The Gift Guide

What to buy for the cook in your life

Quick reminder that I’ll be launching the new and improved version of 80/20 Cooking next week, along with a short end-of-year sale. I’ve created a new structure for the program— a one-time payment gets you lifetime access to the community and content. There will be one tier for community access, and another tier that gets you a spot in one of the live, four-week cohorts. You can read more about the new program, or sign up for the email list to know when it all goes live!

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Hey, everyone!

Every year I get a bunch of questions about food and cooking related gift ideas. So I’ve put together a gift guide with a bunch of suggestions!

All of these are products that I’ve personally used and enjoyed— I’ve tried to include ideas for everything from small gifts to big ones. You can’t go wrong with anything here.

As always, feel free to shoot me a message if you have any questions!

Myles

The Staples

If you’re buying a gift for a cook (especially someone who is new to their cooking journey), you can never go wrong with the simple, high-quality staples.

Chef’s Knife

• The Misono UX10 Santoku is my favorite everyday chef’s knife. For something a bit more unique, check out this matte black santoku from Veark or this badass chef’s knife.

Everyday Skillet

• You can’t go wrong with a cast iron or carbon steel skillet from Smithey, a blue carbon steel skillet from Made In, or a good stainless steel pan.

Cutting Board

• A high-quality wood cutting board— especially one that’s end grain— is always a good option.

Cookbooks

• Any of the cookbooks I recommended here.

Matheson Cookware Pepper Mill & Salt Cellar

I love this pepper mill and salt cellar design from Matty Matheson’s cookware brand. Every home cook should own a salt cellar and a pepper mill, and these ones are both beautiful and functional.

If you want a more simple salt cellar, I really like this design from Zero Japan.

Pair it with a box of my favorite salt.

Thermapen

For several years I owned various cheap meat thermometers that I’d purchased on Amazon. I’d use them for a bit, and then they’d inevitably break or stop working.

Then I got a Thermapen and realized pretty quickly that I’d never use anything else. This is the best meat thermometer I’ve used, by far. They’re durable, quick, accurate, and built to last.

While I highly recommend the Thermapen, I’ve also been curious about this new thermometer from Combustion Inc. It’s founded by the guy who created Joule and Chefsteps, and it has some interesting features. I still think Thermapen is ideal for daily use, but if you do a lot of slow cooking or barbecuing, the Combustion thermometer could be a great option.

Baratza Encore Coffee Grinder

This is a great gift for the coffee lover in your life.

Coffee enthusiasts will tell you (correctly) that a good grinder is the single most important piece of equipment you can buy to level up your coffee at home. The Baratza Encore is my personal favorite. It’s simple, easy to use, stays clean, and is built extremely well.

Pair it with a bag of coffee from my favorite brand on the market right now: Sey Coffee out of Brooklyn, NY.

Breville Pizzaiolo

I’ve been eyeing this indoor pizza oven for years. I finally got the chance to be hands-on with one recently, and I was really impressed.

Ooni recently came out with their own version of the indoor countertop pizza oven, as well. I’ve used Ooni’s outdoor ovens and I love them— so I’m sure this is good. But between the two I’d go with the Breville. It’s been endorsed by David Chang, Anthony Falco (author of Pizza Czar), and many others, so you know it’s legit.

PK Grills

PK Grills are the best charcoal grills I’ve used, bar none.

If you know someone who wants to get into charcoal grilling or level up their home setup, you can’t go wrong with this.

Stocking Stuffers

• These mini olive oil bottles from Zimms Organics

• A box of the best salt on the market from Vera Salt

• The amazing and highly useful Serrated Everything Knife from Suncraft

• The best ketchup I’ve tasted

• Any of the amazing spices from Burlap & Barrel

• American Vinegar Works Sample Pack

• Anything from Masienda— masa harina, salsas, and more

• Mercer Culinary or Gray Kunz basting spoons