Get the Best Kitchen Holiday Gifts of 2021!
Looking for good holiday kitchen gifts? Our list has you covered with gadgets to make cooking more convenient, treats that anyone in your life will love, and tools to achieve easy cooking on the road!
It’s that time of year again, and with the pandemic still going on, we know that many of us are bracing for a stressful season that may or may not look like our usual holidays. That’s why we have been looking forward to helping you out with your holiday shopping this year. We are excited to show you 17 gift ideas that are not only great, but also super useful in fostering 3 things we could all use a bit more of: convenient cooking, happy treats, and quality outdoor adventures.
Sounds good, right? Let’s get into our first category…
Cooking Gifts for the Kitchen
Shiny gizmos and gadgets can be fun, but we know that most home cooks are looking for tools that actually make kitchen time easier. The next 5 items are some of the best kitchen holiday gifts you can get to help save time, reduce waste, and take some fumbling out of the cooking equation.
If you’ve got kids in the house, you may find that your kitchen scissors are often misplaced. Since this corrosion-resistant stainless steel set comes with 3 pairs, a bustling family will always be able to find a pair when they need them and can easily delegate tasks like opening up packages and prepping ingredients for older kids to do at the same time. Even if you don’t have a misplacing-scissors-problem in your household, this ZWILLING set includes a blue, red, and green pair so you can be super organized and use different pairs for different types of tasks. And did we mention that the handles function as a bottle cap opener, screw cap opener, and jar lid lifter, too? Yep, these scissors are awesome.
2. Rock Island Cast Iron Skillet
If you’ve never really understood when people rave about cast iron pans, that’s because you’ve never had the right pan. You see, companies selling inexpensive cast irons don’t do *the thing* that makes cooking in cast irons so good: grind the surface smooth. Without a smooth surface, food sticks and is a major pain to attempt to clean. But, Rock Island Cast Irons changes all that with their smooth-ground, super non-stick pans that you can even scramble eggs in them. Yes, eggs! For just $60 – $90 you can support a small business that is reducing so much waste by bringing you pans that can actually last a lifetime.
3. The Control Grip Immersion Blender
This is no ordinary immersion blender. The Control Grip has special anti-suction technology that helps prevent sloshing so you have less of a mess to clean up at the end of the day. It also has an ergonomic trigger switch that allows the hand to be in a more natural position while operating 15 speed settings for the most precise blending you’ve ever experienced. This is great for anyone who cooks at home and is an especially thoughtful gift for a loved one that needs to be gentle on their wrists.
4. Souper Cubes 1-Cup Freezing Trays
These cube trays are amazing for helping anyone meal plan, reduce food waste, and get just the right portions every time! They allow home cooks to easily make big batches of broths, sauces, and soups and then freeze them for later in perfect ½ or 1 cup portions with tight lids that keep food fresh. But, that’s not all! The BPA-free silicone Souper Cubes also moonlight as baking trays that let you make individual baked goods (which are especially convenient for the holidays!). $36.99 for a 2 pack is well worth the price as you save time and money every time you use them.
5. Bamboo Adjustable Tablet Stand
Gone can be the days of your devices’ precarious leaning action. This convenient stand lets a home cook adjust the angle, height, and vertical / horizontal orientation so it works for whatever device you have your favorite recipes on: tablet, phone, or even laptop. But, the stand isn’t only convenient — it’s made from eco-friendly bamboo, too! So nab this very affordable $17 stand for you or a loved one that cares about the environment.
Treat Yo’ Self
We can all agree that it’s been a tough couple years. That’s why we HAD to include some extra fun deliciousness in our Best Kitchen Holiday Gifts List for 2021.
These delectables make great stocking stuffers and holiday gifts for coworkers, teachers, neighbors, and anyone who could use a little pick-me-up.
These chocolate truffles are everything. They have the most mouth-watering flavors, from rich Hazelnut Butter or Mocha Cinnamon to fun Milk Tea or Zested Lime. They also have assortment boxes because who doesn’t want a little truffle sample bar? Plus, each treat is handcrafted in small batches with none of those ingredients that you need an advanced science degree to understand. We also absolutely love that NeoCocoa is woman-owned and run! Oh, and did we mention that these are award-winning truffles? Need we say more?
So many of our members have absolutely raved about TRUFF hot sauce. They have 4 different flavors (including an umami one made from red chilis, agave, and white truffles 🤤) that you can buy separately or in a bundle. They are also vegan and gluten-free, which means a stellar gift for a wide range of people in your life and a safe way to go if you aren’t sure about someone’s food needs. Because the last thing you want to do is give your kid’s favorite teacher a present they can’t eat.
Counter Culture Coffee is a company after Cooks Smarts’ own heart. It is known for its dedication to environmental and social sustainability and its commitment to coffee education (they’ve created online resources like quick & easy brewing videos and interactive tools to aid in coffee selection)! So go browse their wide selection of coffees and try anything from the nutty + caramel + chocolate notes of their ‘Big Trouble’ blend to their Ethiopian ‘Idido’ brew that has light floral + melon + citrus notes. You can get bags in various weights so its super easy to scale up for avid coffee drinkers.
These spiced cashews are positively delicious and a great way to add something special to a stocking or gift basket. But these cashews aren’t only delicious — they also do good in the world. They are made through a program in the Women’s Bean Project that employs women who were previously chronically unemployed. These $6 gifts won’t only treat your loved ones but also invest in women and fair trade. So all we have to say is a big, Yes, please!
10. Thrive Curated Wine Bundles
Unwinding with a gorgeous glass of wine at the end of a long day (or pandemic) is simply a timeless joy. And it’s even better when you can share that with loved ones. With Thrive’s Curated Wine Bundles you can keep your standards high by using their sorting feature that lets you sort by criteria like sustainable farming, family-owned, and pesticide free. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Cooking On the Road
Now that we’ve covered convenient cooking gifts as well as ways to treat those you love, it’s time to move into our final category that looks ahead with hope to the coming year. We’re pretty sure that after a long quarantine, it’s advisable to stretch your legs and get some sun in 2022. That’s why we decided to involve the great outdoors in our Best Kitchen Holiday Gifts List this year. Check out the gear below that will help make good food actually mesh with campsite cooking, road-tripping, and day-tripping.
This camping table is about to change your car camping game! It provides an organized prep and cooking station for all of your campsite cooking needs, yet still collapses down to a convenient size for stashing in the trunk. If you love camping or want to get into camping without longing for your kitchen too much, this $85 investment is the way to go.
12. Eureka 2-Burner Camp Stove
This Eureka stove is super durable and has adjustable, nonslip rubber feet to ensure your stove is level and stays in place…which may not seem like a big deal…unless you have kids. Then those features are everything. This dual burner stove makes it a cinch to cook your Cook Smarts meals al fresco! It also has 2-turn simmer controls that help you get a precise flame adjustment for delicious and easy cooking on the road.
13. Stasher Bags
A company with a mission to “create a waste-free world through education, action and advocacy” is right up our alley and probably yours, too! These endlessly reusable silicone storage bags can replace hundreds of single-use plastic bags each year and are essential for easy cooking on the road and oh-so-convenient snack travel. These fun bags even motivate our very own Jess Dang to get her fruits and veggies washed and prepped every week. But, honestly, you can use them to organize anything around the house or on a camping trip.
The TempShield insulation of this food jar keeps cold foods cold and hot foods hot, which is a must for good food on the road. It is also very durable and has a super wide mouth, which makes it easy for kids and adults to eat whole meals out of it. And this Hydroflask isn’t only good for camping and road trips — you can pack your lunch and your kids’ lunches in it every day. That makes it definitely worth the $35.
This waterproof, backpack-style cooler is the height of convenience. It’s PolarLayer insulation helps keep ice up to 24 hours so your campsite cooking and day-trip treks can be as fresh and delicious as they are fun. The IceMule even rolls up for easy storage. How many coolers can do that? Just sling it over your shoulder and you’ll be ready for your next adventure.
This stylish and lightweight cutlery set is perfect for that #zerowaste living on the go and at only $14.95, they are a great gift or stocking stuffer for anyone who is often out and about. They are so handy for easy cooking on the road with their cloth case and also useful for everyday lunch breaks.
Now that you have so many amazing options to choose from, we want to end our Best Kitchen Holiday Gifts List with one last suggestion…
17. Cook Smarts Meal Plan Subscription
If you want to hit all 3 categories in one amazing gift, you should consider giving a Cook Smarts Meal Plan Subscription as a gift this year!
Convenient Cooking? Check!
Treat Yo’ Self? I mean, we have special recipes like a melty Pear and Fontina Grilled Cheese and succulent Miso-Butter Salmon for days you’ve earned a bit of indulgence.
Good for being on the road? We have hundreds of meals that are flagged for freezer-friendly, make-ahead, and quick and easy in our Recipe Archives so members can find the perfect meals for their life on the road. And let’s not forget about our Mason Jar Ramen tutorial and our beloved member Brian Powers’s RV Cooking Tips.
We hope that our Best Kitchen Holiday Gifts List will help bring you and your loved ones into 2022 with ease and excitement. If you want even more ideas for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, birthdays, or any other holidays you celebrate, you can always look back through our last few years of recommendations for holiday gifts from the kitchen:
2020 – 20 Quarantine Gift Ideas for Friends, Family, & Coworkers
2019 – Best Kitchen Gifts for the Holidays
2018 – 30 Meaningful Gift Ideas for Friends and Family
2017 – Gift Pairings for Every Cook
We wish you all the happiest and safest holidays this year!
Cook Smarts 2021 Holiday Gift Guide
Looking for holiday kitchen gifts? Our list has you covered with gadgets to make cooking more convenient, treats that anyone in your life will love, and tools for easy cooking on the road!
A little note: Some of the above links are Amazon affiliate links, which means we earn a small percentage from those sales. We use this affiliate revenue to support the continued growth of Cook Smarts. Thank you!
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