Holiday Gift Guide 2015

Last year (2014) I brought you a Holiday Gift Guide, and I loved it so much that I thought I’d bring you another one this year (2015).

In last year’s Gift Guide, I shared some of my favorite kitchen items, things I use almost every day of the year. Really practical and useful things that I love. If you’d like to check that out, it’s here.

This year I have new recommendations. I love all of these items, and I think these would make great gifts for the foodie in your life. I was given these items to review, however, my opinions are my own. So, here’s the Holiday Gift Guide 2015. Click on the picture or the link in the description to get directly to the item.

Zoku Iced Coffee Maker. Ok, I LOVE iced coffee! And, I drink it year round. I usually keep a pot of brewed coffee in the fridge, but sometimes I run out of brewed coffee, and have to make a hot pot of coffee. This Ice Coffee Maker is AWESOME! On those mornings that I run out of cold coffee, all I have to do is brew a fresh hot pot of coffee, pull the freezer insert of the cup out of the freezer, and pour the hot coffee directly inside the insert. And, in about 7 minutes, voila! Iced coffee. Drinkable, yummy, awesome iced coffee that isn’t diluted by the ice and all watery. And, as an added bonus, the cup is spill resistant (a big plus in my book because I’m not always coordinated in the mornings!). Oh, and this also works really well for turning hot tea into ice tea!

Frieling Easy Clean Tea Infuser. Speaking of tea, this little tea infuser would be an awesome stocking stuffer, or an addition to a gift basket filled with an assortment of teas and cookies. It has a reusable and easy to clean brew basket. And, to clean it, all you have to do is remove the bottom screen and rinse it out. It’s also dishwasher safe, so you can just pop it in the machine! I like that it has a little handle so that even if it’s filled with hot tea, you can still pick it up. It has a lid that keeps the tea hot, or acts as a drip tray so you can put the infuser on top of it when you’re not using it. I think this will make a great gift for my Mother-in-law.

Kuhn Rikon Standing Stainless Steel Strainer. This is one of those really well made really cool things that I think every kitchen needs. Its nice and sturdy. It feels good in the hand. It’s pretty to look at. If you have a big sink you can put it right in the bottom of the sink and strain pasta or veggies right into it. You can sift flour right on the counter and not have to worry about where you’re going to place the sifter when you aren’t holding it. It also has a nice wide rim and the handles are slightly curved so it fit securely on the pot, and I don’t worry about it falling into the pot as I pour water into the strainer.

Kyocera Paring Knife & double Edge Peeler Set. Both the Knife and the Peeler have ceramic blades. You’ve seen me talk about how much I love ceramic blades before. They stay sharp. They are dishwasher safe. They don’t rust (like lots of veggie peels do). They make for nice clean cuts. These are both really comfortable in my hand, and I like working with them, and ceramic is lighter than steel, so it means I can use them longer and not get tired. The peeler makes short work of a ton of carrots (which I often make for Thanksgiving or Christmas) so I really appreciate the ease of use. I think any cook would be ecstatic to get a set like this in their Christmas stocking. And the red color is so festive!

Kuhn Rikon Silicone 2-piece Funnel Set. This funnel set is great! The silicone is flexible, and the two funnels can be used separately or combined into one. The green color is fun, and, of course it comes in other colors as well. I’m always using funnels around the kitchen, whether it’s to pour a sauce into a wide-mouthed canning jar, or to pour bulk spices into a smaller jar, or to pour a homemade spice blend into a small jar. And this set makes all of those tasks easy and quick. It also folds flat for easy storage (a huge plus in my tiny kitchen!).

Kyocera Ceramic Everything Adjustable Grinder. You saw me write about this grinder in the summer for my Summer Grill Spice. I think it’s so great that it made it to my Gift Guide as well. It’s really easy to use, feels really nice in the hand, the glass container on this mill is dishwasher safe, and, you can adjust the grinder to have a coarse or fine grind. One of my favorite things about this grinder is that it works really well for hands that might not be able to grip well, whether it’s because your hands are tired from too much work, or because of arthritis or other hand ailments.

Reduce Food Jar. This food jar is great for parties, potlucks, or for taking your lunch with you to work. It keeps food hot of cold for up to 6 hours. I love this jar both as a gift or you could use it to wrap smaller items. Just think, this pretty blue color under the tree with a small toy inside; the package wrapping is useful, and no trash!

Reduce Growler. Another fun gadget that you saw me write about earlier in the year.  This is the perfect gift for the beer lover in your family! It’s vacuum insulated, and designed for craft beer, but for so much more from lemonade or soda to coffee or soup. It’s also BPA free. The lid also doubles as a cup, which would be perfect if you took it hiking or camping with you and used it for your morning coffee.

I’ll end my Gift Guide again this year with “And, if you want to buy something for me”, Tully’s Coffee Breakfast Blend, Ground is the perfect gift for me this year!

Find Kyocera here:: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Find Zoku here:: Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Blog

Find Frieling here:: Web  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Google+

Find Kuhn Rikon here:: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram  |  Pinterest

Find Reduce here:: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Happy Holidays! I’d love to know what you want for Christmas or what your favorite gift to give is! Let me know in the comments.