The kitchen has become a refuge for many recently — even if it’s just a place for a strong cocktail. So this Christmas and Hanukkah, spoil your loved ones with gifts for cooks, bakers and lovers of fine food and drink. Here are our picks for the top foodie gifts for the 2021 holiday season, with a special eye toward makers with a tie to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.
Simple Goodness Sisters Build Your Bar Triple Set: Choose from among five delicious cocktail syrups, including Rhubarb Vanilla Bean, Lemon Herb and Marionberry Mint, from the Wilkeson, Washington, small-batch makers who use ingredients sourced from their family farm and other nearby growers. $60 at simplegoodnesssisters.com
Chef’n Shroom Broom: This clever, locally designed gadget removes mushroom dirt with the brush end and pops off stems with the other. $10 at chefn.com
Kuhn Rikon New Life Frying Pan: With a pan body made from 100% recycled aluminum from soda cans, bicycles and factory waste, this skillet is a true innovation. The heat-resistant handle can be used in the oven up to 464 degrees. Three sizes are available. $128–$156 at kuhnrikonshop.com
Baratza Vario-W Coffee Grinder: This new top-of-the-line automatic bean grinder from the Bellevue-based company weighs as it grinds and features a built-in scale, ceramic burrs, programmable presets and dozens of micro-adjustment options. $560 at chriscoffee.com
Nomen Wine: This Oregon wine, produced by a family of sisters, comes in PET bottles that weigh about three times less than glass bottles. With less weight, the company says it can reduce carbon gas emissions by as much as 77%. It ships the shatterproof bottles for free, and all packing materials are 100% recyclable. $12–$16 at nomenwine.com
Omsom Southeast Asian Sampler: They can cook up Vietnamese Lemongrass BBQ, Thai Larb or Filipino Sisig in a snap with these all-natural sauces developed by Asian chefs in New York City. This set includes two packets of each flavor. $29 at omsom.com
Hardmill Market Tote: Made in Seattle of waxed canvas or leather, these handsome totes feature fine finishing touches like leather straps, an inner leather base, copper rivets and two inside pockets. $140–$275 at hardmill.com
Knack Taste of Seattle Box: Send a taste of home for the holidays. Seattle-based Knack’s customizable gift boxes offer plenty of local products to include. Pair Olive & Herb Bread Dip with Miss Marjorie’s Steel Drum Plantains, Beecher’s Crackers, Coro Mole Salami, Girl Meets Dirt Quince Cutting Preserves, and an Olympic Candle Company Hobnail Candle with Knack Brand Mini Matches for a box sure to delight. $103 (as designed) at knackshops.com
“Getaway: Food & Drink to Transport You”: Local chef Renee Erickson’s new cookbook will send you to dreamy locales like Rome, Paris and Baja (plus a stop in Seattle) with 120 recipes and 60 cocktail recipes. $40 at booksellers
Notary Ceramics Cone Glass: Create a mood with these recycled-glass cone glasses from the Portland-based shop. Two sizes are available. $14–$16 at notaryceramics.com
Emile Henry French Ceramic Storage Bowl: This unique and clever set pairs a large ceramic bowl to store foods like potatoes or onions with a cork lid that helps absorb odors and provides a resting place for ripening fruit. Two sizes and multiple colors available. $100–$150 at food52.com
Mustard and Co. Red Miso Mustard: The first crowd-sourced flavor from the Ballard-based maker, this mustard is rich and savory. It’s a perfect touch of umami for a salad dressing, marinade or fried-food dip. $5–$7 at mustardandco.com
“Cooking at Home”: This recipe-free cookbook by star-chef David Chang and food writer Priya Krishna explores ingredients and techniques (including microwaving!) to help you improvise better, faster meals at home every night of the week. $35 at booksellers
Frieling Cast Iron Spice Grinder: This system, which pairs a cast-iron grinder with a beechwood lid, grinds easier than a mortar and pestle and more delicately than an electric grinder, and it looks good doing it. $35 at westelm.com
Fruitsuper Shrimp Chopstick Rest: An adorable little stocking stuffer for the sushi fan, this rest is built to scale in Seattle and can be left as a table accent after the dishes are cleared. $32 at fruitsuper.com
Tony’s Coffee Gift Subscription: Send your love all year with a three-, six- or 12-month coffee subscription from the Bellingham-based company named 2021 Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine. Choose from a range of roasts, sizes and grinds. Starting at $60 at tonyscoffee.com
Especially Puglia Adopt an Olive Tree Olive Oil Gift Box: This gift supports farmers in Italy’s Puglia region and provides a delicious 3-liter tin of extra virgin olive oil, plus a ceramic olive oil cruet and funnel. $175 at food52.com
“Terrific Table Manners”: Encourage a more civilized mealtime with this rhyming, children’s-book-style primer on table manners and etiquette. One example: “Don’t claw your shortcake like a racoon. Cut with your fork, eat with your spoon.” $18 at booksellers
Bite Society Snacks for the Sleigh: Be a Christmas hero with this gift basket full of locally made and curated treats including savory snacks like their addictive Truffle Chips and Pub Mix, along with cookies and candies, all in a handy reusable felt tote that’s perfect for hauling gifts home. $139 at hellobitesociety.com
Vinglacé Wine Chiller: This vacuum-insulated, stainless steel canister keeps a bottle of wine chilled for hours without the need for ice (or that messy ice bucket). Six colors are available. $90 at Nordstrom and nordstrom.com
“Foodheim: A Culinary Adventure”: Want to laugh while you cook? Comedian (and foodie) Eric Wareheim’s new cookbook takes the recipes seriously and has great fun with the artwork and stories behind the food. $35 at booksellers
Seattle Chocolates A Merry Little Care Package: The local chocolate company’s holiday box includes three seasonally flavored truffle bars, two jcoco bars and milk chocolate and candy cane chocolate truffles. $29 at seattlechocolate.com
Cookies with Tiffany Signature Cookie Box: Send a box of love with this new Seattle company’s delicious cookies in classic flavors like toffee and chocolate chip; the signature s’mores, with a melted marshmallow and chocolate bar on top; and seasonal flavors like pumpkin doodle and maple doodle.