21 Gifts To Impress The Gourmand In Your Life

The Spanish know their charcuterie. From tapas at fancy restaurants to grab-and-go sandwiches from local bars,  cured meats are one of the culinary fixtures you can find everywhere. Give them a taste of Spain’s best export with this bundle of meats from Mercado Famous. It features four meats (lomo, chorizo, salchichon, and 100% jamon iberico) sourced from Spain, sliced, vacuum-sealed, and ready to be devoured.

Treat the friend who hosts the best dinner parties to a fresh set of gorgeous coupe glasses. They’re hand-blown and come in a variety of candy-colored hues. Sure, they probably already have glasses for water and wine, but something about these colorful coupes makes sipping every beverage, from champagne to H20, feel a lot more decadent.

Calling all serial snackers. These little dishes are perfect for housing olives, nuts, spices, and any small bites their heart desires. Whether they use them to arrange an intricate charcuterie board or to make their desk lunch a little more exciting, these are sure to come in handy as often as the name suggests.

Whether they consider themselves an expert baker or haven’t graduated beyond Toll House slice-and-bake status, this cookbook has over 100 delicious recipes for dessert-lovers of all levels. Along with recipes, food personality Claire Saffitz shares practical tips, guidance, and solutions to common baking mishaps to help guide bakers through the process and, hopefully, help them level up in the kitchen.

Ah, caviar. These little beads of salty, savory goodness tend to be reserved for special occasions, making them all the more giftable. Royal Ossetra is Petrossian’s most popular caviar selection, with a rich, robust flavor that appeals to all sorts of tastebuds. Send this tin to your friend with a taste for the finer things and prepare to be thanked, endlessly.

How do you excite an adventurous palette that can handle some serious heat? Give them a jar of Fly by Jing’s Sichuan Chili Crisp. Spicy, crispy, umami– the combination of flavors and textures makes this an exciting addition to their condiment collection. From vanilla ice cream to dumplings, this sauce pairs well with just about everything.

Tinned fish is totally having its moment. For many, tinned fish has always been en mode, but it’s safe to say the pantry staple hasn’t always been the most chic item in the grocery store. Fishwife is changing that narrative, offering ethically-sourced, premium canned seafood products in bold, beautiful packaging they’ll want to show off. This trio of smoked rainbow trout, albacore tuna, and Atlantic salmon is a great intro to the brand.

Once they experience the sheer power of Maldon Salt, they’ll never be able to go back to the basics again. Each thick flake of salt packs a flavorful punch and delightfully crunchy texture. A little flaky salt goes a long way, so this big bucket will last them a long time.

Wagyu is probably not their everyday choice of beef, which makes it a damn good gift for your favorite carnivore. This introduction kit to Snake River Farms’ American steaks could be a dangerous gift choice because once they get a taste of flavorful, fatty meat, they’ll never want to go back to anything else.

This puzzle pays homage to the heart of New York City: its rich restaurant culture. In the shape of a heart, this puzzle is covered in illustrations of the city’s most iconic foods such as dirty-water dogs, the dollar slice, dumplings, bagels, pastrami sandwiches, and so much more. It’s a fun activity, piece of decor, and thoughtful memento all wrapped into one.

Great olive oil is a game-changer. Even just a drizzle can turn a dish from “meh” to “YEAH.” That’s why I’m such a proponent of gifting olive oil. This capsule from Brightland feels particularly giftable, with gorgeous labels that have been designed in collaboration with multiple artists. Inside, they’ll discover  four unique flavors: savory, basil-infused ARISE, spicy and peppery ARDOR, nutty, garlic-infused ROSETTE, and zesty, lemon-infused LUCID.

There’s nothing better than a savory bowl of noodles, especially when they’re from David Chang’s Momofuku empire. These almost-instant noodles are a major upgrade from the cup of noodles they grew up on, but are easy enough to whip up in less than five minutes. With 5 packages of the spicy soy, tingy chili, and soy & scallion flavors, plus a pair of chopsticks, this gift set has everything a noodle lover needs to make easy and flavorful dinners in a snap.

Imagine getting sent 3-4 new cheeses to try each month. Sounds pretty good, right? That’s exactly what they’ll get with a Cheese of the Month Club membership from Murray’s Cheese Shop. Whether they choose to serve them at a dinner party, pair them with their favorite wine, or eat them straight out of the box, this gift is an exciting tasting experience sure to satisfy any dairy lovers.

Saffron is rare, expensive – and an ingredient many don’t cook with for those reasons. This set of four spice blends, featuring saffron sustainably-sourced from Afghanistan, is an approachable way for anyone to experiment with the complex flavors.

Our Place is a TQE favorite. The brand delivers on all fronts, most notably utility and aesthetics. The Always Pan, a slippery non-stick skillet that comes in all sorts of dreamy colors, is Our Place’s claim to fame. Just in time for gifting season, the brand has launched a mini version of its iconic cookware. It’s perfectly-portioned for single-serving meals, like shakshuka for one or a one-pan pasta, but works just as well to whip up smaller portions of veggies, desserts, and sides dishes. The simple silhouette and colorful coating adds a particularly charming touch to any tablescape, so we fully support serving straight out of the pan.

Anyone with a tea-obsession or french press habit probably has experienced the wonders of an electric kettle. They heat up water in an instant, and you never have to worry about leaving them unattended– thanks, electricity. While amazingly practical, many electric kettles are quite bulky and unattractive. This kettle, on the other hand, is chic, minimalist, and aesthetically-pleasing enough for even your most picky friend to love.

There’s something about chocolate chip cookies that just feels so cozy, warm, and special. Maybe it's because I associate fresh chocolate chip cookies from the oven with all good things, like snow days and sleepovers, or because they’re just that delicious. Whatever the case, if you’re going to gift cookies, I’d highly recommend Levain’s. Each cookie is crispy on the outside and perfectly ooey-gooey-chewy on the inside, not to mention huge. Plus, these freeze well, so they can heat them up whenever they need a sweet treat.

A mortar and pestle is one of the most-used cooking tools in Latin cuisine. The simple tool can be used to grind, mash, and blend everything from seeds to herbs to vegetables to create salsas, guacamole, and flavorful pastes. With this tool, they’ll get to experience cooking the traditional way, and all the depth of flavor that brings.

Food has a transportive quality, and Goldbelly taps right into that with its gift boxes filled with classic dishes from iconic eateries around the country. Whether they just moved to the West Coast and are craving some New York pizza or have been itching to try some authentic Kansas City bbq, Goldbelly can help you deliver. The service partners with restaurants around the country and ships their delicacies nationwide, so they can have an unforgettable meal, wherever they are.

The best way to impress the gourmand in your life? Surprise them with a reservation to a place they’ve really been wanting to try. Whether you want to go with them or get them the reservation to go with someone else,  a great meal at a restaurant is a memory in itself, making it feel really special. And if you want to up the ante, it doesn't hurt if you foot the bill either.

There’s no better way to elevate a meal than by pairing it with a wine that makes it taste that much better. Enter the most stylish boxed wine ever: Juliet. With a unique cylindrical design, as opposed to boxy Franzia that took up half the shelf in your college fridge, Juliet is chic, fridge friendly, and won’t look out of place on the dinner table this holiday season. The brand’s Cabernet Sauvignon makes a perfect winter-time gift as it pairs well with warming, comforting foods thanks to its black fruit tasting notes.