife is the perfect gift. Crafted using traditional Japanese methods (and a bit of modern innovation) this knife features a hand-honed blade with a true katana edge.
Get it for $199.99 (was $250), Shop Zwilling now.
For the Francophile
Cast iron is a time-honored favorite for braising everything from beef bourguignon to coq au vin, and Staub’s French-made enamel cast iron Dutch ovens are the perfect tool to do the job. Available in beautiful red, white or blue finishes, each pot comes with an emblazoned rooster on the lid. Sturdy and beautiful, these 3 ½ quart Dutch ovens will surely earn a permanent place on the cooktop.
Get it for $199.99 (was $457), Shop Staub now.
Under $500
For the Design Perfectionist
For your friend whose hand towels are coordinated to the color of her guest soap, Caraway’s ceramic-coated cookware sets are the perfect gift. Available in six beautiful colors, this set includes a frying pan, saucepan, sauté pan, and Dutch oven. Naturally non-toxic and non-stick, these eco-friendly pans are made not just to impress – they’re made to last. Their complete set has everything you’ll need for healthy cooking, staying organized with both pot and lid holders, and looking good while doing so. Smart design notches on the pot handles help prevent you from burning your hand, and each kit comes with sustainably sourced cork trivets to protect your pans and countertops.
Get it for $395 (was $495), Shop Caraway now.
For the Food Waste Warrior
For the one who’s already composting and cutting down on plastic packaging, Vitamix’s Food Cycler FC-50 is the ultimate holiday gift. The compact food recycler takes up just one cubic foot of space, eliminating odors and transforming scraps into fertilizer that can be used in the backyard or donated to a community garden. If your giftee has wanted an easy no fuss, no smell composter that does the hard work for them, this is it. Our co-founder Laura Klein loves her Food Cycler FC-50 and runs it at least two times a day to reduce food waste and feed her garden.
Get it for $399.95, Shop Vitamix Food Cycler FC-50 now.
$500 Plus
For the Juice Maven
She used to be your gym and juice buddy – now, you do your workouts together via Zoom, and soon, she’ll be wrapping things up with her Hurom juicer. Boasting a 500 ml chamber capacity and low-noise motor, it makes home feel like your favorite juice bar – without all the people. Easy to assemble and disassemble (read: easy to clean) it’s not the sort of gift that will sit on the counter languishing in disuse.
Get it for $559.20 (was $699.00), Shop Hurom now.
For the Soup, Hummus, Nut Butter, Smoothie Queen
For anyone from the “nice cream” convert to the one who wants to make her own hazelnut milk, the Vitamix Ascent Series is the perfect gift. Powerful, consistent, and sturdy, this blender will quickly become a household must-have. The Ascent Series is compatible with a new family of SELF-DETECT® Containers, so you can build a customized blending and food processing system that fits your life. Your machine will sense which container you’re using and automatically adjust blend settings accordingly. Choose from the Dry Grain, Blending Bowls and Cups, or the gorgeous Stainless Steel Container, and Low Profile Containers. There’s even the fun Aer Disc Container that whips up perfect cocktails, creams, and effortless hollandaise sauces to make your next brunch a breeze.
From $549.95 to $724.95, Shop Vitamix blenders now.
Related on Organic Authority
The 11 Very Best Natural Face Serums by Word-of-Mouth
10 Self Care Gifts That Aren’t Just Hype
4 Clean Cookware Brands to Keep Toxins Out of Your Meals
*Help support Organic Authority! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a thoughtful lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products. And, yes, we may earn a commission to keep the lights on and reduce the number of ads we serve.
