Gift Guide: For the overly ambitious home chef 👨‍🍳

A lil' something to show you support their excessively elaborate cooking endeavors

and

Nov 21, 2025

We all have someone in our lives who became a little to obsessed with perfecting sourdough over the past ~5 years—to the point that this trope has almost become clichéd. They’re the same person who regularly preaches cast iron supremacy, gets too excited when ramps are in season, and who, in all honesty, should probably be humbled by the simple joy of boxed mac and cheese. 🤷‍♀️

Overly ambitious home chefs: We know them, we love them, and we cannot figure out how to contribute meaningfully to their existing collection of upscale kitchen items. That is, until now. →

Gifts

Re: Cast iron supremacy. ($50-$125)

Your recipient already has a cast iron skillet, because of course they do. But do they have everything they need to properly care for it? Field Company’s Cast Iron Care Kit ($50—on sale) includes their famous Seasoning Oil (IYKYK), a chain mail scrubber, and a lovely natural fiber brush.

Got some extra $$ to spend? The full Cast Iron Tools Set by Field Company ($125—on sale) is the ultimate cast-iron-owner gift. It comes with the full Care Kit, plus two chef’s tools (slotted turner and griddle turner) and a leather cast iron handle cover.

The gift of growing their very own greens. ($295)

Because, for these chefs, store-bought is not—as my idol Ina Garten would say—“just fine.” Leath’s The Fieldhouse ($295) gives you everything you need to grow fresh pea shoots, micro arugula, broccoli, and more all year long—even in their tiny NYC apartment. It comes with the Fieldhouse “grow system” and LED light, a germination lid that also serves as a cutting board (brilliant), a glass spray bottle (fancy), and a 6-pack of seeds and soil.

Friends who care about their friends' greens intake >>>

Spices they won’t scoff at. ($40-$220)

Any good chef knows: good spices are key to any great dish. While we’re sure they have all the basics already, we’d venture to bet that they don’t have an incredibly high-quality Black Urfa Chili or Biryani Masala on hand. Some fresh new spices will actively encourage your adventurous chef friend to get even more adventurous with flavor—making you not just a great gift giver, but also a muse.

We’d recommend The Chef’s Collection by Burlap & Barrel ($56 for 6-set - $220 for 24-set) and the Masala Essentials Set by Diaspora Co ($40 for 3-set). Both of these brands are so thoughtful about sourcing the best-of-the-best spices.

Wanna get extra personal? Find recipes that include some of the spices, make a little recipe book cover page + table of contents on Canva, and get a personalized recipe book printed just for them (FedEx makes this super easy! I just did it ◡̈).
now THAT is a killer lineup

A beautiful olive oil + dip dish set. ($120)

Brightland x MacKenzie Childs Holiday Hosting Gift Set ($120). This is a seriously iconic limited-edition set from Brightland. It features Brightland’s signature Alive Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Rosette Garlic Flavored Olive Oil, packaged in exclusive MacKenzie-Childs designs, plus a gorgeous olive oil dipping dish, and two golden stainless-steel spouts for your oil bottles.

Literal (gourmet) beans. ($65)

No seriously. The people want beans. If your home chef has ever cooked with beans, they probably know about Rancho Gordo—and if they don’t already have a monthly bean subscription, the brand’s Deluxe Gift Box ($65) is a great entry point. This set comes with the aptly-named cookbook, The Bean Book, a tote bag, and four iconic Rancho Gordo beans: Cranberry, Garbanzo, Domingo Rojo, and Alubia Blanca.

The gift of a variety of beans they’ve never tried??? Iconic

Upgrade their dumpling game. ($13)

We love this gorgeous dipping bowl set ($13) by the soup dumpling brand, Mila. It’s one of those products that considers every detail, down to the little groove for your chopsticks. Made with transparent Tritan, it’s even dishwasher safe! Even though this is made by a dumpling brand, we think it encourages the most ambitious of home chefs to consider making their own.

Get the full essentials bundle ($88), including dumplings, three sauces, and the bowl for a full inspo set.

Everything to make their very own tortillas. ($110)

A Tortilla Starter Kit ($110). This kit features everything your home chef needs to start making their very own tortillas—a massive upgrade to any Taco Tuesday. It includes the famous, made in Oaxaca Masienda Tortilla Press, two bags of Heirloom Corn Masa Harina (one blue corn, one white corn), and a pair of our custom reusable tortilla press liners which are printed with a tortilla sizing ruler.

If they make their own pizza… ($18-$36)

… they need Pizza Scissors ($18—on sale). If you have a friend with an Ooni (you’ll know if you do. They are never quiet about this fact.), this is a great item. We had this in our last gift guide, and oh boy, do they deserve another spot.

Seriously, if you don’t have these you are missing out

Pair this with some beautiful oil for the ultimate pizza night gift. Algae Cooking Club’s Shiitake Mushroom Oil ($18) isn’t your typical garlic oil or chili oil—it’s totally unique, perfectly packaged for drizzling, and adds so much umami flavor to any ‘za.

Cutting boards that actually last. ($40-$122)

A set of Epicurean cutting boards ($40-$122). Every aspiring chef needs some solid cutting boards that 1) aren’t plastic (bye-bye, micropastics!) and 2) don’t slip around. These are made with a mixture of wood fiber and resin, making them lightweight and durable (dishwasher-safe and heat-resistant)—they last forever, and won’t chip or crack.