Moxie Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 My MIL has a birthday coming up and Christmas, of course. She is a real foodie. She loves trying new things, dining out, cooking, talking about food, all of it. Any gift ideas?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Do you have a Trader Joe's? I saw a nice gift set of different salts and also one of different spice blends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 No. Boo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Ivy Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Spice Blends, salt blends, cooking classes, food of the month clubThis food of the month looks really cool! I would love it! Like a mini adventure each time. http://www.zingermans.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=G-1-Z ETA: Amazon has a lot of the spice/oil/salt blends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 What about going to UrbanSpoon and getting her a gift certificate to some of the cool/popular new restaurants that she hasn't tried? Gift certificate for cooking lessons? Zingermans has great stuff for foodies. Look for the ships free for a flat rate stuff. We have friends who love their special sausages and bacon. Cookbooks are always good. Does she have chefs she likes/admires? What about a v-slicer (mandoline), dasher (cookie scoop), or something like that? Amazon has this salt sampler http://www.amazon.com/The-Gourmet-Sea-Salt-Sampler/dp/B002NO2ITC/ref=pd_sim_sbs_gro_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0CY3QW4R31S0MJCB97GX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 I would check out William Sonoma website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Ok, I guess I should clarify. I live in a small Midwestern town. I have WalMart and Target. All gifts are ordered online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 My sister loves to cook with unique ingredients. For her birthday I got her a tasting box from Hatchery. They send a sampler of unusual or gourmet items, along with recipes, etc. There is a monthly subscription option, but I just got her one month (there was a deal on Groupon). She LOVED it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeghanL Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Have you heard of Molecular Gastronomy? I'm getting my husband this set: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006M64H7S/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=15Q21XTP1LQ9S&coliid=I1LLZ2S249YUIV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Are you looking for food items? If so, Amazon has some nice organic specialty items. If you are looking for gadgets, I'd try Williams Sonoma, Sur la Table; for more old-fashioned, harder to find items lehmans.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 www.penzeys.com does nice gift sets and has some unusual or (to me) or less common spices, blends, etc. There are multiple businesses selling gourmet specialty oils and vinegars (www.doveoliveoil.com is one that we've sampled in one of their stores). We once received a shiitake mushroom patch from White Flower Farms that was fun (grow your own shiitake mushrooms). Cheesemaking kit https://www.thegrommet.com/gifts/cooking/urban-cheesecraft-diy-cheese-kits ? Samplers of any kind of food---cheese, honey, sausage, coffee, tea, that sort of thing. The locavore movement is pretty big among some foodies--maybe a gift certificate or gift basket from a local farm, cheesemaker, restaurant that uses local ingredients, etc, either from your area or hers? Are you familiar with Moravian cookies (paperthin crispy cookies in various flavors, particularly sugar or ginger)? Dewey's bakery has great ones (the chocolate backed ginger ones are very addictive), as well as cheese straws, sugar cake, etc www.deweys.com or you can order from Old Salem (a restored Moravian settlement here in NC)--http://shop.oldsalem.org/category/old_salem_foods. I find the Dewey's cookies and sugar cake to be equally as good as Winkler's, personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Penzey's has excellent gift sets. If she is a foodie, avoid the ones that have premixed combos. She is going to be wanting to mix up her own blends. If you're going for something more pricey, Williams Sonoma has vertical indoor planters that I think would be perfect for fresh herbs. Pampered Chef has the best salad spinner I have ever seen. Williams Sonoma has chef's aprons that can be monogrammed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 D'Artagnan has nice food gifts. http://www.dartagnan.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWillSoar Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 I ordered these spice mixes for my inlaws and free shipping over $50. DH loves their Ghost Curry Salt and we've bought a few others that we really like. http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/spice-gift-sets/great-american-flavors.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Also, if you want to try a cookbook, here are some uber foodie ones that are new enough that she might not have them: This one is gorgeous, practically a coffee table book: http://www.amazon.com/Manresa-Edible-Reflection-David-Kinch/dp/1607743973 http://www.amazon.com/Cowgirl-Creamery-Cooks-Sue-Conley/dp/1452111634/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417639997&sr=1-1&keywords=cowgirl+cheese+cookbook http://www.amazon.com/Heirloom-Beans-Recipes-Spreads-Salads/dp/0811860698/ref=asap_B001JS6CSQ_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417640102&sr=1-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 I love Chukar Cherries products. https://www.chukar.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 I want a Mrs. Field's cast iron cookie gift set for Christmas, mostly because it comes with a 3" cast iron skillet (so cute). You can find it on Amazon for about $20 or at Kirland's (store, I don't know if the have a website) for $10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 If you want cooking stuff vs. actual food, does she have an electric pressure cooker? You could do something like the instapot combined with a cookbook. I would ask if she has any interest in something like that first, however. Zoodler? (vegetable spiralizer) I assume she has a dutch or french oven? (Le Creuset or the one Costco sells) Bummer no TJs. They have some great stuff this time of the year. Truffle salt, sets of nut oils, etc. If all else fails, look at Sur la Table and Williams Sonoma like PPs suggested. Mortar and pestle? Depending on budget, prepay for a CSA membership? Thermapen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 I'm a foodie!!!! One of my new favorite obsessions is going to this oil and vinegar tap room in Annapolis. http://seasonstaproom.com Oh my. You have not tasted balsamic vinegar until you have tried these. Seriously. We *LOVE* them!! So far, my two favorite balsamic vinegars are the blackberry ginger, and red apple. Holy cow. Our favorite olive oil is Hojiblanca. I know, you think- what? Oil is oil. And vinegar??? But *trust me*. This stuff tastes completely different from the junk you get at the grocery store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Penzey's currently has a gift box that is half price- so right now it's $10 and includes four spices. They have two new boxes but my favorite for your mom would be the one that includes the kitchen towel that says "Love People. Cook Them Tasty Food". The towels are large, soft, and absorbent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 My MIL has a birthday coming up and Christmas, of course. She is a real foodie. She loves trying new things, dining out, cooking, talking about food, all of it. Any gift ideas?? A rough budget would be useful, but my Mom loves the Oxo "good grips" kitchen tools, as they are much easier for her to use as she gets older, and they are a kind of "little luxury" she'd never buy for herself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 What about a cooking magazine subscription? I'm a foody and I'd love that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickerplum Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Cooking class? Specialty baking flours or extracts? I agree on Williams Sonoma - I've purchased olive oil and balsamic vinegar from them for quite a few foodie/hard to buy for recipients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 If you are looking for a magazine subscription that is somewhat unusual, you could try Art Culinaire. They are actually hard cover books with no advertising rather than your typical recipe magazine, so rather hard-core, but someone who is really interested in food might enjoy them. They have recipes, lots of nice photos, and chef profiles. I'd say it is geared toward professionals, sort of the American version of the fabulous Thuries Gastronomie magazine (which I would recommend if she reads French). And a freebie: she should check out my friend Shola's blog, not recently updated,, but filled with inspiring photos and loads of interesting ideas: http://www.studiokitchen.com/studio-kitchen (I am pretty sure it was he who gifted me my first issue of ArtCulinaire.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel-in-CA Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 King Arthur flour sells tons of baking tools and equipment as well as special extracts, spices, and baking mixes. Their catalog is a great read and always has recipes to try. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop-home/index.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Brand&utm_keyword=King%20Arthur%20Flour&gclid=Cj0KEQiAhvujBRDUpomG5cq_mI0BEiQA7TYq-svgR7AOqZ5iHRez1nrmaMMRJ9aSCtFfQIS8rwYcXPEaAjYK8P8HAQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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