Gifts for the Home Cook They'll Use Every Week

Oct 21

3 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

Every fall, clients ask me what to bring the friend who cooks. A housewarming, a holiday dinner, a thank-you. My answer is always the same: something they'll use on a Tuesday night, not something that lives in the back of a cupboard.

Here's my short list, with the care and safety notes I'd tuck into the card.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Shopping for someone who just moved into a new kitchen? My free Portland Moving Checklist + Local Guide is a nice thing to send along with the gift.

Cindy Main at home with a cup of coffee, sharing gifts for the home cook

1. A cast iron skillet

A Lodge cast iron skillet goes from the stovetop to the oven and lasts for decades. Check today's price on Amazon. Not ready yet? Add it to your cart so it's waiting when you are.

Put this in the card: Lodge says dish soap is fine on cast iron. Wash it by hand, dry it completely, and rub in a thin layer of oil. Don't let it soak, since that's how rust starts.

2. An instant-read thermometer

A ThermoPro instant-read thermometer is the gift that makes a nervous cook confident. Check today's price on Amazon. Not ready yet? Add it to your cart so it's waiting when you are.

Put this in the card: the USDA's safe minimum temperatures.

Chicken, turkey and all poultry: 165°F
Ground meat and sausage: 160°F
Beef and pork steaks, roasts and chops: 145°F, then rest 3 minutes
Fish: 145°F

I keep a copy taped inside a cabinet door. Check the full USDA chart for anything else.

3. A kitchen scale

Bakers who weigh their flour get the same cookies every time, and they wash fewer measuring cups. The Etekcity kitchen scale is small enough to live on the counter. Check today's price on Amazon. Not ready yet? Add it to your cart so it's waiting when you are.

4. A Microplane

The Microplane grater handles lemon zest, garlic, ginger and parmesan. It's the tool good cooks reach for most and rarely buy for themselves. Check today's price on Amazon. Not ready yet? Add it to your cart so it's waiting when you are.

5. A salad spinner

Farmers market greens need a real wash, and dry lettuce holds dressing. The OXO salad spinner is the one I see in the kitchens of clients who cook every night. Check today's price on Amazon. Not ready yet? Add it to your cart so it's waiting when you are.

6. A bench scraper

A bench scraper cuts dough, moves chopped vegetables to the pan and clears the counter in one pass. Check today's price on Amazon. Not ready yet? Add it to your cart so it's waiting when you are.

Portland tip: if they live in the City of Portland, those scraps can go right into the green compost cart. All food is allowed, including meat, bones and eggshells, plus food-soiled napkins and paper towels. Parchment, waxed paper and cooking grease are not. Grease goes in a sealed container in the garbage. Portland's compost guide has the full list.

7. A few small luxuries for the counter

A Le Creuset butter dish keeps butter soft and ready for toast. Check today's price on Amazon. Not ready yet? Add it to your cart so it's waiting when you are.
A cookbook stand holds the book open and up off the counter, away from splashes. Check today's price on Amazon. Not ready yet? Add it to your cart so it's waiting when you are.
A bamboo salt cellar keeps kosher or flaky salt by the stove. Check today's price on Amazon. Not ready yet? Add it to your cart so it's waiting when you are.

One safety note for any kitchen

If a pan of oil catches fire, slide a lid over it and turn off the burner. Leave the pan where it is, and never pour water on a grease fire. For new homeowners, my housewarming gift list includes the fire extinguisher set I recommend for the kitchen and garage.

You can see all of these picks together in my Amazon storefront.

For a cook who's in the middle of a move

My Move + Settle-In Planner keeps the move, the utilities, the address changes and the first week in one place, so the kitchen gets unpacked first.