I take my holiday gift shopping very seriously — if not for my giftee, for my own serotonin-seeking purposes. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as finding the right N/A cocktail bundle for your aunt, or a cake stand that doubles as a chip and dip bowl
(the in-laws will love that one) for the avid entertainer.
We’re all on different budgets; some are on the hunt for tasty bargains and piggy-bank-friendly stocking stuffers, while others have a more robust chunk of change set aside for providing big-impact presents You might have already bookmarked Eater’s gift guides that are under-$25, which is full of all kinds of chic home and kitchen goods, but now [turns up gas] we’re shopping at the under-$100 range, which gives us even more wiggle room to sweep your giftees off their feet via a ham-themed ornament, a robust at-home chai kit, or a set of steak knives from Peter Luger.
We’re in prime gift guide season, folks. Fasten your aprons, and let’s shop for every kind of food-loving person on your holiday list.
The dirty martini-lover’s delight
No cocktail has been living, laughing, and loving harder than the ultra-dirty martini lately. This briny bundle from Big Night brings together the shoppy shop’s sleek olive-themed hors d’oeuvres picks with a jar of Quincy’s big, juicy Castelvetrano olives, Quincy cocktail onions, and bag of Filthy’s cult-fave olive brine.
Big Night Stock the Bar Gift Set
Where to Buy:
- $75 at Big Night
A showstopping cutting board
For my money, a solid indicator of a fun household is whether or not there’s a wild cheese or cutting board in the mix. This psychedelic slab from Fredericks and Mae is both a beautiful serving board and functional chopping block for all of your kitchen needs, because it’s made out of a durable and non-toxic HDPE material.
Red/Blue Cutting Board
Where to Buy:
- $95 at Fredericks and Mae
This puzzle ode to beloved Jewish treats
As the the winter nights grow longer, I yearn to obsess over a food-themed puzzle with a glass of mulled wine. Every year Le Puzz comes out with a new kitsch, food-themed puzzle, and the stand-out this year is an ode to classic Jewish American staples like challah, matzo, and black and white cookies.
Jewish American Puzzle
Where to Buy:
- $42 at Le Puzz
Flamingo Estate’s chic pasta bundle
The organic Los Angeles lifestyle brand Flamingo Estate has created the pasta-lover’s dream present: a chic trio of pomodoro rosso sauce, angel trumpet pasta, and a bottle of Flamingo Estate’s heritage EVOO. As with the rest of the Estate’s bundles, this set comes housed in one of its signature, ornate green boxes.
Savory Festivo Pasta Set
Where to Buy:
- $98 at Flamingo Estate
Steak knives from the iconic Peter Luger steakhouse
Imagine the flex of sawing through a Porterhouse at home with Peter Luger logo-stamped blades, which are made with stainless steel and wood handles that will transport their giftee back to the hallowed halls of the world-famous Brooklyn steakhouse. If you have a bit more room left in your gift budget, I suggest pairing it with some New York strip steaks from Snake River Farms.
Peter Luger Steak Knives (Set of 4)
Where to Buy:
- $59.95 at Peter Luger
Everything you need to make chai at home
Diaspora Spice Co. is one of Eater’s favorite places to buy spices online, because it’s home to dozens of single-origin heirloom spices from (mostly) India and Sri Lanka. As founder Sana Javeri Kadri explains on its site, a core tenant of Diaspora Spice Co.’s operations is rooted in undoing colonialist inequity in the spice trade; in her words: “We’re proud to pay our farm partners an average of 6x above the commodity price. In a system where fair trade is a mere 15 percent premium, we pay what we believe to be a living wage.” The equitable spice brand has partnered with the North Carolina-based pottery and lifestyle brand East Fork on this at-home chai bundle, which features the former’s brand new masala chai blend, Madhur jaggery, a stainless steel strainer, and a panna cotta colorway kuhlad from the indie pottery company.
Diaspora Spice Co. x East Fork Pottery Chai Essentials
Where to Buy:
- $84 at Diaspora Spice Co.
For the wine nerd with everything
Eater’s deputy brand director Nat Belkov introduced me to Craighill, a company that reimagines everyday carry and home essentials (think, scissors and carabiners) with a little more design flair. The Brooklyn-based studio redesigned the common wine key, and Belkov tells me that it mitigates all the annoying little things that can go wrong while using a wine opener. “I love the perfect angle on the foil cutter,” he says, “[and] I love that they tapped the knowledge of sommelier André Hueston Mack to make sure it worked well enough to be trusted by members of the industry. Seldom do I run into a product where I genuinely have a hard time choosing between different color variations like here, with the sleek matte black, pop of orange, or classy tortoise finish. But most of all, I love that this thing is guaranteed to work for life.”
Craighill Best Wine Key
Where to Buy:
- $98 at Craighill
For the baker: Bodum’s colorful mixing bowls
A colorful set of nesting bowls can make something as boring as organizing storage into an aesthetically-pleasing experience. This set of four mixing bowls from Bodum even comes with its own lids, so that you can keep everything from cookie dough to pasta salads at peak-freshness.
Bodum Neon Nesting Mixing Bowls (Set of 4)
Where to Buy:
- $50 at MoMA Design Store
Months’ worth of award-winning coffee
As a person who drinks coffee every day (and feels horrified when I run out), I would be thrilled to receive this American Girl doll-sized bag (weighing 4 pounds) of beans from the award-winning Joshua Tree Coffee. This year, the Big Bag — which is filled with the beans of your choice — even comes with a cute enamel mug.
Big Bag and Bellied Enamel Mug Bundle
Where to Buy:
- $83 at Joshua Tree Coffee
This professional-grade stainless steel Japanese kettle
The Chitose is kind of like the Ferrari of kettles, because it boils water extremely fast and is made out of professional-grade, scratch-resistant 18-8 stainless steel. Plus, it cuts a cute silhouette and is compatible with induction top stoves.
Chitose Induction Compatible Japanese Stainless Steel Kettle
Where to Buy:
- $99 at Japanese Taste
Your giftee loves Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette
These pastel eggnog petit fours come from the acclaimed Los Angeles-based confectionary Valerie Confections, and are made of a rich spiced buttercake, with bourbon ganache layers dipped in white chocolate and garnished with 23-karat gold leaf and chocolate biscuit pearls.
Valerie Confections Eggnog Petits Fours
Where to Buy:
- $65 at Valerie Confections
Ghia’s nonalcoholic aperitif and cocktail glass set
Ghia’s apéritif box is one of those drink-themed holiday gifts that sells out every year, because it pairs the brand’s signature amaro-esque N/A ambrosia with chic glassware from French-American glass artist and designer Sophie Lou Jacobsen. Whether you’re shopping for someone who doesn’t drink or is just trying to drink less alcohol in the new year, it’s a fashionable foot forward in the world of booze-free drinks.
Ghia Cocktail Box with Original Apéritif
Where to Buy:
- $99 at Ghia
A double burner griddle for those Sunday pancakes
Owning a double burner griddle is the culinary equivalent to flexing a California king size bed, because it can handle all of the pancakes, eggs, and grilled cheese orders from the family (without having to hop between skillets like a stove DJ). We love this one from Lodge, known for its excellent cast iron cookware.
Blacklock Triple Seasoned Cast Iron Double Burner Griddle
Where to Buy:
- $79.96 $100 at Williams Sonoma
Upgrade their cocktail glassware
It’s likely that your giftee already owns cocktail glasses, but there’s also a non-zero chance that they’ve had a few stunners from their collection broken by jolly, wobbly party guests. Eater collaborated with heritage crystal glassware company Zwiesel Fortessa on a collection of timeless pieces, including this versatile set of six Nick and Nora-style glasses.
Folly 6 oz. Crystal Glass (Set of 6)
Where to Buy:
- $59.95 at Amazon
For the Swedish candy fan
Sometimes the best present is one that contains even more presents: a giant box of Swedish candies, all curated by the cult-fave confectioners at BonBon. Dubbed the Holiday Connoisseur Box, this light pink coffret is filled with classic BonBon gummies (I spy Pippi Longstocking’s Gold Coins) and plenty of Swedish classics like Marabou Japp chocolate bars and Juleskum marshmallow candies.
BonBon Holiday Connoisseur Box
Where to Buy:
- $70 at BonBon
A sleek stainless steel French press
Kudos to Emma Chamberlain on this postmodern-feeling French press. The YouTuber went viral yet again for her collaboration with West Elm, and this coffee press in particularly takes notes from its elders (Bodum and Alessi) with its sleek stainless steel design.
Stainless Steel Button French Press
Where to Buy:
- $79.5 at West Elm
For the discerning ornament collector
John Derian is the Final Boss of curating swish food-themed holiday ornaments (I do also need this energy drink-themed ornament), so it’s hardly surprising that the New York-based designer plucked this boneless cooked ham ornament for this year’s batch of stunners.
Boneless Cooked Ham Ornament
Where to Buy:
- $52 at John Derian
