Christmas Gifts for Chefs and Serious Home Cooks
A chef or a serious home cook already owns the knives, the pans and the thermometer, and has opinions about all of them. Buying them another tool is a gamble. The safer gift is an ingredient they would use every day but would not splurge on for themselves: a balsamic from Modena, a mushroom finishing oil, real katsuobushi, a few grams of saffron.
This guide sorts Christmas gifts for chefs and home cooks by ingredient class, with how a cook uses each one, and a table of listed prices at the end.
Single-origin spices
A cook notices fresh spice first, because it changes a dish at the stove. Burlap & Barrel buys spices directly from the farmers who grow them. Its Zanzibar Black Peppercorns are vine-ripened, hand-picked and sun-dried, and the maker describes them as bright, fruity and spicy (shop Zanzibar Black Peppercorns). Its Herati Saffron threads are pulled by hand from the flower, with a floral flavor and a golden color for paella, risotto or a saffron bun (shop Herati Saffron). Its Jimmy Nardello Pepper Flakes are a sweet pepper with no heat, for stews and sauces when a cook wants color and flavor without the burn (shop Jimmy Nardello Pepper Flakes). The three together: $29.85.
For a cook who already has the basics, Espelette pepper is a Basque chili with PDO status, named for the village of Espelette, where the peppers are traditionally pinned to the walls of houses to dry in the late summer sun. La Ferme Nahia produces it in the French Basque Country (shop La Ferme Nahia Espelette Pepper). $18.50. The single-origin spices guide explains why origin and harvest date matter.
Balsamic vinegar from Modena
Balsamic is the gift where a label tells the most. The Consortium of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena sets the rules for Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP: it starts from grape must that is cooked or concentrated, at least 20 percent of the mix, with at least 10 percent wine vinegar and some vinegar aged at least ten years. It matures for at least 60 days in barrels of woods such as oak, chestnut, mulberry and juniper. Over three years of aging earns the word "Aged" on the label, and over five years earns "Riserva."
Giuseppe Giusti, founded in Modena in 1605, makes the Banda Rossa, a dense, dark Balsamic Vinegar of Modena that Giusti suggests by the drop on strawberries, Parmesan or ice cream (shop Giusti Banda Rossa). $67.00. Villa Manodori is Massimo Bottura's balsamic, a blend of several ages matured in oak, chestnut and juniper barrels, which the producer says is designed to hold up to heat without turning bitter, so it can go into a pan sauce (shop Villa Manodori Balsamic). $44.99.
Finishing oils and a vinegar from noma
Noma Projects makes pantry products from the noma test kitchen in Copenhagen. Its Cep Oil is rapeseed oil with 40 percent cep mushrooms (porcini), and noma calls it a finishing oil, since heat dulls its flavor: a spoonful over broth, in a mayonnaise or in a vinaigrette (shop Noma Projects Cep Oil). $32.00. Its Wild Rose Vinegar is apple cider vinegar infused with hand-foraged wild beach rose petals at 20 percent, at 5 percent acidity, for a dressing, a cocktail or a dessert (shop Noma Projects Wild Rose Vinegar). $42.00.
For a cook who finishes plates with raw olive oil, Wildly Virgin's Verde is a DOP multi-varietal oil from Trás-os-Montes in northern Portugal, organic and hand-picked, which the producer describes as herbaceous and grassy (shop Wildly Virgin Verde). $40.00.
The Japanese pantry
Katsuobushi is dried, smoked and fermented skipjack tuna, shaved for dashi. Matoba Suisan's karebushi grade is poached, smoked and then taken through repeated cycles of fermentation and sun drying that take at least six months, and the producer describes its flavor as smoky, with a deeper and rounder umami (shop Matoba Suisan Karebushi Katsuobushi). $25.00. Yugeta's double brewed shoyu is made by brewing a second batch of soy sauce with the first batch in place of salt and water, aged in cedar barrels, for dipping and finishing (shop Yugeta Double Brewed Shoyu). $20.00. Yakami Orchard's Yuzu Kosho combines yuzu zest, green chilies, sea salt and kombu, a table condiment for grilled meat, eggs, dressings and soups (shop Yakami Orchard Yuzu Kosho). $11.00. All three: $56.00.
A finishing salt
Jacobsen Salt Co.'s White Truffle Salt is Oregon sea salt infused with Italian white truffle, which the maker suggests for seared beef tenderloin, popcorn or grilled asparagus (shop Jacobsen White Truffle Salt). $33.00.
Christmas gifts for chefs, by price
| Gift | How a cook uses it | Listed price |
|---|---|---|
| Yakami Orchard Yuzu Kosho | Condiment for meat, eggs, dressings | $11.00 |
| La Ferme Nahia Espelette Pepper | Basque chili for seasoning and finishing | $18.50 |
| Zanzibar Peppercorns, Herati Saffron, Jimmy Nardello Flakes | Everyday spice upgrades | $29.85 |
| Noma Projects Cep Oil | Finishing broths, mayonnaise, vinaigrettes | $32.00 |
| Jacobsen White Truffle Salt | Finishing beef, vegetables, popcorn | $33.00 |
| Wildly Virgin Verde Olive Oil | Finishing plates | $40.00 |
| Noma Projects Wild Rose Vinegar | Dressings, cocktails, desserts | $42.00 |
| Villa Manodori Balsamic | Pan sauces and finishing | $44.99 |
| Katsuobushi, Double Brewed Shoyu, Yuzu Kosho | Dashi, dipping, seasoning | $56.00 |
| Giusti Banda Rossa Balsamic | By the drop on fruit, cheese, ice cream | $67.00 |
Prices follow the listed price on each product page. Products ship across the continental U.S. from theambrosianpantry.com.
A few things to check
- What they cook. A cook who makes Japanese food at home will use the katsuobushi and shoyu within weeks. A cook who makes Italian food will reach for the balsamic and the olive oil.
- Allergies and diet. Read each label. Katsuobushi is fish, the shoyu contains soy and wheat, and spices can be packed in facilities that handle nuts or other allergens.
- Dates. Check the date printed on oils and other perishable products before you wrap them, and give the bottle with plenty of time left on it.
Short answers
What do you get a chef for Christmas? An ingredient they use every day but would not buy at this level for themselves: single-origin spices, an aged balsamic from Modena, a finishing oil or katsuobushi for dashi.
What are stocking stuffers for chefs? A jar of single-origin peppercorns, a few grams of saffron, sweet pepper flakes or a jar of yuzu kosho, all $11.00 or less at listed prices.
How can you tell a real balsamic vinegar of Modena? Look for "Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP" on the label. Under the consortium's rules it is made from cooked or concentrated grape must and wine vinegar and matures at least 60 days in wood; "Aged" means over three years.
What is a good gift for a home cook who has everything? Something from a restaurant kitchen they cannot easily make at home, such as noma's Cep Oil or Bottura's balsamic.
A cook judges a gift by whether it ends up on the plate. Choose the ingredient that fits the food they already cook, and it will.
See also: seasoning gift sets, matched to how the cook already cooks, with storage times for each kind of spice.
