This installment of Behind BF highlights some of my favorite culinary-themed gift ideas—perfect for the food, drink, and coffee lovers on your holiday list.
Need gift inspiration? Below are curated ideas ranging from stocking stuffers to cookware and classes that expand your food and beverage horizons.
If you live in the New York City area, Gilt City often has excellent deals on experiences and gifts for gourmands. I recently took the Latte Art class at Toby’s Estate in the West Village and it was phenomenal. Aaron, our instructor, clearly knows espresso inside and out—everything from the milk they source (Battenkill Valley Creamery in Salem, NY) to why fat content matters. Their approach emphasizes whole milk for optimal texture.
We covered grind settings for different brewing methods, recommended equipment for home enthusiasts, and the fundamentals of steaming. Aaron demonstrated aeration and the importance of introducing steam early (before the milk reaches 100°F) to develop texture, then heating to 130–145°F before pouring. He taught free-pouring techniques for classic latte designs like hearts and tulips.
The 90-minute class satisfied both my artist side and my coffee fangirl side. I learned a ton and have been practicing at home on my own espresso machine. While my machine is less powerful than the shop’s, I’m already seeing improvements and expect my home espresso game to level up soon.
Toby’s Brew School classes (Latte Art, Espresso Foundations, Espresso II) are currently discounted on Gilt City for a limited time; they also offer specials on brewed coffee and bean delivery. I picked up a bag of their Flatiron Espresso Blend and Colombia El Faldon—both excellent for home brewing.
Precision coffee brewing benefits from a reliable digital scale that measures ounces and grams. I use a Primo Digital Kitchen Scale and love it; prices are around $25 depending on color. I use mine for pasta, baking, and tracking partial-package weights. At the Brew School, Aaron used a compact AWS pocket scale with a cover that doubles as a tray—great for small kitchens and travel.
I recently received the OXO Good Grips 7-Piece Nesting Measuring Beaker Set and fell in love. They’re cheerful and practical, letting you measure several liquid ingredients at once. The set includes 1 teaspoon, 1 tablespoon, 1 ounce, 2 ounce, ½ cup, ⅔ cup, and 1 cup beakers—handy for streamlining holiday baking and meal prep.
For uniformly sized cookies and scooping batter, I recommend stainless steel squeeze dishers. I own several Vollrath sizes (16, 30, 50) and they’ve held up for years. They make portioning quick and consistent—essential during holiday baking.
Colorful CorningWare ramekins are another kitchen staple I use for mise en place and serving sauces. I have both 6-ounce and 8-ounce sizes; they’re durable, attractive, and very useful for prep and plating.
I use my Rachael Ray 5-Quart Covered Oval Sauté Pan almost daily. Its shape is great for moving ingredients to the side, it’s compact for small kitchens, and it’s long enough to fit spaghetti without breaking. It comes in other sizes too, such as 3-quart and 8-quart, depending on your needs.
Cast iron is a favorite cookware material in our house. We use 10.25-inch and 13.25-inch skillets and a 5-quart cast-iron Dutch oven for pot roast and even deep frying. Cast iron retains heat evenly and is extremely durable. On a glass-top stove I handle it with care to avoid sliding. We also own a single-burner reversible grill/griddle that saves space and works well for compact kitchens.
To maintain cast iron, grill pan scrapers are indispensable for removing stuck bits, and a cast-iron grill press is handy for extra contact when cooking chicken or pressing sandwiches.
Making pasta at home has been a recent passion. Attachments for a KitchenAid stand mixer—rollers, cutters, and a ravioli maker—make fresh pasta accessible. I also use a collapsible pasta drying rack that stores compactly, which is essential for small kitchens.
For home pizza making, an Epicurean pizza peel makes launching and retrieving pies much easier. I like thin peels that are knife-friendly and have shorter handles for easier storage in a small kitchen.
Holiday cooking pairs wonderfully with good reading and wine. I attended a food-and-wine pairing event featuring Adam Richman and Alamos Wines and enjoyed recipes from his cookbook Straight Up Tasty alongside Alamos’ approachable Argentinean Red Blend. The book includes a wide variety of recipes inspired by travels and family favorites.
I also love The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper—beautiful, inspiring, and full of recipes for cooks at any level. It includes helpful sidebars and essays from the radio show that add depth beyond recipes alone.
For elevating a Bloody Mary bar, small-batch cocktail mixers from Back Pocket Provisions are worth trying. They craft mixers with farm-harvested ingredients, and their Bloody Brilliant and Bloody Bangkok varieties are flavorful and well-balanced.
Finally, for tea lovers, a loose-leaf tea sampler from TeaVivre is a lovely gift. Their oolong sampler and other teas are high quality and come with specific brewing instructions. They also offer flowering teas, teapots, mugs, and accessories—great for gifting.
Do you have favorites to recommend for holiday shopping? I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments.
Hope you all enjoy the rest of the year!
Note: A few items mentioned were received for review and I loved them. I am not being paid to write about these products; all opinions are 100% mine.