It seems like EVERYONE does these… amirite?
so… I decided to jump on the bandwagon. if you read along and have friends who are comfortable in the kitchen these are my must-have and totally-crushing-on (and secretly hope I receive for Christmas too!) gift guides for the inner foodie. i hope it helps in your search for the perfect gift!
let's get right into it. I tried to include prices, but keep in mind they can change as time goes on. they're all as of 12/11/15 and I rounded up to the nearest dollar!
A SPIRALIZER. these are totally a necessity. and any foodie you know would appreciate it. I love mine because its compact and easy to use. I have the four blade ($49) – but they make a cheaper 3 blade one ($36) that would be perfect for someone you want to get a thoughtful gift.
While we're on the subject of spiralizing…. you should probably grab a copy of Inspiralized ($12) (the cookbook) to go along with it! I did this combo for my BFF for her birthday and she loved it! (right boo?) – its a quick and easy gift that says “hey I know you have an interest in cooking and healthy eating AND I support you!”
OH OH OH. Cookbooks. I still LOVE seriously delish ($23) as an option. I gave away a copy last year for Christmas AND gave signed copies to my mom and my seattle family the doyles. totally a great one. I'm also loving the nom nom paleo cookbook ($22), the skinny taste cookbook ($18), and the thug kitchen cookbook ($15) (disclaimer: the thug kitchen might is HILARIOUS, but also has a lot of swearing). Ones that I've been eyeing but don't have yet? Against All Grain ($18), Date Night In ($18), and The Year of Cozy ($15).
I loveeeee the idea of these meal prep containers ($14) to make the sunday meal prep routine easy peasy. yes.
Last year I asked my dad for an ipad dock so that I could watch shows etc, while in the kitchen/use it to read recipes I find on pinterest. He got me this one ($58) and I LOVE IT. It charges phones/ipads too which makes it super convenient. i also have this one ($10) and its nice when i'm in a pinch/traveling!
A CHEMEX. ($42) I love mine. it looks sooooo bougie. and it really does make superior coffee. highly recommend. and p.s. you can definitely find the filters ($19) cheaper. look on their website for where they're sold. the actual chemex I bought on amazon, but the filters were an in store purchase to save like $15. (p.s. on this note – a coffee grinder ($17) is ALWAYS appreciated – especially a cute idea with a bag of quality beans. I was grinding mine in my mini food processor until it broke, now I'm a huge lover of my coffee grinder)
speaking of a food processor. I LOVED my mini one ($40) until i dropped the plastic chamber thingy on our tile floor and it cracked. totally my fault though and it was so useful. i've gotten used to using my ninja ($160) for everything and i love it too, but its more on the expensive side.
Corkcicles! I have the wine bottle corkcicle ($17) (fyi – the classic corkcicle wine chiller is only $12 and it might be a little classier) and i'm totally eyeing the beer ones ($17).
I don't have these, but OMG I'm so into the Nordic half sheet pan ($14) and the Nordic quarter sheet pan ($8) for someone who loves to bake. especially for someone like me who is living life (or adjusting to life) in a tiny city kitchen – but also for any bakers out there really (they have a big pan ($15) too for anyone who has a luxurious kitchen!). it seems like the quintessential baking accessory… which is totally a necessity, right? – p.s. Frankie – my baking sheets are looking pretty rough and could use an update ;)
OH. also a silpat mat – such a lifesaver. every baker needs one in my opinion. its much easier than ripping and tearing parchment paper. I have a huge one which is actually super annoying because it doesn't fit on ANY of my pans. so I'm in the market for the smaller ones (probably this one ($15) and this tiny one ($13) would be the most useful – especially in a small kitchen)
A soda stream ($82)! we still love ours (and its a pretty nice party trick that always impresses). or if you have a friend who already has one, i think its a super cute idea to gift a fancy carafe ($18) to use with it. (i know i'd love to get one!)
HELLO LARGE ICE CUBES. ($9) I die over these. they're HUGE. and look so chic when you're serving guests… but also are so useful because (a) you don't have to go fishing in the craziness of your freezer for 3092579208353 ice cubes and (b) they don't dilute as much as normal ice cubes because they melt slower – WIN/WIN. I love them.
speaking of serving chic stuff to guests. I also LOVE cool paper straws… especially this pack of pink/gold ($12) – i'm OBSESSED. they add a nice cutesy touch! I also have these metallic ones ($8) that I love.
I also ALWAYS appreciate a groupon purchase! just lookup the giftee's neighborhood and gift them a night out on you! so nice and so fun. (wine tasting ones are my personal fave)
a mini bar-set! ($32) I got this for Christmas a few years ago (thanks Erin!) and I still love it to this day!
OH OH. i LOVE this set of moscow mule mugs + a shot glass ($54). they're PERFECT if you're feeling a little… indulgent. and totally not something people would buy for themselves, but also so nice to have!
and for those of you who know food bloggers in real life (TELL ME WHO YOU KNOW!) these are things I couldn't live without for productivity's sake: my EGO light. ($106) natural lighting (especially in the winter) is SO hard to work around. I'd be lying if I told you I only shot in natural light. this light makes it a lot less stressful + adds some human control. love it. I also have this book ($22) that helped me understand using my DSLR. oh! this summer i learned how useful flour sacks ($5) can be in both photography AND cleanup. they're my new go-to's. i'm ALWAYS using mason jars. ($17) we use them not only for blog photography, but also to store food AND as drinking cups! they're so durable, they've even withstood my boyfriend.if you know a blogger who uses a nikon and is in the market for a new lens, i LOVE mine ($197). its a prime lens and i think it's really helped me with learning to use my camera/improving my photography.
welp, those are all of my foodie ideas this year. i hope you found something you want to gift to somebody! If you have any other ideas for me or others leave them in the comments below!
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