If you come from a family that likes to cook, then you know how many reliable kitchen tools, gadgets and accessories it takes to host a great family dinner.
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You likely also know that finding the best cooking gifts to surprise your loved ones is a great way to show them how much you appreciate their passion.
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I’ve grown up in the kitchen, cooking and baking for decades, and I’ve worked for years as a food editor at multiple well-known food magazines, so I love selecting the perfect cooking gifts for people of all levels and backgrounds.
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Below, I rounded up some of the best cooking gifts to consider this year, including luxe appliances, indestructible cookware, useful gadgets, quirky accessories and more.
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I included popular bestselling items from my favorite brands and retailers, like Williams Sonoma, Le Creuset and of course, Amazon.
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The best cooking gifts in 2026
All of the cooking gifts below are either based on NBC Selected previous coverage and testing, and/or are from brands that are highly rated and have bestselling items with thousands of reviews on its site or Amazon.
Best cookware and appliances
Le Creuset’s Dutch oven is one of the brand’s most popular cookware items — and an NBC Selected favorite, so there was no way to create a gift guide for cooks without including it.
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It’s available in several colors, sizes, limited editions and is practically indestructible.
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The pot is made from enamel-coated cast iron and is safe on every cooking appliance.
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I’ve loved everything I’ve owned from Le Creuset because the pieces remain in great shape and last for years without scratches.
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It’s the perfect thing to splurge on if the home cook in your life is really special to you.
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GreenPan makes some of the best nonstick cookware available, particularly when it comes to PFAS-free options.
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I first got a complimentary cookware set for testing from the brand more than three years ago and I still use the pans today because they aren’t chipped or scratched.
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Plus, they’re dishwasher and oven safe, and they’re easy to wash by hand — I don’t have to do a ton of scrubbing to get them clean.
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A dishwasher safe food chopper is the ultimate affordable cooking gift because it reduces prep time so much.
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Your giftee will appreciate this gadget because it takes the trickiness out of chopping carrots, bell peppers, lettuce and onions (meaning no tears).
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It comes with multiple blade types that will allow them to mince or dice anything in any size.
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It also includes attachments for shredding (like cheese and zucchini) and slicing into rounds, for homemade potato chips.
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AeroGarden is one of our favorite brands here at NBC Selected because it sells products that make growing herbs easy, and helps us save money on fresh herbs that spoil before we’ve had a chance to use them.
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This hydroponic gardening system grows herbs five times faster than in soil, according to the brand, and since it grows indoors, you don’t have to worry about it getting the perfect amount of sunlight.
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The grow light has an adjustable height and helps to produce basil, mint, parsley and more.
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Your giftee will love olive oil from Graza, which includes one oil for searing and another for finishing, both of which have distinct flavors since they’re harvested at different times of the year.
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The brand’s popular olive oil, which is made and bottled in Spain, is some of the best I’ve ever used and tasted.
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It has a high smoke point and prevents me from accidentally burning food.
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Plus, I love that it comes in a high-quality squeeze bottle that doesn’t easily get misshapen.
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Fancy sea salt is a great way to go if you know the cook in your life loves trying new things in the kitchen.
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Maldon (pronounced mal-din), is a coarse sea salt that’s been harvested in England since 1882.
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It’s very different from table salt because it has a crunchy texture and each flake gives things like meat a pop of flavor, so you only need a small amount to give food the right amount of saltiness.
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This gift pairs well with Le Creuset’s salt cellar (see below).
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In her roundup of different types of salt, NBC Selected reporter Zoe Malin says she puts Maldon on a lot of things she bakes and buys it in small buckets.
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I first tried this ultra-popular Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark last December because I wanted to compare it to more affordable options I’ve tried.
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With that said, this bark is worth all of the hype it gets — it’s made with high-quality white and milk chocolate covered in pieces of crushed peppermint candy.
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It also has a substantial bite to it, so it’s nothing like a candy bar from the grocery store.
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The bark comes in a festive tin which makes it even easier to give as a gift to someone.
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Williams Sonoma also makes a peppermint bark-flavored coffee syrup for that home cook that’s also a coffee lover and takes jazzing up their cup of joe very seriously.
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If you’ve ever heard Ina Garten use the term “good vanilla,” this is exactly what she’s talking about.
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Vanilla bean paste is one of the most flavorful forms of vanilla you can use in baking, and it’s much more powerful and rich than traditional extract.
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This paste from Neilsen-Massey, which uses vanilla bean pods from Madagascar, has a thick syrup-like texture and it’s filled with small bits of fresh vanilla throughout.
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This is a great item to include in a gift set to a baker, particularly if they plan to make a lot of cookies during the holidays.
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- Boarderie Classic Cheese & Charcuterie Board
- Brightland Alive Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Fishwife The Smoked Salmon Lover’s Trio
- Gift Bokksu Snack Box
- Gocce Balsamic Vinegar Pearls
- Levain Cookie Tin Gift Set
- Partners Roasted Coffee Beans
- Williams Sonoma Five Apple Cider Concentrate
- Williams Sonoma Rub Library
Best tools, accessories and utensils
I don’t always keep my oven mitts for very long because they get pretty dirty and aren’t always easy to clean.
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These oven mitts from Kitchenaid have stayed in great shape, even after baking tons of brownies in my very unpredictable oven.
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…and 34 more, not listed.
The Aporia
