The 2025 Gift Guide

Hey, everyone!

I like to release a gift guide every year, as I often get asked for gift recommendations for food lovers and cooks. Instead of creating a big list with all kinds of options, I decided to keep it simple this year. There are only 8 things on this list, and they’re all items I’ve personally owned and used for years. I highly recommend each and every one of them, and there’s an option here for pretty much every price range.

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email!

Myles

This is my personal favorite chef’s knife and the one I recommend the most.

I prefer Japanese chefs knives because they’re lightweight and balanced. This style of blade is called a Santoku— it’s a slightly different shape from a classic chef’s knife and offers unmatched versatility. It also has a western-style handle, which I find to be more comfortable. I own a bunch of different chef’s knives, but this is the one I use more than any other. If I only had to take one with me, this would be it.

It’s available on Amazon, but unfortunately looks like it won’t deliver until after Christmas. Korin and some other suppliers have it in stock, so take a look around.

The saucier is the single most underrated piece of cookware out there, and I think that every cook should own one.

A saucier gets you many of the best elements of a skillet, a saucepan, a small stockpot, and a Dutch oven rolled into one. It has sloped edges, a wide opening, and deep walls.— this makes for easy stirring and allows you to cook things that might stick in the corners of a saucepan. It’s also oven-safe with a lid (so you can braise), lightweight, and easy to clean. I use this for soups, stews, braises, curries, rice, beans, polenta, oatmeal, risotto, pasta, sauces, poaching and a bunch more. When I travel I tend to just bring this and a skillet, and I can cook pretty much anything.

Made In makes the best one I’ve used. I own their 3QT saucier, which is perfect for feeding 1-3 people. If you want to cook larger batches, I’d recommend sizing up to a 5QT.

If I’m ever asked to recommend a single cookbook, this is the one.

Joshua McFadden has worked as both a chef and a farmer, so his knowledge is unparalleled. The book is filled with wisdom, practical advice, and amazing recipes.

But the real reason I recommend this book more than any other is that it’s one of the most useful cookbooks I’ve ever owned. He breaks down the year into six distinct seasons, and each section contains an overview of the produce available in that season and individual sections for each. He talks about how to prepare and cook each item, along with a few recipes for every one. It serves as an encyclopedic reference for navigating seasonality and figuring out how to cook whatever you find at your local farmer’s market.

A Gray Kunz spoon is the perfect gift for the serious cook in your life who already has pretty much everything. Every professional chef I know is obsessed with these spoons. They’re perfect for basting, but also great for plating or serving. You might think that it’s simply a big spoon, but I can guarantee you’ll end up finding a bunch of ways to use it.

You can buy them at JB Prince, which is the official retailer. Look out because there seem to be a bunch of knockoffs on Amazon. This gold version is also quite cool and looks nice if you’re planning to use it for serving.

I first discovered Gestura while dining at one of Sean Brock’s restaurants, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. They’re a small company that specializes in kitchen utensils that are beautiful, functional, and very thoughtfully designed.

They first became known for their spoons, which measure exactly 1 tablespoon and have a pointed tip that makes them great for pouring. Like a Kunz spoon, they’re great for basting, but I actually use this more for measuring and plating— the single tbsp size of the spoon is really useful here. So I’d argue you can have both.

I also love their offset spatula (which you’ll use more than you expect, especially if you bake). I haven’t tried some of their newer items like the tongs or the bench scraper, but I’m sure they’re phenomenal as well.

Every cook should own a salt box or a salt cellar. You need something that lives on your counter, holds a lot of salt, offers easy access, and is big enough that you can get your hand in there to grab a big pinch.

The Zero Japan salt box is great because it’s the perfect size, has a wide opening, a handle for easy movement, and a flip-top lid that offers both easy access and protects your salt from splatters.

You can find it in various colors on Amazon.

This is the only meat thermometer that you need. Previously I made the mistake of buying cheap thermometers— they were often inaccurate, had battery issues, and broke quickly. The Thermapen is high-quality, durable, fast, and extremely accurate. It sets the standard.

It’s available on Amazon or on their website at a slight discount.

Vera Salt is the only brand of salt I use.

Salt is the single most important ingredient in all of cooking, and it’s the one thing that will touch everything you cook. That’s why I think it’s worth seeking out the best option you can find.

I’ve done the research, tested them all, and Vera Salt is the clear winner. It’s sourced from an ancient moutain seabed and is untouched by a lot of the modern contaminants you’d find in regular sea salt. It’s free of microplastics and low in heavy metals (and is third-party tested for both). It has a nice grind size, dissolves easily, and has a super clean flavor. I use their fine grind for my everyday cooking salt and their flaky grind for my finishing salt.

You can use this link for 15% off on their website, and they’re also available on Amazon.