11 Gift Ideas for People Who Love to Cook

Need some awesome gift ideas for the people in your life who love to cook and bake? From stocking stuffers to the absolute best in cookware, there’s something on this list for every cook in every price range. Your cook will love and use these gifts over and over again and you might get something tasty in return. Wink. Wink.

Header image by Laura James

1. For the Cookbook Lover

Vintage Cookbook Stand Cast Iron

This cookbook holder is a great gift for people who love to cook with beautiful cookbooks. It ensures those books stay clean and are easy to read even when hands are covered with dough. Works great for holding iPads, too!

2. For the Busy Person Who Loves to Cook

Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker

It’s not just a safe pressure cooker, but a slow cooker, rice maker, yogurt maker, cake baker, sterilizer, steamer, among other things. Plus, it’s a life-saver when you forget to defrost the chicken for dinner. Yes, you can cook a whole frozen chicken in an Instant Pot.

3. For the Baker Who Wants to Get it Right

OXO Good Grips 11-Pound Stainless Steel Food Scale

A digital kitchen scale is a must for consistently great results. The OXO Good Grips scale has a tare (zeroing) function. It weighs in grams and ounces, making it great for international recipes. It also has a pull-out panel so you can still see the weight reading even if you have a large bowl on the scale and it weighs up to 11 pounds.

French Rolling Pin

Every rolling pin has its fans and purpose. From the classic American wooden rolling pin with with handles to the oh so pretty marble rolling pin, also with handles. Handles are nice, but sacrifice maneuverability and a certain kind of intimacy with the dough. That’s where French rolling pins shine. They’re lightweight and easily make corrections in the shape of the dough without having to move the dough itself, as much. French rolling pins put less strain on the wrists and hands. This KARRYYOUNG rubber wood rolling pin is perfect for shaping pie and pizza dough, as well as fondant. It’s also available in beautiful sapele or walnut woods. It’s easy to clean and fits easily in a kitchen drawer. Reasonable pricing makes it a great stocking stuffer and perfect under the tree.

Silicone Pastry Mat

When I first got my silicone pastry mat, I didn’t realize how much I would use and love it. The measurements make it so easy to portion out dough and the circular measurements help guide me when making pies or tortillas. I don’t use this just for rolling out dough, though. I also use it to bench rest and shape my sourdough. The nonstick surface allows me to use less dusting flour and ensures I always have a clean place to roll or rest my dough. I have granite countertops and this mat keeps the countertops and the dough clean. It comes in four sizes and is a great companion gift for the French rolling pin.

6. For the Fresh Herb Lover

AeroGarden Harvest – Indoor Garden

I can’t count the times I’ve bought “fresh,” yet slightly wilted, herbs from the grocery store only to use five percent of them and throw the other 95% away. The best way to get fresh herbs is to grow them yourself. This indoor garden is perfect for those who don’t have the space for an outdoor garden or who just want fresh herbs year round.

7. For the Sourdough Bread Baker

Lodge 5 Quart Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven

Forget about shelling out hundreds or even thousands of dollars for special artisan bread baking equipment or ovens. This Dutch oven turns out perfect crusty bread every time. I have two of them, so I can bake two loaves at a time. Simply preheat the pot and lid along with the oven. Use the lid on the bottom to hold the bread and turn the pot upside down over the loaf. The steam from the bread stays inside the pot to create perfect “oven spring.” After 20 minutes remove the pot and let the bread brown to a deep brown crust. You’ll never know the bread didn’t come from an artisan bakery. Here’s my bread, below.

two loaves of sourdough bread — Two loaves of sourdough bread baked in Lodge cast iron Dutch ovens inside a home oven. Image and bread by Kimberly Scott.

8. For the Aspiring Bread Maker

Tartine Bread

A beautiful and extremely informative book on wild yeast (sourdough) bread baking. It teaches how to bake bread in the Dutch oven and entertains the senses with beautiful photography and storytelling. Kind of an illustrated bible of bread making.

9. For the One You Want to Spoil

All-Clad Stainless Steel 5-Ply Bonded Cookware Set, 14-Piece, Silver

For a gift that will last a lifetime and more, give your cooking lover the ultimate in cookware, All-Clad, 5-ply bonded stainless steel. . Buy one piece or the whole set. It doesn’t get any better than this.

10. For the Organizer in Your Life

Airtight Food Storage Container Set – 24 Piece, Kitchen & Pantry Organization

This container set is a great gift for people who love to cook, but hate having to dig through the pantry to find the ingredients.

11. For the Power Hungry Baker

Bosch Universal Plus Stand Mixer, 800 Watt, 6.5-Quarts

This Bosch mixer is the ultimate workhorse with 800 watts of power, allowing your baker to mix up massive batches of dough. This machine handles dough for up to 34 dozen cookies or 14 one pound loaves of bread. That’s HUGE! Plus, it has a wide range of attachments and accessories available, such as a blender, food processor, meat grinder, pasta roller, and citrus juicer. My mother has had her Bosch mixer since the 1980s and has used it to make many hundreds of loaves of bread and other delicious delights. This mixer is truly one for the ages.