9 Budget-Friendly Gift Ideas for Cooks & Bakers

Inside: Need ideas for stocking stuffers and affordable gifts for people who like to bake and cook? Here are nine ideas.

Need gift ideas for cooks, bakers, and food-minded folks? These are all items I have in my own kitchen, use frequently, and love–and they all cost less than $50*.

Gift Ideas for Cooks

CERAMIC SPOON REST: I treated myself to this spoon rest last year while Christmas shopping at World Market, and it’s become one of my favorite kitchen items. Find it: Mason Jar Ceramic Spoon Rest


Holiday Gift Guide: Stainless Steel Straw

STAINLESS STEEL STRAWS: I use these straws almost every day for drinking smoothies. This set comes with a cleaning brush, which is an essential. Find them: SipWell Stainless Steel Straws


Holiday Gift Guide: Microplaner

MICROPLANER: I use this little microplaner to grate whole nutmeg, zest citrus, and shave Parmesan over helpings of pasta. Find it: Microplane Classic Black Spice Grater


Holiday Gift Guide: Produce Bags

REUSABLE PRODUCE BAGS: No more plastic produce bags to put in the landfill! I’ve had a set of these for a year, and they’ve held up really well. I keep them in my handbag or with my reusable grocery bags so I remember them and then toss them in the washing machine to get clean. Find them: Reusable Produce Bags


Budget-Friendly Holiday Gift Guide For Cooks

MINI FOOD CHOPPER: This is one of the most-used appliances in my kitchen. I use it to chop nuts, onions, herbs, veggies, and graham crackers for pie crusts. It’s perfect for small jobs when you don’t want to lug out the food processor. Find it: Black & Decker One-Touch Electric Chopper


Holiday Gift Guide: Cookie Scoop

COOKIE SCOOP: My mom put this in my stocking one year, and I thought, “I probably won’t use this.” Turns out, I do! I love that I can quickly scoop out uniformly-sized cookies (that bake evenly). I also use it to scoop batter into my mini-muffin pan. Find it: OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop


Budget-Friendly Holiday Gift Guide for Cooks

COOKIE BAKING MAT: I’ve had two Siplat baking mats for more than a decade and they’ve held up beautifully. I use them for everything from cookies and homemade fruit leathers to roasted veggies. This one, called the Perfect Cookie, has a template for perfectly-spaced cookies (the inner circle shows where to put your dough, the outer circle shows the size of the baked cookie). Get it: Silpat Perfect Cookie Baking Sheet


Holiday Gift Guide

BUTTER BELL: A friend gave this to me and it sat in the cupboard for a few years before I realized what a game-changer it was. The top fits an entire stick’s worth of butter. Fill the bottom with a little bit of water, then turn over the top to form an airtight seal–so you always have soft, spreadable butter that doesn’t spoil. I have classic white but I love these stripes. Get it: Butter Bell


Holiday Gift Guide

KIDS COOKING SET: A splurge for the kiddos! My younger son got this set for Christmas one year, and the pint-sized utensils are so easy to use and handle that I often grab them when I’m cooking. Comes with laminated recipe cards and a little apron. For ages 3 and up. Get it: Playful Chef Deluxe Cooking Set


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18 Comments

  1. I got my husband a butter bell last year and you’re right about it being a game changer! No more torn bread! He has toast every weekend, and uses a good amount of butter on it, so this has worked out great for us.

    1. Julie–great to hear that. I love using real butter instead of a spread, and this makes it easy.

  2. yay, I have that spoon holder too and it even has my last name on it! Great gifts Sally!

  3. Great list – I have a set of reusable produce bags as well and I love them! I hate wasting all of those plastic bags.

  4. So, I think I’m in love with every item you listed. I want the reusable produce bags for myself, the butter jar for my hubby and cooking apron for my daughter. Great ideas!

  5. I wonder what I’m doing wrong because my butter always falls into the water in my butter bell. I was talking to my husband last night and he thought maybe it’s the butter we use. I buy Kerrygold butter and it’s super soft compared to other butters. I actually put a regular butter dish on my Christmas list this year because my butter bell hasn’t worked for me. Maybe I should do some experiments with other butter.

    1. Hey Dana–that happens to me too if the butter isn’t well-packed into the top. So every time I use it, I try to remember to mash it down with the knife again before turning it over (but truth be told, I don’t always remember!). If you transition to a regular butter dish, I’d love to hear how long the butter keeps without spoiling vs. with the Butter Bell.

  6. I think I saw the cookie scoop at Aldi the last time I was there! Ice cream and cookie scoops make filling muffin tins so much easier.

  7. This is fantastic!! Definitely adding the microplaner and cookie scoop to my own list 🙂 hehe

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