Our Best Holiday Gifts for Serious Home Cooks

Monsieur Vossot’s Côte de Boeuf Kitchen Prep + A151106 WSOK + The Cooks Atelier + Beaune France

You already know that Williams Sonoma is the ultimate destination for all things kitchen-related. From sprinkles to sous vide machines, we’ve got it all. What you may not know is just where to start when it comes to shopping for serious home cooks. What to get someone who already spends loads of time in the kitchen and has cabinets full of tools and gadgets? We can help you with that.

Here are 13 of our best gifts of the season.

1. Anova Precision Sous Vide Cooker with Wi-Fi, $130

In case it wasn’t obvious, we absolutely had to include a sous vide machine in this gift guide. And not just any sous vide machine—the Anova Precision Sous Vide Cooker. Designed to work with any pot, this device also syncs with an app that includes time and temperature guides, recipes and lets cooks monitor the process from their cell phones. This is the perfect gift for anyone who loves tinkering around in the kitchen.

2. Williams Sonoma White Marble Mortar & Pestle, from $80

Real home cooks prefer to freshly crush their own spices (doing so releases more of their aromatic essential oils than chopping or food processing), and this will do the trick. Made out of marble and acacia wood, the pestle was designed for maximum contact with the mortar to make quicker work of the task. This way, the recipient can spend more time cooking (and eating!) and less time prepping.

3. Breville The Smart Oven Pizzaiolo, $800

We’ve been waiting for months to introduce this new indoor pizza maker form Breville and it’s finally here! Sure to impress the most discerning pie aficionados, this compact countertop oven reaches temperatures of up to 750°F. It can make Neapolitan pizzas and has settings for frozen, pan, New York, thin and crispy and wood-fired pizzas. Just get everyone in the family to chip in.

4. KitchenAid Vegetable Sheet Cutter Attachment, $100

Forget spiralizers! What the healthy eater in your life really needs is this Vegetable Sheet Cutter. It attaches to a KitchenAid stand mixer and turns produce into thin (1.3 millimeters) or thick (1.8 millimeters) noodle-like sheets. Ideal for, say, zucchini lasagna, cucumber wraps, sweet potato chips and more, this attachments turns a stand mixer into a produce-slicing machine that’s super fun to watch.

5. Williams Sonoma Ultimate Walnut Utensils, $136 for eight

One can never have too many wooden utensils (because they can be used on all sorts of cookware including nonstick, stainless steel and enameled cast iron). Which means this set—made up of a few spoons, a ladle, whisk and more—is beautiful and practical. The pieces have gently tapered handles, making them comfortable to hold, too.

6. Staub Cast-Iron Round Cocotte, from $160

A few months ago, we actually got to go to the Staub factory in France to see how these cast iron pieces get made and it blew our collective minds. (Did you know the liquid cast iron is poured into molds made of sand?! Sand!) These pieces are high quality and no semi-serious home cook should be without one. The 5.5-quart size is the most versatile, but any size can easily be put to good use.

7. Wüsthof Classic Chef’s Knife, from $60

We’ve heard some chefs and kitchen pros call this knife “perfect” and we totally agree. Made in Germany with a full-tang blade, it’s balanced, comfortable in any hand, durable and super precise. Chances are, a serious home cook already has a chef’s knife, but if she doesn’t have this one, she’ll be pumped to receive it. And if she does already have it, well, there’s no harm in owning two—especially when one is already dirty and in the sink.

8. Williams Sonoma Walnut Handled Prep Cutting Board, from $80

A cutting board that’s so pretty, it can also be used as a cheese or serving board? Who wouldn’t want that? Handcrafted in the United States from North American walnut, this board features a unique trapezoid shape that actually helps corral foods as they’re chopped. Did we mention it’s also pretty?

9. FINEX Cast-Iron Copper Coil Fry Pan, $300

If your dad is obsessed with his Lodge cast iron pan, consider getting him an upgrade. This heirloom-quality fry pan features a special quick-cooling ergonomic spring handle and comes with a cast iron lid. It’s also preseasoned with organic flaxseed oil so he can start using it right away (read: when you all want cornbread and bacon on Christmas morning).

10. Williams Sonoma Dial Display Oven Thermometer, $20

We firmly believe that every oven—old or new—needs a standalone thermometer. (You’d be amazed at how many built-in thermometers totally miss the mark!) Put this in your sister’s stocking and she’ll always be able to get an accurate report of what’s going on in her oven.

11. Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Blender, from $600

Ask any professional chef to name the most helpful kitchen tools and the Vitamix is sure to get mentioned toward to the top of that list. The Ascent is one of the brand’s newest models and it can detect the size of the container that’s placed on the base and automatically adjust its settings. It practically runs itself so that your favorite cook can tend to whatever’s on the stove.

12. All-Clad 5-Level Electric Indoor Grill with AutoSense, $300

For those who just can’t wait for the weather to warm up, there’s this this countertop electric grill. It employs automatic sensor technology to detect the thickness of whatever’s added to it and adjust the temperature and cook time accordingly. Preprogrammed with nine different cooing modes (and a Frozen setting to defrost and grill ingredients straight from the freezer), this smart appliance is like the sous chef your grill master never had.

13. SCANPAN TechnIQ Nonstick Modern Skillet, from $100

Jacques Pepin, French culinary master, loves himself a nonstick skillet—especially when it comes to making eggs. We feel the same way—especially when it comes to this nonstick skillet. We teamed up with professional chefs and the designers of Denmark’s eco-friendly SCANPAN to come up with the first line of commercial-grade nonstick cookware for everyday cooking. It’s durable, ergonomic and incredibly dependable. Gift this skillet to start, and then add this saucepan for the next occasion in 2019.

Get more gift guides, recipes, and holiday ideas at our Williams Sonoma Holiday Headquarters.