Foodies can be a handful. They’ll talk your ear off about immersion blenders, the merits of cast iron, and the subtle differences between Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris. Unsurprisingly, they can be a bit hard to shop for as well.
When shopping for a foodie, one could go in any number of directions, from kitchen gadgets and tools to specialty items, and even online subscription services. You want to hone in on something that has some combination of being fairly original, useful, and perhaps on the verge of trending.
Here are the best gifts for all the foodies out there this holiday season.
Mortar and Pestle
If your foodie friend is not mashing up their own herbs and spices, they ought to be. It adds freshness to all dishes and cocktails and the task itself is pretty therapeutic. Better still, a mortar and pestle simply looks cool on display atop a kitchen counter or shelf. This marble version is a great pick for the job.
Specialty Salts
No foodie should be messing around with run-of-the-mill salt. This is one of those culinary staples where a real upgrade can do wonders to the resulting food. We really like this four-pack from Iceland’s Saltverk, which comes with flaky sea salt, lava salt, birch smoked salt, and arctic thyme salt.
Knife Sharpening Stone
A foodie who likes to cook needs sharp knives. Keep them that way with this sharpening stone, which can stay tucked away when not in use with relative ease. It comes with a good-looking bamboo base and can even sharpen other edges like blades and small axes. You’ll find yourself wanting to master the art of knife sharpening with this handy tool.
High-End Coffee
A foodie’s morning should consist of some of the best coffee available. It can be something as simple as a quality breakfast blend or a reserve-level coffee fermented in pineapples. We’ve had the good fortune of tasting a lot of great Java and are especially drawn to the work of roasters like Water Avenue out of Portland and Brooklyn’s Partners Coffee.
Honey Dipper
Like a wooden spoon or good apron, some things are just culinary classics. A honey dipper is among them, a cool little tool that’s great for drizzling all kinds of things, from sauces and reductions to syrups. This one scores extra aesthetic points with its cool olive wood look.
Monk: Light and Shadow on the Philosopher’s Path
Just reading the intro to this wonderful book will get you excited about food, if you’re not already. It follows the work of Kyoto restaurant Monk, which has earned Michelin star attention and for good reason. It’s an ode to food in general, from growing it to preparing it over an open flame. The visuals are gorgeous and even the pickiest foodie will fall in love with cooking all over again.
Food Prints
It’s the best time ever to be into food so it makes sense that there’s a thriving food art scene as well. The right print can illuminate a kitchen or add a stylish touch to a dining room, all while reminding the viewer that food is art in these parts. We’re especially fond of the luminous work of Rocío Egío, whose work has appeared in a number of foodie publications.
Cocktail Club
From steak clubs to produce subscriptions, there’s no shortage of online membership options for foodies. If they like a good drink, it’s hard to beat what DRNXMYTH is doing right now. The cocktails are so well-made you’d expect them to fetch double digits a pop at your favorite bar. They’re also fairly complex so the foodie especially will appreciate the detail and many layers of flavor at play.
Vintage Radio
A tiny retro radio, but why? Because your foodie pal (or self) loves to cook and doing so to music or their favorite food podcast is the way to go. Earbuds or headphones are normally great, but when you’re in the thick of a meal project, you need to be listening out for timers and indicator noises like bubbling, crackling, and fizzing. Foodies have taste, so treat ’em to a timeless radio like this. And don’t worry, it’s got a Bluetooth connection.
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