This is kind of like Oprah’s “Favorite Things”, but the Budget Bytes edition. These are all things that I have and love or things that I wish I had and am sure I would love. Some of these gifts were chosen because they’d be great for people who love to cook on a budget (oh, hai!) and some of these items are just plain cool or fun. They may not all be budget friendly, but sometimes that’s what gifts are—really cool stuff that you want, but would never buy for yourself because it’s just not practical or within budget.
So let’s just jump right in… Here are some really cool gifty things!
Cookbooks
Okay, so first a little shameless self promotion. If you’re looking at this gift guide, then you probably like my style of cooking and kitchen-money management. If you want to share those techniques with someone you love, this book is a great way to do it! In addition to over 100 awesome recipes, there is a whole section of Kitchen Basics in the beginning of the book that will help kitchen newbies learn things like how to stock your kitchen, how to take advantage of your freezer, and the six basic principles for cooking and eating on a budget. Give the gift of learning how to cook real, delicious food to someone you love!
Cooks Illustrated is one of the most trusted names in the cooking world. They test and retest their techniques to come up with the most effective and efficient cooking methods. Basically, you’re not going to go wrong with this one. This is one of those cookbooks that can be passed down generations.
Mark Bittman is just plain cool and one of my favorite cooks. He has a simple, uncomplicated cooking style that I just adore. With this cookbook he gets back to the basics and shows you how to make simple, delicious food without the fuss. It’s an excellent book for those who are just learning how to cook as well as those who want to streamline the process without losing flavor or quality.
Food Stuffs
Flavored oils and vinegars are a really fun gift. They add so much excitement to food but are not something most people would go out and buy unless they have a ton of cash to burn. My parents got me a bottle of aged balsamic and garlic infused olive oil from Fustini’s, as specialty shop in my home town, and they are to die for. This shop is really cool because they have some incredible flavors of both balsamic vinegar and olive oil, plus they ship! If shipping isn’t practical, chances are you can find something comparable in your area.
Because sriracha is good on everything. Now you don’t have to lug a full sized bottle around in your purse *coughcough*, you can just bring one of these minis! Heads up, though, the bottle is empty and meant to be filled from your full size bottle at home.
I can’t get enough of sweet and spicy together. I want to try this spicy honey SO bad. *hint-hint* Imagine this on a toasty English muffin with butter… Oh my.
Salt is another one of those gourmet products that I’d probably never buy, but would LOVE to have. Flavored sea salts make food so much fun. From popcorn to roasted vegetables, a little sprinkle of one of these and you have a whole new meal.
Tools and Gadgets
Science is cool and so are these beaker inspired measuring cups. I wish they were glass, but I still love them just the same. If your giftee has a super technical mind and loves being accurate and precise, they’ll love measuring everything out in these awesome Oxo Measuring Beakers.
If there’s a wine lover on your list, consider an aerator. My friend bought me a version very much like this one last year and it’s awesome. It pops right into the top of an open bottle and aerates as you pour. The simple act of aerating your wine can make an $8 bottle taste like an $18 bottle.
Buying spices in bulk can be super economical, but you need your own containers to put them in. Instead of using mismatched bottles and reused containers, give someone a pretty matching set. These even come with some cool labels!
This might be the kitchen equivalent to giving socks or underwear for Christmas, but I still think they’re pretty cool. I feel guilty filling up my grocery cart with tons of plastic produce bags every week, so I’d love to have a set of these reusable cloth bags. I’ll probably get them as a gift to myself, actually!
I don’t have one of these cool vegetable spiralizers, but several of my readers have sung their praises. Take ordinary vegetables and turn them into pasta-like threads, perfect for salads, sautéing, or for use as a low-carb pasta alternative. Anything that makes vegetables more fun is a good thing, in my book.
A digital meat thermometer takes the guess work out of cooking meat. This one little (inexpensive) gadget keeps things safe and makes life so much easier, but a lot of people never bother to pick one up. The perfect little stocking stuffer.
I’m throwing this one in there for fun. If you haven’t read the reviews for this banana slicer yet, do yourself a favor and click over immediately. If the person you’re buying for is familiar with this product and it’s reviews, this would be the perfect gag gift.
Got any cool cooking/food inspired gift ideas? Share them in the comments below!
Thank you for the link to the banana slicer. I was laughing so hard I was crying and couldn’t breath!
Airbake insulated cookie sheets. They may not have a rim, but I haven’t burned my Christmas cookies since I started using them years ago. I was out Thursday night and my daughter used the rimmed ones to bake some cookies. Half were burned on the bottom.
Also, for anyone just setting up a kitchen, a good slow cooker with a couple of starter recipes.
Oooh, yes, I meant to put a slow cooker on the list! Good thinking.
Ooh, these are cool! I’m definitely checking a few out. I’d also like to solidly recommend The Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook. It’s done by the Cooks Illustrated guys, but is really up to date (it got released this year). The recipes are all pretty solid (that I’ve tried), but are scaled down and were written with cooking for fewer people in mind. It’s also got a TON of tips and tricks (again, Cooks Illustrated folks) sprinkled in with the recipes. My favorite is using non-stick spray on a cheese grater when you’re grating softer cheeses to help with cleanup.
Just had to click over and look at the reviews for the banana slicer….. someone should print them out and make a book…. I think it might just be a best seller!
Hahaha that’s a great idea!
I asked for your book for Christmas but fear it won’t get here in time, plus the man keeps buying me things before so nothing will be under the tree LOL Although if you have any on hand perhaps we can pick one up in NOLA ;)
This Christmas I asked only for kitchen stuff, hoping to get a cool olive oil bottle
The minis are great idea but $7 for an empty bottle is obscene. I called Huy Foung to suggest that a TSA acceptable size of Sriracha might be a good seller. They are aware of Sriracha2go and are apparently planning action against them for copyright and trademark infringement.
In the meantime I’ll be finding my own little plastic bottle that will fit in my 3-1-1 baggie for airplane flights.
Awesome list! I already got a few of those sriracha to go key chains, and might have to try that spicy honey too–i cant unsee it ;) If you ever try it, I’d love to hear what you think!
They’re sending me a bottle to try out. I’m beyond excited!
Don’t forget the siracha beer for the holidays!
http://buy.rogue.com/rogue-sriracha-hot-stout-beer/
Wait, you’re from TC?? Holy small world!
Yes ma’am! Haven’t lived there since 2001, though.
THANK YOU!!! As someone who uses your recipes WEEKLY (if not daily!) these are amazing add-on’s for Christmas gifts–esp for the boyfriend who suddenly started cooking everything on your website and already has your book! AND his sister who wants to learn how he “started getting so good at cooking” (and she’s super hard to buy for!) THANK YOUUU!!! Amazing job!
Get the produce bags! I have a set and I love them and use them constantly. They are also great because you can wash the fruit right in them and let them drain out. I also use them for tasks like rinsing quinoa or rice etc. They don’t take up much space and I just keep a few in my reusable grocery bag. They even saved my butt once when I realized a bag of popcorn kernels burst on my walk home- I just threw the whole bag in one of these guys. I can’t rave about them enough, and I haven’t even talked about the fact that they are eco-friendly!
I love the idea of washing the fruit right in the bag! Thanks! :)
Love this list! I’m definitely checking out those produce bags! Do you find that they keep things like lettuce fresh? I want something to replace those pesky plastic baggies! Typically I just take all of my produce to the counter bagless since I wash everything with a homemade veggie spray when I get home.
I have two sets of those produce bags and can’t stop raving about them! They’re mesh, so they aren’t great for storage, so I wouldn’t keep anything like lettuce or greens in them longer than a day or two. I will normally bring my produce home in the bags, wash the produce (especially things like bulk lettuce), and store accordingly. Like another user said, you’ll keep finding different uses for these bags – highly recommended.
The pictures weren’t working in Feedly, but they are working on your website in Chrome. :)
Looks fine in Chrome to me… And I just told my fiance I wanted the Budget Bytes book for Christmas and learned he already bought it for me :)
Hahaha awesome! :D
FYI, the images for this guide aren’t showing up in Google Chrome. They render just fine in Firefox.
Thanks for the heads up! I’m adding extra text links just in case. Not sure what’s up with the images, though. :(
They’re showing up in Chrome now.
Awesome! Thanks for checking!!
Nope, firefox does not work either :(
Okay, I went and uploaded the photos manually instead of using Amazon thumbnails. Hopefully they work now! :)
No problem with Firefox under Vista.