Holiday Gift Guide 2014: Pantry Delights & Kitchen Toys
"It might be hard to justify shelling out on an expensive finishing oil for yourself, but splurging for a friend? That's what the holidays are all about," says Alison Roman, senior food editor. Roman is a fan of Castillo de Canena's smoked olive oil, and not just because of the pretty bottle—bold arbequina takes on the flavors of oak, beech, and birch. Read on for more great gifts for the passionate home cook.
Danny Kim1/17Mugolio Pine Syrup
Drizzle a few drops over ricotta, crudo, or even vanilla ice cream.
$30 for 3.6 oz.; deandeluca.com
Danny Kim2/17Wine Forest Wine Foods fennel pollen
Sprinkle on mushroom pasta or a fennel and celery salad, or use it to make the most delicate popcorn you've never dreamed of.
$25 for .7 oz.; abchome.com
Danny Kim4/17Regalis Dried Black Morels
Rehydrate and scramble with eggs, and repurpose the soaking water for an elegant soup.
$25 for 1 oz.; regalisfoods.com
Danny Kim5/17Castillo de Canena Smoked Olive Oil
Why is this fancy olive oil different from all the other fancy olive oils? Its extraordinary flavor comes from the infusion of arbequina olive oil with cold-smoked oak, beech, and birch wood. Plus, the aqua bottle is display-worthy.
$32 for 250 ml; tienda.com
Danny Kim6/17Sfoglini Pasta
Made in Brooklyn, these noodles bring restaurant-trendy ingredients like rye and cuttlefish to the home pot.
$7-$8 for 16 oz.; sfoglini.com
Danny Kim7/17Delfino Colatura di Alici
For a liquid umami boost, add a dash of this Italian fish sauce to cooked grains.
$15 for 100 ml; almagourmet.com
Danny Kim8/17Emilia Vinegar
George Paul’s rich, sweet, practically drinkable vinegar is the smoothest thing to come out of Nebraska since Fred Astaire.
$45 for 100 ml; georgepaulvinegar.com
Danny Kim9/17Premium Kyela Rice
Proceeds from this exceptional medium-grain white rice go to a school-lunch program in the Kyela region of Tanzania; one bag buys 220 meals.
$17 for 2.2 lb.; askinosie.com
Danny Kim11/17Coffee Collective's Taster Package
Gift sets don't have to be lame. "Often the words gift basket conjure images of raffia, cellophane, and pepper jelly," says Julia Kramer, associate restaurant editor. (Why is there always pepper jelly?) "Don’t let those abominations give the gift set a bad name. A box of things I actually want? Yes, please."
Four bags of exceptional direct-trade beans from the cult Danish roaster.
$52; coffeecollective.com
Danny Kim12/17Persian Spice Set
You don't need Yotam Ottolenghi to tell you that Middle Eastern cooking is having a moment. This set from Oaktown Spice Shop has everything your giftee needs to make all the fattoush, braised lamb, and pomegranate-studded salads she wants.
Danny Kim13/17Oliva Elité 8" Stealth Chef’s Knife
It’s okay to be a little selfish. "I love cooking with my in-laws during the holidays, but I miss my own knives," says Carla Lalli Music, food editor. "Solution: Send them a great blade ahead of time, then do your dicing together."
$150; messermeister.com
Danny Kim14/17Bound Platter
Clean lines can't lose. "I gravitate toward clean lines and neutral tones, so I like to give well-made things that marry form and function," says Alaina Sullivan, junior designer. "They resonate longer than flashier gifts."
$160; pigeontoeceramics.com
