The Best Holiday Gifts for Foodies

Our requisite holiday gift list only seems to grow every year, including trinkets for our tech-obsessed nephew, our tough to please sister-in-law, and our baby cousin who only likes pink.  Luckily, we’ve got you covered on perfect present ideas for that hardcore foodie in your life (because honestly, we all have one nowadays), from a hip Canning Set from Brooklyn Kitchen to a do-it-yourself tea blending kit and a homemade bread of the month club!

Global Bread Box from Hot Bread Kitchen: $70
If you have a friend or family member who really digs “Gift Of the Month Clubs,” from jams to cheeses, they’ll love the Global Bread Box from Hot Bread Kitchen.  Each purchase supports the organization’s mission to provide training and employment to immigrant and low-income women, and includes a seasonal selection of multi-ethnic breads, from German Stollen and Persian Qandi to Moroccan M’smen and Armenian Lavash Crackers.
hotbreadkitchen.org

Artisan Tea Blending Kit from Numitea: $31.99
If the throng of vendors lining Smorgasburg is any indication, we all have what it takes to become serious food artisans.  And this all-inclusive blending kit will allow your giftee to dip their toe in the tea world.  Packaged in a reusable craft box, it contains a glass teapot, a recipe book, biodegradable tea sacks and a total of 10 teas, herbs, fruits, flowers and spices.  Try mixing the Green Tea Pearls with Moroccan Mint, Yunnan Black Tea with Ginger, Bai Mu Dan White Tea with Lemongrass, or Rooibos with Orange Peel, Cinnamon or Rose Petals!
shop.numitea.com

“Food is Culture” Tote from MOFAD : $60
Plastic bags are so déclassé!  Treat your fashionable foodie friend to one of these classy Baggu totes, a chic yet functional accoutrement for their daily trip to the greenmarket. And the best part is that each purchase helps fund the Museum of Food and Drink, an upcoming educational center featuring exhibits you can eat! Yes, really.
www.mofad.org

212 Everything Bagel Salt Tin from Fishs Eddy: $12.95
Everything Bagel flavoring has become a real trend in New York nowadays, from the Smoked Sturgeon with Everything Bagel Crumble at Eleven Madison Park to the Everything Bagel Fusilli at Sfoglini and even the Everything Bagel Roti at Talde.  And this tin tub of city-centric seasoning from the Flatiron kitchen emporium, Fishs Eddy, will allow your friends to jump on the bandwagon at home.
fishseddy.com

The Bar10der from Quench Products: $39.99
Think of it as a Swiss Army Knife for the budding mixologist.  With this ingenious 10-in-one tool (which incorporates a muddler, reamer, jigger, zester, stirrer, strainer, corkscrew, bottle opener and standard and channel knives), there will never be an excuse not to indulge in a finely crafted libation, whether you’re holed up in a man cave, relaxing at a picnic, or jet setting around the globe.
thebar10der.com

Chocolate Lovers Gift Box from By Brooklyn: $50
By Brooklyn has dedicated themselves to assembling the best bites in the borough this holiday, meaning their gift boxes are bound to please ravenous foodies and committed locavores alike.  Chocoholics will swoon over the package containing Raaka Vanilla Rooibos Bars, Rescue Chocolate Peanut Butter Pitbull Bars, Liddabit Chocolate Dipped Sea Salt Caramels, Good Batch Oat Chocolate Chunk Cookies and Granola Lab Activation Energy Granola, but there are gift boxes geared towards chile-heads, ginger lovers, and (ahem), alcohol enthusiasts as well.
shop.bybrooklyn.com

Local Foods Wheel from Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store: $7.50
With this cheeky (but highly informative) Local Foods Wheel, your sustainably-minded friend will never risk chomping on an out-of-season veggie again.  The wheel showcases the entire edible bounty of New York City, with the top dial showing the foods that are attainable year-round, and the bottom exposing items that are available only seasonally.  Turn the wheel over to find seasonality references arranged alphabetically, which gives even greater detail about when local foods are harvested and accessible.
blueribbongeneralstore.net

Pressure Canning Set from The Brooklyn Kitchen: $129.99
Now that you’ve gotten your hands on pristine, seasonal fruits and vegetables, how can you make them last the whole year through?  Do like New York’s top chefs do, and turn to pickling, preserving and canning.  This compact Pressure Canning Set includes everything you’ll need to transform beautiful summer berries into silky jam, or fleeting spring ramps into flavorful pickles.  It can even be used as a pressure cooker, which is an excellent way to quickly turn tough meats and tubers into hearty winter stews and braises.
thebrooklynkitchen.com

Gift Card from Kitchen Arts and Letters: $20 and up
This was a banner year for chef and restaurant cookbooks, but are you having a hard time choosing between Michael Anthony’s long-awaited debut for Gramercy Tavern, and Andy Ricker’s new Pok Pok tome?  Just get a gift certificate to this seminal food-focused bookstore, which carries over 13,000 domestic, imported, contemporary and out of print titles.  Your grateful recipient can spend an entire day just browsing the aisles, although we strongly suggest pointing them towards Try This: Traveling the Globe Without Leaving the Table, or Brooklyn Chef’s Table: Extraordinary Recipes from Coney Island to Brooklyn Heights!