Talk about considerate. Giving a vegetarian, vegan or vegetable-loving cook friend a tool specifically for their needs is the sweetest (or, er, savory-est). And boy, do we have good tools for them! Think: the prettiest artichoke tool; the coolest butternut squash helper. Just search “vegetable tools,” on our site, consider your loved one’s go-to dishes, and get inspired.
Below are a few of our most popular veggie-friendly items, plus the recipes we love to make using them.
1. Vegetable Roasting Tools
They don’t eat salads, but their home is always redolent of roast cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts? Here’s what you don’t know: It can be a nightmare to get those babies unstuck from their pans. So get them all the goodies they need to make their work pleasant, start to finish: a roasting scoop, an Herbes de Provence veggie roasting drizzler, and a really good-looking roasting pan like this one. They’ll be knee-deep in roast carrots, polenta with roast veggies, and any sort of winter vegetable in no time.
2. Vegetable Sheet Cutter
The pain point for a lot of people who eat mostly produce? Prep time. So if they have a KitchenAid, consider splashing out on the sheet cutter attachment for them. It makes quick work of peeling apples, zucchini, sweet potatoes, cucumbers and even butternut squash. That way they can make this absolutely epic butternut squash lasagna, which replaces the noodles with sliced squash in the dreamiest way.
3. Mandoline
If they keep muttering about getting a mandoline but haven’t purchased one, do it for them. It’s an easy, breezy, budget-friendly gift. (These are among our top presents, in fact!) Give the present, then invite yourself over for crispy potato gratin, shaved zucchini salad, and rainbow carrots with parsley.
4. Tofu Press
If you eat a lot of tofu, you know that a lot of excellent recipes call for pressing it. That’s not a small matter, as tofu comes packed in water, and can make a big mess. Save your loved one from a watery fridge or countertop with a tofu press. They can re-use it for making paneer and yogurt cheese, getting water out of eggplant and other wet veggies, and they can use the tray for marinades! And, of course, they’re one step closer to feeding you these excellent kabobs in the summertime.
5. Spiralizer
“But can you spiralize it? Spiralizers have moved way beyond the jokes. People now realize these tools are key to sweet potato and zucchini fries, the prettiest salads, sweet potato “mac and cheese,” and these gorgeous golden beet “noodles,” in addition to the classic zoodles. Whether you choose a basic spiralizer or a KitchenAid spiralizer plus, there’s one in your budget.