6 Gift Ideas for Home Cooks: The Ultimate Foodie

What makes a good gift is something that is both practical and personal to the person you are giving it to. And if you are looking for gift ideas for a friend or family member who loves to cook in the kitchen, then you have come to the right place for suggestions that will inspire them to invite you over for dinner the next time they are preparing a delicious meal. Here are six great gift ideas for your favorite home cook.

1. Mixing Bowls

A mixing bowl is an essential piece of cookware for any cook, especially if they love to bake. The primary use if a mixing bowl is to mix ingredients together. If you want to make this gift even better, consider getting mixing bowls of different sizes, at least three of them, because sometimes it is necessary to mix ingredients separately.

2. Mixer

If the home cook already has mixing bowls, consider getting them a mixer instead so that they can find it easier to combine ingredients together. With a mixer, one can easily make cookie dough, mixing all the various ingredients, such as flour and milk, without getting their hands dirty. It doesn’t even matter how thick the dough is, a mixer will make the dough smooth and delicious should you want to lick it off the bowl.

3. Professional Knife Set

Professional knife sets are made with versatility in mind, allowing the user to use them in a number of cooking applications. Most professional knife sets come with a number of knives for a variety of uses, whether it is chopping vegetables or cutting meat. Since they are made for professionals, they are usually more efficient, durable and stylish than your conventional knives.

4. Bamboo Chopping Board

Bamboo chopping boards have replaced wooden ones due to their low maintenance, beauty, and durability. A common problem with wooden boards is that they can be a breeding ground for bacteria because they can easily be chipped by professional chef knives, creating moisture pockets that breed these dangerous microorganisms. This is not sanitary and it is bad for health. Bamboo cutting boards, however, are stronger and resistant to moisture buildup since they are also resistant to water penetration.

5. Apron

When getting gifts for cooks, people usually overlook the apron because it seems like a decorative garment more than anything else, which is not the case. Aprons are quite protective since they prevent the wearer’s clothes from getting stained, considering that the kitchen can be a messy place. Most importantly, professional quality chef aprons are made from high-quality fabric that is flame and heat resistant, which protects the wearer from open flames and the spills and splatter of hot liquids. Don’t know where to get these kinds of aprons?

6. Cookbook

People who love to cook also love to experiment. They do this to try new delicious recipes and improve their cooking skills, and nothing helps them with these goals than a cookbook. This makes it a great gift idea for home cooks (or any cook for that matter) because it challenges them to step out of their comfort zones and spend more time in the kitchen.

With these great ideas in mind, you can finally get your favorite home cook a great present to show them how much you recognize and respect their love for cooking. Getting any one of these items is guaranteed to enhance their cooking experience, and you might even get a tasty meal out of it when they show you their gratitude.

Ereka Vetrini from TLC Creates Agua Fresca Beverage

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Have you heard of agua fresca? It’s a drink traditionally sold by street vendors throughout Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. This beverage—which is perfect for cooling down on warm days—has recently grown in popularity throughout the U.S. thanks to its refreshing quality.

Today, The Host of TLC’s Sunday Brunch, Ereka Vetrini will introduce you to the refreshing world of agua fresca, and share a few of her thirst-quenching recipes to get your readers prepped for spring and summer.

The recipes Ereka demonstrates will feature the recently released Agua Fresca line from Santa Cruz Organic®. As a pioneer organic brand, Santa Cruz Organic offers a variety of organic, 100 percent juices that you can feel good about drinking.

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Ereka will also share additional tips with our site very soon!

About Ereka Vetrini:

Ereka Vetrini is a TV Host, Lifestyle Expert, Brand Spokesperson, Producer, Blogger and proud mom of two! Tune-in to TLC Sunday Brunch on Sunday mornings as Ereka brings you the very best brunch & cocktail recipes, styling tips and so much more! Ereka is also the host of Lifetime’s Access Health where her and her team bring you the latest cutting-edge developments and innovations in medicine, nutrition and fitness, so women everywhere can take charge of their health, starting today! As the TV spokesperson for AllRecipes magazine, you can catch her in the kitchen at The Today Show, Meredith Vieira Showand The Better Show where she cooks up recipes created by home cooks from across the country. Ereka was the host of Easy Does It on Yahoo! where she interviewed authors, experts and celebrities to uncover everything you need to know about how to simplify family life. As a mother of two, Ereka enjoys spending every spare minute running after her 1st grader and preschooler. Check out her blog BeYOUtifulmoms.com to see how she balances it all and deals with her daily dose of mom guilt.

Fruttare Frozen Fruit Bars: Poptails Recipe

Check out the recipe (below) that’s Sunday Brunch approved!  Why not serve something different from the normal Mimosa or Bellani?  Poptail’s are made with Fruttare Frozen Fruit Bars.  Each one is:

  • Made with real fruit
  • Sourced from sustainably farmed fruit like strawberries, bananas, coconuts and limes
  • Appealing for all types of fruit lovers with nine refreshing varieties including Mango, Pineapple and Strawberry

 

Fruttare Frozen Fruit Bars are available at local retailers including Walmart, Ahold-Giant Food, Safeway, Shop Rite and Target. Plus, they’re a tasty treat you can feel good about eating.

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Mango Banana Sunshine Poptails

2 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

2 Fruttare® Mango Fruit and Juice Bars, chopped
1 1/2 cups ice cubes(about 9 to 11)
1 small banana, broken into chunks
3 Tbsp. orange juice

Process all ingredients in blender until smooth. Pour into 2 cocktail glasses.

Nutritional Information 2 servings :

Calories 120.00 , Calories from Fat 0 , Total Fat 0 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 0 mg, Total Carbs 29.00 g, Dietary Fiber 1.0 g, Sugars 19.00 g, Protein 1.00 g, Vitamin A 6.0 %, Vitamin C 40.0 %, Calcium 0 %, Iron 0 %