Every time I see a meat tenderizer, I think of my mother. Specifically of the way in which she, as someone wary of emotional vulnerability yet full of affection (classic Boomer combo), decided to make Austrian pork schnitzel her love language — and the meat tenderizer her translator. In hindsight, that steel hammer was one of the best, most essential cooking tools in our home; it was also a beginner-friendly tool for me, a Montessori kid used to playing with saws at recess and expressing my feelings via dried bean art. 

That tenderizer has become a staple of my kitchen ecosystem today. But one person’s tenderizer is another’s hand-me-down whisk, Japanese chef’s knife, or grill press. So what do other people consider their ride-or-die cooking tools? What are the baseline peelers, knives, and spatulas that are in constant rotation, the tools that make you feel like a culinary John Wick? I decided to ask not just chefs, but chefs with culinary school teaching experience (aka endless patience and a knowledge of novice-level skillsets) about what they consider to be the best beginner cooking tools.

In addition to a few of my own cooking essentials, I picked the brains of four teachers with experience in a variety of programs, from Hot Bread Kitchen — a New York City nonprofit that helps immigrants break into the food industry — to the legendary Institute of Culinary Education, all in the hopes of answering the inherently relative question of what constitutes an essential cooking tool for beginners. 

Whether or not your new kitchen workhorse is destined to become an heirloom, some dos and don’ts for your search…

Do: Look for tools that don’t just do one thing.

Do: Read product reviews.

Don’t: Spend more than you need to on, say, a pair of tongs. And if you’re lucky enough to have a grandpa with a sick filet knife, maybe ask him about it.   

First, grab a meat tenderizer.

Now, let’s talk essentials. 

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The best beginner cooking tools, according to Hot Bread Kitchen culinary teachers

Hot Bread Kitchen is a NYC-based culinary institute whose goal is to “uplift women, gender-expansive people, immigrants, and people of color” by helping them launch their careers in the food industry through intensive culinary training. Culinary instructors Kandy Williams and Charlene Johnson are two of the organization’s many acclaimed teachers, and they had some choice advice on the best beginner cooking tools. 

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A great spatula 

“Spatulas are often one of the first tools that I introduce to my kids to learn to use when cooking because they’re safe and easy to handle,” says Williams. “It’s your all-in-one tool — perfect for flipping, stirring, and scraping every bit of batter from a bowl.” 

“I love to use a silicone spatula to gently fold ingredients like egg whites into batter,” Williams goes on. “As a baker, this is one of my favorite tools in the kitchen. I use it all the time when I prepare my buttercreams, cakes, and alfajores (Peruvian macarons). This keeps the mixture light and fluffy.”

Johnson seconds the tool’s utility for not only whipping up meals, but also allowing you to store your leftovers and ingredients. “It will allow you to get every bit of your food from containers,” she says, “to where they need to be — in your belly!”

Reach for a BPA-free silicone spatula such as this high-rated option that costs less than an order of avocado toast. It’s heat-resistant up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, has a stainless steel internal frame — just like RoboCop — and a slightly curved blade for scraping and folding with precision. 

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A workhouse vegetable peeler

At home, Williams relies on a high-quality peeler to prep everything from mashed potatoes to causa peruana with her kids; it makes prep work much faster for her students and more efficient for her as a culinary instructor. “I always show how to use a peeler safely by peeling away from the body and using short, controlled strokes. They use it to peel potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, and more vegetables. It’s also a great tool to introduce them to different textures.” 

Johnson also swears by the power of the classic Swiss peeler, specifically — and not just for veggies. “It’s efficient and precise,” she says. “Use it on chocolate, cheese, or citrus. Get creative. FYI, the purpose of the protruding circle to the side of the peeler is to remove potato eyes.” 

Williams Sonoma’s straight swivel-action, steel blade peeler contours to the shape of whatever potato, pear, or state fair butter sculpture you’re peeling: 

For a classic Swiss peeler, you can’t go wrong with a Victorinox straight blade, which has been GOATed by many. It’s peeler is lightweight, is made with a nonslip textured handle, and is under $10 on Amazon.  

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A solid paring knife

As Williams says, a paring knife is “small and versatile, perfect for tasks that require precision, like peeling, trimming, or slicing small fruits and veggies.” She introduces the tool to beginner students to use for more delicate tasks — such as cutting strawberries, scoring tomatoes, or trimming herbs — in order to build their knife skills safely. “In classes my students use a paring knife to practice the concasse technique,” she says, “They love to prepare ratatouille. The paring knife is often called the ‘extension of the hand’ because it’s so maneuverable.”

Quality knives can be a costly investment, but beginners will appreciate the affordable paring knife from Quince. Its 3.5-inch paring knife is made out of 33 layers of Japanese Damascus stainless steel — which helps it achieve excellent blade balance — and it features a naturally water-resistant Pakkawood handle.

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An offset serrated knife

Johnson says her serrated knife is key for cutting bread, slicing tomatoes, and more. “It’s great for anything that has a tough exterior and soft interior,” she explains. “The offset handle provides space so that the blade hits the cutting board before my hand. Efficient and delivers stellar results. 10 out of 10.” 

This 9-inch offset blade sports an ergonomic handle and a serrated blade that does the job of the fancier versions at an entry-level price.

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The best beginner cooking tools, according to Celine Beitchman of the Institute of Culinary Education

The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) was founded in 1975, and is ranked as the number-one culinary school in the United States, with locations in New York City and Los Angeles. Celine Beitchman, director of nutrition, tells me that she has been “teaching health-promoting culinary arts for about a decade,” and “became a chef over a 20-year period working in prep kitchens, restaurants, catering, and as a private chef,” first at the Natural Gourmet Institute and now within ICE’s Plant-Based Culinary Arts program. 

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A big, sharp chef’s knife

If you don’t know where to begin with your own knife drawer, Beitchman recommends starting with an 8- to 10-inch chef’s knife. As she says, “It’s vital to handle most of the essential vegetable cuts, and for slicing everything from cheese to cake. A good knife will last, and it’s worth investing in one that you are comfortable using — one that’s not too long or heavy for you.” Check out our full guide to the best chef’s knives here, for every budget and purpose.

One of my first kitchen knives was a Made In blade, and I remember thinking, Wow, so this is what it feels like to hold a knife with its own backbone. Or, maybe what I was feeling was the single rod of stainless steel that extends from tip to handle, which is what the brand claims sets it apart. Years later, my 8-inch Made In chef’s knife still chops everything from crunchy cabbage to a tarte tatin with ease, despite my less-than-perfect knife skills.  

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If you’re shopping on more of a budget, I also can’t recommend Imarku’s chef’s knife enough. This 8-inch stainless steel blade cuts with as much precision as some of my friends’ fancy Wüsthof knives, but it costs under $50. I do need to sharpen it more frequently than some pricier knives (I find that the sweet spot is around every two months), but you really can’t beat the bang for your buck on this sucker. Plus, it ships in a secure, velvet-esque-lined box that makes for a thoughtful (last-minute) housewarming gift. 

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Spring-loaded tongs

“Spring-loaded tongs with metal or rubber-coated tips can be used to toss salads in dressings or vegetables in seasonings before they hit the oven,” says Beitchman. “When I started cooking, tongs were almost an extension of my own hand and they let me reach further down the stove or up to the salamander.” 

These stainless 12-inch long steel tongs come from one of my favorite affordable cookware brands, OXO. Scalloped edges are a big plus for me when it comes to tongs, because they allow for better precision and grip when I’m flipping whole padrón peppers on the grill or prodding my veggies around in a skillet. Plus, the slight concave of the tongs make it easy to ladle excess oils or sauce from a pan, (which I love to do when I’m frying eggs in chile crisp).

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Bench scraper

Finally, Beitchman stands by the power of the bench scraper. “[Bench scrapers] are amazingly versatile,” she says, “and can be used to move and lift food off of cutting boards and trays, to scrape flours and shape loaves before baking,” and more. 

Crate & Barrel has gone the extra mile with this stainless steel bench scraper, which includes not only a soft-touch plastic handle that won’t slip from your grip, but a sweet little built-in ruler. It’s always a plus when a kitchen staple can combine more than one tool or function, and being able to measure out and chop your dough with one hand is a clutch time saver. 

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The best beginner cooking tools, according to chef Vanessa Seder 

Vanessa Seder has worked as a chef, food stylist, cookbook author, and associate food editor at Ladies’ Home Journal — to name just a handful of her culinary accomplishments — in addition to teaching for many years at the storied Stonewall Kitchen Headquarters in York, Maine. She, too, sang the praises of sharp chef’s knives and different-sized spatulas, but she also recommended a few more less-obvious tools. 

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A high-quality wood cutting board 

It seems easy enough to remember, but a quality cutting board can sometimes go overlooked when you’re outfitting your kitchen with beginner cooking tools and equipment. Seder recommends John Boos & Co., one of the oldest manufacturers of butcher blocks in the country. She says that she loves the sturdy feel of her Boos board, which is 1.5 inches thick and perfect for rolling out dough while baking or making pasta, and also gives the board a bit of a height boost — a plus that she appreciates, she says, given that she’s on the taller side and doesn’t want to slouch while chopping or rolling herbs. It’s also quite a looker in terms of items that can take up precious real estate on your kitchen counters. As Seder says, “I use it sometimes as a cheese platter when we have guests over.”

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A whetstone for sharpening knives

Those paring and chef’s knives aren’t going to sharpen themselves. As Seder says, “Learning how to sharpen your knives will save you money and time in the long run. A sharp knife is safer to use in that it prevents slippage, which can result in injury.” But getting your knives sharpened professionally can really add up in cost, she adds, so throwing down for a whetstone can be a great long-term investment. Consider this Japanese-made ceramic whetstone by King, which only costs about $50. There’s a dedicated Eater guide to sharpening your knives like a pro, but suffice to say this kit comes with everything you need: a 1000/6000 grit combination whetstone (with the former for main sharpening and the latter for finish sharpening), an angle holder for blade-sharpening accuracy, and a quick-drying cloth. 

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A fish spatula

Seder says that she still has her fish spatula from culinary school, a trusty Wüsthof that continues to go the distance. This 6.5-inch slotted fish spatula from the German brand is about more than just fish, and acts as a flexible tool for cooking not only fish, but anything delicate. The Wüsthof version has earned heaps of praise for its being lightweight, angled, and slotted, which allows excess oils to drain through when you’re moving things around. Or as one reviewer writes, “Sometimes it is the small things in life that give you the motivation to be a better cook.” Our thoughts exactly. 

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One more bonus tip: Invest in stainless steel cookware

A canon event in becoming a (slightly more) serious home cook is graduating from whatever ragtag collection of nonstick pans you’ve been accumulating since sophomore year of college to a proper set of cookware that will stand the test of time. Look in any commercial kitchen, and you’ll see stainless steel, stainless steel, stainless steel. Why? Because stainless steel cookware is durable, versatile, and has great heat conductivity and retention.

That’s why we took our collaboration with Heritage Steel seriously; our high-quality, 5-ply stainless steel pans are ready to take on any and all cooking projects, from perfect pancakes to sunny-side-up eggs to seared salmon (in which case the spatula above will come in handy). The 12-inch pan is the perfect do-everything size, while the 3-quart saucier (which also comes with a lid) can cook pasta, poach eggs, and so much more.

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We have reached that time of year again. Every good tomato suddenly prompts the pondering: Will this be the last one for the season? The heat begins to give way to crisper breezes, and we start to crave the comfort of windows fogged up from bubbling pots of soup instead of thinking about how to minimize our time in front of a hot stove. 

Luckily, this season’s cookbooks offer many exciting ways to joyously warm ourselves in the kitchen, whether by baking border-traversing croissants and comforting counter cakes, or keeping the stove simmering with Dutch ovens of borscht, beef noodle soup, or budae jjigae. There are diversions from the standard cookbook on this list, too, like a divorce-inspired reflection (in which the essays are just as essential as the recipes) and a treasure trove of a garden almanac that feels like an escape into another world. I’ve compiled 12 selections from the fall cookbook season that have me especially excited to cook and read this fall and winter.

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Bake Sum: Asian American Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats 

Joyce Tang with Soleil Ho

Hardie Grant, out now

If you feel like everything is an Asian American bakery now, you’re right. In the Bay Area, Bake Sum — with its Spam-musubi-esque croissants and ube pineapple buns — was an early adopter of the current trend, starting as a pandemic pop-up in 2020 before opening its Oakland location the following year. In her colorful and playful new cookbook, chief baking officer Joyce Tang pulls back the curtain on her cuisine-bending treats, like quiche inspired by chawanmushi, the Japanese savory egg custard, and danishes in the style of okonomiyaki and aloo matar, the Indian dish of spiced potatoes and peas. The bakes involving laminated dough are ambitious, weekend-worthy projects, but the book takes a welcomingly progressive approach, easing in novice bakers via puddings and jellies (its first recipe is a simple, anyone-can-do-it microwave mochi) before exploring more advanced techniques in its chapter on cakes, and then making its way to croissants. This is a book for the person who counts big baking projects among their favorite ways to spend the colder months.

Food Is a Feeling: Recipes & Stories, with Love

Carla Lalli

Clarkson Potter, out now

Lalli, who won audiences over as Carla Lalli Music during her time at Bon Appétit, has catalogued the dissolution of her 24-year marriage in a cookbook. With its reflections on motherhood, identity, and where a background in restaurants fits into those things, Lalli continues the narrative thread of releases like Tanya Bush’s Will This Make Me Happy and Rebecca May Johnson’s Small Fires. That’s to say that you’re here as much for the essays as for the recipes. 

The latter, including dishes such as “weeknight lamb chop special, for any number” and “quick beans and rice for when the avocado is ripe,” are delightfully loose and flexible. These are realistic suggestions for weeknights when you’re burnt-out, but also for those glorious instances in which you care more about getting yourself on the sand than fussing about what to make for your beach trip (for those instances: peaches with lime and salt).Many of these ideas were birthed during “separation summer,” when Lalli often found herself eating alone after years of cooking for four. These recipes (and the words that accompany them, like a list of things that “made [Lalli] feel free”) will feel useful on bad days, sick days, and anytime you need to give yourself grace, but also whenever you need to be reminded of how much pleasure life offers.

Flamingo Estate Pleasure Principles: An Almanac from the Garden 

Richard Christiansen 

Chronicle, September 15

Pleasure Principles is the newest book from Richard Christiansen of Flamingo Estate, the Los Angeles-based lifestyle brand so luxurious and sprawling in its ambitions that even Martha Stewart has described it as “over the top.” Pleasure Principles is predictably maximalist; not specifically a cookbook, it feels like picking up a paper trail while exploring the lush thicket of Christiansen’s secret (if oft-Instagrammed) garden. Stories about the building of Christiansen’s property veer into detours about the history of camellia plants and Coco Chanel, interspersed with archival imagery and photos of flora shot in the style of high-fashion editorial. A primer about the vast range of sage plants gives way to a checklist of garden tasks for January, seasonal project ideas (“help build a bird’s nest” or “make a sage tincture”), and recipes for pasta with sage leaves embedded in the dough and vegetable broth featuring lotus petals and dried skullcap. Pleasure Principles feels like an immersive fantasy world: Open up any random page for a little hit of magic, or an escape into Christiansen’s sparkly, greenery-filled universe. It’s a book that’ll make even winter feel vibrant and full of possibility.

No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World: At-Home Recipes from the Streets, Truck Stops, Villages, and Palaces of India 

Meherwan Irani with Jamie Feldmar

Ten Speed Press, September 22

This is a book that will make you want to have a party. That’s partially because recipes like the deep-fried, carb-on-carb vada pav and crisp, thin dosa with coconut chutney will feed six or more (and benefit, process-wise, from the economy of scale). It’s also because it feels raucous and alive, full of bright colors, bold typography, and big proclamations, ready for joyful debate. Is vada pav, as Meherwan Irani writes, “without question, the greatest sandwich of all time”? Is this, indeed, as the title suggests, the best Indian cookbook in the world? This is food that makes you want to crowd around a table, tearing off pieces of seekh kebab with fluffy, still-steaming naan and crushing cold beers. Whether Indian street food is, as Irani audaciously claims, the “best food on the planet” remains up for discussion, but for those of us who can’t get to India or to Irani’s lauded North Carolina restaurants Chai Pani and Botiwalla anytime soon, this book is a good way to test that argument. 

Happy Snacking, Don’t Die!: Foraging and Vegan Recipes with Black Forager

Alexis Nikole Nelson with Jeanelle Hayner Olson

S&S/Simon Element, September 22

Alexis Nikole Nelson, also known as Black Forager, is a bright spot in the doom spiral that social media can often be. Nelson is known (and widely loved, picking up nearly 5 million followers on TikTok alone) for her bubbly disposition, whimsical vibe, and clever creations such as syrup infused with pine cones and color-changing pine-needle cookies. She demystifies the vast array of food that you can forage without even having to go deep into the woods, like acorns and the fruit of the linden trees that are abundant in many parts of the United States, and balances practicality, safety, and play in the process. Her long-awaited cookbook gets its name from the catchphrase that ends her videos: “Happy snacking. Don’t die.” With recipes like pickled magnolia flowers, Japanese knotweed granita, and maitake mushroom “steaks,” this book promises to be a guide to seeing even your suburban neighborhood through new eyes.

Librae: Third-Culture Recipes from a Cult New York Bakery

Dona Murad

Quadrille, September 22

New York City’s Librae Bakery draws on its owner Dona Murad’s upbringing in Bahrain with an Indian and Portuguese mother and a Bahraini Persian father; her time spent working in Copenhagen with her husband Andre, who is French Moroccan; and her new life in NYC, where Andre grew up. Naturally, the bakery has embraced the language and perspective of “third-culture” cuisine from the start, serving croissants with pistachio frangipane, scented with rose water; morning buns spread with labneh and za’atar; babka with both lemon curd and loomi (black lime); and more. 

Much of this book requires getting comfortable with Murad’s “mother dough” recipes — like ones for croissant dough, morning buns, and enriched dough — or working with sourdough starter. For those new to these more involved bakes, Murad provides thorough, nicely documented steps and imagery. If you need something easier than croissants, Murad’s cookies and breads, including cleverly topped sheets of focaccia, provide a more approachable entry point. Another book for bakers who don’t turn down a challenge, Librae is also for anyone who respects traditional pastry techniques but wants to push flavors further.

Korean Soups: Recipes for Soups and Stews That Nourish, Restore, and Delight

Clara Lee and Eddo Kim

Workman, October 6

If it can’t still be summer, at least it’s almost soup season. Here, Clara Lee and Eddo Kim break Korean soups into fundamentals — a chart compares the qualities of guk versus tang versus jjigae versus jeongol; the first section of the book is about making broth, then categorizing those soups into applications. There are quick-cooking soups, soups for slower nights, soups for each season, soups that are especially restorative, and soups for sharing; you could spend the entirety of the coming colder months cooking exclusively through this repertoire. If Lee and Kim’s names are familiar, that’s because they ran the cherished San Francisco superette Queens, which closed in 2023 to transition into a line of pantry staples. The shop has been described as “iconoclastic,” representing the new wave of Korean American cuisine. Consider Korean Soups essential for anyone who loves to be cozy, anyone who’s looking to deepen their understanding of Korean home cooking, or anyone who simply needs more ways to use the gochujang they bought for cookies a while ago. 

Gather Around My Table: Simple, Flavorful Recipes from My Global Pantry

Kay Chun

Knopf, October 6

Recipe developers I know cite NYT Cooking contributor Kay Chun among their favorite recipe developers, and it’s easy to see why. Her book starts off with snacks and pickles, Chun adding low-lift but flavor-packed flourishes: She quickly marinates sardines to top toast; her calamari gets a gilda-esque zhuzh, skewered with fried peppers and olives. Gather Around My Table delivers on its promise of simple, weeknight-friendly food that doesn’t feel boring, with dishes such as grilled tofu simmered in soy sauce with aromatics, and then given the ssam and taco treatment with both a perilla leaf and a tortilla. Wakame and a shallot vinaigrette featuring grated tomatoes make her green salad livelier and less run-of-the-mill (her mustard vinaigrette, meanwhile, gets amped up by doenjang). I appreciate that Chun gives tofu an entire chapter, too, coaxing even omnivores to employ it more, as in her pork breakfast sausages with crumbled tofu for added moisture and protein. With Gather Around My Table, Chun consistently offers low-effort ways to make familiar dishes more interesting and rewarding. 

Taiwanese? A Rambling Reflection on the Recipes, Cultures, and People Defining this Island

Eric Sze and Elyse Inamine

Hardie Grant, October 13

We’ve come full circle: Fusion is good again, or at least so proclaims chef Eric Sze, known for his New York City restaurant Wenwen and the recently closed 886. His debut cookbook Taiwanese?, emphasis on that question mark, is an ode to letting Taiwanese food be fun, free, and a little freaky: His lu rou fan, also known as lo ba beng, the dish of braised pork over rice, includes the “strange addition of peanut butter,” for example. Why the hell not? Especially when Sze has, as documented in the book (with vivid imagery from star photographer Alex Lau), gone on a bonkers crawl of 60-plus bowls of lu rou fan in a single week; he’s earned the right to experiment. 

Taiwanese? is not the traditionalist’s guide to the cuisine, but anyone who likes seeing the commonalities between disparate cuisines and playing with the boundaries between them will get a kick out of this book, which includes recipes such as seared zhajiang lasagna with pork and octopus, and beef noodle soup burgers. Suffused throughout is an impish irreverence: Sze calls a soup made with yellow-fat chicken, regular chicken, and goth Silkie chicken “diversity chicken soup”; he’s known, at Wenwen, for the “BDSM chicken” (that incredibly involved recipe’s in here, too). Taiwanese? is a good pick for anyone who’s serious about food but also sees some of the self-imposed rules around it as really not that serious, or for anyone who’s got a great relationship with their local butcher.

Daily Dessert: Treats on Repeat

Caroline Schiff

Abrams, October 13

This is, as the name would suggest, a book for the daily-3-p.m.-sweet-treat kind of people. But it’s also a book about making baking less annoying and more chill, a boon for anyone who would love baked goods more often but hates the thought of all the fuss. In her debut cookbook, beloved New York City pastry chef Caroline Schiff, formerly of Gage & Tollner, assures you that sifting is generally unnecessary, and that your baked goods will probably be fine even if you forgot to bring the eggs to room temperature. Her ideas will appeal to the baker without a dishwasher — her giant chocolate chip cookie dirties one bowl and requires no mixer nor hand beater. It’s also for the snacker who wants to reap as many rewards as possible out of a single burst of effort (see: the black and white coconut macaroons and the cardamom counter cake with chocolate ganache, both of which keep for a week). Schiff describes her lifestyle as one in which “there’s always something sweet in [the] kitchen — no special occasion required,” allowing friends to stop by anytime for cake and tea (and that’s both definitions of the latter). Daily Dessert is a call to be less fussy and to enjoy ourselves more, and who isn’t enticed by that?

Lozhka: Eastern European Soups, Stews & Other Things We Eat with a Spoon

Alissa Timoshkina

Quadrille, October 20

The cozy hits continue, and as someone who prefers to eat most food out of the comforting confines of a bowl, I appreciate Alissa Timoshkina’s commitment to a highly specific pursuit: spoonable food. In Lozhka, you’ll find a tour of Eastern Europe through all things slurpable and scoopable. Much of this is soup or stew, as to be expected, but oh, the variety! Here is Slovak and Belarusian mačanka, a mushroom stew infused with sauerkraut brine (and which Timoshkina serves with lokše, crepes made with mashed potato dough); Armenian lentil soup with the tannic touch of both prunes and walnuts; and so many ways to use millet, barley, and beans (on that note, this is a great book for anyone who is trying to eat more fiber). There are filled dumplings and drop dumplings and steamed bread dumplings! I don’t want to hope for a long winter, but with this book to work through, I also wouldn’t mind it quite as much.

Cha Chaan Teng: Comfort Food from Hong Kong’s Iconic Diners

Lucas Sin

Artisan, October 27

Lucas Sin, the chef formerly of New York City’s Junzi, has always been very good at explaining how to cook; his cooking tutorials via Instagram Stories buoyed me through the early pandemic and taught me techniques I still use today. As a cookbook author, he’s a natural. His first cookbook combines his conversational yet helpfully specific instruction style with his clear passion for Hong Kong’s cha chaan tengs, diners where you’ll find set meals of macaroni in soup, luscious scrambled eggs, and toast.

The photography here is gorgeous, indulgent, and transportive, each page a rich text: Sin offers a trove of highly readable little insights, like the backstory as to why roast pork belly and tofu skin over rice became known as “A Man’s Romance” (the answer: a viral, anonymous Hong Kong blog post), cast-iron sizzling pan etiquette, his favorite places in Hong Kong to get the dishes mentioned, and more. Sin is in the process of opening his own cha chaan teng in NYC and is testing out his repertoire of dishes in an extremely popular pop-up; especially for those of us who still haven’t gotten a seat, Cha Chaan Teng is the next best thing.

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When it comes to finding gifts for people who love to cook, I stand by a simple gift shopping mantra: Know what your giftee likes, and then expand upon (or improve) their area of interest. Meaning, if they’re always tracking down rare spices, gift them a pirate’s hoard of blends from one of our favorite places to buy spices online; if they love to bake, equip them with a charming set of nontoxic, miniature muffin baking pans. And so on and so forth; basically, pay attention to what needs an upgrade in their life (there’s a good chance it’s cooking utensils) and which knives aren’t cutting it in their rotation. 

Whether you’re shopping on a budget or looking for a splurge-worthy piece of cookware or bundle of pantry staples, we’ve got the gift for you and the picky cook that you love.   

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A sleek Japanese santoku knife

I think of a santoku as the sexier version of a classic chef’s knife, because while it’s designed to handle meat, fish, and vegetables like a pro, a santoku blade is often a bit lighter on its feet (read: cutting board) that other styles of do-it-all knives. This particular option from Mercer Culinary is a line cook favorite.

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This artisan-made molcajete

If your giftee is always on the literal grind for their recipes, chances are they could use a molcajete, a traditional Mexican mortar and pestle. This large, 9-inch version was made in collaboration with the third-generation stone artisan Don Enrique of San Salvador El Seco, Puebla, and includes a particularly cool, graphic tejolote (grinding pestle). 

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Fancy tinned tomatoes

Row 7 has made quite a stir in the food world this year. Founded in 2018, the organic seed and food company is the brainchild of chef Dan Barber, plant breeder Michael Mazourek, and seedsman Matthew Goldfarb, and was initially focused on collaborating with farmers on a smaller scale in order to produce more flavor-focused (as opposed to maximum output-focused) produce. This last winter, folks yielded the fruits of their labor; a line of complex, flavor-packed tinned veggies was launched, including my personal favorite, the tinned tomatoes. They’re bright, jammy, and an absolute indulgence. Just what gifts are for.

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This hand cream dethrones Aesop

If you love someone who loves to cook, their hands could probably use some love, too. Monastery’s everything balm (I use it on my hands and dry legs) feels like the love child of Aesop and Aquaphor, because it’s equal parts unisex, herbaceous remedy and non-fuss, non-greasy (and non-overly-perfumed) clear balm. The little silver tube is also the most giftable of hand creams for my money, complete with an antique-looking tube roller key for squeezing out every last drop. 

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The more cool Finnish dish towels, the merrier

Finnish design house Marimekko is one of Eater staffers’ absolute favorite brands for pops of color and graphic design, and this striking towel duo would make a great, seasonal-spanning addition to any cook’s kitchen.

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Nordic Ware sheet pans

There are certainly cuter sheet pans out there, but aesthetics are a low priority when it comes to good, always-reach-for-it bakeware. Seasoned cooks and bakers know: It’s all about the straightforward functionality of Nordic Ware. Irresistibly affordable at $40 for a set of three (including a tiny quarter-sheet that’s great for organizing mise en place and baking just a cookie or two from the freezer), these sheet pans bake evenly and resist rust and warping. Best of all, they last, unlike all the wonky nonstick sheet pans we’ve put up with in the past. 

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This cottagecore apron is doing so many things right

This, folks, is what happens when you create a charming apron with substance. The midweight cotton material checks the box for durability, while avoiding the stiffness that sometimes comes with other self-declared tough aprons. There are two extra large pockets for all of your tools, and, perhaps my favorite feature of all, a cross-back design, so you don’t have to worry about re-tying and adjusting your apron strings. 

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Do they love spicy food? Stock their pantry with high-quality staples

Flamingo Estate has earned its place in the olive oil hall of fame for its Martha Stewart-approved heritage olive oil, and it recently started infusing its liquid gold with guajillo chiles to add a bit of fruity heat to the versatile, peppery olive oil. The spicy heritage EVOO is also sold with its smoked chipotle chile crisp as part of a very giftable duo.

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A supply of beans

Beans, like all pantry staples, have gotten upgrade in recent years. Primary Beans is a company that promotes lesser-known bean varieties (see their not-a-pinto set). If you’ve ever been skeptical of whether fresher beans really matter, these flavorful beans — which cite their harvest dates with pride — will remove any doubt. They’ll make an especially good gift for a cook looking to diversify their protein sources.

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Spices you can’t find at every grocery store

There’s an entire Eater guide to shopping for spices online, but some of my favorite picks come from Shop Palestine and Hayati; the former is a project of the Middle East Children’s Alliance, a nonprofit working to support the rights and the wellbeing of children in Gaza by amplifying products from the region, such as this za’atar, harvested from the hills of Palestine. Hayati, meanwhile, is a newcomer to the spice scene that was founded by Palestinian-American Yasmine Borno with the goal of highlighting distinctly Palestinian flavors; she sources Hayati’s za’atar ingredients from the same spice shop in Palestine that was beloved by her own great-grandparents.

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The Bentley of cutting boards 

I have yet to find a cutting board that can outdo a John Boos in matters of durability and function; the sustainably sourced maple, cherry, and walnut boards have been made by the same Midwest-based company since 1887, and while its fine craftsmanship can easily boost the boards’ price tags to $100+, there are some beautiful, more affordable options out there, such as this limited-counter-space-friendly, 1-inch thick, square format cutting board. 

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Six months of pasta

Whether it’s bougie hand soap, merino wool socks, or artisanal pasta, high-end everyday items are always a good gift, especially for someone who doesn’t tend to treat themselves. Sfoglini’s bronze-cut pasta, made from a range of grains including einkorn and rye, is extruded through bronze dies into a variety of specialty shapes before being slow-dried. The result is a slightly rougher (and overall better) texture that holds its shape. This subscription includes two shipments of six boxes of pasta — some for now, some for later.  

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A bread chopping board

What do you get the cook who has everything? That’s when you start troubleshooting hyperspecific culinary problems you imagine they’re having. So, save a bread lover from the constant tyranny of crumbs with this handy slotted cutting board. Its many wide divots will catch the shards from their crustiest baguettes, and every errant seed from their most-flecked loaves. You just solved a problem they didn’t realize needed solving. 

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Miniature muffin pans for the avid baker

Making muffins can be so satisfying under any circumstances, but The Borrowers-size cinnamon nut muffins in a trio of light pink miniature muffin pans? The dream.

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This Funfetti-esque spatula set

Admittedly, I still have a few scratched-up plastic spatulas floating around my kitchen. But given the potential health risks of black plastic utensils, there has never been a better time to help swap out your gifted culinary pal’s tools with Get It Right’s nontoxic, microplastic-free silicone cooking accessories. This speckled, Funfetti-esque spatula set looks good enough to eat.

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Soaps for home cooks are officially chic now

I’m a big fan of fancy hand soaps — just one of life’s everyday sensory luxuries — and recently, the concept of swish soaps specifically designed to live at the kitchen sink have been catching my eye; Naomi makes a lightly exfoliating, bergamot and pepper hand soap that is formulated to banish the garlic odor from your fingertips while also looking quite chic by your sink. 

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A magnetic wood trivet

In her debut cookbook The Secret of Cooking, Bee Wilson gives more credit than most to the humble trivet: “Without them [in addition to discard bowls, she writes], the whole business of cooking is so much trickier than it needs to be.” While a basic trivet does the job, consider giving the gift of a magnetic trivet. Skip the awkward maneuvering of carrying a hot, heavy dish to the dining table and use a trivet that attaches itself to the bottom of the pot instead. This one is designed for a Staub Dutch oven, but Le Creuset makes one as well. 

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A pair of squeeze bottles

Home cooks are increasingly adopting what chefs have long known — that squeeze bottles give you the most control over your oils, vinegars, and sauces while cooking, not to mention the perfect drizzles and drops while plating. (At this point, we’re all well aware of that social media-famous squeeze bottle of olive oil.) OXO’s squeeze bottles, which come in two sizes, have attached hinged caps for easy one-handed use.    

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A frying pan that can handle four chicken breasts

Ah, the peace of knowing that all four of my desired chicken breasts would fit, uncrowded, in this sleek pan for chicken picatta night. As lovers of quality cookware, Eater collaborated with Heritage Steel on a collection of 5-ply stainless steel pots and pans, and the line includes this much-welcome, do-it-all, 12-inch lidded skillet. 

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Soup season is almost here

Another stand out of the Eater x Heritage Steel collection is this 8-quart stock pot, which has carried me through many a soup season. The 5-ply stainless steel is incredibly durable, yet lightweight enough that I can still carry it when it’s full of ungodly amounts of chili.

Gold tweezers

Tweezers often end up at the butt end of jokes about fussy food. But there’s no denying they’re useful in the kitchen doing what tongs can, but, in many instances, better. Tongs can break off the delicate breading on a cutlet, while tweezers press gently, leaving it undisturbed. They’re dextrous enough to maneuver tiny herb garnishes or decorations on top of a cake. And these, from fancy Japanese kitchen tool company Gestura, just look really, really good, whether you get them in gold, silver, or gunmetal. 

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A spare grinder for nuts and coffee

I’ve experienced the gamut of grinders, and tend to look for a few green flags: an ample “grinding” chamber, a simple design, and a trusted brand. This KitchenAid iteration checks all three of those boxes, and it even comes in the brand’s iconic Empire Red colorway.

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A sunny grill press

It’s debatable how beneficial pressure is in many parts of life. But when it comes to ensuring the most even cooking, pressure will give you uniformly golden grilled cheeses, pan-fried fish with perfectly browned skin, and beautifully seared mushrooms. This marigold press from Caraway is the most visually charming for my money, and the slightly curved handle makes it much easier to hold.

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A pasta machine

Get this for the friend who keeps saying, Going out to dinner — in this economy? Fresh pasta is relatively affordable, but maybe more importantly, the act of making it will scratch that experiential, interactive itch that might otherwise be fulfilled by a night out. Feeling extra generous? Pair this no-frills pasta machine with a cookbook like American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Handmade Pasta, from Los Angeles pasta icon Evan Funke.

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from Eater https://ift.tt/HbckjQY