Do you have a foodie in your life? Are you shopping for a gift for foodies? With the help of my new BFF, I’ve got a few suggestions if you find yourself stumped. (Disclosure: Amazon affiliate links abound!)

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Hi, again, Dear Readers:

I do hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. Mine was more like many holidays I had in Houston: me, cooking all my new and old favorites for myself.

Where was he? Gone to his brother’s place down in Baton Rouge. When he finally returned about 9:30 pm, he never touched anything I cooked, including the Mushroom Sausage Stuffing and the delicious sheet-pan turkey dinner which may return at Christmas. Long story there, and really, it was all fine. I enjoyed every bit of everything for a week.

Followup From The Last Blog Post

I received a couple of nice responses after The Mushroom Post, thanks. One reader whose name will not be mentioned here later asked the question, “why do people make a big deal about truffles? They taste the same as regular mushrooms.” I don’t have an answer, but let me investigate that one. I think I’ve had them once or twice in my life, and saw them at the Houston Central Market once. It was just a package of two or three, and they were very expensive by the pound.

Site Housekeeping And Updates

I’ve also begun some updates on the blog’s website. Some of the files on the Recipes page still point to the original blog site, which is still online. I stopped updating it 2016 when I got this domain. Unfortunately, I never got around to checking to make sure all the posts transferred over when I migrated everything into the new site. It’s time to get that finalized.

Upwork and Fiverr have people who you can pay to do it for you. But again, never got around to that task. With the help of AI, I’ve begun checking to see what posts didn’t transfer over and what recipes need to be re-linked over here so I can finally retire the old site and close it down. I’ve downloaded the PDFs for the ones that redirect back and am in the process of updating the links. Soon, I’ll go into the page and finish the link updates for the recipes, and you can download those PDFs from this site. I don’t want a redirect to that site once it’s gone.

But now it’s a couple weeks since my last post, and time got away from me again. I had a short project for a law firm client in Sydney, Australia, and it got me thinking about making Lamingtons. If you’re going to a holiday party and want to bring something different, give Lamingtons a try. You can read more at this “official” Lamington site.

A I’ve asked my new BFF (the esteemed ChatGPT) to give us a few suggestions for your holiday shopping. Time is short, so if you are ordering something, don’t wait. And yes, there are some lovely affiliate links here, too, if you’re interested.

Holiday Shopping For The Foodie

James has never quite understood what the whole “foodie” thing really means. But if you know, you know. (#IYKYK) These days, I don’t try to explain it anymore, I just buy whatever I want and use it accordingly. If I say something like, “we’re running low on Kalamata olives,” he just gives me a funny look. He did tell me a couple of weeks ago that he’s buying me a new vacuum cleaner for Christmas, ha, ha, ha. (We already have more than one.)  While he will shop in Aldi without reservation, he still says the same thing: “It’s just a grocery store.” 

If you’ve got a foodie in your life, congratulations–your holiday shopping just got a whole lot easier. Food lovers aren’t hard to please, as long as you get them the right gadgets, tools, and edible treasures. This doesn’t mean a box of chocolate covered cherries or other chocolates, unless they specifically ask for that. Otherwise, they’ll smile politely while silently plotting where they’re going to re-gift whatever random tin of popcorn you brought them.

To save you from that fate, I’ve rounded up ten actually good gifts that real foodies will use, love, brag about, and probably Instagram forever.

Let’s get into it.

1. A High-Quality Chef’s Knife (Because Dull Knives Ruin Lives)

If your favorite foodie is still hacking veggies with a dull bargain-bin knife, do them a kindness and upgrade their blade. A solid 8-inch chef’s knife is a kitchen workhorse. It’s the gift that keeps on slicing.

Why it’s a great gift:
People rarely upgrade their own knives. When they unwrap this, they will see you as the superior human you clearly are.

Gunter-Wilhelm

If you’re not familiar with this brand, I wasn’t either until I bought one.

I bought it at the Houston Food Show in 2011. The two guys in the Gunter-Wilhelm booth told me it was one of the best knives you could buy at $150. But that day, they were selling them for $75–half price. I bit and bought, and have to say it’s one of my favorite knives ever.

When it’s sharp, it’s an easy and clean cut. Pay very close attention when you’re handling a heavy knife like this. I had it sharpened once at the now-closed Sur la Table in Baybrook Mall. I haven’t used it much since I’ve been here.

Gunter-Wilhelm also has an outlet website with discounts.

Zwilling

Another fantastic knife is this long Zwilling:

This one was a gift from the GER, no less, bought at an estate sale many years ago. Although he did a fantastic job restoring and sharpening this knife, he decided he couldn’t sell it, so he gifted it to me. This one is also still packed and only used occasionally. It’s good for slicing through any number of things, including your holiday turkey. Both knives are treated with respect.

Note that Zwilling knives are considered very high end knives with an equally high-end price tag.

James didn’t want me to put those knives in the only small drawer in the kitchen, so both have remained packed since I arrived along with my Splayds and other exclusive culinary tools. (Note: Amazon no longer has Splayds but does have a variety of sporks in stainless steel, which aren’t the same thing. Multiple sellers on eBay and Etsy sell Splayds.) I have considered getting another knife block or hanging up a magnetic strip on the wall for my good knives but just haven’t. Getting a good knife sharpened here is a drive somewhere. So I’ve kind of avoided it and just used the inexpensive knives until I find someone who can sharpen them all within a decent driving distance.

Add a good knife sharpener for a really dedicated foodie.

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2. Electric Milk Frother

Lattes, matcha, hot chocolate — a frother instantly makes it fancy without requiring a barista’s license. These little handheld devices cost peanuts and deliver foamy joy on demand.

I have one or two Produkt frothers from IKEA that work nice, but they’re not as powerful as the Aerolatte I had and used until it passed away a couple of years ago. That one would froth up anything and blend small amounts of oil and vinegar for salad dressing quickly and efficiently. Put the mixer end in a cup of water with some dish detergent, turn it on, and it’s clean just as quickly.

You can find a myriad of milk frothers both online and in stores at low and high price points (especially at IKEA, $3.99.) Pro tip: Rechargeable models are stronger and don’t die right before your morning coffee.

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3. A Powerful Air Fryer

Still haven’t jumped on the air frying bandwagon? Check out my previous blog post on the wonders of the air fryer. It can be a great thing to have around, if you have the room. Easy to use too.

Every foodie either has an air fryer or wants a better one. Trust me on this: look for models with at least 5 quarts of space so they can crisp up everything from Brussels sprouts to chicken wings. If I were buying one now, I would get this beautiful Teal Speckle model from The Pioneer Woman collection.

It’s just under six quarts and even has a window. You don’t see that color every day. Note that it’s under $100 right now on Walmart’s website. 

Bonus: It’s secretly a gift for you too if you live with them. Air-fried everything = less mess = holiday miracle.

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4. Gourmet Olive Oil + Balsamic Vinegar Gift Set

Nothing says “I put thought into this” like a really good olive oil — not the sad bottle sitting at eye level in the grocery store. Real, high-quality olive oil is peppery, smooth, grassy, and absolutely nothing like what most people settle for. Williams-Sonoma and Sur la Table are great places to start researching and looking, but you may find a set just about anywhere, including Walmart and Aldi.

Pair it with a small-batch balsamic and boom: classy gift unlocked.

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5. Digital Meat Thermometer

Foodies want their meat perfectly cooked. They don’t want food poisoning. A fast, reliable digital thermometer takes the guesswork out of everything from steak to sourdough bread.

This is one of those gifts people don’t realize they need until they have one–and then they never shut up about how precise their roast chicken is now.

Admittedly, I don’t have one, but should. I’ll be looking for one with my next Amazon order. It’ll drive James up the wall, too.

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6. The “Fancy Salt” Trio

There’s more to life than table and kosher salt. More than Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, even. Salt gift sets are a great gift for someone who takes salt and seasoning seriously.

Smoked salt, flaky sea salt, truffle salt — seasonings they can sprinkle on anything to make it taste like it came from a high-class (and expensive) restaurant. Salt is the adult equivalent of glitter: sprinkle responsibly.

This is a low-cost, high-impact gift that feels luxurious without requiring a second mortgage.

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7. A Countertop Fermentation Kit

I’m going to admit that I haven’t tried fermentation, and may never. The closest I’ve ever tried this is making some “refrigerator pickles” a couple of years ago when we were gifted more cucumbers than I could reasonably eat.

But if you’ve got a foodie who loves tinkering, nothing will delight them more than realizing they can make their own kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, and hot sauce with a simple home fermentation kit. It taps into their inner mad scientist.

WARNING: They may start talking about probiotics more than reasonable, and breach the limits of your tolerance.

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8. High-End Silicone Spatulas

You know the ones — heatproof, flexible, durable, and absolutely not dollar-store flimsy like this set from OXO. A great spatula is an everyday joy, and a set is even better. This one reaches into the bottoms of jars, and this silicone blender spatula can help you get more out of your blender before cleaning it.

Ask me how I know. . .because I’ve made basil pesto every summer since 2010 and discovered how sharp the blender blades are with my regular silicone spatulas.

This is stocking stuffer gold. Foodies love tools that work.

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9. A Subscription Box of Gourmet Snacks or Ingredients

From keto boxes to globally themed meals to chocolate-of-the-month, subscription boxes are the gift that keeps showing up. It’s like giving them Christmas 12 times instead of once. Pick one that fits their favorite cuisine or dietary preferences (gluten-free, low-carb, plant-based — the options are endless). A quick search on FindSubscriptionBoxes.com can help you find just what you’re looking for.  The website has a variety of subscriptions to try, not just food.

Since I haven’t had any subscription boxes like these since I sampled Graze, I don’t have any specific suggestions. They’re a UK company now, anyway.

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10. Cast Iron Skillet (Yes, Even If They Already Have One)

Foodies collect cast iron like tech bros collect monitors. A well-seasoned cast iron pan lasts forever, cooks beautifully, and gets better with age. They come in a wide variety of sizes, from small 4″ skillets up to large dutch ovens and covered pans. Many of them are pre-seasoned.

If they already have one, great! But now they can have a second one dedicated to sweets, or camping, or searing steaks at 700 degrees like a culinary daredevil.

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Gifts for Foodies Doesn’t Have to Be Stressful

Food lovers appreciate tools and ingredients that make cooking more fun, more flavorful, or just easier. Whether you go big with a high-end chef’s knife, an air fryer, or smaller with a frother or gourmet salts, these ten gifts will hit the mark every time.

Want to earn bonus points? Pair any of these gifts with a handwritten recipe card, a homemade seasoning blend, or a batch of your best cookies. We foodies love personal touches almost as much as we love good butter.

The Holidays Are Here

As they always are. . .and there are already ads on social media for diets, fitness, and even GLP-1 drugs online for weight loss. My favorite (and most returned) ad is the one I’ve seen for a portable Pilates reformer mat with lots of bells and whistles that folds flat for storage or travel. My front-brain says, “You need this!” While the back brain reminds me, “no, you don’t, just use the stuff you already have, regularly.” Plus all the other things I want to do that take a backseat more often than I’d like.

I have a couple of new topics in mind for future blog posts, some of which involving health and wellness. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin your holidays with that now. Enjoy the stuff you want (in moderation) because it is the holidays, but please take care of yourself too.

Until next time,

Enjoy, And Happy Holidays!