The 2023 Kitchen Gift Guide
For kitchen witches, there are no better presents than those destined for the countertop or pantry. Here are our picks for the discerning culinarians on your list.
GADGETS & APPLIANCES
Cuisinart 50th Anniversary Edition 14-Cup Food Processor
$299.95
The form of yesteryear mingles with the function of today in this thoroughly modern appliance with delightfully retro design. It’s been 50 years since Cuisinart’s famed food processor hit the market, and the company is celebrating its golden anniversary big – literally, with its old-school logo and groovy color palette on its largest model, a 14-cup work bowl with extra-large feed tube and 750-watt motor. Bonus: The recipes in the included booklet are much better than their ’70s predecessors.
Marcellin Cocktail Smoking & Infusion Kit
$70
For your friend who has The Aviary Cocktail Book and a bar cart bursting with gadgets, we recommend this sultry setup, which includes a glass cloche, oak smoking platform and butane torch with adjustable flame (smoking chips and butane sold separately) to lend a smoky, dramatic element to at-home cocktails. Hip mixologist apron and tattoo sleeves not included.
Luxury Tandoors – Tandoor Aladdin Premium
$2,300
Your foodie friend or family member may have an outdoor brick oven and an indoor Ooni, but do they have a tandoor? Help them take their naan to the next level with this showstopping clay specimen, which boasts a hinged lid, 20 skewers with skewer hanger, a four-tier rack, skewer bowl, meat hook and two baking stones. You’ll be happy to attend their next dinner party when tandoori chicken and paneer are on the menu.
GE Profile Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker
$499
Give the gift of “the good ice” at home with GE’s sleek, chic and blessedly quiet pellet ice maker. It churns out frosty pearls within 10 minutes of filling the extra-large side tank and can make up to 38 pounds of ice a day. This model also has built-in WiFi and voice control through the SmartHQ app. From morning iced lattes to evening cocktails, it elevates the drinking experience.
Kalamazoo Shokunin Kamado Grill
$11,224.95
To grill, roast or smoke? This beautiful modern take on the traditional Japanese Kamado charcoal grill lets you do all three, with varying grate levels and a novel cross-ventilation system. Gilding the lily is its sophisticated design, with thickly insulated stainless steel accented by oiled ipe wood (also known as Brazilian walnut).
FOOD & DRINK
Brightland The Artist Capsule Olive Oils
$150
This trendy olive oil company made Oprah’s Favorite Things 2022 list, and it’s easy to see why – its olive oils are things of beauty, made from sustainably grown fruit that is cold-pressed in California. The Artist Capsule collection takes the aesthetic up a notch with labels designed by artists including fashion designer Peter Som. The quartet includes Ardor (infused with chile), Rosette (infused with garlic), Lucid (infused with lemon) and Arise (infused with basil).
Nancy’s Fancy Gelato & Sorbetto Minis
$139.95
James Beard Award-winning chef Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza, Chi Spacca) has a sweet tooth – but a sophisticated one. Silverton’s Nancy’s Fancy line of artisanal gelatos and sorbettos make the perfect gift for the refined dessert lover in your life. This 24-pack of single-serving treats may include flavors such as butterscotch budino with caramel-rosemary swirl, coconut stracciatella with bittersweet chocolate strands, Meyer lemon torrone or Italian custard with Marsala and citrus-caramel swirl.
Compartes Gourmet Chocolate Advent Calendar
$109.95
This gorgeous, garden-themed advent calendar is almost too pretty to pry open – but your giftee will want to, to indulge in daily doses of handcrafted chocolate. “Garden” is also the inspiration for this year’s flavors, which include limited-edition varieties such as caramel apple, raspberry rose, honey lavender, lemon poppyseed and peanut butter banana.
SETTING THE TABLE
Chilewich Taffy Rectangle Placemats
$80
These cheery, sherbet-colored placemats are a new venture for NYC textile institution Chilewich – each is one of a kind, with two distinct sides, thanks to a layered design by master weaver Alyson Ainsworth. The Chilewich Studio series mats share a color palette – “juicy accent hues” evoking winter citrus against a neutral ivory background. Like all Chilewich products, these are beautiful but durable, suitable for indoor or outdoor use.
The Floral Society x Food 52 Lovely Taper Candles
$60-$99
Lighting is key for a good dinner party. These elegant tapers – hand-crafted in Ohio – set the mood with their long burn time (one hour per inch) and brilliant colors (achieved by being dipped 35 times), from the Earth Tones set to the Night Sky set to the multi-colored set. Miraculously, they don’t drip, either.
HÔTEL Silver Tiered Oyster Stand
$1,650
This stunning stand, hand-made in London and triple-plated in pure silver, was designed for serving bivalves on ice. But it can be used for so much more – lading with fruit, serving all manner of cheeses or displaying desserts from petit fours to doughnuts. HÔTEL is a favorite brand of Ina Garten’s, and that’s all we need to know.
Soleil d’Hermès Dessert Plate No. 2
$140
As its name suggests, the vaunted French design house’s Soleil collection is inspired by the Mediterranean sun. Each of its 24 pieces is glorious, but the 8.2-inch diameter dessert plate – designed by Arielle de Brichambaut and screen-printed and hand-applied on porcelain in France – is our favorite. The kaleidoscopic bloom is sprightly and fresh.
Borrowed BLU Prism Stainless Steel Flatware Set
$120
The geometric handles on this flatware set – which come in pink, charcoal, clear and oro (gold) – catch the light in lovely ways, making them ideal for golden hour outdoor dining as well as candlelit dinners inside. While the prismatic handles are definitely modern, the brushed gold and silver tops suggest timeless heirlooms. Service for one includes six pieces.
FUN & GAMES
$22
In the campy and colorful world of Jeff Petriello and Rob Truglia’s Pasta Tarot, wands are corta (short pasta), cups are ripiena (stuffed pasta), swords are lunga (long pasta) and pentacles are minuta (tiny pasta). Illustrator Lindsay Mound brings their glorious carb-y visions to life in a deck that inspires as much hunger as it does introspection and intuition. And a little lust – that hunk on the gnocchi card (X of corta) is an Italian stallion indeed.
John Derian Short Sfilatino Baguette Candle
$32
The New York City artist is famed for his decoupage and his collaborations with other artists and design houses – Astier de Villatte, Pierre Frey, Todd Snyder – but we love his line of culinary candles. It’s hard to pick a favorite among colorful fruit tarts, life-like cheeses and decadent cakes, but ultimately, we’re besotted with the baguettes. You’ll be tempted to smear them with butter rather than light them.
Fake Cakery Rosette Garden Tiered 8-inch Fake Cake
$200
Have an Amy Sedaris type on your holiday gift list? Delight them with this kitschy, whimsical craft foam sculpture adorned with “frosting” swoops, swirls, roses and a huddle of strawberries atop its three layers. Fake Cakery also makes darling cake-inspired hand mirrors, jewelry boxes and herb grinders.
