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My top recommendations for Best Gifts for Foodies are here, featuring family-tested and approved gifts that won’t break the bank! Forget deluxe pizza ovens that sit on the counter gathering dust – this Holiday Gift Guide focuses on beautiful gifts that will be used daily.
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Holiday Gifts for Foodies
It’s time again for the holidays, and one of my favorite parts of the year is showering my family with the perfect presents! Is there anything more satisfying than finding the perfect gift for someone you love?
When it comes to holiday gifts, I always think about food. Everyone needs to eat, after all, and what’s a better gift than one that will be used every day? That’s why I wrote this holiday gift guide!
Starting with items under $50, this holiday gift guide is based on practical, everyday-use items that will do more than just look pretty on a shelf. And I’ve given all these gifts before, so I know they’re good!
1. 33-Piece Kitchen Set
Why It’s So Good: This utensil set is beautiful and minimal– and trust me, I know it’s important to have utensils that make you smile! They’re also shockingly affordable at under $45 for the set, and come in lots of different pretty colors. I’m particularly partial to the white!
Testimonials: Trust me when I say that this kitchen set makes the top of the list for a reason- I get this set for family all the time, and use many of these tools almost every day in my own kitchen!
👉 Get this perfect all-in-one set here!
2. Cheeseboard and Knife set
Why It’s So Good: Fancy cheese boards are one of those luxuries everyone secretly wants, but never gets around to buying! They’re multi-functional as decorative platters and snack boards (I use mine for snacks almost every day), easy to store, and the knives are essential for slicing cheese without it falling to bits.
Want a great gift idea? Create a cheese basket filled with an assortment of wrapped cheeses, meats, and a bottle of wine, and include this cheeseboard and knife set. Trust me, it’s a gift everyone loves!
Testimonials: My own! I have this cheese board set in my kitchen right now. I love making charcuterie platters with it, but I also use it day to day for quick-but-fancy snack platters while I work. It always makes my day feel just that much better!
👉 Get this gorgeous charcuterie set here!
3. Marble Salt and Pepper Bowls
Why It’s So Good: Let me take a moment to sell you on salt and pepper bowls. They seem superfluous, I know, but I’m here to say: get a set and learn the truth. Salt and pepper bowls make properly seasoning meals so easy, you’ll be shocked you ever went without them. And this set is jaw-dropping!
Testimonials: I’ve purchased this salt and pepper bowl set for a few family members and friends in the past, and every time I visit, these bowls are in the middle of being used to make dinner. If you want a gift that will see regular use for years to come, this is it.
👉 Get these beautiful bowls here!
4. Sarge’s Shrimp & Grits Meal Starter
Why It’s So Good: Living in Florida, I frequently enjoy shrimp and grits as one of my favorite meals, but many in my family have never tried them! This starter pack is practically a meal in a box, ready to introduce them to a new favorite food. And Sarge’s brand is the best of the best– a small company with big flavors.
Testimonials: I pretty much won’t make shrimp and grits without this sauce and seasoning. I’ve tried others, and Sarge’s is always better. It’s the best flavor you’ll find, and I go through this sauce faster than I care to admit!
👉 Get this delicious meal kit here!
5. Homemade Treats
Why It’s So Good: Do I even need to explain why everyone loves homemade treats? They’re delicious, made with love, easy to share, and, of course, incredibly budget-friendly. Customize the treats to exactly the tastes of your loved ones and enjoy the smiles on their faces as they dig in!
What to Make: Shelf-stable or room temperature treats that can withstand packing are ideal for this type of gift. Things like cookies, homemade hot chocolate mix, cake-mix-in-a-mug, candied treats, and more!
- Candied Bacon and Strawberries – A showstopper. You must try the bacon!
- Christmas Crack – Who doesn’t love candy bark?
- No-bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies – Gluten-free and dietary-needs safe!
- Starbucks Pumpkin Bread – Make them in mini loaf tins!
- A delicious homemade Charcuterie Board!
6. Instant Vortex Air Fryer
We’ve now moved into the more deluxe section of my holiday gift guide, and we’re starting out strong. Trust me: none of these gifts will ever be sitting on the shelf unused. They’re an investment worth every penny.
Why It’s So Good: I’ve tried a lot of air fryers ever since learning the magic of air frying, and this is the best of the best. It’s sleek, surprisingly low-cost for the quality, and cooks beautifully in half the time of an oven. Best yet, the controls are responsive and quiet, without the incessant beeping of other air fryers. Yes- it bothers me too.
Testimonials: Gift one of these air fryers to a college student fresh into a new dorm or apartment and watch their life change. I gave one to a niece on her first year and she has never stopped thanking me for letting her have fresh, hot meals that don’t come out of a microwave!
Get this beautiful blessing of convenience here!
7. Our Place Pots & Pans
Why It’s So Good: There are few gifts quite as every-day useful as a really quality pot or pan. My Our Place brand all-purpose pan takes the place of just about every sort of pot or pan you can imagine, has a sturdy nonstick that won’t chip off, looks beautiful, and never has hot spots. It’s worth the price.
Want a great gift idea? Bundle up an Our Place all-in-one pot with the 33 Piece Kitchen Set from earlier. It’s practically a whole kitchen in a single gift!
Testimonials: This is one of those gifts you’ll end up seeing passed down through the family. Even the most experienced chef friends I have are impressed by this pan’s performance! Take it from me: I spend every day in the kitchen whipping up new recipes, and my Our Place pots and pans are still perfect.
Get these all-purpose and long-lasting pans here!
8. Santoku Knives
Why It’s So Good: You’ve never prepared a meal until you’ve done it with a truly good knife. The day you slice a tomato and the knife cuts through it like butter, you know your kitchen days will never be the same. Santoku knives are razor sharp, multi-purpose, incredibly beautiful, and reliably sturdy. Get one knife, and you’ll never need any other.
Testimonials: I was gifted a Santoku knife last Christmas. By Easter, almost every other knife I own had gone unused for months! No matter what I was cutting, dicing, or chopping, all I needed was this one knife.
Get these beautiful knives here!
Holiday Gift Tips
- If you have an oddly shaped gift to wrap, like a pot or a fresh batch of treats, put the present on display instead! Set the treats in a clear jar with just a simple ribbon, or tie a bow to the handle of a pot.
- For an extra surprise, toss a few goodies into the basket of a new air fryer to be revealed when it’s opened. Just make sure to hint that they’re there!
- Don’t break the bank! Holidays are about loving your family. Sometimes, a gift of love and a tiny token like a nice dish towel is all you need.
Pin it for later!
Did you enjoy this page? Save it on Pinterest for later!If you buy your loved ones anything from this list, tell me how it went! I’d love to hear your own experiences!
Recipe
2023 Holiday Gift Guide for Foodies
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Aluminum foil, silicone liner, or parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 pound thick-cut bacon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp. cracked black pepper
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- ½ Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!
Instructions
Candied Bacon in the Oven
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet pan with a silicone liner, parchment paper or foil. Lay the uncooked bacon sliced onto the pan. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.½ cup brown sugar, ½ tsp. cracked black pepper, ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, ½ Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the bacon slices, fully coating all of the slices. Using your hands, gently pat the sugar down onto the slices of bacon.1 pound thick-cut bacon
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until brown and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Check at 30 minutes and if it isn't as crisp as you'd like, put it back in for the full 40.Carefully transfer the bacon from the baking sheet pan to a cooling rack and let cool for another 10 minutes.
Air Fryer Candied Bacon
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, pepper, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix well.
- Sprinkle mixture all over bacon and pat down.
- Spray air fryer with olive oil, then add bacon and fry for 8 minutes, checking halfway through at 4 minutes to see if any of the bacon needs any rearranging to crisp up.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Depending on the size of your baking sheet pan and the number of bacon slices in the package, you may need to use two sheet pans.Â
- Be sure to let the slices fully cool, this will allow the caramelized sugar to harden.Â
- Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.Â
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