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So you love someone who loves to cook. Honestly, congrats! Yours is a world of more dishes but less takeout, full-blown brunch when you would’ve settled for a Pop-Tart, and cookies from scratch on a Tuesday night, just because. It is not the worst way to live.
When it comes to Valentine’s Day, however, things are not all rainbows and butter chicken: An avid home cook can be surprisingly hard to shop for. Most kitchen gift ideas fall squarely in the “need” category rather than “want,” which, on a day that favors the frivolous over the practical, can seem a little sad. But going too far in the other direction isn’t great either. Bulky single-use appliances or gimmicky pantry items may seem more fun, but in all likelihood they’ll go unused, taking up precious space all the while. There’s an exact right balance to strike, which we have total faith you’ll be able to do—but just in case, we’re also here to help.
This V-Day, to keep you from panic-buying something heart-shaped out of desperation, please accept this on-theme shopping guide. For every terrible cliché gift there’s a better option in the same spirit, perfect for your cookbook-collecting, recipe-riffing Valentine.
BUMMER: A big box of assorted chocolates → STUNNER: Bars they can use
Boxes of chocolate are all buildup and no payoff. The initial reveal is magical: rows of neatly nestled treats and a multi-page guide to what’s inside each one (debatably the best part; we love a manual). But after three bites it’s hard not to think, Are all of my teeth going to fall out? And also, What am I supposed to do with the rest of this?
This year give the gift of fancy chocolate without the burden of finding a home for dozens of leftover too-sweet truffles. For the baker in your life, snag a few of the highest quality baking bars you can find, ready to be chopped and folded into cookie dough, melted down into ganache, or mixed into a Valentine’s Day dessert the two of you can share. Add a bar or two for snacking to get those instant gratification points as well: err on the side of dark chocolate with a twist, mixed, perhaps, with dates and spiced biscuits or even ginger (a supposed aphrodisiac).
BUMMER: A dozen red roses → STUNNER: Plants with a purpose
Anything, literally anything—including a vase full of sticks—is preferable to a dozen roses. Even when they cost a ton (and they absolutely will cost more on Valentine’s Day), roses are the worst. You can absolutely do better!
If the object of your affection spends a lot of time in the kitchen, get them a little plant friend for the room instead. A countertop herb garden or indoor microgreens planter is a gift that keeps on giving pesto material or grain bowl toppers for seasons to come. If a green thumb is not one of the many wonderful qualities your loved one possesses, opt for a cute but nearly impossible to kill houseplant.
BUMMER: Perfume or cologne → STUNNER: Spice cabinet update
Giving perfume or cologne as a gift comes with some risks (not least of which is making the recipient think you have an issue with their personal hygiene). Unless you’re re-upping someone’s publicly-stated favorite scent, you’re likely not gonna nail it, and getting it even just a little bit wrong means they are never gonna use that stuff—ever. (No, really. Never.)
If you’re trying to impress an adventurous home cook, here’s what to get instead: a bunch of genuinely beautiful, seriously powerful, ethically sourced spices. A few of our favorite purveyors on the market even offer customizable gift sets that batch a few special items together, like Diaspora Co.'s Build Your Own Trio (we recommend going with the Kashmiri saffron / Pragati turmeric / Aranya pepper trifecta). At Burlap & Barrel, the Chef's Collection contains some of our favorite offerings from the company, including fruity Urfa chile (a perfect crudités topper) and the unparalleled cloud forest cardamom.
BUMMER: “Sexy” lingerie → STUNNER: Luxe linens
Look, if you’re thinking of buying your special friend some lingerie this Valentine’s Day, just don’t. There’s a very real chance you’re going to get it very, very wrong and they’ll end up with something itchy, ill-fitting, or uncomfortably strappy in all the wrong places.
Leave the underwear shopping up to the person who will be wearing it and instead treat the kitchen-lover in your life to some cool new (low stakes!) threads. A linen apron with a contemporary shape is always a classy move. Or, for a pop of color, splurge on some fun napkins or the type of hand-dyed kitchen towel they’ll want to hang on display rather than tuck away in a drawer.
BUMMER: Stuffed animal → STUNNER: Destructive kitchen tools
We swear this tracks. Cute and cuddly is definitely a move on Valentine’s Day, but if you’re over the age of 16, it’s probably not the move. Be honest with yourself: Does the intended recipient strike you as someone who needs something stuffed full of fluff or something with a bit of pulverizing power?
The Breville food processor readily won our product review: It’s hefty, intuitive, and packs some real muscle. It’s called the Sous Chef and lives up to its name. The Mac Knife 8" chef’s knife is another top-performer from our testing—and it is honestly not as violent a present as it sounds. In terms of successful gift-giving, this is the type of thing they’ll use every single day, and it can last a lifetime with proper care. Is your sweetie more of the pyromaniac persuasion (or just a fan of good lemon meringue pie)? Associate Editor Joe Sevier recommends a full-size blowtorch—none of that miniature business.
BUMMER: Cheesy greeting card → STUNNER: Single-subject cookbook
Grocery store greeting cards have a time (after a funeral) and a place (the pile of unopened mail by the door), and Valentine’s Day is definitely not it.
If you’re going to present your one true love with someone else’s words, at least make them useful words about something near and dear to their heart, like cheese, mixology, or baking. Giving the gift of a substantive single-subject cookbook shows your special someone that you’re here to support their deep dive into charcuterie boards, Japanese cocktails, or Chinese-inspired pastries (while likely benefitting from tastes and sips yourself). And if you really want to jot down a few words of loving affirmation, you can always inscribe the book.
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BUMMER: Jewelry or watch → STUNNER: Colorful glassware
Thanks to the Love Industrial Complex, Valentine’s Day looms large in our collective consciousness as a Make-or-Break Relationship Moment. It is, however, just a day—a Monday this year, even. By all means celebrate whatever and whomever is currently looking like love to you, but leave anything that feels stuffy, awkward, or unnecessarily grand out of the picture. Jewelry or watches make great serious birthday gifts, but we think you should spend this holiday having a little fun instead.
Get the party started with a set of rose-colored stemware, some smoky drinking glasses, or the perfect pair of lightly-tinted lowballs. Because when you get it right, and gift the perfect vessels in the perfect color, it says, “I know you and I dig your style and I want to drink things with you while we look longingly into whatever show we’re binge watching together for many Monday nights to come.” And if you really want hit it home, nothing says, “I”ll still be here in the morning,” like a set of matching coffee mugs.
BUMMER: A bottle of Champagne → STUNNER: A bottle of mezcal
Champagne is fun when you’re trying to celebrate something with a freaky pop and a price tag ranging from steep to oxygen-tank steep. And while it certainly is festive, bubbly doesn’t quite feel like a true gift—especially not a romantic one—since it disappears quickly and often resurfaces in the form of not-so-sexy burps.
Opt instead for something that will last a little longer (like you want your relationship to, of course!) and present your date with a bottle of smoky mezcal. Here are three that are tasty enough to sip but they’re also not so expensive you’ll feel bad mixing them into cocktails.
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BUMMER: Dinner at a fancy restaurant → STUNNER: Dinner at home
Do we need to tell you that dinner out on Valentine’s Day (in an average year) is amateur hour? Aside from forced prix fixe menus, the night is rife with drunk couples (yikes), annoyed servers (can you blame them?), and public proposals (always cringe, even when they work out). And eating out continues to pose a bunch of extra worries as well. Skip the drama and order in from your favorite place, or roll up your sleeves to craft a celebratory meal from the comfort of your own kitchen.
If you do go the homemade route, you’re gonna need to up your cooking game a little bit to make V-Day dinner at home one to remember; thankfully we know a website with a bunch of great Valentine’s dinner recipes you may want to reference. Here’s a sample menu to get the juices flowing:
