25 Kitchen Gift Ideas for Busy Families

Published: Oct 23, 2022 by Kristi Ruth RD · This post may contain affiliate links

'Tis the season to... give a kitchen gift! Having the right kitchen gear is key to reducing stress in the kitchen. So, in a way, you are gifting self-care 😉

Because planning meals takes mental energy, oftentimes having the right kitchen tools, utensils, and cookware at your fingertips is what it takes to turn cooking into an enjoyable experience. What a gift!

Holiday Gift Guide highlighting six products. From top left to right are a white Vitamix blender, a circle of ThermoPop instant read digital thermometers, and a waffle iron. On the bottom from left to right is a 'Bread and Wine' story cookbook, a light pink Reduce insulated tumbler with a matching straw, and a rechargable milk frother.

One of the biggest obstacles to cooking is time. Using the right gadgets and cookware can often be your answer to making meals faster. They can also make cooking easier which can help turn the often 'stressful job' of cooking into an enjoyable and rewarding one.

And as a dietitian mom who finds cooking to be therapeutic and enjoyable, I often get asked "what do you use?" or "what do you have in your kitchen?". These questions are what inspired me to create this list for you.

For me, whipping together things like homemade guacamole and turkey burgers would not be 'easy' without a garlic press and food masher, and there's no way I'd be able to cut a pineapple to make fresh fruit salad as quickly without a sharp bread knife. And having to make Tuscan kale salad without kitchen shears? Not a chance.

In this gift guide, I'll break the items down into a few categories for you. There are a variety of price points in this guide, so there's something for every budget. What I did not include are lunch box options (because I already have a post with the best lunch boxes) or items most people already have in their kitchen (unless I think they might want a second, lol).

Jump to:

Finding the Best Kitchen Gifts
My Picks for the Best Kitchen Tools
My Picks for the Best Small Kitchen Appliances
My Cookware Gift Picks
More Kitchen Gift Ideas that I Love
Questions You May Have
More Ideas for Gift Giving

Finding the Best Kitchen Gifts

With so many kitchen tool, utensil, cookware, and small appliance options out there (really, there are tons!), it can be hard to figure out which ones are actually worth getting. This is why I've selected twenty-one to showcase. They are the ones that I use all the time, to save time.

My Picks for the Best Kitchen Tools

Oh, how I love my kitchen tools! I have the most items listed under this category, and they are all super useful. Really, I'm not sure what I'd do without them 🙂 Give these as teacher gifts, hostess gifts, or as stocking stuffers for your home chef.

My Garlic Press Pick

This is the garlic press that I use. It minces garlic into the tiniest pieces with minimal waste and it is dishwasher safe.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

One garlic press laying on its side with the small scraper it comes with next to it.

My Mini Nylon Spatula Pick

This is just like the mini nylon spatula that I use from Pampered Chef; it won't scratch your cookware. I use it to flip eggs, pancakes, and french toast, in addition to serving brownies, cookie bars, and more.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

One mini nylon spatula with a white background.

My Instant-Read Digital Meat Thermometer Pick

This ThermoPop 2 is the hand-held digital food thermometer that I use. It's easy to use, easy to store, and easy to clean. Plus, it reads temperatures quickly.

Photo Credit: ThermoWorks

Nine ThermoPop 2 Digital Meat Thermometers in different colors and arranged in a circle with tips pointing out.

My Digital Alarm Thermometer pick for food cooked in the oven.

This food thermometer saves time by alarming you when the desired temperature is reached. My sister-in-law gets the credit for introducing me to this.

Photo Credit: ThermoWorks

One yellow ThermoDot Alarm Thermometer for measuring the temperature of food in an oven.

My Food Masher Pick

This 'meat masher' can be used for more than just mashing meat. Use it to mash up everything from avocado (think, homemade guacamole), turkey burger mixture, and cooked potatoes to breaking up ground meat and chopping walnuts into smaller pieces.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

My Kitchen Shears Pick

These are the kitchen shears that I use. In fact, I use kitchen shears so much that I have two of them.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

KitchenAid shears with teal colored handles. Image taken from amazon.com.

My Measuring Cups and Spoons Set Pick

This set has it all! It includes a 2-cup, two-thirds cup, and three-quarters cup measurer which are so useful and not easy to come by. Even if you have one set, there's nothing like going to bake or cook only to find out that your one set is in the dishwasher. Second set to the rescue!

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Fifteen-piece stainless steel measuring cups and spoons set.

My Manual Citrus Juicer Pick

This is the citrus squeezer that I use. It's easy to use and easy to clean.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

One stainless steel manual citrus bowl juicer. A half of a lemon is to the left of it.

My Bread Knife Pick

This is a good quality bread knife that is dishwasher safe and made in Germany. A good bread knife can be used for everything from slicing bread to cutting up pineapple and watermelon.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

One 8-inch Zwilling bread knife.

My Chef's Knife Pick

This is the chef's knife that I use. I use it to cut and slice everything from onions and bell peppers to butternut squash.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

6-inch Mercer Chef Knife.

My Picks for the Best Small Kitchen Appliances

These small appliances are perfect for small and large kitchens. They are all easy to use and easy to clean. I use the air fryer and all coffee related appliances daily, the blender often, and the waffle maker when I make waffles, lol.

My Waffle Maker Pick

This is the waffle maker that I use. It is 100% no mess when used according to the manufacturer's instructions. I'm loving this so much that I need to get more creative with it. I've heard you can even put leftover Thanksgiving stuffing and more in waffle makers like this.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

One Breville No-Mess Waffle Maker.

My Air-Fryer Toaster Oven Pick

This is the air fryer that I use. It works as a toaster, oven, and air fryer. It is easy to use and easy to clean.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven as pictured on amazon.com.

My Coffee Maker Pick

This is my absolute favorite coffee maker that I've been using for a few years. It brews hot coffee fast, has measurement lines for both hot and iced coffee, and it brews one to five cups of coffee.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

One silver 5-cup coffeemaker with a coffee scoop to the left of the coffee maker.

My Coffee Grinder Pick

This is the coffee grinder that I use. It has a variety of grinding options, is easy to use, easy to clean, and quieter than most.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

My Milk Frother Pick

This froths milk super quick. It's easy to use and easy to clean. Plus, it's rechargeable. It works best with skim milk and will save you time and money by lessening your urge to run out for a cappuccino.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

One FoodVille milk frother set in it's stand with the whisk attachment to the right of it and the box it came in to the left of it.

My High-Speed Blender Pick

Vitamix makes high-speed blenders that pulverizes pretty much anything you put in it. They are easy to use and easy to clean. The 64-ounce container that comes with this one is perfect for batch cooking and for larger families.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

One 64-ounce Vitamix blender with a white base.

My Cookware Gift Picks

If you know me, you know that I'm all about using safe and easy to clean cookware that allows you to double or triple batch a recipe to save time. This is where an extra muffin tin and square griddle pan come in to play.

My Muffin Tin Pick

This muffin tin is easy to clean even after making things like individually portioned baked oatmeal and egg muffins without using muffin liners.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

One Le Creuset Muffin Tin.

My Nonstick Griddle Pan Pick

This griddle pan is oven and dishwasher safe and can be used on all stovetops, including induction. Use it to make everything from pancakes, eggs, omelets, and French toast to turkey burgers, sandwiches, and sausage.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

One GreenPan Valencia Pro Hard Anodized Healthy Ceramic Nonstick 11-inch Griddle Pan.

More Kitchen Gift Ideas that I Love

Here are more gift ideas for the home-cook or foodie in your life!

My Tumbler With a Handle Pick

This tumbler is vacuum insulated, dishwasher safe, cupholder friendly, sweat proof, AND is 100% recyclable! Plus, it's stylish and comes with a matching straw.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

One light pink Reduce tumbler with handle. Light pink straw is coming up from the center.

My Story-Cookbook Pick

This book was recommended to me by a close friend several years ago. It's an easy read and each chapter ends with a relatively easy recipe tied to the story in the chapter. I've started to give it as a gift to friends who enjoy cooking.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Hard cover version of the book, 'Bread & Wine'.

My 'Snack On the Go' Jar Pick

This jar allows you to keep your dry and wet ingredients separate until you're ready to eat. Use it to take fruit and yogurt parfaits, veggies and dip, chips and guacamole, overnight oats, and more on the go.

It would make a great gift for a teacher, your bestie, or yourself!

Photo Credit: amazon.com

One Kilner 'Snack on the go' jar with the packaging.

My Thermos Pick for Packing Hot Food in School Lunches

This thermos works great for taking hot or cold leftovers to school or work in packed lunches. If you have more than one child, you'll want more than one of these.

Use this for packing overnight oats (cold) or hot foods like soup, chili, baked oatmeal, casseroles, and more for lunches or for dinner on the go.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

One navy blue Thermos Funtainer with the reusable white plastic spoon that it comes with leaning to the left.

My Cut-Resistant Glove Pick

Spare your skin and nails when slicing, dicing, and grating by wearing food grade cut-resistant gloves. These gloves can be hand or machine washed, just like a kitchen towel.

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Two hands with grey cut resistant gloves on holding a chef's knife.

My Pottery Berry Strainer Pick for a Gift

This handmade pottery berry strainer would make an excellent gift. I recently learned about these and plan on gifting myself one soon;)

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Hand holding a Handmade Stoneware Berry Bowl/Colander filled with strawberries that are being rinsed under running water under a kitchen faucet.

My Glass Food Storage Container Pick

These are the glass food storage containers that I use. I use them so much that I actually have and use two sets of these. They are dishwasher and microwave safe, and they save space when stacked and stored properly.

It's hard to justify spending money on food storage containers, especially if you are considering a second set. This is why I've suggested it as a gift idea.

"Duralex glass is very hygienic: it is non-porous and does not absorb liquids, colors or flavors; Lead free, cadmium free, and BPA free."

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Five Duralex Food Storage Containers stacked from largest to smallest.

Questions You May Have

What do you get someone with a brand-new kitchen?

If you comfortable asking them what they could use, I'd suggest doing that first. Or ask probing questions, like, "hey, do you have favorite kitchen tools? If you really have no idea and want to surprise them with something, consider giving them a kitchen gift basket filled mostly with food and just few kitchen tools. See the next question for ideas on what to put in a kitchen gift basket 🙂

What can I put in a kitchen gift basket?

The options are endless! The first ideas that come to mind of what to fill a food basket with include dried mango, freeze dried strawberry slices, homemade granola, chia seeds, hemp hearts, specialty jam (I love Small Batch Kitchen products!), specialty nut butters (like pistachio butter), along with maybe a mini nylon spatula and instant read food thermometer. Get creative!

What to get someone that enjoys cooking?

If it seems like they have all of the kitchen tools they need, a story cookbook, an extra set of measuring cups and spoons make great gifts. Or for a more luxurious gift, get them Aesop hand soap. If they cook a lot, they are probably doing a lot of dishes. Aesop hand soap is exfoliating and smells amazing.

More Ideas for Gift Giving

Which ones did you decide to gift? Take a pic of what you give as a gift or gift to yourself and tag me on Instagram @carrots.and.cookies so I can see it!

Do you love my kitchen gift ideas? Comment below and let me know what your favorites are!

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