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Holiday Gift Ideas for Food Lovers

Holiday Gift Ideas for Food Lovers

Do you have a foodie on your list? Strangely enough, it can either be very easy or very hard to come up with gift ideas for food lovers. I hope to make it easy with this article.

First, you need to realize that not all food lovers are the same, so before you buy that “Fruit of the Month” club subscription or box of pre-packaged cookies, take a moment to identify what kind of foodie you’re buying a gift for.

How does this person express their love of food? Do they seek out new food experiences, trying out new restaurants, and buying the newest items at the grocery store? Or do they spend their time creating new recipes in the kitchen? Do you clip recipes and collect cookbooks? Or do they delve into the chemistry of cooking?

Knowing in what way the foodie on your list most enjoys experiencing food can help you choose the right type of food-related gift.

Now that you’ve given some thought about the type of person you’re buying for; you can start to shop! Here are some gift ideas for food lovers that will be sure to please the food lover on your list.

Cooking Classes

A gift certificate for an in-person or online cooking class makes a great gift for the food lover is wants to expand their cooking skills. It is perfect for the beginner, however, depending on the courses available, it can also be good for someone with some level of skill. For example, I wouldn’t be interested in a general cooking class, but I would be interested in a class on how to use a wok or how to frost a cake like a pro. I can do these things – but not very well.

Cooking Magazines

If your food lover is a recipe clipper, then a subscription to Milk Street, Fine Cooking, Cook’s Illustrated, or any of the many cooking and food magazines would make a great gift. Match the magazine to the person’s personality and interests. If they are more of a home cook interested in simple, easy to cook recipes, Taste of Home is a good match. If she is a health-conscious cook, Eating Well might be better. And for those who want to explore the finer side of life, perhaps Food & Wine or Bon Appétit are good choices.

Baking Equipment

Does your food lover enjoy baking cookies, cakes, bread, and other baked goods? Then baking equipment is a good choice. You could pull together your own baking gift basket quite easily and inexpensively. Here are some suggestions.

Bundt Cake Kit – A high-quality Bundt pan, with some wooden spoons, a whisk, and perhaps a box of pound cake mix and a Bundt cake cookbook. (*wink*)

Pie Baking Kit – a good quality (or fancy) pie dish, pie weights, pastry mat, and a pie cookbook. (*double wink*)

Cupcake Baking Kit – A cupcake pan, cupcake carrier or display stand, cupcake liners, and perhaps some wooden spoons. (Wooden spoons make great gift basket fillers for these types of gifts. They should be replaced every so often, so it’s always good to get more.)

Grilling Essentials

I know it’s the dead of winter, but if your food lover longs for summer so he can smell the wonderous aroma wafting from his barbecue grill, you can’t go wrong with a BBQ grilling tools set with a stainless steel spatula, grilling fork, a basting brush, and long-handled tongs. You can even through in a fun grilling apron or oven gloves.

Gourmet Food Basket

Do you have a Cost Plus Imports, Big Lots, or even a Target in your neighborhood? Then you can create a fun and interesting gourmet food basket for the adventurous food lover on your list. All of these stores have sections where you can find gourmet, imported or organic foods. You can even create a themed gourmet basket. For your Anglophile, gather together some British foods such as crumpets, black currant preserve, lemon curd, digestive biscuits, Bird’s Original Custard Powder, and maybe a fancy Christmas pudding.

Calendars for Food Lovers

There are lots of things you can give a food love that won’t contribute to their waistline. I love hanging a food-themed calendar in my kitchen. And, if you go to your local mall, you are bound to find a pop-up calendar shop with plenty of food-related options.

Movies Featuring Food

Food-enriched movies are another idea. Perhaps they’d enjoy Chocolat starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp? Sideways is an interesting film starring Paul Giamatti and features California’s wine country. If they are open to foreign films, Babette’s Feast is a really good French film.

Cookbooks

This one is obvious. For some cookbook gift ideas for food lovers, check out the many cookbooks I’ve reviewed on this blog. If your foodie is diabetic, I’ve created a special page listing all the diabetic-friendly cookbooks I’ve reviewed.

Other Food Books

All food-related books are not cookbooks. Some are about the history of food, others are about the chemistry of food, and some are just about the joy of eating food. There are also food memoirs by both chefs and non-chefs. You can even find anthologies of food writing.

Wrap Up Your List with Food Gift Wrap!

Once you’ve purchased your gift or gift items, you’ll need to package them before giving. You can use a nice basket you can get at Michael’s or find some food-themed wrapping paper and top it with a bow.

Categories
Special Occasions

COVID Is Changing Gift-Giving this Holiday Season

The COVID Pandemic is affecting so many areas of our lives: The way we work, the way we celebrate the holidays, and the way we shop. I recently learned of a survey commissioned by Cratejoy, the largest marketplace for subscription boxes, that sought to understand consumer 2020 holiday gift-giving expectations and plans. The findings were interesting, although not necessarily surprising.

COVID Is Changing Gift-Giving this Holiday Season

In this post, I’m going to highlight some of the results of the survey, along with some creative tips inspired by the trends.

People will be shopping earlier this year

More than 50 percent of the respondents planned to or had already started their holiday shopping as early. The survey was taken in September and 29% planned to start in October and 33% planned to start in November. Interestingly to note, 15% of respondents had already started their holiday shopping when they took the survey.

One practice I’ve done for years is if I see a gift that would be perfect for someone, I either buy it on the spot or put it in a special gift-giving list I keep on Amazon. This has saved me so much time in shopping around when a gift-giving opportunity comes around.

In addition, shopping earlier will reduce the odds that you’ll have to give your gift in January because it didn’t arrive on time. The holidays are always a mad scramble for shipping because more people purchase things online and through catalogs around the holidays. This year the stress on the shipping system will be greater because people have been ordering online more in general due to the lockdowns and safety concerns.

[one_fourth] Creative Tip [/one_fourth]
[three_fourth_last] Why not shop all year round for those you give gifts to the most?
When your husband mentions something he likes, write a note, or save it in an online wish list. That way you’ll never be stuck for ideas! And, start shopping NOW! Don’t wait for Thanksgiving to arrive. [/three_fourth_last]

Retailers are re-thinking holiday sales

Have you noticed that there have been more themed sales events lately? Amazon held their Prime Day in October (they usually have it in July). Several major retailers teamed up to make October 10 a shopping holiday. And many businesses are making the entire month of November “Black Friday.” It will be interesting to see what happens over the Cyber Weekend!

[one_fourth] Creative Tip [/one_fourth]
[three_fourth_last] Now is the time to be keeping your eyes out for sales with a gift-giving mindset.
You never know what great gift you’ll be able to get your loved ones because it was on sale! Also, check out the clearance sections. Many retailers are giving an extra discount on top of the already discounted price. [/three_fourth_last]

Shoppers are being more mindful of the gifts they are giving

My philosophy of gift-giving has always been to find a gift that expresses the relationship in some way. I like to give gifts that the person will like that also is something they might say, “Oh! That is totally something Carma would give!” It seems that the pandemic is encouraging folks to take a similar mindset.

  • 46% of respondents are looking for “unique and thoughtful” gifts
  • 32% are looking for gifts that “shows that I care”

Conversely, only 8% are seeking something that is convenient to buy, 7% are looking for great deals and 5% are waiting for last-minute availability.

[one_fourth] Creative Tip [/one_fourth]
[three_fourth_last] When coming up with your gift ideas,
think about what you know about that person.

Is there something they are passionate about that you could tap into? For example, do they love traveling to Italy? Give them a “Virtual Tuscan Vacation” in a box. You can include things that evoke the feelings of Tuscany such as a book about Renaissance art, a bottle of Chianti, and a jar of Tuscan olives. Put them in a picnic basket complete with red-and-white checkered table cloth, a coupon to a local grocery store, and a note telling them to enjoy their “virtual picnic in Tuscany”! [/three_fourth_last]

Gift-givers are looking for experiential gifts

Because we’re all stuck at home, gifts are reflecting the need to have fun while there. Common experiential gifts that respondents to the survey say they are looking for include:

  • Gifts related to hobbies (46%)
  • Books (40%)
  • Crafty gifts (38%)
  • Cooking related gifts (34%)
  • Games (33%)

This probably explains the up-tick in subscription box sales. Because Cratejoy is a website where you can find all sorts of subscription boxes – it is kind of an aggregator of these types of services – they’ve noticed increases in these categories, as well. Craft subscriptions are up 222%, cooking boxes up 199%, books are up 177%, games are up 163% and hobby subscriptions are up 108%.

[one_fourth] Creative Tip [/one_fourth]
[three_fourth_last] There are creative ways to give experiential gifts.
Giving a subscription gift can be pricy – many of the boxes you can find on Cratejoy are $12 and up per month. That means your gift will cost you $144 and up for a full year’s subscription. That might not fit into your budget. But don’t despair, when you think creatively, you can still give an experiential gift.

I provided one example above, but you can do it in a wide variety of ways! I outlined how to create a virtual Thanksgiving-related basket a few days ago. The thought process for any type of gift basket is the same: [/three_fourth_last]

  1. Choose your theme: What kind of experience do you want the gift basket to evoke?
  2. Select an appropriate container: Gift baskets don’t always come in baskets? You can choose a container that is related to the experience. For example, a popcorn bucket for a movie-themed gift, or a box made from record album sleeves you found at a thrift store for a music-themed gift.
  3. Decide what will go into the container: Choose items that are related to your theme, even better, that work together. For example, you can include a cookie-dough scooper along with a cookie cookbook.
  4. Purchase all the items: There are lots of places where you can find cool items to include in your gift basket. I’m a big fan of dollar stores and Big Lots. Remember to buy some pretty filler, as well.
  5. Arrange the gift: Start with putting the tallest items in the back and move forward from there so that all the items in the gift can be seen.
  6. Add some filler to make sure everything stays in place: You can find inexpensive, yet pretty, colored shred filler at most dollar stores.
  7. Wrap it up and ship it out!

Kitchen creativity can serve you well this holiday gift-giving season

Sure, the way we do things has changed. But “necessity is the mother of invention,” so I know what when you unleash your Kitchen Creativity, you can make the best of this situation and create some amazing new memories this holiday season.

Categories
Special Occasions

4 Tips for Selecting a Coffee Machine To Give as a Gift this Holiday Season

We all have at least one special friend who’s totally nuts over coffee. If you’d like to give that person something he or she will definitely love, it’s got to be a coffee machine. Choosing a coffee machine as a gift may be challenging if you don’t know the basics because there’s just so many to choose from. There are simple drip makers, espresso makers, and Nespresso machines. What is the best Nespresso machine out there? What’s the perfect drip coffee maker to give? Don’t worry because I’m here to help you choose the perfect gift for a coffee lover. Here are four tips for selecting a coffee machine that would make a great gift this holiday season:

4 Tips for Selecting a Coffee Machine To Give as a Gift this Holiday Season

Coffee machine basics #1. Know your options

There are many types of coffee machines available. There’s the usual filter coffee makers, pod machines, espresso machines, and many more. Don’t get lost in the sea of choices. By being aware of their functions you can more easily make your choice.

Filter coffee makers are the most common ones in households today. It uses a filter paper you put in a filter basket where your coffee grounds are. Hot water then drips onto it and into your mug or coffee pot. These coffee makers can usually make 4 cups, but there are also bigger ones for a bigger party.

Pod coffee makers are pretty many newbies in the coffee machine industry. But no doubt they’ve earned their place. It works by inserting a single serve coffee capsule which the machine pricks into and drips some water. It’s definitely a great way to get barista quality coffee at the comforts of your own home. The only limitation is that you have to get your coffee pods from the same coffee maker because the cups are uniquely shaped per machine. Another nice thing about these types of machines is that there are pods available with other types of beverages, such as hot chocolate and tea, available, as well. Therefore it has a bit more beverage versatility.

Those are just a couple of options you’ll see when you start looking around. Make sure to check the shelves and consider what your friend would love the most. Which brings me to the next tip.


Coffee machine basics #2. Check for preferences

Nothing beats a personalized gift that actually touches on the recipient’s favorite things. How about a one cup coffee maker in her favorite color? With a bag of beans from his favorite coffee producing region? These little details matter. Check if your friend actually has an existing wish list you can draw ideas from. A bit of research goes a long way!


Coffee machine basics #3. Value for money

We always want to make sure we’re getting value for money in everything we buy. Is the coffee machine you’re eyeing worth it? Is it expensive but is known to be durable and long-lasting? Many factors come into play that adds value to the item you put in your cart. In terms of choice for coffee makers, you’ll never go wrong with the world’s most trusted brands. DeLonghi, Breville, Bunn, and Nespresso, these are arguably top of mind when it comes to coffee machines. You’ll never go wrong with a credible name.


Coffee machine basics #4. Ease of maintenance

Generally, the bigger the machine, the harder it is to maintain. Capsule coffee makers and the regular filter coffee makers are among the easiest to maintain in their line. You only need to dispose of the filter paper, wash the filter basket, and empty the water reservoir. A bit of wiping here and there in case of splatters, and you’re all set. Consider the complexity of the functions you want in your coffee maker. The more functions it has, the more moving parts it employs. Check with the sales crew and learn the different parts you need to clean.

If you make a good selection, your friend or loved one will be delighted with their new kitchen toy — and maybe invite you over to try it out!

a woman driking coffee

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