Great Gift Ideas for the Cook
In a way, finding a great gift for the cook in your life is a selfish act, because eventually you’re bound to reap the benefits! If you know a wonderful cook or live with one, you’re fortunate in many ways; one of which is the great variety of gift ideas that are available to you.
Practical Gifts
Cooks use their kitchen supplies. Unlike people who rarely step into their kitchens except to make a bowl of cereal or bag of microwave popcorn, cooks use their sponges, dish towels, hot pads, rubber spatulas and can openers, and items like these require replacement every few years. You can put together a collection of the most commonly used items in your favorite cook’s kitchen for a practical gift that will make all of her culinary explorations a little easier.
Educational Gifts
People who enjoy cooking are always looking to improve their skills and culinary repertoire. If you know a cook who never likes to prepare the same thing twice, give him a subscription to a cooking magazine, a new cookbook, or sign him up for a series of cooking lessons at the adult education center – just make sure they’re at the right level for his skills.
Fun Gifts
For some people it’s a chore, but good cooks usually view the kitchen as a fun place to express their creativity. A gift that increases the potential for fun in the kitchen is sure to put a smile on your favorite cook’s face. Kitchen items come in all sizes and price ranges; items such as the “Edge” pan (a pan shaped to create a crisply edge on all each section of the dish), a variety of brightly colored mixing bowls, a seasonal apron or any number of “seen on TV” gadgets can liven up the cook’s usual routine and add a bit of laughter to meal preparation.
Gourmet Gifts
Most good cooks dream of working with gourmet ingredients, but may not always be able to locate or afford them. A gift of even a single ingredient could be the best gift your cook ever received if it’s the one he’s always wanted to try. Choose from items like fresh truffles, caviar, dried porcini mushrooms, saffron, imported olive oil, culinary sea salts, rosewater or aged prosciutto to glorify his larder.
Over-the-Top Gifts
A cook’s tour is a gift that combines food and travel in perfect balance. Take your cook to Italy, France or Napa Valley, California for a travel experience that includes cooking lessons from some of that area’s renowned chefs. On a cook’s tour she can learn about her favorite regional cuisine and use local ingredients at their freshest.
Other over-the-top ideas include a new stainless steel, state-of-the-art stove, a shiny new set of copper sauce pans or set of high-end enameled cast-iron posts. Any good cook would love to have these items in her kitchen.
