- Find the perfect holiday gift for anyone you love.
- Available on Amazon for last-minute shopping.
- And a third thing?
Your guide to
A Matter of Taste
Your guide to a modern kitchen. Whether it’s cooking, brewing, organizing, or cleaning, this guide has you covered.
OXO Good Grips Silicone Cooking Colander
This is the one and only colander every kitchen needs. I also own the larger version with two handles, but I almost never use it, because this one is so convenient. It collapses to practically nothing, so it doesn’t take up any space. It also hooks conveniently onto a saucepan if you want to really streamline the process.
Lodge Pre-Seasoned Skillet
Lodge has been making skillets in Tennessee for more than a century. Cast iron is making a comeback in the kitchen lately, with its natural anti-stick properties and the fact that it gets better with age (a rare thing these days), and this is the skillet you should buy.
Bialetti Moka Express
I first fell in love with the Bialetti Moka Express while visiting Italy. Everyone I visited had one, and the coffee was fantastic. Luckily, this little taste of heaven is inexpensive, too. It’s a fantastic gift for anyone who drinks coffee.
Aerolatte Deluxe Edition Milk Frother with Stand
There are lots of ways to froth milk, but most of us simply don’t bother. We make regular coffee at home, or we splurge and buy a latte (or flat white) from the local coffee shop. This little device helps bridge the gap by making it extremely easy to add some frothy goodness to a good cup of coffee or espresso. It’s inexpensive enough that you can afford the really good one. This makes a great companion to the Bialetti Moka Express.
OXO Good Grips 8-Piece Clip Set
It’s amazing how much more organized my pantry is thanks to these simple clips. The big one is good for your largest (or most frequently used) bag of chips, and the smaller ones are good for everything else. The three smallest clips are replacements for bread ties and the like, only way more convenient to use.
OXO Good Grips Dustpan Brush Set
This is another kitchen product I own that gets used daily. Put this in a convenient spot, and you’ll never be dissuaded from cleaning something up immediately. OXO makes ordinary products seem extraordinary, and this broom exhibits attention to detail from the handle of the broom to the edge of the dustpan.
Kyocera Ceramic Coffee Grinder
Most coffee grinders are more like weed wackers than actual coffee grinders. If you want to do things right, you can splurge on something like the Capresso Burr Grinder or the Breville Smart Grinder, or you can buy a good hand grinder like this. Given the price difference, I recommend this one.
Frieling French Press
Most people equate Bodum with the French Press, but other than an Espro Press, which is quite a bit more expensive, you simply can’t compare to the Frieling. The thermal carafe means your delicious press pot of coffee stays hot, ’cause no one likes lukewarm coffee.
Mr. Beer Premium Gold Edition Beer Kit
My beer nerd friends would never endorse the use of a kit, but for the rest of us, kits are a great first step toward brewmastery. If you know someone who loves beer but doesn’t yet brew, this just might be the perfect gift.
Stelton Vacuum Jug
Need to keep coffee or tea hot for six hours or more? Well, probably not, but isn’t it nice to know you could? Look, we all know someone with a handful of cheap travel mugs for coffee. This replaces all of those. It’s from Germany and has the exceptional attention to detail you’d expect from a well-crafted German product. Read the reviews.
Tovolo King Cube Ice Trays
Big, square cubes aren’t just great for cocktails, they’re also great for any drink you want to keep cold. One big cube is all you need, and the silocone tray is easy to manage. Maybe buy this one for yourself, and make professional cocktails for your Christmas party.
Lodge Cast Iron Pizza Pan
Homemade pizza is delicious and fun to make. Seriously. These days, you can buy pre-made pizza dough and sauce, or you can make your own. This makes a great gift for a couple or a family, because everyone loves pizza.
Simplehuman Grocery Bag Holder
Paper or plastic? If you choose plastic, chances are you accumulate a lot of plastic bags. This simple grocery bag holder makes it easy to stash them away for reuse later, so you can feel a little less guilty about your choice.
Brabantia Trash Bin
A trash bin may be an odd choice for a Christmas gift, but most people simply don’t have one nearly this nice. It feels weird to say this, but I love this bin, and I use it many, many times every day. The only downside is the price, but if you’re buying this for someone who shares a living space with you, it’s a win-win.