The 30 Best Chef-Approved Cooking Gifts

For the friend who has everything, check out this chef-recommended cookbook. As the name suggests, author Joshua McFadden separates the year into six seasons: spring, early summer, midsummer, late summer, fall, and winter.

"McFadden cleverly breaks the produce seasons into six instead of four, which is exactly how I've always felt, especially since I am in one of the best regions in the world for produce," says Michael S. Quigley, executive chef at The Estate Yountville in Yountville, California. "I have given this book as a gift to several chefs, and home cooks, and they have all enjoyed it as much as I have."

Started by Senegalese chef Pierre Thiam, Yolélé (a term loosely meaning "let the good times roll") brings African spices to your kitchen. This gift set includes three full-size tins of spices: Yassa, Afro-Funk, and Rof.

For anyone looking to sharpen their cooking skills, these kitchen knives are a must-have, according to Lindsay Kinder, a San Francisco-based cooking instructor and creator of FOOD LA LA. "You don't need a full block," Kinder says. "Just a chef's knife and a paring knife—and if you spring for a third, make it a serrated knife."

Know someone who has a picky eater on their hands? The gift that keeps on giving for parents is Easy Peasie Vegetable Powder Blends. Two tablespoons of the powder amounts to a cup of vegetables, so you can add them to any meal or snack for added (and yes, sneaky!) nutrition.

If you can't make it to Din Tai Fung for their dreamy Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao, consider gifting this soup dumpling kit. It comes with a bamboo steamer, parchment paper rounds, a dumpling dough roller, wooden spatula, agar agar powder, and instructions on how to put them together.

When you think about hot sauce, there's at least one spice lover who comes to mind. This paleo- and vegan-friendly option is made with black truffles, making it the ultimate indulgence.

Salt can add so much to a dish, and your favorite home cook can start experimenting with this trio of salt tins. The items include a Peruvian herb salt blend, spice salt blend, and pink salt.

A hands-on experience can provide your cooking pal with the most unique, memorable gift. Chef Eleni Woldeyes is hosting several virtual cooking classes that will help home cooks learn how to prepare three traditional Ethiopian dishes.

In this New York Times best-selling cookbook, author Michael Ruhlman goes back to the basics of cooking. "What this book does is break things down to ratios," Quigley says. "For example, if I needed to make a fish mousse, which is something I don't do very often, I completely know the technique to make it, and the different flavors that I want to incorporate."

My 102-year-old Italian great-grandmother never shares measurements or specifics—for her, it's all about having a "feel" for the proper amount of any ingredient. One day, my husband joined her in the kitchen and wrote down everything, so we could have a clear record of her delicious recipes. This family cookbook will encourage your loved ones to record all of the recipes (and memories!) you'll want to pass down to future generations.

Do you have a pint-size sous chef in your household? If so, one of our favorite cooking kits for kids includes a variety of cooking and baking tools, plus an apron, chef's hat, and oven mitts.

Chef Greg Mueller, recteq's director of culinary innovation, previously shared with Delish that this is one of his go-to grilling gifts—but it's also incredibly versatile. Use the salt block to cook, cut, and serve your food.

Let your loved one show off their state pride with this dish towel, which is made for each state in the U.S. Plus, each one has an "ode" based on the state's nickname.

There's always that one friend who's constantly on the go. With this electric lunch box, they have a transportable carrying case that will heat up their food. This unique item also comes in five other colors.

Your home cook will look chic and sophisticated with this set of linens. Complete with an apron, dish towels, and hot mitts, Our Place will level-up anyone's kitchen apparel. If blue isn't their color, the set also comes in sage and lavender.

"This stuff is like liquid gold," Kinder says. "Use it 1:1 instead of vanilla extract, and it will add some oomph to whatever you’re baking or cooking (I love to add it to blended coffee!). It’s easy to use and is made with vanilla beans, so you get the vanilla seeds without having to do the work of splitting beans. You can buy smaller jars, but this big one is a much better deal—I splurge and buy the moms in my life a bottle of this each year!"

This is one of our go-to stock pots for many reasons. The carbon steel cookware can heat up your food quickly, plus it has cool-touch handles and is easy to clean. We're also obsessed with the wide color range available.

This kitchen gadget is sure to make anyone feel like a pro. It has near-countless uses, but people love having it on-hand to make soups, sauces, whipped cream, and more.

Cooking is all fun and games...until you have to clean up. But thanks to this cutting board, which you may have seen on Shark Tank, you can easily collect any scraps in the detachable tray.

Sometimes, the best gifts are the elevated version of grocery store staples. This set of balsamic vinegar and olive oil bottles are a special something that will get a lot of use.