The Best Gifts for Men Who Like to Cook
To heck with those minimalists who insist on tidy kitchens. There's always room for more gadgets, tools, and cookbooks, not to mention edible gifts. One of these gift ideas is sure to satisfy any man who loves to cook.
Prices and availability are subject to change.
Related: Gifts Under $25 for Food Lovers
$105 from ThermoWorks
Having an accurate thermometer is important not just for meat, but for serious cooks who want to make anything with precision, like custards and candy. The Thermapen comes highly recommended for its accuracy, thin, sharp tip, and 1-second response time.
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$150 from Nordstrom
Chances are the guy you're buying for already has a favorite workhorse chef's knife, but you can never have too many when they're as beautiful as this Miyabi knife. The Japanese-style mirror-polished steel blade matches perfectly with its pakkawood handle.
$14 from Amazon
Is your cook a seafood fan? He can make his homemade crab leg and lobster meals feel more like a restaurant experience with these cute butter warming crocks. Tealights included.
Related: 50 Unique Gift Ideas for Guys Under $50
$49 and up from Uncommon Goods
Chemistry and science nerds will love this molecular gastronomy kit that lets you turn liquids into edible beads and chocolate into powder. It comes with additives like agar agar and sodium alginate, plus tools like pipettes, molds, and a syringe.
$37 from Amazon
Fermenting your own kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut, and even blueberries is all the rage right now. This beginner's kit includes everything you need like airlocks and fermenting weights, plus a user guide and recipes.
$65 from Nueske's
If your cook can't get enough bacon, grab this bacon sampler pack from a Midwestern company known for its smoky, meaty breakfast meats. It comes with five packages of the good stuff, including peppered and extra thick cut, which is great for grilling.
Related: Best Gifts for Bacon Lovers
$480 from Vitamix
A Vitamix is so reliable, powerful, and versatile, it's the last blender anyone will ever need. This 5200 model is the "most reliable and durable blenders" Wirecutter has ever tested, and it can delicately chop peaches as well as it can make smooth peanut butter.
$320 from Amazon
Upgrade your cook's little charcoal kettle grill with this portable propane version. It's perfect for tailgates, beaches, and parks because it folds up and rolls on rugged wheels. Three individual burners put out up to 20,000 BTUs.
Related: Cool and Practical Gifts for Men Who Like to Grill
$47 and up from Etsy
Whether it's to safeguard family heirloom recipes or just to write down cooking notes and ideas, this handmade, leather-bound recipe book is a great gift for a serious cook. Choose from four leather binding colors, six optional cover designs, and various page counts.
$105 and up from Etsy
Anyone who is proud of their kitchen knife collection should display them on a magnetic knife rack. The cherry and walnut herringbone patterned rack is available in a range of sizes from 12 to 36 inches.
$219 from Anova
Sous-vide is a popular way of cooking all kinds of foods precisely in a temperature-controlled water bath. The Anova has been a market leader for a long time, and this model is small and sleek, fits on any pot or container, and can be controlled from your phone with the Anova app.
$88 from Etsy
Mature teak is a durable hardwood that's great for cutting boards. Using the end grain is gentler on knife blades and will help keep their edge longer. This 11-by-17-inch board also comes with wood moisturizer to keep it healthy.
$9 and up from Nuts
Shake it on popcorn. Make your own Kraft-like mac and cheese. Sprinkle it on broccoli or baked potatoes. If your giftee is obsessed with Cheeto dust or cheese in general, he'll wonder how he lived without this big, fun bag of cheddar powder.
Related: 25 Snack Box Subscriptions for Every Type of Eater
Price varies from Cameo
Would your giftee be over the moon if he got a video from Cake Boss Duff Goldman? Or how about Alton Brown? You can buy both, plus lots more celebrity chef options, on Cameo.
$35 from Amazon
Oyster mushrooms are delicate to ship, hard to find, and expensive. Your giftee can grow his own to fry or put in risotto with this foolproof growing kit. Just cut open the plastic bag, keep it damp, and wait until there's a beautiful flush to harvest.
$44 from Uncommon Goods
Roasted garlic is a sweet, mellow delight. Your giftee can make it easily with this handmade ceramic roaster. Just cut the top off the bulb, bake it inside the roaster, and squeeze the creamy goodness onto toast or anything else.
$112 from Fuego Box
Fuego Box calls itself a "hot sauce club for people who love food" so you know the curated sauces in the subscription will complement whatever your giftee is cooking. This subscription includes three bottles shipped to your guy every three months for one year, but monthly and extra hot options are available too.
Related: Best Hot Sauce Gift Sets for 2022
$150 from Uncommon Goods
This personalized bourbon barrel lazy susan is great for bourbon enthusiasts who love to entertain. It's made with a reclaimed oak bourbon barrel head so each one is unique. The price includes customizing it with a name, date, city, or whatever other text you want.
Related: The Best Boozy Gifts for Cocktail Lovers & Happy Hour Devotees
$135 from Sur la Table
Forget pizza stones, baking steels are the newer, better replacement. They won't crack or absorb anything, and have a much higher conductivity rating than ceramic, leading to faster, more evenly browned crusts on pizza and bread. Measures 14 inches square.
Related: Gifts for Fans of 'The Great British Bake Off'
Price varies from Home Chef
No matter how much someone enjoys cooking, sometimes it's nice to take some time off from planning and prepping. Treat your cook to a Home Chef subscription, where he can choose meals like shrimp marsala pasta and honey-ginger chicken katsu that will be delivered to his door and require minimal effort to prepare.
$14 and up from Etsy
A man who appreciates the simple pleasures in life will love this olive wood spoon set. The wood grain is marbled and striking, and the finish is super smooth. You can choose to add carved personalization to the handle, too.
$206 from Amazon
Fresh herbs are a must for cooking, and this indoor hydroponic garden will supply your cook all year long. It grows six plants at a time, has an energy-saving automatic LED grow light, and tells you when to add plant food. It comes with basil, dill, parsley, Thai basil, mint, and thyme seed pods.
Related: The Best Gifts for Plant Lovers and Green Thumbs
$45 from Mustard Museum
There is a National Mustard Museum, believe it or not, and this gift box from their store is a curated bunch of unique European mustards. The assortment of six condiments from Holland, Germany, France, and England will keep a mustard lover happily exploring for months.
$50 from Williams Sonoma
Drink wine at its best when you pour it in this gorgeous sleek decanter. It's made from lead-free crystal, has an integrated handle in a sophisticated design, and a wide base that allows the wine to breathe.
$460 from Snake River Farms
American Wagyu beef is extremely tender and exceptionally marbled, just like its more expensive Japanese version. Treat your guy to this premium steak splurge which includes Wagyu tomahawk and ribeye steaks, as well as a USDA Prime cowboy steak.
$140 from Amazon
“Modernist Cuisine” is a pivotal, six-volume cookbook, but it costs over $600. This 456-page edition is pared down and geared for the home cook, with photos, techniques, and ideas that are just as stunning and creative as the original.
$90 from Gardener's Supply Company
Willow and sea grass woven baskets keep air circulating around your potatoes and onions to keep them fresher longer. The set of two baskets fit on the countertop and hold about 30 pounds of potatoes and six pounds of onions.
$60 from Weddingstar
Grillers will appreciate this stainless steel barbecue tool set complete with long-handled tongs, spatula with a built in bottle opener, and fork. It can be personalized with the grill master's name or other text on the front of the tool carrying case.
$150 from Amazon
There's nothing quite like freshly churned ice cream, so treat your giftee with this electric ice cream maker. It produces up to two quarts in just 20 minutes, a far cry from those old hand-crank machines. It's also got settings for gelato and sorbet, plus a countdown timer.
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