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We really love to cook at InsideHook, so we’re always swapping recipes and advice about our favorite ingredients, tools and techniques — meaning, you can absolutely trust us when it comes to gift recommendations for the home cook. I’ve personally tried everything on this list, and I bet that anyone in your life who loves spending time in the kitchen will love them, too.
For the conservas-obsessed, this adorably useful set comes with a colorful fish-shaped serving board, three matching utensils and your choice of three of Fishwife’s tins (I’m partial to the Smoked Rainbow Trout and Fly By Jing Smoked Salmon).
The first time I saw these napkins they nearly broke my neck — they are so incredibly beautiful in person, they stopped me in my tracks. For anyone who is as meticulous with their tabletop as they are with their cooking, these make the perfect gift (buy a set of the matching placemats for bonus points).
Speaking of placemats, this eye-popping graphic set will protect wooden table tops from all kinds of spills — and look good doing it, too.
Whether they’re always whipping up cacio e pepe or achieving a perfect steak crust is like a religion for them, the Männkitchen Pepper Cannon is a bona fide work horse. This thing has a grind range of eight to more than 60 (most grinders work in the 12 to 28 size range) and has 10-times the pepper output of other mills.
Not only does this New West knife look gorgeous, but it cuts like a dream. The American-made steel blade is designed with a colorful handle that brings joy to paring, boning and fileting.
I’m a knife maniac, so my old magnetic strip was no match for my always-growing collection. But I recently hung this gorgeous wooden version, and now it fits everything from my smallest paring knife to my beloved Made In cleaver.
I came to Earlywood looking for a wooden bowl, and that bowl is fantastic for salads and the like. What I didn’t know is I would get completely hooked on their essential utensils, which I now use for cooking just about everything. Whether your giftee is a novice or a pro, they’ll appreciate them.
Wagyuman Wagyu Nigiri Set
For the cooking enthusiast who’s trying to hone their Japanese cooking skills (or for someone who just really loves succulent beef), this box comes packed with four different cuts of A5 Wagyu and sushi rice.
I started using this Danish skillet a few weeks ago, and it’s my new favorite tool for scrambling eggs in the morning. It’s made with commercial-grade Stratanium+, meaning nothing will stick to it, but it’s also safe for the oven, dishwasher and metal utensils.
I let out an audible gasp when I saw this gorgeous gift set from Marky’s Caviar. The elegant lacquered box opens to reveal a tin of Marky’s rare Malossol caviar that comes from American-farmed purebred Beluga sturgeon. The bottom drawer houses two Mother of Pearl spoons, a Mother of Pearl plate and a gold-plated tin opener for the ultimate presentation.
Last year, I fell in love with Corto’s Lemongrass & Basil Olive Oil, and 2024 is all about their Calabrian Chili bottling. It’s perfect for making salad dressings and drizzling on things like eggs and grilled fish.
Twenty years later, and this is still one of the best cookbooks on the shelf. This new edition features a forward by chef Gabrielle Hamilton and all of the incredible recipes from Bourdain’s late, great French brasserie, Les Halles. His writing remains the wittiest, coolest and most informative, and the recipes come together seamlessly (if you have the best ingredients, of course).
I have not one, but two Hedley & Bennett Essential Aprons because they are hands down the best in the biz. With so many colors, patterns and fabrics to choose from, you’re bound to find something your giftee will love.
I didn’t know what I was missing until I tried these baking sheets, which roast anything and everything to perfection. And they’re American-made to boot.
Every home cook needs an enameled cast iron dutch oven, and Le Creuset still does it best. It comes in a ton of great colors, so you can match their mood and apartment vibes.
Do you know where your spices come from? You should, and Burlap & Barrel is one of our favorite transparent spice brands. They source single origin spices from small farms, and you can choose a set of six, nine, 12 or 24 bottles, depending on how creative your giftee likes to get in the kitchen.
This spicy, savory set is perfect for anyone who likes to serve their dishes with a variety of sauces. It even comes with a small wooden spoon for easy scooping.
We all know someone who would appreciate a three-pound bucket of the best flaky sea salt around. This is the gift to buy that person.
For the home cook who isn’t afraid to leave their butter out at room temperature (trust me, it’s a game changer), this gorgeous dish displays it beautifully.
Long live the cheese course! The aspiring or bona fide cheese connoisseur will love the Cheese Grotto, which is designed to keep cheese fresh both inside and outside of the fridge.
Graza makes some of our favorite olive oils on the market, and the brand’s duo package with both the Drizzle and Sizzle varieties makes a perfect gift. If you really want to impress, throw in a refill subscription.
I have searched high and low for a quality truffle salt that doesn’t include any “flavorings,” and they are not easy to find. But as with everything they do, Jacobsen’s is perfect, infused simply with white truffle and nothing more.
A very robust backyard growing season has left me with far too many chili peppers — there simply isn’t enough time to ferment and pickle them all. But this food dehydrator swooped in and saved my harvest. Now I have tons of dried peppers that I can throw into soups, braises and sauces all year long.
Algae Cooking Club makes my favorite neutral cooking oil, and they recently launched two new flavors — Gochugaru Chili Oil and Shiitake Mushroom Oil — with chef Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park. This special bundle includes them all and are perfect for the home cook who loves to experiment.
Made In can do no wrong, and this two-in-one stock pot makes it easy to drain pasta, blanch vegetables and everything else a good pot should do. It’s designed with five layers of metals for even heat conduction and is compatible with gas, electric and induction cooktops.
Mole takes hours and hours to make, which is why this bottled version from Tenayo is so special. Use it to marinate meats or drizzle on rice and veggies.
You can’t go wrong with a fancy set of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Ancient Olive Trees’s EVOO is cold-pressed in California, while the vinegar is barrel-aged in Modena, Italy.
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Amanda is InsideHook’s Senior Editor and has been writing about food, drinks, travel and style for 16 years. She’s written for Travel + Leisure, Eater, Gear Patrol and New York Magazine among other outlets.