Best Gifts For Home Cooks Under £25

Ah, Christmas – it’s a magical time, isn’t it? A holiday where you’re practically encouraged to eat and drink to excess and given the perfect opportunity to show the people you love just how much you care about them with thoughtful gifts that come from the bottom of your heart. Or, conversely, a holiday where you can show the people you love just how little they mean to you with a last-minute purchase of whatever looks the least offensive on the Amazon homepage. We’re personally advocates of the more considerate approach. And, seeing as you’re on this site, we’d say it’s safe to assume that: A) you’re a good egg, too, and B) you’re in the market for a gift that’s suitable for someone who likes to cook.

While a lot of top kitchen tools can reach some fairly eye-watering prices, the good news for you (and your wallet) is that you don’t have to break the bank to get some snazzy new kitchen equipment for the budding chef in your life. To save you racking your brains for a present that your nearest and dearest will actually enjoy, we’ve curated this list of the best gifts for home cooks under £25. Hell, you might even find a little something for yourself as well. Happy holidays.

Garlic presses get a bad rep due to the fact that they’re bit of a one-trick pony. But, you know what, mate? It’s a very good trick! And one that you probably do a lot in the kitchen already! Save yourself the hassle of peeling and finely dicing your garlic ever again with this sturdy Dreamfarm Garject Lite Garlic Press – an easy squeezer that’s perfectly designed for getting every last ounce of flavour out of a clove.

Everyone needs a good kitchen knife but finding one that won’t cost you an arm and a leg is no mean feat. This nifty chef’s knife from Victorinox, however, is the perfect budget buy. The 15cm blade is suitable for handling all sorts of vegetables and makes for an excellent gateway purchase before you dive headfirst into a world of really, really expensive kitchen kit. Get it for your mate that knows how to julienne.

You really can’t beat a sturdy butcher’s block. Not only will this affordable hunk of bamboo look great in your kitchen, but it’ll also more than pull its weight in terms of usefulness. You’ll never want to use a flimsy plastic chopping board again after you’ve dismantled a courgette with ease on this bad boy.

A pestle and mortar is the perfect gift for the adventurous home cook that loves to make their own pesto from scratch. This granite model won’t break the bank and is ideal for mixing an array of different herbs and spices. Just remember to smile and nod politely when that adventurous home cook asks if their over Parmesan’d and under basil’d pesto is “so much better than the store-bought stuff, right?”

A kitchen scale is not exciting. A kitchen scale is not sexy. But a kitchen scale is extremely useful and this nifty digital version from Beurer is perfectly suited for all your kitchen needs. This isn’t the sort of gift that will emit gasps once it’s unwrapped, but we’ll be damned if it’s not the one you’ll end up using the most of all.

This rice cooker isn’t just the perfect gift for someone who can’t cook rice. It’s the perfect gift for anyone and everyone who eats full stop. After all, what better present could there be than the gift of fluffy, steamed rice at a moment’s notice? Priced at only £22, this Russell Hobbs rice cooker and steamer is an absolute steal.

You will honestly not believe how handy this little device is. Not only will it let you flip your salmon without mashing its beautiful skin all over your supposedly non-stick pan, but it’ll also let you toss pancakes with ease, move your fried eggs about like nobody’s business, and do just about everything you’d ever want or need from a spatula. The fact it’s slotted makes it perfect for fried dishes like chicken katsu or bhajis. A real go-getter.

These Japanese fine chef scissors are ideal for delicate kitchen tasks like cutting garnishes, removing the shells of prawns, and even trimming finicky flaps of kitchen foil. Their multi-purpose means the sky’s the limit for what you can get out of them. These swish scissors are the perfect present for someone who’s kitchen tool arsenal is already fairly well stocked.

Who doesn’t love salt? It’s like a culinary cheat code – a surefire way of ramping up the flavour on anything you’re cooking. Everyone knows that the extravagant amount of salt used in most professional kitchens would be shocking to your average home cook but this fat tub of Maldon Sea Salt can, at the very least, make you feel like a pro as you sprinkle the stuff on everything from chicken thighs to caramel. If you know anyone who would not be excited at receiving this gift, you need to cut them out of your life. Stat.

This eye-catching citrus reamer is an essential tool for eking out the juices of your limes and lemons without spilling a load of pips all over your dinner. At just £10, it’s an affordable purchase that’ll add heaps of flavour to your cooking while also helping you stave off scurvy. The dream.

Looking for the perfect gift to get the sourdough obsessive in your life? We’ve got you. This neat butter churner from Kilner (yes, the jar people) is the best way to make sure every loaf of freshly baked bread is complemented by freshly churned artisan butter. The only problem with this bad boy is that you won’t ever be able to return to shop-bought spreads afterwards.