Lille Allen/Jordan Moss
Air fryers, fancy teas, kitchen clogs, and other gift-worthy luxuries for the VIP food lover
One of the trickier aspects of gift shopping is not only staying in-budget, but remaining truthful to the desires of your giftee. You also don’t have to spend one-third of your paycheck to sweep someone off their feet; throwing more money at a present that lacks direction does not a solution make (although we would gladly accept this rhinestone Judith Lieber sandwich purse for no reason at all). There are plenty of great gifts for under $100 out there for food-lovers, insatiable home cooks, and shellfish-lovers that deserve to feel seen through clam-emblazoned T-shirts.
Some of the best food-related holiday gifts also double as hints. Gifting your best friend a natural wine subscription is, after all, a clever way to ensure the presence of a funky orange wine the next time you have a movie night, and presenting your partner with some postmodern napkins is an excellent way to both spoil them, and protect your white bouclé sofa (a bold couch choice in the first place, no?).
We are, of course, about 90 percent kidding. But it is true that some of the best gifts, especially when it comes to food and cooking, are designed to be shared. That’s why we have rolled up our sleeves, and trawled the Web with our shrimp net to bring you the best food-related holiday gifts under $100, from an editor-loved Cosori air fryer that will not quit, to a midcentury-modern casserole dish that deserves its own AMC drama.
The best kitchen appliance gifts for under $100
Cosori air fryer
There was a time, not so long ago, when you couldn’t open TikTok without seeing a flurry of air fryer recipes. But if you’re still wondering which air fryer is worthy of taking up precious counter space, Eater editor Lesley Suter suggests Cosori. In her review of the six-quart fryer from the brand, Suter says that it made her fried chicken’s crust “deliciously shattery” — and without any need to clean up a hot, splattery oil mess.
Ninja blender
This Ninja blender touts itself as a “Total Crushing” device, which feels both very MMA and very promising for folks in search of creamy, perfectly blended milkshakes, smoothies, homemade ice cream, and more. That’s where the BN701 delivers with 1,200 watts of power, durable stainless steel blades, and a dishwasher-safe container for easier clean-up making it the perfect gift for both the home cook who loves making their own hummus, or your protein powder smoothie-fanatic significant other.
KitchenAid 7-cup food processor
This 7-cup food processor from KitchenAid would be the perfect present for the family member who needs to upgrade from their wonky 1980s food processor (as cool as it might look), or for the friend who is finally learning to cook, and outfitting their kitchen with the best cooking tools and countertop appliances for beginners. KitchenAid’s food processor has a non-intimidating, one-click lift-off lid and multiple blade speed settings (low, medium, and high), as well as a multi-purpose disc designed just for shredding and slicing.
The best cookware gifts for under $100
Dansk Købenstyle casserole
Eat your heart out, Don Draper. Dansk debuted its clever Købenstyle casserole (the lid moonlights as a trivet) in 1956, and it has been at the heart of shag rug-heavy conversation pit hangs, potluck dinners, and chilly winter evenings ever since. The casserole is made out of durable carbon steel that can withstand temperatures of up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and the enamel coating makes for easy clean up.
Le Creuset pizza stone
For the home cook who has just about every Le Creuset skillet, Dutch oven, and mug on the market, we propose the rarest of Pokémons: the Le Creuset pizza stone. Made in the heritage brand’s signature cerise colorway, this stoneware slab is designed to evenly distribute heat and provide uniform browning for a perfectly crispy crust.
Lodge cast-iron set
Some of my best and longest relationships have been with my Lodge cast-iron skillets. When cared for and seasoned correctly, as with all things in life, they can really go the distance. This five-piece set will make for a whopper of a present, and equip your lucky giftee with a griddle, two skillets, a Dutch oven, and a handy lid from the heritage cast-iron brand.
Ruffoni pudding mold
Puddings are overdue for a bit more mainstream fanfare. Besides, can you imagine eating banana pudding that was made in a mold from the Italian Alps? Ruffoni’s cookware is always a flex, but owning one of the cookware brand’s pudding molds feels especially unique, and will definitely add some clout to your giftee’s baking shelf.
Great Jones sheet set
Why shouldn’t sheet pans be colorful? Even the most basic cookware and baking tools can transform into giftable objects when given a splash of color. Great Jones has been rolling out the kind of sturdy and bright kitchenware that often goes overlooked in the aesthetics department (raspberry-colored cooling rack, anyone?), and our roasted broccolini has been grateful ever since.
All-Clad double burner griddle
A double burner griddle in the culinary equivalent of owning a California king size bed. Seriously, though, the gift of an ample griddle is like bestowing someone with a Sims extension pack that can both enrich and streamline their cooking processes. Serving stacks upon stacks of silver dollar pancakes for multiple, hungry mouths has never been more possible.
Eater x Heritage Steel 8.5-inch fry pan
A favorite of Eater’s special projects director Lesley Suter — and a shameless but intentional Eater self-plug — this 8.5-inch fry pan would make for a versatile addition to a new cook’s kitchen, or anyone looking to upgrade from the dingy, slightly-burnt skiller that they have been holding onto from college (guilty). As Suter says, “it seems small, but is weirdly the pan I use most!” There’s a reason we made this pan, after all.
The best edible gifts for under $100
Vosges Chocolate comfort food tower
Hats off to Vosges, which has created a chocolate gift box — sorry, tower — in which there are truly no flavor misses, just a symphony of fluffy caramel marshmallows, caramel toffee, and peanut butter bonbons wrapped up in a shiny, regal purple bow.
Flamingo Estate balsamic vinegar and olive oil gift box
I imagine that the minds behind Flamingo Estate, the consistently beautiful but over-the-top California lifestyle brand, recline on Ladakhi cashmere thrones while saying things like, “Why shouldn’t we make honey in Will Ferrel’s yard?” The brand consistently outdoes itself with its luxury pantry goods, and its balsamic vinegar and olive oil duo is no exception. The olive oil is harvested from 150-year-old trees in California (by a fourth-generation olive farmer, no less), while the balsamic vinegar is aged in oak barrels to achieve a deep, rich taste according to the brand. This year, the duo is wrapped up in a delightful art nouveau-inspired package that your giftee will be tempted to keep long after unwrapping.
For the cook who wants to add some more variety into their chili crisp rotation , order up Fly By Jing’s Sichuan chili crisp gift set, which includes the cult-fave brand’s marquee Sichuan Chili Crisp, Xtra Spicy Chili Crisp (think, three times the heat of the original), Sweet & Spicy Zhong, and Chengdu Crunch. The cherry on top for your giftee? A complimentary wood spoon is also tucked inside that bright red gift box.
Mackenzie-Childs courtly planters
Here’s an idea: Pick up some potted thyme, rosemary, and basil from your local supermarket or bodega, and present them to your giftee in this trio of delightful planters by Mackenzie-Childs, the original queen of the check print trend.
The best coffee gifts for under $100
Cosori electric gooseneck kettle
Using a gooseneck kettle is the equivalent of taking your pouring skills to cotillion class, because it allows for an even more precise pour than your average electric kettle, as well as a more gradual and even absorption by the beans or tea leaves of your choice. The Birkin bag of gooseneck kettles is undoubtedly the Fellow Stagg electric kettle, but Cosori’s iteration is an excellent alternative with quite a few tricks up its sleeve; the kettle has an hour-long “keep warm” function, and a series of easy, one-touch preset buttons designed for different brewing techniques and teas, from oolong to green.
Alessi Pulcina espresso maker
There are moka pots, and then there’s the Alessi Pulcina espresso maker, which looks like it belongs in the 1922 Bauhaus ballet.
Nguyen Coffee Supply Vietnamese coffee brew kit
Nguyen Coffee Supply is the first Vietnamese coffee importer and roaster in the U.S., and its coffee brew kit comes with almost everything you need to try your hand at making Vietnamese-style coffee at home (handily enough, you can add condensed milk to your cart from the site), including a phin filter, two bags of coffee, and a glass mug and coffee scoop set.
The best tea gifts for under $100
Golde matcha kit
I know a small but vocal handful of people who will not stop talking about how much they want to swap their morning coffee routine for matcha (which generally contains less caffeine). Golde’s at-home matcha kit comes with a USB-rechargeable frother and ceremonial grade matcha, a label that is earned only when a matcha is worthy of what is called koicha preparation in the tea ceremony thanks to its high-quality, thick texture, and more complex flavor. (All facts that your giftee will love preaching this to their housemate as they froth their matcha.)
Palais des Thés advent calendar
Advent calendars are essentially 25 gifts in one, and there’s no reason to adhere so strictly to their Christmas-related countdown. With liberated logic in mind, why not give the tea aficionado in your life Passionate tea drinkers love to dissect the subtle differences between various blends, and Palais des Thé’s 2024 advent calendar is ready to quench that thirst with its comprehensive selection of teas, which includes everything from Tahitian rooibos to genmaicha await. Pair it with a personality mug (please see: this striped mug from Ekua Ceramics) to really make your giftee feel loved, and don’t sleep on the rest of the food- and drink-related advent calendars this season.
Flowerhead Tea rose garden gift set
The digital shelves of Flowerhead Tea, a “one-hundred percent lady-owned brand” based in Los Angeles, California, are stocked with loose leaf teas, chai kits, powders, and the kinds of kitsch teapots you would get into a bidding war over at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. Its Rose Garden Gift set comes with two blends to sip, the Double Mint Rose Green Tea and a decaffeinated rooibos, as well a rose, lavender, and calendula bath soak, an organic rose CBD hydrosol mister (think, Oscar Wilde’s take on Evian face spray), and Le Anis de Flavigny rose mints.
The best booze and NA beverage gifts for under $100
Eater Wine Club subscription
… Of course Eater created a wine subscription (and, yes, of course I am singing its praises). Give your wine savvy friend, parent, or partner the gift of unending wine with Eater’s two bottle per month wine subscription, which sends the lucky recipient a selection of restaurant-quality wines curated by one of Eater’s wine pros. Each month also has a theme, which will give your giftee the added joy of being able to boast about their knowledge of, say, jammy whites from the Loire Valley or Italian reds that will make them feel like Diane Lane in Under the Tuscan Sun.
Ghia non-alcoholic cocktail box
For those who love a complex and botanical bitter — be it in cocktails or splashed in a seltzer — Ghia’s non-alcoholic aperitif has really proven its bar cart chops since launching in 2020. The brand’s cocktail box includes its signature aperitif, a fancy little pouring spout, a color blocking glass made in collaboration with the artist Sophie Lou Jacobsen, little glass stir sticks, and two coasters. (Last year’s drop sold out fast, so perhaps don’t sit on this purchase for too long.)
Maison Balzac cocktail glass
Maison Balzac specializes in making the kinds of home and kitchen goods that you screenshot and send to at least two friends immediately (please see: the lobster-inspired apron in this non-boring apron round-up), and its hand-blown cocktail glass features a forever-cherry that will instantly dress up your next at-home Manhattan.
The best tabletop gifts for under $100
Mosser Glass bathing beauty dish
The words “Mosser Glass” may ring a bell for those lucky enough to have visited Madonna Inn, AKA the grande dame of kitsch California roadside hotels. The glassware company is behind the hotel’s iconic retro-medieval goblets and bathing beauty dish, which should absolutely hold the aperitivo snacks and dips of your choice from home.
Hotel Elma airbrushed tartan napkins
Cloth napkins don’t get enough appreciation, and perhaps that’s because we only expect them to grace our tables on special occasions, but take it from us: it is pretty fantastic to give someone the ability of having chic, soft, reusable napkins on-hand all the time. Let this set of airbrushed tartan napkins dress up everything from your giftee’s next fondue party to their at-desk lunch. It’s the kind of gift that will remind them of how much you value the little things, which makes it all the sweeter.
Henry Holland Studio pasta bowl
And now, for a pasta bowl that feels like it comes from the same family as Fruit Stripe zebra gum. Every friend group has at least one person who preaches what I call the Interesting Salad Gospel, and they deserve a bowl whose green and blue hues will make their cherry tomato- and beet-heavy salads pop.
Polspotten wood tray set
The surest way into an organized host’s heart is to offer them not just a tray for organizing drinks, trinkets, cheese spreads, etc., but a series of nesting trays that can be aesthetically stashed away in plain view and out of sight.
Selena Liu serving spoon
Aside from looking like they were plucked from a garden, these wood serving spoons by Selena Liu solve the problem of not being able to load up your salad tongs with a hefty serving. There’s also an eternal allure to the idea of gifting serving spoons; they feel substantial in size and, unlike cutlery or glassware, you know that they’re not always beholden to being part of a set.
The best food-related apparel and accessories gifts for under $100
Maison Balzac lobster apron
Told you it was unforgettable. But, in case you missed the aforementioned rant about how cool everything from Maison Balzac is, please take this lobster apron as proof.
Lisa Says Gah cheeseburger T-shirt
Leave it to Lisa Says Gah to give us a series of T-shirts with trompe l’oeil foods, including this juicy Boardwalk food-inspired burger, which is perfect for the friend who was first in-line to get a taste of the new Kellogg’s Diner in Brooklyn.
Neighborhood Spot La Bonbonniere hoodie
La Bonbonniere has been a New York City institution since the 1950s, is home to a pretty incredible grilled cheese on rye sandwich. The diner has been further immortalized in the form of a sweatshirt from Neighborhood Spot (and a drawing from local art legends, the Cevallos Brothers), an organization that supports local restaurants, businesses, and charities through the creation of merchandise.
Kate Spade ketchup packet necklace
No complaints on drips here. This sparkling ketchup packet is perfect for the friend or partner who always brings a fistful of packets to the table at In-N-Out.
Snibbs Clog
Is this meant to be a chef shoe? Yes. But special projects director Lesley Suter (who is very much not a chef) has found it to be her perfect everything shoe. “It’s the first pair I slide on to run to the market, meet a friend for coffee, or just walk around the house. I get so many compliments on them, and my husband already asked for a pair for his Christmas gift.” It’s as if the Keebler elves stopped making cookies, and started making surprisingly chic slip-on clogs. Whoever you were planning on giving slippers to this year, give these instead.
