Looking for the perfect gift for your family and friends this holiday season? Sharing my holiday gift guide with over 30 recommendations, including handy small appliances and useful gadgets and gizmos for foodies like you and me.
I'm sure you'll find some favorites in this amazon holiday gift guide! Don't forget to treat yourself as well!
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The holiday season is here and we're looking forward to the festivities. Just like every year, we're planning on sending gifts to friends and family, and buying some things for ourselves too!
Here are a few things I love to get and give, many of which I use in my own kitchen. This is not a sponsored post, but rather a list of over 30 items I genuinely like and recommend.
Hope you find something on this list for yourself, your family, and your friends. You can find more recommendations on all things food, on the Amazon Spice Cravings Store.
Note: The items below have affiliate links to Amazon.
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Every home cook needs the right appliances, including an Instant pot, air fryer, spice grinder, and blender. Here are some trusted ones in my kitchen that make my life easier. And once you get these, don't forget to get my cookbook: Electric Pressure Cooker Curry Cookbook.
Instant Pot
6-quart Instant Pot Duo Nova 7-in-1: This 7-in-1 Instant Pot is the best everyday 6-quart pressure cooker.
3 Quart Instant Pot Duo Mini: And if you're looking for a smaller cooker, this 3-quart size is perfect for a family of 4!
Learn More: For more information on Instant pots, check out 'Best Instant Pot to buy', Quick set-up Guide, Common Terminology, and tried, tested 200+ Instant Pot Recipes.
Air Fryer
Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer 6 qt: I've been using this for over a year and it works great for making fries, roasting vegetables, meats, chicken, fish, and even makes some showstopping desserts, like this super tasty chocolate bread pudding.
Cosori Air Fryer Max XL: A few of my food blogger friends use it on a regular basis and find it very comparable to the Instant Vortex.
Learn More: You can find a detailed guide on an Air Fryer - how it works, which one to buy, and what all you can cook in it, in this article: How Does an Air Fryer Work?
Food Processors- Big and Compact
Kitchenaid Food Processor: This multi-purpose food processor comes in real handy for making falafel or salmon patties. I also use it to grate large quantities of cauliflower for cauliflower rice, or carrots to make Carrot halwa or burfi.
Ninja Mini Food Chopper: This is my everyday chopper. This food chopper comes with a 'pulse' option, which is ideal for finely chopping onions, fruits, and vegetables in a consistent size. I even use to chope apples for this spiced apple cake.
Secura Spice Grinder: This inexpensive and compact spice grinder comes with two stainless steel jars. One for making spice pastes and the other for grinding spices. I use it to make small batches of coconut chutney, chettinad paste, and for grinding homemade garam masala, coriander, cumin, and chai masala.
Blenders & Hand-Mixers
Blendtec Blender: I use this power blender daily, either to make lassi, smoothie or to make Idli Dosa batter. This combination comes with a twister jar, which is ideal for making Cilantro and mint chutney.
KitchenAid Hand Mixer: This is probably the appliance my kids use the most every time they bake cookies or cupcakes. A must-have for bakers and perfect to make this no-churn chocolate ice cream.
Mueller Immersion Hand Blender: Whether you are blending a tikka masala sauce or just blending a smoothie, this immersion hand blender is super useful around the kitchen.
Sandwich & Panini Press
Black and Decker 3-in-1 Waffle, Grill, and Sandwich Maker: This waffle, grill, and sandwich maker is great for making waffles, even these fusion South Indian Uttapam savory waffles.
Panini Press: We use this on a regular basis to make Bombay Toast or quesadillas. It's ideal for a quick lunch and brunch for 4.
Cookware (Pots & Pans)
Hexclad Hybrid Cookware Set (Pans): This has replaced all my stainless steel + non-stick pans and woks. These pans are really the best of both worlds- they combine the ease of use of non-stick cookware, and have the heat stabilization qualities of stainless steel. Totally worth it!
My Most Used Hexclad 10-inch Fry Pan: This is my every pan, and I have two of these. I use this for fried eggs, paratha, french toast, among many other recipes.
Hexclad 12" Flat Pan: Love this pan for crepes, dosa, uttapam, and paratha.
Calphalon Chef's Pan 3 qt: This stainless steel is a versatile saucepan that I use several times a week to make a quick curry or a biryani for four. Perfect to make this Chilli Paneer recipe.
T-fal Non-stick Hard Anodized 10" Fry Pan: This T-fal fry pan is one of the highest-rated hard anodized pan out there. It is the workhorse for sautéing and egg dishes like this Indian scrambled egg recipe.
Le Creuset Cast Iron Dutch Oven 3.5 qt: This dutch oven has terrific heat distribution and is perfect for simmering sauces and chilis. It's the ideal size for a family of four.
Gifts for Coffee Lovers
Nescafe Cappuccino, Latte, Espresso Pod Machine: These single-serve pod cappuccino machines have made making fancy coffee drinks at home so easy. A must-have for any coffee lover.
Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker: On a hot summer day, there is nothing like having a cold brew coffee. This simple cold brew maker has no electronics and is easy to use.
Jura Automatic Coffee Machine: We recently upgraded our coffee machine to this model. Love it for the convenience and ease of cleaning. Totally customizable- we have a preset saved for each member 🙂 Makes the best cappuccinos and lattes.
Accessories & Utensils
These tried and trusted accessories and utensils make cooking easier, and safer in some cases.
Instant Pot Accessory Set: This set of accessories for the instant pot will definitely up your instant pot game! It comes with most of the things I use, ranging from a trivet to a springform pan.
Shun 8" Premier Chef's Knife: Every home cook needs a good chef's knife and this Shun's Premier Chef knife is amazing. Well worth the investment!
3-Stage Knife Sharpener: Gordon Ramsey says you have to sharpen your knives every time you cook. We do it once a month; believe me, it makes life in the kitchen much easier (and safer)!
Citrus Zester and Microplane: Microplane is great for zesting citrus, just like in this cranberry sauce with orange zest. They also work great for shredding cheese.
Oil and Vinegar Dispenser Set: I store light olive oil and extra virgin olive oil in this oil and vinegar dispenser set. Makes it super easy to add oil while cooking and control the quantity too.
Silicone Baking Mats: These baking mats are non-stick, easy to clean, and perfect for baking cookies like these oatmeal cookies.
Salt Bamboo Storage Box: This salt container is not only useful but it looks amazing too. The small things make cooking more fun, easier, and pleasurable for me. This makes for a cute housewarming gift too.
Stackable Magnetic Measuring Spoons: These measuring spoons are easy to store because of their magnetic stacking feature. And the leveler is a great bonus, especially while measuring baking powder!
For the Organizer in Your Life
My husband thinks I am crazy because of how much time I spend in organizing my pantry and kitchen. But it really pays off in putting together a quick weeknight dinner if everything is exactly in its right place! It makes delegating that much easier too 🙂
Here are some of my favorites:
Ziptop Reusable Silicone Containers: I use these every day for meal prep and storage. They are non-toxic platinum silicone, completely free of BPA, lead, PVC, latex, and phthalates. Use coupon code SPICECRAVINGS for an additional 15% discount.
Oxo Food Storage Set: This air-tight 5-piece push-button storage set is great for keeping cookies, lentils, grains, pasta, sugar, and four.
Bamboo Tea Box: There are four of us, and each one of us prefers a different tea (and in my case, a hot Toddy ...). This beautiful tea box organizes your tea and is a great way to present tea bags to guests too!
Food Storage Bins: When we stocked up our pantry earlier in the year, because of the stay-at-home orders, these food storage bins made life much easier. They kept everything in my pantry and cabinets organized and easy to find.
Spice Rack Drawer Organizer: If you or your loved one are like me and have tons and tons of different herbs and spices, this spice drawer organizer is for you.
Fun and Playful Gifts for Foodies
Whiskey Stones and Glass Gift Set: The frozen stones in this whiskey set are great at keeping whiskey and any cocktail cold, without diluting them. Really useful and good-looking gift!
Cocktail Old Fashioned Kit: This cocktail kit comes with all the ingredients you need to make an old-fashioned. Just add whiskey or bourbon 🙂
Wine Tumbler for Moms: Insulated wine tumblers came in very handy this summer as we met friends in their backyards and took our drinks and wine along. This is a fun one for moms! And here is a Wine Tumbler for Dad.
Apron for Star Wars Fans: My husband loves Star Wars and he loves to bake .... so, this was a no-brainer for him.
Apron for Friend's Fans: I am a TV Show friend's die-hard fan! When my girls got into the show earlier this year, this is the first gift I got for them, since both of them bake a lot.
Friends Coffee Mug: More Friends fun with this Central Perk Coffee Mug. I absolutely adore this mug. Hint! Hint!
Heated Coffee Mug: I sip my coffee and tea very slowly, but I like every sip to be hot at all times. This heated coffee mug saves me a trip to the microwave to reheat the coffee. (My girls got me this last holidays)
Instant Pot Ornament: You know you use the instant pot too much when your kids give you one of these ornaments! You can also get this Stand Mixer ornament.
Sriracha Key Chain: My husband puts hot sauce in everything. As he says, the dish is just the base for the hot sauce. So, this key chain is ideal for him.
That's it for now! What are you buying this year? Leave a comment below. I would love to hear about your ideas and suggestions to add to this list!
Enjoy the holidays and stay safe. We wish you all Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays!
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