Cooking up a storm: 7 hot gifts for cooks and bakers

Looking for the perfect gifts for cooks? We’ve got plenty of options for the culinary master in your life. Send them to a cooking class to advance their skills, equip them with new cookware or inspire them with new cookbooks and TV shows. If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve got plenty of gift ideas for bakers and cooks.

1. Cookware

Where to get it: Williams-Sonoma,  TJ Maxx
Price range: $40-$100

If they enjoy whipping up new delicious creations in the kitchen, they’ll need all the right equipment. Some of the best gifts for cooks give the chance to browse and find exactly what they need.
TJ Maxx sells designer apparel at a reduced price, with everything labelled between 20-60% off the original price. Besides clothing and jewelry, TJ Maxx is also known for its array of homeware, including items for the kitchen. Treat the chef in your life to a new stainless-steel sauté pan, an electric vegetable chopper or a sharp new set of knives.
Williams-Sonoma is the go-to store for the finest culinary products. If the cook in your life means serious business when it comes to their cooking utensils, a gift card for Williams-Sonoma can go down a storm.

2. Cookbooks

Where to get it: Barnes & Noble
Price range: $25-$50

They may be independent in the kitchen, but even the most creative of cooks benefit from inspiration.
Barnes & Noble sells every book you can think of, including bestselling cookbooks. They’ll soon be mixing soulful cuisine with Ina Garten’s Modern Comfort Food and rustling up healthy vegetarian dishes with the official Thug Kitchen cookbook. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver teaches readers how to simplify their cooking style with his New York Times Bestseller 5 Ingredients, which the cook in your life can learn from and adapt to their own personal culinary style.

3. Podcasts

Where to get it: Spotify, Apple
Price range: $10-$60

If they’re a true foodie, they’ll enjoy learning more about cooking and ingredients every chance they get. A listening subscription for culinary podcasts is a great gift idea for cooks, as it can inspire them while they listen on their commute home before they raid the pantry.
Spotify and Apple are both fantastic streaming services where they can listen to all the best food-related podcasts. If they don’t have a favorite yet, give them your suggestions. Gastropod takes a look at the culinary world through a scientific and historical lens, while award-winning photographer and cookbook author Michael Harlan Turkell hosts The Food Seen to explore the space where art and food collide.

4. Cooking class

Where to get it: Groupon
Price range: $25-$200

What better gift for a cook than a chance to hone and master their skills with a professional chef.
Groupon is a global marketplace that offers discounted packages for every day out or activity you can think of. They offer plenty of training course days, including cooking classes. A great gift idea for bakers and cooks alike, buy them a Groupon gift card so they can browse available courses and pick one that will fuel their passion. They’ll learn to cook authentic Italian cuisine with ITU Culinary and how to perfectly bake and intricately decorate cakes through Trendimi.

5. A full cupboard

Where to get it: Our Stores
Price range: $25-$80

If they like to cook, they’ll need an array of fresh ingredients to create their next delicious masterpiece. Treat them to their next grocery shop so they can browse the supermarket shelves and pick out spices, vegetables and fresh cuts of meat that they might not usually splash out on.
Part of the Kroger Family of Stores, King Soopers, Fry’s, Dillons, City Market and all our other locations make it easy to pick up the best quality ingredients at a great price. Find their nearest store, so they can get every ingredient they need for a week of homecooked delights.

6. Cooking shows and documentaries

Where to get it: Netflix
Price range: $25-$200

Another great gift for cooks is the chance to learn more about food and cooking. Netflix is a bountiful hub of documentaries, including on the production of food, the cultural history of cuisine, and inspirational or cut-throat cooking shows.
Professional chef and food writer Samin Nosrat travels the globe on the Netflix original show Salt Fat Acid Heat to discover the four main elements of making delicious food. You can give the gift of education with Netflix shows like Street Food, which dives into the cultural appreciation of eating from street-based venues across Asia.

7. Restaurant inspiration

Where to get it: Maggiano’s, Dickey’s Barbeque Pit
Price range: $25-$500

Even though they love to get creative in their own kitchen, they’ll still love to be treated to a night at their favorite restaurant.
Let them hang up their apron for an evening and have someone else cook for them with a gift card. At the Kroger Family of Stores, we have countless gift cards for the most popular restaurants in the country. Treat them to authentic Italian cuisine at Maggiano’s or a platter of smoked meats at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit.
 
We’ve got plenty more gift cards for an array of big named brands, including high-end retailers, your favorite restaurants and more. Find the perfect gift for cooks when you browse our full range of gift cards.