When doing my holiday shopping, I like to buy gifts for my loved ones that are meaningful to them. Today I’m looking at kitchen gifts that are perfect for the home chef in your life who’s wanting to expand their culinary skills with a new small appliance or coveted accessory.
Small appliances a chef would love
There are many small appliances to choose from when looking to up your cooking game at home. They’re not all created equal, and many are versatile and multi-use. A few of my favourites are a stand mixer or mixer attachment, a sous vide, and a food processor.
Many people already own a stand mixer, and if the chef on your list does, you might consider an attachment they don’t yet have that is compatible with their model. Some fun ones would be a pasta roller and cutter, a food grinder, or grain miller. There are plenty of options to choose from and the chef on your list will be able to take their skills to the next level.
A sous vide is a great gift for the chef who’s looking for ways to retain more vitamins and nutrients in their cooking. To cook using a sous vide machine, you vacuum seal your food and cook it slowly in a warm water bath. This technique not only locks in nutrients and vitamins but also flavour.
I love my food processor. Its versatility will make it a welcome addition to any chef’s kitchen. They’re easy to use and clean and take the fuss out of a lot of kitchen prep. You can make doughs, dressings, sauces, chop up veggies, the list is endless.
A chef’s dream Dutch oven
One kitchen tool my husband and I have grown to love is a Dutch oven. The best perk is that you can cook with it on your stovetop and in the oven, so go ahead and sear your meats, throw in any other ingredients, put the lid on and throw it in the oven for a slow roasted, flavourful meal. You can also make pasta, soups, and even bake (or proof!) a loaf of bread in it.
You can personalize this gift for the chef in your life too as they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colours.
Kitchen gadgets for your chef
Another fun gift idea for the chef in your life who’s all about maximizing flavour is a mortar and pestle. We’ve been using one in our home for a couple years now and we love it.
The best perk of a mortar and pestle is the ability to grind, muddle and crush fresh herbs, spices, and nuts on demand. Instead of buying dry, store-bought herbs and spices, why not grind your own fresh as needed. They come in a variety of sizes and can be made from wood, bamboo, marble, granite and more. My husband and I use a granite one. It’s very heavy but extremely durable and one of the ways we use it most is to grind fresh flax seeds.
Last, a good kitchen thermometer is a must for any chef wanting perfectly cooked meats. You can choose the instant style which is where you insert the thermometer manually every time you want to check the temperature or the leave-in style. The leave in style has a probe that you insert into your meats, and it stays tethered to a digital unit placed outside the cooking area. They often have an alarm of sorts that will alert you when you’ve reached your desired cooking temperature. Say goodbye to tough overcooked meats with a kitchen thermometer.
You can find some amazing small appliance and kitchen accessories for the chef on your list this holiday at Best Buy online.
