Kitchen gifts people actually keep
The test for a kitchen gift is not whether it is impressive on the day. It is whether it is still on the worktop in March. That rules out most of what gets marketed as a gift, and it points at a fairly short list of things that get used daily by someone who would not have bought them for themselves.
For someone who cooks properly
They already own the gadgets. What they usually do not own is the good version of a basic thing.
- A heavy end-grain chopping board — kinder to knives, lasts decades, and is the sort of thing people postpone buying. See cutting boards.
- One excellent chef's knife rather than a block of fifteen. See chef's knives and our knife guide.
- Cast iron — a skillet or a casserole. It outlives the recipient. See Le Creuset and cookware.
For someone who commutes
The most reliably used gift category there is, because it goes out of the door every morning.
- A travel mug with a proper leak-proof lid, not a splash-proof one — see tumblers and our travel mug guide.
- A food flask for anyone eating at a desk. See thermoses.
- A bottle in a colour they would not have chosen for themselves — see STANLEY, YETI and Hydro Flask, compared in this guide.
For a new home
Ask what they have not got round to buying rather than guessing. Failing that, the three things nobody buys themselves in the first year: a set of decent tea towels and an apron, a serving platter big enough for a roast, and airtight jars for the dry goods still living in their packets.
For someone who is hard to buy for
Consumable and beautiful beats permanent and specific. A good jar candle in a scent that is not vanilla, a mug that is the right weight and shape rather than the right joke, or a throw in a colour that matches nothing in particular and therefore matches everything.
For children
Their own lunch box and bottle in a character they have chosen, and a hooded towel for the smaller ones. Both get used every single day, which is more than most toys manage.
What to avoid
- Single-purpose gadgets. The avocado tool, the herb stripper, the egg cuber. They are funny for a week and in a drawer forever.
- Novelty crockery. Used at Christmas, stored for eleven months, given away in year three.
- Sets bought for the count. A twenty-four-piece utensil set contains four things anyone uses.
- Anything that needs its own cupboard unless you know they have one spare.
A note on wrapping the awkward ones
Tall flasks and boards do not wrap flat. A fabric bag or a length of paper twisted at both ends looks better than a mangled parcel, and takes ten seconds.
Browse every category or every brand, and see our Christmas table guide for the meal itself.
