Do you have a friend who is always trying new recipes or hosting home-cooked dinner for others? Whether they’re the type to try the newest cooking technique to hit home kitchens or always on dessert duty for any type of get together, this list has something for every one of your foodie friends.
Sous vide cooking isn’t a trend; it’s a long-established cooking technique that uses a precisely controlled water bath to guarantee perfectly cooked food. It’s been used in restaurant kitchen for years, and it’s recently made its way into home kitchens. The Joule is the best sous vide machine on the market. It’s slim, sleek, and powerful, and operated completely via smartphone. It cooks perfect food and looks good doing it.
Everyone has that friend who loves to pull out the showstopping desserts for special occasions. With the Progressive Collapsible Cupcake and Cake Carrier, they can transport cakes, pies, and cupcakes (it comes with an included cupcake-carrying insert) safely—and then collapse the carrier for easy storage when they’re not using it.
Serious cooks know that good knives can make or break their work in the kitchen. Carbon-steel knives are a cut above the rest, and the Bob Kramer 8” Carbon Steel Chef’s Knife by Zwilling J.A. Henckels is the cream of the crop. It’s a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship that comes with a samurai-sharp, ultrathin blade that maintains its edge as you use it. (If you want to gift someone a less expensive but still high-quality knife, our favorite traditional 8-inch chef’s knife, the Victorinox Swiss Army Classic 8” Chef’s Knife, has lasted us years and has a much smaller price tag.)
Your foodie friend’s lunches deserve a container that looks as good as the food it contains. The best thing about the Monbento MB Square—Litchi is that it functions well, too. Out of the six bento boxes we tested, it had the largest capacity. It was the only model that was truly leakproof, and its various compartments made for a versatile lunchbox. (And if pink isn’t your color, you can choose from a variety of others.)
In addition to being an important part of a home cook’s arsenal, mortar and pestles are just great to look at. They’re like small works of art that are also able to complete kitchen tasks like grinding peppercorns and other spices. The Frieling “Goliath” Mortar and Pestle Set is heavy and stable, with tall, narrow walls that don’t let ingredients escape and a comfortable, heavy pestle that makes easy work of any pounding task. And it looks good to boot.
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