11 Practical Christmas Gifts for the Kitchen
Looking for practical Christmas gifts to give to your loved ones this season? I’ve got you covered with these kitchen tools that are perfect for cooking up delicious plant-based foods all year long.
If you have a plant-powered cook on your shopping list, I’ve got you covered with these practical Christmas gifts for the kitchen. Take my advice and select one of my favorite handy-dandy kitchen tools—straight from my own kitchen—perfect for doling out delicious, plant-based meals all year long! I hope that you enjoy the holidays with the ones that you love. And remember to spend some fun time in the kitchen, creating happy, healthy memories!
11 Practical Christmas Gifts for the Kitchen
1. Tofu Press. I love my tofu press! I use it all of the time! If you press your tofu, you remove excess liquid, which allows the tofu to embrace all of the rich flavors in your cooking. It’s so easy to use: just plop a square of tofu in the container, twist on the lid, and let it drain the excess liquid away in minutes. You can even twist on the lid and store it in your frig to use right before meal time preparation. Plus, it comes with a handy lid for storing the pressed tofu in the frig when you’re done. Better yet, the tofu slicer (an extra piece) fits perfectly into the tofu press container to cube the tofu in seconds! I use this handy device a few times each week! Price: $48.95
2. Black Pepper Grinder. I rely on a good, hand-cranked black pepper mill several times a day. First of all, black pepper is an indispensable ingredient in a plant-based kitchen. You can use it in almost every savory dish, and even some baked goods and desserts! It adds just the right amount of heat to a dish without overpowering it. Plus, it can help you trim the added salt in your diet. And, black pepper is rich in the compound piperine, which contains antioxidant properties. Just another reason to focus on a vibrantly seasoned diet! But the best way to enjoy black pepper is to use a mill and whole peppercorns so that you get a dose of freshly ground black pepper with your meals and in cooking. Price: $19.99
3. Lemon Juicer. Here’s another handy kitchen tool that I use constantly. It’s a simple, hand-held lemon juicer. I used to pull out my automatic citrus juicer to juice lemons, but then discovered the easy simplicity of a hand juicer. When you use lemons as much as I do, this little gadget comes in handy! I rely on lemons for everything: salad dressings, cooking (soups, casseroles, veggie dishes), baking, and beverages. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I have three lemon trees (I know, I’m spoiled; here’s one of my fresh lemons pictured!) But I think lemons add so much fresh, bright flavor and health to dishes. And this little juicer is so inexpensive, yet so useful. Just slice the lemon in half, place it in the tool, press down the top, and let the juice flow directly into your favorite foods. Price: $14.99
4. Slow Cooker. I know. I have a whole chapter dedicated to slow cookers in my book, Plant-Powered for Life, but I just love these handy cooking devices! When you are a plant-powered eater, especially, slow cookers come in handy. Just toss in soaked beans, whole grains, veggies, seasonings, a can of tomatoes, and some water; and then push the button and a meal-in-one is waiting for you at the end of the day! Plus, you lock in all of those fragrant flavors and healthful nutrients when you put the lid on the slow cooker while it gently simmers away. Do your loved one a favor and buy them a slow cooker for the holidays. Price: $189.99
5. Small Blender. This is hands down one of the most widely used kitchen tools in my kitchen, as I use for all of my small blending needs. It comes with four small 16-ounce containers that you can fill with fruit and veggies to make smoothies in seconds (I make one for my sons every day!); and a 32-ounce blender container for bigger jobs. The thing that is great about this device is its size. Most of the time you don’t need a giant blender to get the job done! Especially for smoothies, pesto, and sauces. So, it takes up less space on your countertop, and the cleanup is easier, too. Plus, this little guy has a lot of power! There are other appliances out there with similar price ranges and functionality, too. Price: $99.75
6. Microplane. I love this handy little microplane! It’s small, comes with a little clip-on cover so you don’t scratch up your drawers (or your fingers when digging around in said drawers), and is the perfect tool to do a number of culinary tasks. As pictured, it’s great for zesting citrus, such as lemons, orange, and lime. In addition, I love it for grating fresh garlic and ginger. You can even enlist it to create scored fruits, and garnishes. These wholesome, vibrant plant-based flavorings add so much shine—and health—to your dishes. One of the best things about this tool is that you can hold it directly over the mixing bowl, pot, or pan that you need the ingredient added to. Then drop the microplane into the dishwasher to clean it up. Best yet, it’s inexpensive! Price: $10.99
7. Immersion Blender. I bought this immersion hand blender recently to test its use in recipes. I wanted to see if it could truly replace a counter top blender, especially for those who have small kitchens or are just starting to build up their appliance inventory. And, indeed, it did the job for just about everything I tried: blended soups, smoothies, sauces, pesto, desserts, and even vegan mayonnaise. It’s easy to use, powerful, simple to take apart and clean (just one button pops off the wand, which can be tossed into02 the dishwasher), and takes up little space in your storage area. Plus, it’s sleek design is pretty! Price: $129.99
8. Olive Oil Sprayer. I can’t live without my little olive oil sprayer. You just fill it up with your favorite olive oil, pump it, and spray a fine layer of olive oil on your favorite foods. One of the benefits of this sprayer is that you don’t get such an accumulation of oil on your foods, which can help cut back on the calories a bit. I know olive oil is healthy, but not when you dump a quarter cup (480 calories) on your pasta! It’s great for salads, sautés, pasta, and vegetables. One of the best uses for the olive oil sprayer is for the grilling of veggies. It’s perfect for spraying on while you’re grilling, which reduces the amount you add to the marinade. Plus, it’s reasonably priced, and I think the brushed aluminum one is pretty. Price: $9.99
9. Tea Press. My little tea press has seen many happy tea times! It’s such a useful, delightful kitchen tool. First of all, it allows you to brew up a small pot of loose leaf tea, which is often the freshest, highest quality tea you can find. And tea is such a healthy plant-powered beverage I recommend all of the time! This little teapot takes up little room in your kitchen, too. Price: $49.95
10. Rabbit Ears Corkscrew. If you’ve ever tried a rabbit ears corkscrew (so named because it resembles a rabbit head with its long “ears” extending back), you know you may never go back to an old-fashioned wine corkscrew! I know, real wine experts still favor traditional corkscrews, but I’ve studied wine and it doesn’t make me any better at opening a bottle! You really just plop this device on top of a wine bottle, push down the “ear” handle, pull it back up, and voila: the cork is retrieved instantly, with nary a remnant of disintegrated cork in your wine bottle. Price: $12.99
11. Vegan Cookbooks. And finally, every plant-powered kitchen should have a great plant-powered cookbook! My books have hundreds of recipes which I hand-crafted in my own kitchen, and tested on my own family. Each recipe had to be tested at least four times to get the thumbs up and make it into my book. I hope that you will find it a wonderful addition to your gift list this year. And, if you order it by December 20, I’ll sign it for your special someone and deliver it directly to them by Christmas!