If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED
A Supreme Slicer
Tadafusa Suzuki-ya Santoku
Top Temp-Taker
ThermoWorks Thermapen One
Main Squeeze
Norpro Stainless Steel Citrus Press Juicer
The Good Instant Pot
Instant Pot Pro Plus
The cooking fire was once the center of the home. The modern stove has mostly removed fire from the equation, and architectural trends have shunted the hearth off to the side of the den, but the kitchen is still usually where the heart is. It’s where you make holiday meals. It’s where the kids lurk near the fridge and where your friends hang out while you’re checking whether the turkey is done or cutting up just a few more limes for drinks.
If there’s also a former professional or dedicated amateur chef in your life who can’t let anyone nearby go hungry, we have some of our favorite gift ideas here. For more inspiration, be sure to check out our guides to essential pots and pans, chef knives, cookbooks, pizza ovens, and camp cooking.
Updated November 2023: We’ve added a cutting board, a turner, and one of our favorite cookbooks, Asada. We also updated prices and links throughout.
-
Photograph: Sheri Synder/Suzuki-ya
A Supreme Slicer
Tadafusa Suzuki-ya Santoku
15 years ago, I bought my first santoku as a gift to myself, and time has shown that I chose well. Once you own a chef’s knife and a paring knife, a santoku is an excellent third choice. It’s perhaps unmatched in its ability to effortlessly plow through a pile of vegetables. Tadafusa’s walnut handle is comfortable, and the blade—carbon steel sandwiched between sidewalls of stainless—takes an edge like a son of a gun. —Joe Ray
-
Photograph: Thermoworks
Top Temp-Taker
ThermoWorks Thermapen One
Thermapens have been an industry standard for years. They’re quick, accurate, and unflappable. The new One does everything its near-identical predecessor the Mk4 did, but with Apple-like incremental improvements. Most notably, it takes a measurement in a second, as compared to the Mk4’s 2-3 seconds. There’s essentially zero lag time when you read the temperature, so you can shut the oven door or grill lid without letting more heat escape while you wait for the temperature to nudge up or down by a few degrees. —Joe Ray
-
Photograph: Amazon
Main Squeeze
Norpro Stainless Steel Citrus Press Juicer
I was a little sheepish when I told my wife I paid almost $40 for a stainless steel citrus juicer. “Well, it’s beautiful,” she said, “and it works well, and it’ll last forever, right?” I truthfully replied in the affirmative. This tip came from Portland, Oregon’s ace bartender, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, a guy who’s spent a good chunk of his life squeezing limes for a living. “If it’s style you’re going for,” he writes in The Bar Book, “there is no rival.” —Joe Ray
-
Photograph: Instant Pot/Drop
The Good Instant Pot
Instant Pot Pro Plus
Despite Instant Pot’s kitchen ubiquity and the solid quality of its multicookers, the company has never been our favorite. The bottoms of the pots tend to be domed, the machines lack oomph, and their interfaces can be a jumble. For the Pro Plus (8/10, WIRED Recommends), however, the company seems to have read our wish list. Here, the bottom is perfectly flat, it’s got more oomph (1,200 watts versus the usual 1,100 or less), and the screen is streamlined to the point that it approaches elegance. The company has even added helper handles to make extracting the hot pot incredibly easy, something your home cook will appreciate every time they make stock. —Joe Ray
-
Photograph: Williams Sonoma
Versatile Vessel
All-Clad d5 Stainless Steel Essential Pan
I wish the ads for the trendy all-in-one Always Pan and its stylish, unimpressive ilk pointed to this All-Clad instead. I ignored my Essential Pan for years before I realized what a workhorse it is. Enjoy how those tall sidewalls keep sausage splatter contained. Use it like a flat-bottomed wok for stir fry. Make pasta or beans. In a pinch, I’ve even used mine as a Dutch oven substitute. One pan really can do it all. —Joe Ray
-
Photograph: Bee’s Wrap
Natural Wrap
Bees Wrap Cotton Food Wraps
Let’s face it. Plastic is kinda gross. Do you really want to swaddle your food in it? Help your friends and family kick the plastic habit with these awesome plastic wrap alternatives. Made of organic cotton that is then coated with a blend of beeswax, plant oil, and tree resin, these wraps take the place of plastic-wrap-seal containers. You can store cheese or even wrap up sandwiches for a picnic. This 3-pack makes a good starter set with sizes ranging from the smallest—perfect for wrapping up the other half of that avocado—to the largest, which is 13 by 14 inches. If your friend is vegan, Bee’s Wrap also has some non-bee wraps coated with coconut and soy.—Scott Gilbertson
-
Photograph: Best Buy
Waffle the World
Cuisinart 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker
Even the snobbiest of chefs should have a waffle iron—who doesn’t love a waffle? This Cuisinart is solidly made, with a sleek stainless lid surrounded by sturdy plastic. It’s big enough to feed a family of four, but not so heavy (10 pounds) that storing it under the counter is pain. It offers a good range of brownness through the one to five settings and errs on the undercooked side, which is to say that setting it to five won’t burn your waffles. Once you move beyond simple waffles to things like hash browns or cookies, the temperature settings won’t do you much good—you’ll want to time your cooking just like you would in an oven. What? Your chef friend doesn’t know that you can cook just about anything in a waffle iron? Throw a copy of Will It Waffle? ($10, Amazon) in with their waffle iron and blow their mind.—Scott Gilbertson
-
Photograph: Braun
Smooth Operator
Braun MultiQuick MQ7025 Hand Blender
Immersion blenders are always such a revelation for first-timers, especially when they’re making soup. Essentially a wand with a spinning blade on one end and a trigger on the other, you just dunk the business end in the pot and hit the button and a whole pot of vegetable chunks turns into a vortex of vichyssoise. Serious home cooks will appreciate the way this Braun adds refinement at every step. The handle has a ski pole style comfort, the variable-speed trigger is easy to squeeze, and the blades make your veloutés velvety without leaving lumps … or a mess. —Joe Ray
-
Photograph: Amazon
The Book of Mexican-Style Grilling
by Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral
A few years back, when I started visiting Oaxaca on the regular, a cookbook by this duo turned out to be exactly the reference I needed to begin decrypting the city’s food scene. Now, the Los Angeles-based authors return with Asada, a perfect combination of Mexican grill and LA vibe. You won’t need a thermometer, nor shall you be called upon to remotely monitor your brisket on an app while you go to the gym. Instead, this is food that’s big on complex marinades you whip up in a blender, like the one for the carne asada—where flap steak marinates overnight in OJ, cider vinegar, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and a host of toasted spices before being thrown onto a cast-iron pan over a campground fire. —Joe Ray
-
Photograph: Amazon
A Classic Pan
Lodge 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet
This one isn’t your grandmother’s pan (which would be nice), but these cast-iron skillets are reasonable priced and sturdy. Properly cared for, they will be around to pass down to your grandchildren. There’s a learning curve when it comes to making cast-iron pans non-stick, but starting with a pre-seasoned pan like the Lodge will put your chef friends ahead of the game. You can also tell them that the idea that you shouldn’t use soap on it is bunk. Or rather, that’s a leftover from the days when soap contained lye, which is bad for the seasoning. Today’s dish soaps won’t do a thing to your well-seasoned cast iron. —Scott Gilbertson
-
Photograph: Opinel
Gateway Knife
Opinel Le Petit Chef
If there’s a budding young chef on your list, this knife makes a fantastic gift. French knife maker Opinel—best known for its folding knives—offers this mini chef’s knife set for kids who want to help slice and dice in the kitchen. It’s a real chef’s knife, with a real edge on it, which means it might not be the best gift for other people’s kids, but perfect for your own. The size is good for child hands and the red ring helps ensure they keep a good grip. It was a little small for my 10-year-olds, but my 7-year-old loves it. I think it’s probably ideally suited for ages 4 through 8, but of course, every child is different, so you’ll have to use your own judgment.—Scott Gilbertson
-
Photograph: Oxo
Steely Pan
Oxo Obsidian Carbon Steel Pan
Carbon steel pans have never caught on like we’d hoped in home kitchens, always hidden in the shadow of their heavier, rougher-surfaced sibling, cast iron. That might change as Oxo now makes them preseasoned, saving you from a big project when it arrives. The company’s new pans, which come in 8-, 10-, and 12-inch widths, are solid but not too heavy, and super smooth, making them great all-around fry pans. With a little TLC and a slick of oil or butter, they’re ready for your morning eggs—fried, over easy, or scrambled—acting like an ecofriendly nonstick. —Joe Ray
-
Photograph: Fellow
Temperature-Controlled Tea
Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Kettle
A stainless steel electric kettle lets you dial in the target temperature to the precise degree so you can set it to stop heating—and hold—the water inside at the exact temperature you need. Give your chef friends a whole new level of precision for brewing tea and coffee. The thin, curvy neck gives you a controlled and accurate pour with no mess. This one is pretty pricey, but there are a few other options that are cheaper, although they may fluctuate in and out of stock. —Scott Gilbertson
-
Photograph: Amazon
The Best Blender
Vitamix 5200
Like my coauthor, I initially resisted but eventually became a fan of the Vitamix. Yes, they are expensive. But also, yes, they are totally worth it, even if your favorite chef is not a “blender person.” The Vitamix 5200 is the reference blender in the world of blenders. Once you have one, you will find a million uses for it. Whipped cream? Of course! Ultra-smooth refried beans? Sounds great. Homemade chocolate-date energy bars? Check, although this is the one thing that has ever actually made the motor overheat. My point is: the Vitamix isn’t just for smoothies. In fact, I’ve never made a smoothie in mine. —Scott Gilbertson
-
Photograph: Amazon
A Cutting Board Above
John Boos End Grain Maple Cutting Board
This one I have actually received as a gift myself—about 15 years ago and it still looks more or less like it did the day I got it. I know $250 seems ridiculous for a cutting board, but there’s a reason you find these in professional kitchens around the world. The end-grain build is made from cross sections of wood, so every part of the board is an end piece. This not only resists and hides blade marks, but it should keep your knives sharper longer.
That said, this thing is massive and heavy, so it’s not a great choice for some people, especially if your giftee has a small kitchen. If you don’t want to spend that much but like the idea, this edge-grain block from Boos is also great, and it’s only $87. There are also some smaller, lighter options in the edge-grain boards. —Scott Gilbertson
-
Photograph: Amazon
A Delicate Flipper
Victorinox Slotted Wood Turner
When I worked in a kitchen we called these fish turners, but they’re perfect for anything delicate. I love it for fried eggs, omelets, burgers, and zucchini fritters. You name it, and this thing can probably handle it. Well, maybe not a giant slab of meat, but anything within reason. Our friends at Bon Appetit have made a compelling argument that it’s the only turner you really need. I’m not sure I’d go that far—I love my Dexter Walnut Pancake turner (another great gift!)—but those two will cover about 95 percent of all the turning you need to do in the kitchen.
As with all quality tools, keep this out of the dishwasher and give the wooden handle a light coat of mineral oil a few times a year. Treat it right and this will last a lifetime. Also note that this is not a good choice for nonstick pans or for left-handed people. We haven’t tried any, but there are left-handed fish turners. —Scott Gilbertson
