Good gift ideas for people who want to cronch on something delicious
Food- and drink-related gifts? Groundbreaking. But they are classic for a reason! And every year, the food world finds a way to make them feel new/fresh/interesting. So if you’re thinking that a cookbook, kitchen item, or something edible would make a good gift for somebody in your life, you might enjoy this list that my girlfriend and I curated together.
Escali kitchen scale
If I can buy an appliance in a hot color, then that’s exactly what I’m going to do!!! We own this scale in the soft pink, but the pumpkin orange and tarragon green variations are extremely cute as well. In addition to being cute, it seems as if this thing’s nearly indestructible. (My girlfriend has dropped ours a couple of times, and the reviews echo this sentiment.) Get it from Escali for $39.95 or from Amazon for $23.94.
Great Big Stuff’s pasta-shaped kitchen wares
This is the perfect gift for the design-minded, kitsch-loving somebody in your life who’s also something of a Sauce Man. We own and love the penne-shaped garlic peeler and bowtie pasta potholders (read more about them here), but Great Big Stuff also offers an extremely charming mezzelune silicone gripper ($19) as well as a ravioli spoon rest ($19). Get the garlic peeler ($19) and pot holders ($19) from Great Big Stuff.
Farmhouse Pottery’s double oven mitt
I love safety; other people love using their own shirt as a potholder. Why not marry the two things? Get it from Food52 for $48.
Bodum French press and/or iced coffee maker
I’ve recommended this Bodum French press on multiple occasions now; my girlfriend and I just love it that much! If you want to punch it up a little, add a bag of coffee beans from a local to you (or to them) shop/producer. We love Partner’s Coffee Bedford blend for the french press and the Jumpstart blend for cold brew (the cute packaging is a nice bonus). Get the French press from Bodum ($19.99). Get the iced coffee maker from Bodum for $16.99 (usually $23.99). P.S. This is a good one for white elephant gift exchanges if you want to bring something that people actually like!
Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails
Shannon Mustipher is a Black, queer woman and her book is the first cocktail book by a Black bartender in a century. In addition to being historic, the book is beautiful. (See also: the “Lake at Night” cocktail.) This is a really fun book to thumb through, and a great gift for anyone who wants to make their winter quarantine a little more summery and fun, even if it’s not the most seasonally appropriate. Get it from Bookshop for $27.55, Amazon for $22.25, or your favorite local bookstore.
Luxardo maraschino cherries
I’ve loved/recommended these fancy cherries for years; they are a leveled-up version of the ice cream-stand maraschino cherries most of us are familiar with. They’re a deep red (almost black) color and come packed in a thick, sticky syrup. They’re a great little treat for banana split and cocktail enthusiasts alike (in fact, if you’re already planning on buying your loved one Shannon Mustipher’s cocktail book, these cherries would pair extremely well with it).
You can buy them from Amazon in a big, beefy, 6.6 pound can (that will last you at least a year!) for $86.99. Or you can get the more diminutive 400g jar for $19.28 from Amazon or $19.95 from Williams-Sonoma. (Williams-Sonoma also sells a set of two 400g jars for $38.90.)
Ferm Living ripple glasses
After reading Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails, we decided it was time to get a set of beautiful glasses. We went with the tall/highball glasses, which are unfortunately out of stock at the moment. Their shorter counterparts are equally as beautiful and stylish, however, and you can get a set of four from Ferm Living for $55 (or the Smoked Grey version from Amazon for $55).
Beautiful and practical pantry staples
Food gifts are always a good option for practical people who are hard to shop for, and choosing items that are delicious and beautifully packaged is a good way to level things up. Here are a few of our favorite pantry staples that you could use as the basis of a fancy DIY food basket:
Fancy beans. If you aren’t familiar with Rancho Gordo beans, this New Yorker article is a good place to start. Buy the beans directly from Rancho Gordo for $6–$7 for a one-pound bag or from myPanier for $7–$8 for a one-pound bag.
Harissa Chili Paste. We’ve gone through a bunch of this this year. Get a tube from Amazon for $7.99.
Canned tomatoes. Bonus: the empty cans look great with fresh flowers in them. Get a 28-ounce can of Cento tomatoes from Target for $4.29 or a 28-ounce can of Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes from Amazon for $3.99.
Set of two Brightland olive oils
These have been all over Instagram this year, and with good reason: they really are delicious. While a single bottle of Awake is currently sold out, you can get a set with Awake and Alive from Brightland for $74. As a bonus, add an inexpensive but very useful pour spout to your gift; get one from Amazon for $4.10.
Casamara Club amaro soda
This is the year my gf and I learned that we’re mainly social drinkers — and without much socializing to do, we’re not drinking much and our tolerance has all but tanked. But these self-proclaimed “leisure sodas” scratch the itch when we’re feeling in the mood for a fancy drink. The packaging is incredibly cute, and they taste like leveled-up, not-too-sweet seltzers.
We both love the Capo flavor, but they’re all delicious so just go with whatever speaks to you. These are also great to keep in mind for the day when we can have parties again and you want to offer an EANAB (equally attractive non-alcoholic beverage) to your sober guests. Get a 12-pack from Casamara Club for $36.
Material cutting boards
My gf and I personally own and love these cutting boards. Not only are they pretty, but the recycled plastic they are made from has the added benefit of helping obscure/mask visible cut marks. They come in six beautiful colors, but Deep, Sand, and Coral are especially lovely. They’re currently on sale at Material for $35, but you can also opt to donate your discount to Drive Change which “is training young adults who were formerly incarcerated and equipping them for the workplace.” You can also save a little money by buying three cutting boards — it’s $70 for a trio — which you could either gift as a set or divide up among a few giftees.
Areaware house-shaped bottle stopper
Remember when I said our tolerances have tanked? Well, these extremely cute stoppers have helped us extend the life of our wine for…a long time. They would make a great stocking stuffer or you could pair them with the recipient’s favorite bottle of wine. Get red, yellow, or blue from Design Public for $8 each, or get yellow or blue from East Dane for $8.
Baking at the 20th Century Cafe: Iconic European Desserts from Linzer Torte to Honey Cake
The 20th Century Cafe is a very cute bakery and restaurant in San Francisco that’s probably most famous for their Russian honey cake with salted honey buttercream served on top of incredibly cute vintage plates. If you want a better sense of what the recipes are like, check out Samin Nosrat’s article on Russian honey cake and the recipe she adapted in conjunction with 20th Century Cafe owner, Michelle Polzine.
Get the cookbook from Bookshop for $32.30, Amazon for $22.88, or your favorite local bookstore.
Dishoom: The First Ever Cookbook from the Much-Loved Indian Restaurant
The title really spells it out for you!!! Dishoom is a wildly popular, UK-based group of Indian restaurants modeled after the Iranian cafes that used to be readily found in Bombay. (There were almost four hundred cafés at their peak in the 1960s!) So, they’re blending the best of two excellent cuisines together to create something really special. If you’d like to take a peek at some of their recipes before you commit to buying the cookbook, The Guardian published four of their recipes and Delicious published another six, including Dishoom’s masla chai. We’ve made the chai multiple times now and can personally vouch for how easy the recipe is to follow and how delicious the final product is.
Get the cookbook from Bookshop for $32.30, Amazon for $23.89, Target for $30.49, or your favorite local bookstore.
Local bar/restaurant merch
Restaurant and bar merch is a great way to support local businesses and show an interest in the restaurants your friends love and miss the most. (Also, how great is that Cubbyhole T-shirt?!) Merch Aid is a great resource for NYC folks, and Merch 4 Relief is great for folks outside of (but also including!) NYC. Both groups team up with local artists and designers to create exclusive items for small businesses/restaurants that have had to significantly alter their business model due to the pandemic. (BTW, Merch 4 Relief is offering 50% off everything Black Friday through November 30th.)
If you need other ideas, Helen Rosner compiled a list of cool merch from restaurants/bars all over the U.S., which you can find in her Instagram stories highlights (part 1, part 2, and part 3). Or you can just do a gift card that your person can use in the future or for takeout! Think of it as an investment in two things you love: the person you’re shopping for, and the local establishments that nourish so many people. 🍅
More 2020 gift guides:
Good gift ideas for the design-minded kitsch-loving somebody in your life
Good gift ideas for the sweet, smart, fun, and cool youths in your life
Good gift ideas for anyone who wants to look, smell, or feel nice