Grocery Gift Ideas

We all have that friend who seems to spend more time on the road than she does at home. Here's what you should get her for the holidays.

Bring your friend a little get-well-soon gift basket to cheer her up and help her get back on her feet.

Caffeinate while learning about all sorts of cool beans? Sign us up.

Each of the treats on this list help to give back in some way.

You can't go wrong with any of these ideas!

This is the one wedding present the bride and groom are sure to love. Hint: It's not money.

Whether you're a Passover pro or a total newbie, here are some thoughtful presents that will help the seder go more smoothly and meet the holiday's rigorous food standards.

Everyone gifts wine this time of year, and I have absolutely no problem with that! The more wine, the better. (Even if your host doesn’t drink or totally hates the varietal of grape you’ve brought, she can always crack it open and serve it to her guests. Or regift it later!) You don’t have to spend big bucks, or go nuts picking a bottle that might mean something to its intended recipient.

Even if your loved one didn't make it to China or to tour Germany's bakeries this year, she can still bring some of those exciting flavors to her table with these new titles.

This year Kitchn put a ton of work into our holiday gift guide. There’s a little something for everyone, including the coffee- and cheese-lover in your life. But what about the person who basically has everything they could ever want? What about that minimalist in your life who tells you “not worry” about getting them anything this year? Well, I found the perfect gift for this person.

Savory candy canes might seem like an oxymoron, or more like something a mad culinary scientist would dream up, but I’m here to tell you they are real. The Seattle-based retailer Archie McPhee, the same folks behind cheeky snack products like bacon-flavored jelly beans and absinthe gumballs, have now given the world pickle candy canes. Yes, you read that correctly.

I feel that knowing how to avoid winding up with the dud gift at a White Elephant Gift Swap is a valuable life skill. Ben Casselman over at FiveThirtyEight explains it to those of us who don’t have an advanced degree in game theory.

Tea time is a special thing. It can be how you welcome guests and make them feel at home (always a winner), or it can be a daily rejuvenating ritual — a personal getaway of sorts. When it comes to giving tea-time gifts, the latter is the way to go! Indulge their tea-time love with gifts that’ll enhance the experience. From a snuggly mug to the prettiest teapot, here are 10 gifts to give them a “me-time” tea time!

During the winter, citrus becomes a staple in my kitchen: tangerines in the lunch box, lemon in tea, and lime in everything from chicken tortilla soup to sugar cookies. Just a little squeeze brightens up the heaviest dishes of the season — not to mention, my holiday mood. But there’s one part we often forget about, or get rid of altogether — the peel — which has just as much to give as the rest of the fruit.

In my mind, coasters are infinitely giftable. They are small, generally inexpensive (although you can definitely find ones to splurge on), and a welcome addition to nearly anyone’s home. With that in mind, and with fall dinner party season in full swing, here are 15 sets to browse and buy so you never show up empty-handed. Table Tile Coasters, $15 for six from MoMA Store: We love the way these coasters create an optical illusion.

This week we’re visiting the kitchen of the food-obsessed entrepreneur, Craig Kanarick, who, with his wife, Rebecca, built a smart, personal kitchen for themselves and their kids. But while Craig’s interest in food may begin at home, it doesn’t stop there. He’s also the founder of Mouth, a fun and inspiring online store, chock-full of small-batch and high-quality food from around the country — from liquor to barbecue sauce to pickles. Especially pickles.

For the person who always wants to know how things work, consider a hands-on holiday gift. These kits for making everything from kimchi to kefir and bacon to butter will let them sate both their curiosity and appetite. Plus, if you’re lucky, they’ll share their results! Mozzarella & Ricotta DIY Cheese Kit, $25 from Etsy: Just add milk! This kit lets one lucky cheesophile make up to eight batches.

Several years ago, I came to Brooklyn to visit a dear friend, and it happened to be her birthday. The next year, I came for her birthday on purpose. Now? It’s become a habit. I love New York just before Christmas, and I love my friend’s apartment. The day I arrived, she had a new fridge delivered. The next morning while she was at work, I picked up a few necessities.

It’s still summer, and that means plenty of gatherings and potlucks with friends. There are al fresco dinner parties and cookouts aplenty. As a guest, I never like to show up empty-handed. I like bringing a little something to say thank you to my hosts, and if that thank you just happens to look like a spicy tequila that’s been infused with jalapeños — well, that’s even better.

I am a firm believer in never showing up empty-handed to a get-together. I always try to bring a little something that says, “Thank you for having us — we like you.” However, it’s easy to get in a hostess gift slump, but here’s a cute and simple idea that’ll change up your gift-giving game: a produce bouquet! Sometimes when I am in a gift-giving slump, I like to look back on some of the favorite gifts I’ve received as a hostess.

Sure, you can take mom out for brunch on Mother’s Day and present her with a little wrapped parcel topped with a bow. But that’s what everyone will be doing. What about making her brunch instead? Even better, make her brunch from one of these three new cookbooks, and leave them behind as a gift for her. These three books are full of pleasing classics, but they offer fresh twists at every turn.

While we’re running our big Holiday Giveaway, we also wanted to make sure we gave all of you a present, something sweet and small for everyone to enjoy. So all week we’re offering printable tags and labels that go with five of our favorite cookie recipes! On Monday we gave you chai tea cookie labels, yesterday it was coconut snowball tags, and today we have something for our furry friends: homemade dog treats, with some shimmering baker’s twine as wrapping inspiration!

While we’re running our big Holiday Giveaway, we also wanted to make sure we gave all of you a present, something sweet and small for everyone to enjoy. All week we’re going to give you printable tags and labels that go with five of our favorite cookie recipes! Yesterday we gave you chai tea cookie labels, and today we have gluten-free coconut snowballs with accompanying gift tag and some sweet polka dot packaging inspiration.

While we’re running our big Holiday Giveaway, we also wanted to make sure we gave all of you a present, something sweet and small for everyone to enjoy. All week we’re going to give you printable tags and labels that go with five of our favorite cookie recipes! First up, our chai tea cookies and a sticker with some inspiration for giving these tasty treats as a gift.

Holiday shopping get away from you? Find yourself in a pickle on the night before Christmas? Don’t worry: there are plenty of terrific last-minute gifts you can give your beloved cook. From a monthly cocktail hour food delivery to an online beer-making class and a subscription to a high-fashion foodie magazine, here are 10 of our favorite subscriptions and online gifts when you need something great, and you need it fast.

The holidays are here, which means the stores are flooded with a dizzying array of cooking tools, cookbooks and fancy ingredients meant to tempt home cooks. What’s the discerning shopper to do? We decided to talk to some of our favorite professional chefs — the people who spend serious time in their kitchens — to find out what can’t-live-without-it cooking tools and ingredients are on their holiday wish lists this year.

As cooks and food lovers, it follows that we love edible gifts, particularly when they come from our own kitchen. But we also know there are tremendous online resources for food gifts — websites featuring all kinds of makers, bakers, and artisans offering delicious and beautifully packaged treats, sweets, and snacks. So, we’re curious: where do you shop for food gifts online, particularly when you’re looking for something special and indulgent?

Want to make your gift of homemade cookies a little more special? Wrap them up on a pretty vintage plate specially chosen for the recipient, and make the plate part of the gift. And while they add a ton of class, small, charming plates like this don’t cost much — just a couple dollars tops at a local thrift store.While it isn’t easy or cheap to find sets of matching plates, single mismatched plates are plentiful and usually very inexpensive at thrift stores.

Giving homemade cookies as gifts this year? Try one of these five pretty packaging ideas to really make it special.Related: Gifts of Jam: Pretty Packaging Ideas(Images: 1. Steve Giralt for Real Simple; 2. Fraeulein Klein; Sense and Simplicity; 4. The Purl Bee; 5.

There are only so many homemade cookies a person can eat before they go stale. But give the gift of homemade frozen cookie dough, and you’ve just guaranteed several weeks or months of freshly-baked cookie goodness for the recipient.There are a couple ways to present the cookie dough.

What to get the cook who has everything? Or the cook who lives in a small space? Not another gadget to clutter up the cupboard, surely. What about something edible? Something delicious? We’ve shared some edible treats in our budget-friendly roundup, but today we’re hitting the splurges! Come along for some seriously spendy treats — and some others that are actually within reach.

It’s easy to find a luxurious cooking gift when you have $100 to spend, but how about when you have $20? Most cooks have a mental list of ingredients or tools they would love to have, but that are a little too expensive for everyday cooking. As dear as they may be to the recipient, these items usually make very reasonable gifts. Here are 15 small, indulgent gifts sure to be appreciated by the cooks on your shopping list — and they’re all $30 and under.

All week long we’ve been sharing edible gift ideas, from savory granola to herb-infused honey, from homemade condiments to homemade tea blends. Here’s one more gift you can offer from your kitchen: homemade cultured butter!When it comes to butter, people often don’t know what they’re missing until they’ve had cultured, or European-style, butter: after that butter goes from being a waxy refrigerator staple to something craveable.

How are you packaging your food gifts this year? We’ve offered a few suggestions to wrap edible gifts, including using wax paper or paper ice cream containers. But for a really pretty (and practical!) presentation, wrap those gifts up Furoshiki-style.Furoshiki (or the “art of wrapping with fabric”) can be done with any square piece of fabric—a silk scarf, for example, or a tea towel.

Holiday gifting is in the air. Store window displays became festive overnight and neighbors are stringing lights. I always spend the week before December thinking through people’s gifts, what to buy and what to make. This year, I’m making more gifts than buying and starting early to avoid the accompanying stress. First up: customized tea blends for family and friends!Before moving in with my boyfriend, I used tea bags whenever I made tea mainly because they were simple and mess-free.

Are you sharing gifts of homemade preserves this year? For an extra festive (and useful!) touch, you might bundle jars of jam, jelly, and marmalade with a pretty dish towel, a spoon, or an edible accompaniment, like bread or cheese.

Are you looking for an inexpensive way to box up treats this holiday season? Leave it to Martha Stewart to provide the perfect solution. All you’ll need is a craft punch (or some scissors) and a little wax paper.Even though this idea was intended for Valentine’s Day, it can be customized for any holiday. Simply press small pieces of construction or colored paper between sheets of waxed paper, apply a small amount of heat, and voila!

It’s Birthday Week at The Kitchn, and along with the cakes and parties we want to offer a few ideas on practical and fun birthday gift ideas for cooks and food-lovers. Here are a few smart, delicious basics that all come in under $10 — from a colorful potholder (everyone always needs more potholders, right?) to a gingham knife and great salt and chocolate. Read on to see our picks, and add your own too!TOP ROW• 1 Wooden Salt Box Bowl, $7.

I love making homemade condiments, but not everyone has the time or inclination to make their own ketchup, mustard or hot sauce from scratch. That’s why whipping up a big batch of your favorite condiment and bottling it to give as hostess gifts is a gesture that’s sure to be appreciated. My pick? Garlicky, spicy and bright Thai sweet chili sauce.

The absolute deliciousness of homemade marshmallows was one of our favorite discoveries this year. Wouldn’t a copy of this book on making marshmallows, along with a few homemade marshmallows as inspiration, make a great present for a fellow food-lover?This book Marshmallows: Homemade Gourmet Treats by Eileen Talanian has been our guiding star as we started experimenting with making these treats at home.

My husband and I, along with a crew of siblings, aunts, uncles, and even some work colleagues with nowhere else to go for the holiday, are about to descend upon my aunt’s lovely home for Thanksgiving dinner. This is a time when a hostess gift is certainly called for. We want to take some small and luxurious token of appreciation, maybe even something homemade. Here are a few ideas, and we’d love to hear more from you!

As more and more Americans enjoy wine, giving wine as a gift has also grown in popularity. As usual there is the feeling that you need to spend a lot if the wine is to be appreciated. This absolutely should not be the case! With a little thought and a sense of adventure you can find a tremendous number of interesting wines which will awaken the curiosity of even the most demanding of palate. And they won’t break the bank.