Top Ten Gift Ideas for Your Favorite Cook

Having been married for a while, I know that I could use an update in many of my kitchen utensils, gadgets, and appliances. Many of my plastic spatulas have become stained from tomato sauce; I have broken several of my nice goblets, and most of my knives have become dull. Plus there are items I've never gotten or was never given at my wedding shower that I still need. So, here is my top ten list of what I and many other cooks might be thrilled to receive as holiday gifts for this Christmas season.

Salad Spinner
One way to save a cook from having more mess than she needs in the kitchen is to give her a salad spinner. The Salad Spinner by OXO brand is great, since it works to spin a salad dry and then store the same salad. It comes with a plastic bowl, a net-type basket which inserts inside the plastic bowl, a lid with a pump on it (to spin the salad dry), and a regular lid. After cutting and washing some lettuce leaves, one simply dumps the wet leaves into the basket (which should be inside the plastic bowl), puts the pump lid on top of the bowl and pumps until the leaves are dry. Then, one removes the basket from the bowl, dumps out the green water that's in the bowl, transfers the lettuce from the basket to the bowl, and puts on the regular lid. The salad's done and can go into the refrigerator in this plastic bowl! This saves the cook from having to wait for the salad to dry on its own and finding another bowl to store it in.

Kitchen Organizers
If the cook in your life could use some help with kitchen organization, consider getting her several kitchen organizational baskets, racks, or caddies for her cupboards or countertop. These organizers keep things like pot lids, spices, coffee cups, or even plastic wrap out of chaos and in their correct spots. Now, you don't want to offend your favorite cook, of course, but if she's ever before mentioned that she'd like to be more organized, you could consider getting one or two of these kitchen organizational items.

Stainless Steel Colander
When I got married, I received 2 colanders. One was a plastic purple one and the other was a wire one. They are both great to have, but I would love to have a nice stainless colander, just because it looks so professional. I've seen some of the Food Network pros using this type, too, so I know stainless steel colanders are desirable to have in the kitchen!

Colorful Plastic Spatulas
Like I mentioned in the intro, my plastic spatulas have worn out and turned colors over time and with use. It's very possible that your favorite cook's spatulas show some wear, also. That's why the fairly new colorful plastic spatulas are something I'd recommend as a gift. These plastic spatulas are not cheap like the regular white plastic spatulas, so I don't feel that I can go out and get myself several of them, so 2 or 3 of these plastic spatulas would be a nice surprise gift for your favorite cook and fit perfectly in her stocking if you wish it to.

Bamboo Cutting Board
Last year my husband bought me a bamboo cutting board for Christmas! (He got mine at Kohl's.) It is still in good condition because now I know how to keep wooden boards such as these clean. Perhaps your favorite cook could use a new cutting board as well. It wouldn't even have to be a bamboo cutting board, just a new one. A wooden one or glass cutting board would be a welcome addition to almost any cook's kitchen supplies.

Pot Rack
I don't know about your favorite cook, but I have quite a few pot sets that are stacked on top of one another in one of my lower cabinets. Every time I need a certain pot, I have to dig for it and make sure no other pot falls out of the cabinet. Every single time! If your cook has room in her kitchen, she would probably love a pot rack installed on the ceiling or wall on which to hang her pots. That way, she can just look up to find the pot she needs, instead of getting on her hands and knees to rummage through miscellaneous pots and pans.

Teapress/French Press
Please disregard this suggestion if your cook does not enjoy a good cup of tea or coffee, but for those cooks that do, either of these items would probably be the luxury item to get her. These presses are so fun. They are made of clear glass so you can see the color of the tea or coffee and how the process is coming along. Your cook will not have to use her coffeemaker because she will be able to press her very own coffee right in this glass container and pour it straight from there into her cup! She will be excited to get one of these!

Mixing Bowl Set
For years I cooked and baked with only 1 large mixing bowl. Yes, that's right! I would have to use the same bowl to mix some ingredients and wash it out to use it for another set of ingredients. It was a pain! Now I have that bowl, plus a mixing bowl set which came with about 8 glass mixing bowls. Now, an 8-piece set is probably too many for your favorite cook, so I'd recommend a set of 3 or 6 at the max. Either stainless steel or glass bowls would make a desirable gift.

Herb Garden Kit
Many cooks cook with fresh herbs. Herbs are very expensive at my local grocery store, so sometimes I use the dried ones instead, but fresh is always preferred. Did you know that you can purchase an herb garden kit? The one my husband bought for me came from either Walgreens or Rite Aid I can not remember, but the kit came with 4 small clay pots, soil for those pots, 6 (or so) herb seed packages to choose from, and directions for getting those herbs planted and grown. This was such a fun gift to receive, and almost any cook would love to be able to grow her own cooking herbs if she doesn't already do so.

Decorative Serving Platters
Again, I was not showered with many fun serving platters. I got one or two basic ones, which I am very thankful to have by the way, but I have none like Rachael Ray serves up on her 30 Minute Meals show. If you know what I'm talking about, maybe your favorite cook would like a bit of artwork or color when serving up her dishes, as well.

Except for the pot rack, which would be a splurge, most of the other gift ideas cost below or around $25, which is not too bad for a gift that your favorite cook might really enjoy. If you don't know where to find some of these gifts, see the resources section below as a helpful guide, or do a google search to locate a store that sells them.

By Erika L