34 Reviewed-approved kitchen gifts for cooking connoisseurs and hosts

This is about as far from a brown paper bag with a bow on it as you can get. Forget the wine, the real hostess gift here is Graf Lantz's new Hana bottle bag made in the U.S. from thick 100% merino wool felt with sturdy leather handles. In colors like feather, latte, and mahogany, it's just gorgeous. It resists stains, odors, and moisture, and the naturally insulating wool helps a chilled bottle stay cool on the way to the party.

Lenox's Holiday pattern is a classic, and these 16-ounce balloon glasses carry its holly-and-berry motif with 24-karat gold accents. They'll dress up every holiday dinner from Thanksgiving through New Year's. Hand wash only.

Lenox's Spice Village is a hand-painted porcelain collection of 24 tiny house-shaped spice jars that revives Lenox's original edition from 1989. Add the matching wooden rack to keep all 24 jars in one spot and on display. Each 5-ounce container is adorable, perfect for a vintage-inspired kitchen.

Papier has finally introduced a home for Grandma's recipe cards with this fabric-covered binder that has room for 85 recipes. Handwrite the cookie, soup, and casserole recipes your family has passed down for generations on removable, reorderable pages, separated by course and separated by colored dividers. It's free to personalize with foil lettering on the cover.

This gift box gets them four 2-ounce jars of Fly By Jing's best-sellers: Original Chili Crisp, Xtra Spicy Chili Crisp, Xtra Crunchy Chili Crisp, and Sweet + Spicy Chili Sauce. Everything's vegan with no MSG. It's a great stocking stuffer for any spice fan, and we're big fans ourselves.

The xBloom Studio does the fussy part of pour-overs. This 5-in-1 machine grinds whole beans with 48mm conical burrs and 80 grind settings, weighs, and pours, then doubles as a tea brewer and hot water dispenser. Users can scan an NFC recipe card, pick a recipe in the app, or take full manual control. It works with any beans or xBloom's pods as well as loose-leaf teas. We've brewed with it ourselves, and love the expert-style delivery with literally zero effort.

With thousands of brewers available, shoppers are spoiled for choice when it comes to coffee makers. The Technivorm Moccamaster KBGV Select outperformed the competition in our rigorous testing, earning the title of best overall coffee maker. Handcrafted in the Netherlands, it has a build quality that makes it almost unbreakable. It also brewed the tastiest cup of coffee in our roundup.

With work-from-home and hybrid work schedules remaining mainstream, many people are gaining the confidence to flex their barista muscles. We tested the top-rated espresso machines and found that the Breville Barista Touch is the most user-friendly and produces delicious espresso shots. What's more, its steam wand can help users adjust the texture of their milk foam, putting homemade lattes and cappuccinos within reach.

Iced coffee isn't just a seasonal beverage for some folks—it's a yearlong lifestyle. And when it comes to saving money by making cold brew at home, it doesn't get easier than with the Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker. It consistently ranks at the top of our list of the best cold brew coffee makers, thanks to its ability to churn out full-bodied, delicious coffee without much effort (or coffee knowledge) required.

If the coffee or tea drinker in your life is looking to add a little high-tech luxury to their morning brew, the Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Kettle is a gift they'll greatly appreciate. With a gooseneck spout for optimal pour-over flow rate, a color LCD, and push-dial control for selecting temperature, hold time, and a host of other customizable features, this sleek kettle effortlessly combines form with function. Plus, with multiple color options and attractive wooden accents, it's a handsome countertop companion.

This kit makes it easy to whip up spiced chai tea lattes at home. It includes a 16-ounce bottle of Dona's Brooklyn-brewed concentrate, a Bodum frother, and zero-waste spice dust. Choose from Masala Chai, Turmeric Gold, or Cardamom Rose, and upgrade to the gift box for a little extra. We tried the masala chai flavor on an afternoon when we needed to warm up, and it did the trick.

The Ninja Thirsti is a game-changer for anyone who regularly buys seltzer or flavored drink packages. We loved that this hydration system can customize each cup of water to varying degrees of fizz and flavor. Users can even mix and match flavor pods (which can also boast added benefits, like electrolytes and vitamins) so that every glass is a new flavor experience.

Dairy-free folks often have to pay extra for milk alternatives like oat or almond milk. That's why investing in a plant-based milk maker like the NutrPro is a game-changer. It delivers foolproof, creamy results and has a convenient self-clean setting, and its small footprint makes it easy to store, so home chefs can enjoy plant-based perfection.

Sole Cookware's Cardinal is a full-tang chef's knife that a professionally trained chef designed handle-first. Its martensitic stainless-steel blade pops off the interchangeable handle, so it stores safely in a drawer, and it comes with a custom safety guard. It's dishwasher safe, comes in Caviar, Cream, or Cherry, and Sole's Forever Sharp Guarantee swaps in a fresh blade for free for life. We've had it in our kitchen for several months and it can slice through just about anything, including a really fat sweet potato.

Smithey's updated skillet sleeve is now made in the U.S. from saddle-grade, full-grain leather with brass rivets and a thumb grip, so the cook in your life can grab a hot handle straight out of the oven. It comes in two sizes to fit Smithey's skillets and griddles, and it makes a great add-on to a new pan.

The hit FX show The Bear heavily features pieces from one of our favorite cookware brands, Made In. This 5-piece enameled cast iron set includes our top enameled cast iron Dutch oven, a versatile enameled cast iron skillet, and a 2-quart saucepan. With three beautiful colors to choose from, this set will fit perfectly in any kitchen—for a price that's less than many competing Dutch ovens alone.

A solid stainless steel cookware set is a must-have in any kitchen, since you don't have to worry about scratching or deterioration as you do with nonstick. The Cuisinart 12-Piece MultiClad Cookware Set is built to last, with a triple-ply design that we found evenly distributes heat without being too heavy. Plus, all the included pieces are appropriately sized and can carry you through every home-cooked meal.

Ceramic-coated cookware is all the rage lately. But you don't have to invest an outrageous amount to benefit from a PFAS-free, nonstick cooking surface. Our favorite ceramic cookware set from GreenPan includes all the basics: skillets, saucepans, a sauté pan, and a stockpot—with plenty of lids to expand its capabilities. We love this set for its long-lasting nonstick coating that requires minimal oil when cooking.

The Always Pan 2.0 remains popular, especially in social media influencer videos. This multifunctional, ceramic-coated nonstick pan can make omelets and stir-fries, as well as steam foods and cook one-pot pasta. The 2.0 version is also oven-safe, which extends its capabilities even further.

A good meat thermometer is essential for any home cook, but especially for picky eaters and perfectionists. If you're on the hunt for the best in both speed and precision, the Typhur InstaProbe is a no-brainer. This thermometer delivers results in under a second and with impressive accuracy. Plus, it's fully waterproof for easy cleaning, displays results in a large, easy-to-read font, and features a magnet for handy storage.

This professional-style apron is great for protecting beginners and seasoned cooks alike from grease splatter, flour, and more. There's nothing like a gift you know the recipient won't buy for themselves, and the crossback apron from Hedley & Bennett is something every home chef deserves. The best apron we've tested comes in beautiful colors and gorgeous prints, and you can even have it personalized for the ultimate gifting wow factor.

We love Magnifique's claypot multicooker, but now the nontoxic cookware brand delivers its first ice cream maker just in time for the holidays, and it is fun. DIY your own ice cream, sorbet, milkshakes, and more from whatever ingredients you choose—high-protein, dairy-free treats are easy. It comes with three 3/4-pint cups for prepping different flavors at once, and the cup, blade, spring, and lid are all dishwasher-safe. Pick from four soft colors.

Have you ever seen a microwave oven that you can control from your phone? Meet the Panasonic HomeCHEF Connect Multi-Oven. With smart app connectivity via the Panasonic Kitchen+ app, powered by Fresco, you can control your oven remotely, access customizable presets, follow guided recipes, get meal inspiration, and more, which makes hectic mornings and nights a little easier at mealtime. Plus, you get microwave, air fry, convection bake, and broil functions all in one appliance.

A charming multipurpose countertop oven, the Our Place Wonder Oven made us fall in love during testing. This appliance is easy to store, and it excels at everything from crisping foods to steaming bread to baking cookies—and looks good doing it. Its old-school dial control panel is a fun detail for anyone who appreciates vintage charm.

The Chef iQ Smart Cooker has 10 customizable cooking functions—acting as a slow cooker, pressure cooker, and more—all in one sleek, countertop-friendly machine. It also features an auto-pressure release and connects easily to the Chef iQ app. We love it for how easy it is to use and how well it cooks complete meals quickly. One-pot chicken fajitas with rice, or salmon with couscous and broccoli, all cooked to perfection at the same time—the options are endless. Our favorite model also has a temperature probe for cooking meat to a precise doneness without any fuss.

It's no secret that Vitamix is the top of the line when it comes to pro-style blenders, and what better way to gift your special someone than to splurge on the best? The Vitamix A2300 is a workhorse blender that meets the demands of a restaurant kitchen and is built to stand the test of time. With its high-powered motor, variable-speed control dial, and 64-ounce jar, it takes on every blending task with ease. There's even a built-in digital timer and app compatibility to make every morning smoothie or dinner recipe even easier.

Add a pop of retro color to your favorite chef's kitchen. The Smeg compact toaster brings classic aesthetics to modern kitchen tasks and comes in multiple colors to suit any style and taste. Your giftee will love making their favorite breakfasts with all the charm of a bygone era.

For the person in your life who eats rice several times a week (or even daily), a reliable rice cooker is a must. We love the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 because it consistently produces delicious rice (in several varieties) time and time again. It also features “fuzzy logic” technology, which is essentially a built-in microchip that automatically adjusts temperature and cook time for the best results.

Mixing dough or batter by hand has its charm—until your hands start to cramp up. The KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Stand Mixer is the perfect helper for your favorite baker. One of our favorite stand mixers, this workhorse handles everything from heavy bread dough to airy meringue with ease.

Sourdough comes with a steep learning curve, but we believe nothing should stand in the way of freshly baked bread. Whether you have a busy schedule or are brand-new to the craze, the Sourdough Sidekick keeps your culture healthy, feeds around your baking schedule, and reduces daily discard. Plus, most of its parts are dishwasher safe for easy cleanup.

For the pasta-loving entertainer in your life, help them flex their creative skills with this old-school pasta maker. We ranked the Marcato Atlas 150 as the best pasta maker we tested, thanks to its durable construction, intuitive design, and attention to detail. It makes fresh homemade pasta achievable for any home cook.

Few things are as chic as making your own butter. Whether your friend is in love with Jamie Fraser or took Yesteryear a little too literally, this butter churner from Kilner makes it easy to enjoy homemade butter in under 10 minutes. Add cinnamon sugar, chives, or any other combination to take a dish from basic to beautiful.

Most home cooks prefer to keep room-temperature butter on hand for any recipe that calls for softened butter. This attractive butter crock from Le Creuset gives them a safe, stylish place to store it, keeping 6 ounces of butter soft and fresh. The dish is made of glazed enamel and is both microwave- and dishwasher-safe.

More than 170 recipes from more than 80 bakers cover over 50 celebrations around the world in this new Phaidon cookbook, which includes a foreword by Christina Tosi. The 384-page hardback ships Oct. 14.