While the joy of cooking comes from making mistakes, learning new methods, figuring out what your preferences are, and challenging yourself, sometimes it comes from just seamlessly going through the motions and enjoying the comforts of this process too. Anyone who enjoys a glass of wine while cooking will know that sometimes, you’re just not in the mood to go through a long laborious process or to constantly recover from small mistakes to enjoy an edible meal at the end of things. Don’t worry, both of those outcomes happen to us all, but you would be forgiven for just wanting ease of use as your first priority now and again.
As the holidays are nearly here, now is the time to think about gifts. If you have a home cook in your life who adores cooking, you may not want to buy them specific ingredients outright, but conveniences that help them enjoy cooking more. The better they cook, the more you may be invited to the table after all. With that in mind, consider some of the following suggestions:
Spice Gift Sets
With spice gift sets your relative can more easily experiment with flavors but not have to worry about sourcing everything themselves. In other words, they get to enjoy new flavors and make mistakes here and there but without ever being “put out” by it. You’re gifting them the chance to have more fun in their kitchen in other words, which is certainly a nicer outcome. Some sets even include recipe cards showing how to use unfamiliar ingredients. The packaging tends to look gorgeous too, which can help the gift feel extra special.
Premium Storage Jars
If your loved one enjoys making preserves or concoctions, giving them some premium storage jars they can use to keep them contained is usually a great gift. For instance, a huge jar can be used to ferment kimchi over time which may inspire them to create a batch instead of purchasing it outright. They can then use this in almost all their cooking where appropriate and that also acts as a superfood which really helps with gut health. Jars can be used for so many things that you’re not binding them into a specific style of cooking either, but freeing their options.
Knife Sharpening Tools
A home cook usually buys a good knife outright, but they may not have sharpening tools to keep it in great condition. This might sound like a dangerous gift, but it’s ironically one that helps them cook more safely. But how can that be? Well, if they suffer a knick or a cut with a sharp knife it can actually do much less damage than a semi-sharp but somewhat blunt knife would. There are simple guided systems you can use as well so they don’t have to slash at a whetstone, but if you think that would be better, it’s a more traditional method.
Healthier Alternatives
It can’t hurt to help your friend cook more healthily, such as with ghee butter or MCT oil, both of which can assist a relative following the ketogenic diet for instance. Coconut and avocado oils can also be better than your standard rapeseed, sunflower or vegetable options too. If anything else, it’ll help them cook with more options and learn more about the basis of cooking.
With this advice, we hope you can find many new options to gift the home cook in your life.
Disclosure: collaborative post
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