My boyfriend is crazy about cooking and tries out new recipes almost every weekend. I'd like to give him something useful for the kitchen that he doesn't already have, but I also don't want to spend a fortune.
15 years messing around with kitchen stuff taught me that quality costs a lot, but sometimes you don't need it. If he cooks a lot, one thing that makes a real difference and won't break the bank is a good digital meat thermometer - those probe ones are super practical and really need to be good so they don't give you a wrong reading. Another thing that helps a ton is a decent stainless steel sifter or grater, because most people have those old ones that fall apart easily. Or if you want something even more useful, a quality kitchen scissors changes the game a lot in prep work, you use it for basically everything.
I've been through this! My kid loves cooking and it's complicated to find something she doesn't already have, so I totally get your dilemma 😅
Some ideas that work really well: a good digital kitchen thermometer (the ones that measure the temperature of food while it's cooking) is super useful and doesn't cost much, like 15-30€ depending on the brand. Another cool thing is a set of good quality but affordable knives - doesn't need to be luxury stuff, but Victorinox or Ikea knives are brutally practical and durable. If he's into bread or pastry, a digital kitchen scale is pure gold, especially if he follows international recipes. There's also stuff like spiral vegetable cutters, professional graters or those vacuum bags for marinating meat - they're cheap and way too useful 🎯
Another option is to go for something smaller but quality, like a set of dried herbs from a good brand, special oils (premium olive oil, sesame oil), or even a recipe book if he doesn't have many. There's also cool gadgets like garlic choppers (seems like a waste of money but when you have to peel a lot of garlic it's a blessing), or heat-resistant kitchen gloves. The trick is thinking about what he might be tired of doing manually or what could make his cooking weekends even more interesting. If you told me what kind of cuisine he likes more (Asian, pastry, meat, vegetarian...) I'd have more specific ideas!
Ah, I totally get it because it's the same thing in my kitchen 😅 One thing that's really missing and is relatively cheap is a good quality knife set, like some Victorinox ones that aren't a fortune but completely change the way you cook, or you could think about getting a decent wooden cutting board because most people have those plastic ones that slip all over the place. Another option I really like is a meat thermometer like the Inkbird, they have wireless versions that don't cost an arm and a leg and it can monitor the temperature while you're doing other stuff without being stuck in the kitchen - I use mine for practically everything, from fish to cakes baking in the oven.
Oh, you guys are totally right about the thermometer and knives, those are really solid choices! But since he cooks every weekend, like religiously, I'd suggest thinking about something he uses a lot but maybe isn't so obvious. Like, a decent digital kitchen scale makes an absurd difference when you're experimenting with new recipes, because baking recipes, desserts and those more technical things need precision and you can't just wing it. There are some Tramontina or even imported ones like Hario that don't cost crazy amounts, like in the 80 to 150 reais range depending on which one you go for. I started using one when I got into my morning running routine (because yeah, believe it or not, doing trail runs in the mornings before my shift as a firefighter got me more interested in nourishing my body right) and I discovered how much this thing changes everything when you're testing recipes.
Another cool thing nobody thinks much about is a good cylindrical grater, one of those with multiple sides, because that kind of simple tool you use all the time when you're cooking different things. Or even a good sturdy citrus juicer, like those that look like an actual press. But honestly, what I'd most recommend is thinking about what he usually complains about or fidgets with during his recipes, you know? Like, does he spend a lot of time beating something? Then a good hand mixer does the trick. Does he tire out his hands a lot grating ingredients? Better grater then. Us firefighters learn quick that the right tool in the right place saves time and energy, and in the kitchen it's exactly the same.
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