Valentine’s Gift Guide for the Cookbook Lover

I’m a bit of a practical person – if practical is defined as owning 5,000 cookbooks, never saying no to a piece of cookware and having more baking tins/gadgets than a full fledged bakery. Yes, my practicality runs in the form of enjoying practical things – I am not a flowers, chocolate or expensive dinner out type of person. Yes, do I like takeout when life gets overwhelming but would I want to spend three digits on a meal for two – a big NO.

I do not need elaborate gestures or gifts to please me – I am happy with a beautiful tea towel, a handwritten recipe card from a friend or a personalized recipe on a tea towel. Today, I’ve compiled gift ideas that won’t drain the bank account and would make any cook or baker happy.

My latest obsession is this Unicorn Pepper Mill. I bought this myself because we are big time ground pepper users in this house. It grinds about 20 percent more pepper with the same grind cut and turns as any other pepper mill I own. I know it seems bougie to invest more money into a pepper mill to save time but when you use as much freshly ground pepper as I do – it is worth every penny. Donate your old mills and give in to this extravagance.

For the baker or hot cocoa bomb maker, this Heart Silicone Molds Non-Stick Easy Release 1 Big Heart Shaped Silicone Mold With 8 Cavities Heart Shaped Molds is a great gift. I picked up a mold to make hot cocoa bombs for my son’s teachers and friends. I hope to grab up some red mugs to put two or three bombs into and wrap in cellophane along with a few iced heart-shaped cookies.

I love Silpat and their relatively new collection of perfect baking molds. Their latest is the Silpat Perfect Heart Mold. Any baker would love any of these molds which are easy to store, clean and use!

A cooking or baking box from Hardcover Cook is the gift that keeps on giving. Choose from one of the quarterly options – or make your own box from HCC cookbooks and cookbook pantry and impress your recipient.

Winter selections are:

Omnivore Box: Simply Julia: 110 Easy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Food by Julia Turshen
Vegetarian Box: Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes by Bryant Terry
Baking Box: Zoë Bakes Cakes: Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Favorite Layers, Bundts, Loaves, and More by Zoë François

Please note that HCC has moved their warehouse and there will be a slight delay until ordering can take place for these Winter boxes. See Hardcover Cook’s other cookbook and ingredient bundles and see this page for more information on the subscription service.

Support your favorite local worldwide bookstore and order a book or twelve, preordering is available at most bookstores

Of course, a gift certificate for Eat Your Books is always a thoughtful present for the cookbook lover/cook. If you need help purchasing a gift certificate, see this help section or email info@eatyourbooks.com.

Other ideas:

• a gift subscription to the website for Great British Chefs
• Donna Hay – online shop – hampers, mixes and more
• Baking online classes
• Bookmark Nancie McDermott’s FB page – she is always adding cooking/baking classes
• Milk Street Kitchen online classes
• See our calendar for online cooking classes and bookstore events
• Best selling books of 2020
• Best online cooking classes 2021
• Jamie Oliver online cooking classes
• Ottolenghi – hampers and gifts
• Annabel Langbein – online shop – cookbooks – her ESSENTIAL cookbooks are wonderful!
• New Zealand – for her hampers – for him hampers

More recent cookbooks that are gift worthy include:

• Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food: Deliciously Doable Ways to Cook Greens, Tofu, and Other Plant-Based Ingredients by Hsiao-Ching Chou along with a set of spices “Taste of Asia” from Skordo would be a nice combo. (Promotion coming soon).
• Spirited: Cocktails from Around the World by Adrienne Stillman along with a sphere ice ball mold, bartendering kit, or some cool cocktail glasses would be a winner.
• Even Better Brownies: 50 Standout Bar Recipes for Every Occasion by Mike Johnson – paired with some good quality chocolate such as TCHO
• Holy Sweet!: 60 Indulgent Recipes for Bigger, Better Desserts by Peabody Johanson – plus a bag of fun sized candy such as Milky Way, box of Cracker Jacks, etc to make some of the fantastic recipes
• Meat Illustrated: A Foolproof Guide to Understanding and Cooking with Cuts of All Kinds by America’s Test Kitchen – paired with a great chef’s knife from Schmidt Brothers

Other recent favorites are:

• A Good Bake: The Art and Science of Making Perfect Pastries, Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and Breads at Home by Melissa Weller and Carolynn Carreño
• Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence by Claire Saffitz
• Baking at the 20th Century Cafe: Iconic European Desserts from Linzer Torte to Honey Cake by Michelle Polzine
• The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food by Marcus Samuelsson
• I Cook in Color: Bright Flavors from My Kitchen, and Around the World by Asha Gomez and Martha Hall Foose

Lastly, see our cookbook promotions/giveaways for more information on current cookbooks and fantastic products and prior gift guides for other ideas.

Disclosure: The gift products here are those I have purchased myself and am thrilled with – some cookbooks have been purchased and others were review copies.