The Best Kitchen Gift Ideas

The holidays are officially ON. The fun has begun! And so has shopping for gifts. Gift guides to the rescue!

Are you looking for kitchen gift ideas for both new and seasoned cooks?

I love to give and receive kitchen gifts. Many of these items were given to me over the years, so I can attest they make great gifts!

Cuisinart Air Fryer + Convection Oven Toaster

This is a kitchen gift I bought for myself. Get yourself a Cuisinart Air Fryer, or add it to your list now. I'd been holding off on buying an air fryer gift because I thought it would end up sitting on a shelf in the basement only to be dug out for sporadic use. That turned out not to be the case at all.

I decided on the Cuisinart Air Fryer + Convection Oven Toaster because it's also a toaster oven. So I knew we'd use it almost every day, even if I ended up not using the air fryer function. This particular air fryer also has a basket that holds more than most others. It turns out I'm using my air fryer gift to myself regularly! I use the air fryer function to roast diced potatoes or reheat them. I also use it to roast broccoli and reheat leftovers like roast veggies, pizza, mac and cheese.

I bought this same air fryer for my daughter and her roommates. They moved into an apartment at the beginning of the school year. My daughter reports that it's the most used item in their kitchen.

French Butter Dish

Are you looking for gifts for butter lovers? This little French butter dish is the answer. It's the perfect way to store butter at room temperature. Fill the bottom of the dish about ⅓ full with cold water, and your butter will stay soft and at room temperature. No more having to microwave your butter to soften it. This dish holds one stick of butter.

Stainless Steel Cookie Spatula

I love this stainless steel cookie spatula. It's great for baking. And it's great for young kids who want to help in the kitchen because it's light weight and easy for small hands to manage.

Ceramic Paring Knife

This paring knife makes just the right gift. While I was at my mom's a few years ago over Thanksgiving, I used her ceramic paring knife. I loved it! Guess what she gave me for Christmas last year?! It's my go-to paring knife.

Kitchen Shears

I use them for so many tasks. They’re great for making peeling shrimp easier, cutting herbs, and opening bags and boxes of food - like those beans that come in boxes. I can’t open those without scissors despite the perforated top!

Microplane Grater/Zester

Microplane grater with a black handle. Used for zesting citrus peel or finely grating parmesan cheese or fresh nutmeg.

I’m not sure what I used before I owned this! I have two of these. One I use for grating parmesan cheese and the other I use for zesting citrus peel.

Oxo Good Grips Y Vegetable Peeler

This Oxo Good Grips Y peeler rocks! It is by far the best peeler I’ve owned. You want this in your kitchen! You can even peel butternut squash with it.

Flat Whisk

A friend gave me this many years ago and it’s one of my most used utensils. It can reach the bottom edges of pans, so when you’re cooking and whisking (like making mac and cheese) bits don’t get stuck in the pan.

Silicone Spatulas

Le Creuset spatulas are nice to have in a number of sizes. The small one is great for scraping out the last of the peanut butter from the jar. The benefit of silicone spatulas is that they can withstand heat, and you can cook with them.

Silicone Pastry Brush

Le Creuset silicone pastry brushes are nice because they’re easy to clean and they don’t shed bristles. It's nice to have these in a variety of sizes.

Fish Turner

Use this when you’re cooking fish on your stovetop and need to turn it over before moving it to the oven. It's a very thin spatula so it's easy to get underneath the fish.

Wooden handled fish spatula with slats to help drain liquid from what you're lifting from he pan.

Cherry Pitter

A cherry pitter isn’t essential, but you, and especially your kids, will have fun pitting cherries with it. Kids will especially enjoy using this tool!

Copper Pepper Mill

A really good pepper mill is a lovely gift. Chad's aunt gave us a similar one a few years ago, and we love it! Add a jar of whole peppercorns to the package to complete the gift.

Silicone Microwave Safe Dish Covers

Silicone cover in the shape of a sunflower.

These silicone covers come in a variety of sizes and fun designs. I use these when I reheat food in the microwave or to keep bowls covered in the refrigerator. No waste! I also love the bottle stoppers they make .

Cutting Boards

Wooden cutting board in the shape of a chicken.

Anna's husband Dan has a cutting board similar to this one that Anna's sister gave him. I love these animal-shaped cutting boards. There's a cow, a pig, and a rooster-shaped board too. In addition to being a cutting board, these work well for small cheese or charcuterie boards. I'm going to put this chicken-shaped board on my list this year. Maybe one of my family members will get it for me?!

If you also love to give books as gifts, we've got you covered.

Here are all our gift guides, favorite cookbooks, and more of the best books for supporting healthy relationships with food and body image.

Are you looking for tips for navigating the holidays?

We've got a number of blog posts and podcast episodes to help you during the holidays. We can get so busy we forget to make time to do the things that help us manage stress! How do you manage stress this time of year?