So, you have a friend or relative who is a foodie but doesn’t want to be called a foodie. Their love of food goes above and beyond the average human’s love of food. They live to eat, rather than eat to live. And when you think of that person, you probably think of a specific food, rather than trait, that defines them — Pickles! Pizza! Hot sauce!
Well, luckily for you, we found food gifts for every type of “don’t call me a foodie” foodie in your life — from the coffee snob to the reusable straw activist, and the knife collector to the cake stalker (you know, those people who only follow cake-icing accounts on Instagram). If you get it right, they’ll probably make you more meals — because, let’s be real, that’s what you’re really after, right?
Here's the list:
Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug
It is technically a mug — but don’t call it a “muggle,” because it will make you say, “What is this sorcery?” when you drink from it.
Its “stainless steel vacuum insulation” will keep hot beverages hot for an almost alarmingly long time (by the EOD it’ll still be steaming) and cold beverages cold for an equally ridiculous amount of time (ice cubes refuse to melt). Plus, its sleek, matte exterior (we love black and smoky blue) makes it an accessory anyone would be proud to carry around.
"Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat," by Samin Nosrat
If you know someone who can’t stop talking about the Netflix series “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” with Samin Nosrat (and who doesn’t?), now’s the time to get them the cookbook from which it originated. It’s a brilliant ode to the four pillars of good cooking that guides the home cook away from blindly following recipes to a T and leads them instead to confidently create delicious meals on instinct with the ingredients they already have.
Koffie Straw
Your friend who has already committed to not using single-use straws already has a reusable straw — probably a metal one — and those can burn your mouth and chip your teeth. So, since friends don’t let friends burn their mouth and chip their teeth, get them the Koffie Straw.
This one is made from soft silicone, is dishwasher-safe and will remain at room temperature regardless of the temperature of the drink you’re sipping. Plus, it’s much easier to carry around than a metal straw because it’s flexible and can be folded up to fit in your back pocket. And now for the wow factor: Silicone will last forever, but if you do want to get rid of it, all you have to do is burn it — it’ll turn into 100% biodegradable ash. Boom.
DIY Hot Sauce Kit
If you know someone who's more of a DIY heat seeker, get ‘em a hot-sauce-making kit. This version offers two options: “The Forager’s Blend,” which contains earthy, smoky flavors like guajillo, chipotle and pequin peppers, and “The Grove Blend,” which has bright, citrusy flavors like piri piri, anaheim and habanero peppers. All they have to do is add vinegar and salt, follow the easy instructions and come up with their own witty names for the sauces, like “Heaters Gonna Heat” or “Sick Burn.”
Cole & Mason Derwent Pepper Grinder
This is the pepper mill to end all pepper mills — which, to some, may not sound so exciting, but to the home cook, it’s a real game-changer. There are six (six!) grinding settings — from super fine to super coarse. So, for example, you’ll be grinding some coarse pepper on your Caesar salad, then with a couple of easy clicks, you’re topping your soup with a finer grind. And, while you’re at it, to really round out the gift and get the seasoning just right, grab the matching adjustable salt mill, too.
Krups Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder
The best part of waking up is the smell (and sound!) of freshly ground coffee beans whizzing away in a coffee grinder. There are great manual grinders, too, but if your friend is in a rush to get to their morning cup of joe, this baby will grind their beans in under 10 seconds. And it’s not just limited to coffee beans: the blades can handle spices, herbs, nuts, grains and more.
Secura Stainless Steel French Press
Now, where to put those freshly ground beans? In a French press, of course! The coffee that comes out is strong and flavorful — even better than your favorite barista’s. It also keeps the coffee hot for a solid amount of time. It's no surprise that it has 4.8 stars from over 9,200 reviews.
Rainbow Mugs
Brighten up anyone's morning with these retro-style, multicolored mugs. They can be used for hot and cold beverages, are dishwasher- and microwave-safe and will transport their drinker right back to the '70s.
Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Pour-over Kettle
“How? How do you not drink coffee?” you ask. You’ll never understand it, but you love them anyway, so you get them this super chic pour-over tea kettle which has variable temperature control since different teas require different temps. (You knew that.) If they eventually decide to change their minds and switch to coffee, it works for that, too.
Instant Pot DUO80 8 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker
Because this is a bandwagon worth jumping on. Not that it really needs any explanation at this point, but it’s one pot with eight functions — including a non-scary pressure cooker, a slow-cooker, a saute pan, a rice cooker, a steamer, you name it. And if the contraption still seems intimidating, there’s no better guide than The New York Times’ Melissa Clark and her cookbook, “Comfort in an Instant,” which includes a recipe for Instant Pot risotto carbonara ... so there’s that.
Mosser Jadeite Cake Stand
Mosser’s jadeite cake stand will, without exception, elevate the appearance of any dessert that’s placed atop it. Its soft green glossiness will garner constant compliments, even if the cake it’s holding up looks less than appetizing.
Brooklyn Delhi Tomato Achaar
Since one can never have too many condiments, we present Brooklyn Delhi’s Tomato Achaar, a spicy, savory, tangy Indian relish which belongs on literally everything: eggs, tacos, toast, pizza, you name it (like honestly probably ice cream, too). Once you run out of things to dip into it, we promise you will take a spoon to it. And while you’re at it, grab yourself some Curry Mustard and Curry Ketchup, too — your hamburgers, hot dogs and fries will never be the same.
Marcato Atlas Pasta Machine
Forget the boxed stuff and just imagine the pasta-bilities with this beautiful machine. There is nothing better in this world than fresh pasta, and there’s something meditative about the whole process of mixing the egg with the flour, kneading the dough and hand-cranking your own sheets — like, for a brief period of time, you’re actually the chef of a little trattoria in Italy ... and this machine is the best assistant you could possibly ask for. But, you know, that whole hands-on thing isn’t for everyone, so the next best thing would be Sfoglini’s Seasonal Pasta Subscription — boxes on boxes of Brooklyn-made pasta made with locally-sourced ingredients like beet, sriracha and mint.
Molcajete
No doubt you know someone who always pays extra for guac, is always buying avocadosat the grocery store (maybe bread, too, because #avocadotoast), and never stops talking about “healthy fats.” This person should not be making their guac in a bowl. It’s time they upgraded to the mighty molcajete: the Mexican version of a mortar, made out of volcanic rock. Some places will try to sell you “molcajetes” made of cement. Those are not real molcajetes. Volcanic rock makes volcanic guac.
Harissa Spice Collection
If you know anyone trying to spice up their pantry, look no further than NY Shuk, an artisanal food company focused on bringing true North African flavors to your kitchen.
NerdChef Steel Stone
We turned to Anthony Falco, pizza consultant of Roberta’s fame (he has a pizza named after him there: “The Millenium Falco”), for his advice in this category, and he said that he prefers baking steel to baking stones: “I like [steel] because it’s indestructible, versatile and acts as a fantastic thermal battery with great heat regeneration for making pizza on. The pro move is to put the baking steel on a lower rack and then line the top with cheap unglazed quarry tiles from any home improvement store. So you make a little oven within an oven. With radiant heat coming from the top and a super hot steel for cooking the pizza on.” Sold.
Jojo's Jerky Subscription
Jerky: Either you love it or you hate it. But those who love it are head-over-heels for it — in car rides, smuggled into the movies, as protein pick-me-ups at work, really anywhere. But as true jerky aficionados know, all dried meat products are not created equal — and JoJo’s is the real deal, using all-natural ingredients and no preservatives, with in-your-face flavors ranging from spicy Thai chili to spicy carne asada.
Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Granola
A super crunchy granola for an equally crunchy friend. This stuff is addicting. But not guiltily addicting, since it’s made from things that sound healthy like quinoa, millet and chia, sweetened with coconut sugar and baked with coconut oil. All around, it's a super satisfying stocking stuffer.
Boska Specialty Cheese Knife & Slicer Set
As any true turophile knows, one knife does not fit all when it comes to cheese. So, the best thing you can do is to equip them with the trifecta of cheese knives: a cheese plane for shaving even slices of semi-hard or hard cheese; a thin blade for clean-cutting into soft cheese, and a cheese spade for hacking into hard, crumbly cheese.
French Kitchen Marble Wine Cooler
For any rosé wine lover, there is nothing worse than room temperature wine and nothing better than a perfectly chilled glass of rosé. So, take their day from zero to 100 with this white marble wine cooler that will not only chill the wine quickly but keep it chilled for as long as you need to finish it — and look incredibly chic while doing so. And, while you’re at it, throw in a Drop Stop so no drop of wine goes wasted.
Toast Gradient Print
If you’ve ever been on Instagram, you’ve undoubtedly seen Brittany Wright’s (aka @wrightkitchen's) bright, eye-catching, aesthetically pleasing photographs of food gradients — think citrus, toast, tomatoes, eggs and all of the lovely produce you can imagine, organized in an incredibly satisfying ombre manner. It would be a dream come true for any farmers market frequenter to own one of Wright’s works, so their Instagram feed can become their real-life wall art.
Breville Joule Sous Vide
We all know someone who’s a bit of an experimenter in the kitchen, who doesn’t repeat recipes, who loves foam and molecular gastronomy and who is constantly eager to try the latest and greatest culinary gadget. Their next gadget, then, should be this sous vide. By pairing with your phone and gently heating up any vacuum-sealed protein in water, this device will consistently deliver any user perfectly cooked steak, chicken, pork, fish, and whatever their heart — well, stomach — desires. Oh, and while you’re at it, you might want to grab them a lab coat to wear while they use it.
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