Gift Ideas for a Foodie

*This post contains affiliate links. This does not affect the price for any items. Read the disclosure here.

Dinner Table Doctor and I love to cook and eat, so if you’re struggling for foodie gift ideas, here’s a list of things we really love having in our own kitchen to inspire you. I also added a few items we don’t currently have, but are hoping to acquire soon (hint, hint to anyone who needs to buy us a gift!) If you’re interested in any of these items, simply click on the image and you’ll go directly to Amazon where you can see the price and make your purchase.

Sourdough Baking Supplies

This is almost everything a foodie needs to get into the current trend of sourdough bread baking, which is an all-consuming hobby that will provide many hours of entertainment. If you are a sourdough baker, you could also offer them a starter and loaf of homemade bread for inspiration. Seriously, DTD has truly embraced this hobby and it brings him a lot of pleasure and helps alleviate his stress. This hobby is way cheaper than golf and is ideal for a person who enjoys researching and planning and is kind of a homebody. I love hearing DTD and his fellow sourdough bakers discuss recipes and techniques at length, because it takes the conversation away from fiber and exercise.
FYI – DTD almost always bakes his bread in a cast iron Dutch oven and definitely prefers King Arthur All Purpose flour.

High End Appliances

A lot of foodies and wannabe foodies love the idea of having high end appliances, but choose not to spend the money when they could make do without them. Each of these items should last long enough and be used often enough to make them a worthwhile investment, and they will bring a home chef’s game to a whole new level.

• A Cuisinart Food Processor: All home cooks either already have or really want one of these. Ours was a gift from my parents and we use it all the time. It is not cheap, but I believe it is an essential tool for a home cook. It especially comes in handy when we are canning several pounds of peppers!
• A Vitamix Blender: This is an extremely expensive, yet lifechanging present for a home cook. There’s so much you can do with it, and it has power like no blender I’ve ever seen. It is a blender that should last for many, many years to come and they will think of you anytime they use it.
• A KitchenAid Mixer: We do not have one of these but my mom does. While our much less expensive brand is fine, hers does have a lot of attachments and can be used to create a whole lot of goodies. The link above is for the artisan series, but you can shop around to get other models. Your foodie would love any of them and truly appreciate your generosity! Plus, there are so many attachments that you’ll have gift ideas for several more occasions.

Beautiful and Useful Cookbooks

We own each of these cookbooks and use them all the time. I know a lot of people don’t appreciate cookbooks when you can find almost any recipe online, but having a few special go-to books makes me happy and they look good on a shelf in my kitchen! The Food Lab is more of a scientific manual/cooking bible than recipe book. DTD loves it. We’re both big David Rocco fans and the photos in his books are just beautiful. He makes you feel like you’re in Italy. The vegetarian book is perfect for meatless Mondays and I’ve cooked most of the recipes in it. The Greek and Blue Zone books are full of great recipes as well.

Pasta Making Supplies

As much as I enjoy DTD’s bread making hobby, I really get excited when we make pasta. There is truly nothing like homemade pasta. Whether you’re making an Italian feast or some Ramen noodles, homemade is so much better than store-bought. It is a fun activity to do as a group or with that special someone. Plus, you have quite a feeling of accomplishment when you’re eating the fruits of your labor. If your foodie already has a KitchenAid mixer, they can use a pasta-making attachment and won’t need the manual one below. There are many supplies to make the pasta making process an easier one. The right serving dishes will again, make all the difference in fully enjoying the pasta.

Supplies to Spice Things Up in the Kitchen

When you have a variety of salt and peppercorn as well as some unique spices, you feel like a bonafide home chef. Your creativity in the kitchen will naturally flow.

Coffee Lover Supplies

Many foodies are also coffee aficionados. DTD loves coffee and is obsessed with making the perfect cup. The key seems to be the freshest whole beans you can get, which means they were roasted within the last few days. He grinds them and makes the coffee choosing between a wide a variety of different methods, depending on his mood. If you know someone who loves coffee, there are so many gifts beyond a boring percolator! The latest trend is an AeroPress Coffee maker, which supposedly makes a delicious and bitter-free cup. Pour over coffee makers are also quite popular and I can say definitely make a good cup of coffee when you’re starting with quality beans. A conical burr grinder is apparently the superior method for grinding coffee beans, according to DTD. He put hours of research into selecting this exact model. Our son, who is becoming a mini-DTD, has been experimenting with Turkish coffee lately. Naturally there’s a whole slew of items perfect for that as well!

Tools for Entertaining

Most foodies enjoy entertaining. DTD and I love to share our culinary creations with friends and we enjoy sampling other people’s creations as well. We often create charcuterie boards and love to have little spreading knives and cute spoons for dips on hand. When you have elegant serving tools, you can even make store-bought appetizers look impressive. It’s all about presentation!

Useful Miscellaneous Items

Every home chef needs a few aprons to look fresh and stay clean. I prefer a grandma cobbler’s apron, but the basic chef aprons below are a little more stylish and make nice gifts for men or women who enjoy spending time in the kitchen. Nice kitchen towels are extremely useful, and you never seem to have enough. We love our oven gloves, especially when moving a hot Dutch Oven. Our inexpensive juicer is a recent addition to our kitchen, and I can’t believe we never had one before now. All that time and energy squeezing lemons, and this makes it so easy to get every last drop. A good, sharp grater is also a must for zesting.

Inspire a Baking Hobby

The best thing about encouraging a foodie to bake is that you will probably be the recipient of quite a few treats! If you have never tried a pizzelle cookie, you are missing out on one of life’s greatest pleasures. A pizzelle iron will help your special foodie be a hit at any cookie exchange. Why not encourage your foodie to make homemade vanilla? It will take baked goods to another level! All you need are vanilla beans and a few good bottles of Vodka – the perfect gift. Baking matts, cooling racks, and serving trays are also great gifts for an aspiring baker. What’s the point of all that baking if you can’t display it in style to impress your guests? Lovely serving trays are key.

These are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing when trying to find that perfect gift for foodies or aspiring home chefs. Check out my post A Few Things I Love in My Kitchen if you’re looking for some unique gifts for the quirky home chef in your life. Don’t forget that you can also gift a food experience, such as a night out at your favorite restaurant or tickets to a food tour. Pair the gift card or note with one or two items from above and you have a creative theme gift any foodie will appreciate.

For more ideas on entertaining, menus, wine, and staying relatively healthy while indulging, follow Dinner Table Doctor on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and subscribe to this blog.