Gifts for those who love to cook, and bake
If you have someone who likes to cook, bake, eat or drink on your holiday list, you’re sure to find something here that will make them happy:
Nikka Coffey Gin
For the gin fans, the Nikka Coffey Gin will make an impressive addition to any home bar. Made by the same Japanese company that makes Nikka Whisky, the production process involves a whiskey still and notes of not-so-traditional gin flavors such as yuzu citrus and Japanese pepper. $89.99. dekanta.com/store/nikka-coffey-gin
Sokolow stationary
Photographer and artist Aliza J Sokolow makes candy for the eyes. Her prints and stationary feature vibrant photos of repeating carrots, beets, citrus and avocados that leap off the page. $5.95 to $49.95. sokolowphoto.com/cards
Martha Stewart wine club
It’s like having Martha Stewart hand-pick your wine. The lifestyle maven recently launched her own wine company and club with deliveries of a half dozen or full dozen bottles every six or eight weeks. And all the wines come with Stewart’s tips for serving and pairing. Prices will vary. marthastewartwine.com
Frywall
For the home cook who loves to fry but hates a mess, there’s the Frywall. It’s a silicone cone that creates a barrier around whatever you’re frying. So your recipients can go nuts with fried chicken, doughnuts, candy bars or whatever else they decide to fry. $21.95 to $28.95 depending on the size. frywall.com
Le Creuset set
If you need to splurge on a gift for a home cook, look for the eight-piece set from Le Creuset, which comes in a variety of colors. $1,650. lecreuset.com
Instant Pot
For the ambitious home cook who wants to pretend he or she can keep up with a restaurant, there’s the Instant Pot. You can use it to make soup/broth, stews, chili, cakes, yogurt, porridge, or whatever you can Google. $119.95. williams-sonoma.com.
Animals for families in need
Did you know a dairy goat can give up to 16 cups of milk a day? If you’re looking for a gift that gives back, you can gift two or more struggling families one goat and two chickens via World Vision. $110. donate.worldvision.org
Re:Find cocktail club
For the cocktail aficionado who thinks he or she has everything, Re:Find has a cocktail club that includes packages of their signature spirits plus everything you need to make great cocktails at home, including recipes and mixers. $115 plus tax & shipping and handling per box. refinddistillery.
Pâté of the month club
If you have a friend who always orders the charcuterie board, this is the gift for them. Olympia Provisions, Oregon’s first USDA-approved salumeria, will send one of its six pâtés every month, and the first month comes with a custom cutting board and folding knife. $230. olympiaprovisions.com
Cherry Bombe subscription
This biannual magazine is packed with recipes, profiles, features and photos that are all meant to celebrate women in food. $38. cherrybombe.com
Kombucha brewing kit
It’s at your local Whole Foods market, on tap at all the trendy coffee shops and restaurants, and it has even made an appearance on mommy blogs. Kombucha, the fermented tea drink, is being praised for its health benefits. It also tastes pretty good. This kit comes with everything you’ll need to make it at home. $49. thekombuchashop.com
Copper pineapple
You know those tiki drinks that come in ice-cold copper pineapples? You can buy them, and help someone seriously impress at their next cocktail party. $99. elyxboutique.com
Pomodorini
If you love chef Gino Angelini’s glorious Italian dishes but can’t get to his Beverly Boulevard restaurant often enough, he has a happy solution: Buy a jar of his sauce and do it yourself. Angelini sells four of his sauces in nice big jars: creamy Limone, spicy Arrabbiata, the classic guanciale-spiked Amatriciana and the Pomodorini, the classic tomato sauce that’s our go-to on a night when you need serious comfort food. $9.99. angeliniosteria.com
Cheese paper
Formaticum founder Mark Goldman invented the perfect gift for your favorite cheesehead: rolls of coated paper that protects your wedges of Montgomery’s Cheddar or disks of Epoisses way better than plastic. Proper storage can protect your cheeses and extend their lifespan, and wrapping them like presents not only makes you appreciate your chèvre and Stilton even more, it also improves your wrapping skills — not a bad thing this time of year. $9. formaticum.com
Metal lunchbox
Whether you’re making lunch for your kid or yourself, having a good lunchbox vastly improves the experience. Kalyustan’s, the Manhattan shop that’s been selling spices and other cooking products since 1944, makes a beautiful version of a tiffin, the Indian-style stacked metal lunchboxes. The compartments (of 2, 3 or 4) fit into a pyramid that you can carry like a purse — nice, if your idea of style is eating well. $15.99-$22.99. kalustyans.com
Monthly bread club
Not everyone has time to bake their own whole grain sourdough bread — which is where baker Roxana Jullapat of Friends and Family in East Hollywood comes in. She and partner Daniel Mattern have started a monthly sourdough club, where on the first Friday of every month, members come and collect a baguette and a loaf of freshly baked bread, plus a jar of seasonal house-made jam and a wheel of cheese. And since you’re already there, maybe get some fried chicken too and make a picnic. $38-$220. friendsandfamilyla.com
Thaan Thai-style charcoal
If you know someone whose idea of fun is cooking from Portland, Ore.-based chef Andy Ricker’s Pok Pok cookbooks, you might want to get them some of the Thaan Thai-style charcoal (compressed logs made from rambutan trees, called binchotan in Japan) that Ricker likes so much that he sells it on his Pok Pok website. The stuff is super long-burning and burns quietly, without all the popping that can come with charcoal — and best of all, it doesn’t have any nasty accelerants. $9. pokpokrestaurants.com
Retro wooden coasters
Featuring vintage images of the Hollywood Bowl, Griffith Park, Union Station and City Hall, this set of four handmade wooden coasters from L.A.-based Cheltenham Road is the perfect gift whether you live in the City of Angels or are an Angelino at heart. $20 for a set of 4. etsy.com
Stainless steel growler
Keep your favorite craft brew on tap for whenever you’re craving a fresh pint with the GrowlerWerks uKeg. This handy mini keg is the size of a half-gallon growler and is double-walled and vacuum-insulated. The dispenser tap easily pour without removing the cap, whether you’re serving up brew at your home bar or on the move. Available in stainless steel or copper-plated as well as a larger 128-ounce size. $149 (copper-plated and larger sizes extra). huckberry.com
Kyocera The Everything Mill
Grind your pepper, spices, salt and, well, everything, with the Everything Mill from Kyocera. The mill has an adjustable dial for fine to coarse grinds, and the ceramic burr mill mechanism won’t absorb flavors from spices and is non-reactive and will not rust. $18 to 20, depending on color. amazon.com
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