16 of the Worst Gifts to Give Your Foodie Friend

It's the thought that counts when it comes to holiday gift giving. You may be tempted to buy a gift that is related to their most prominent interest if you don't know much about them. It doesn't work out well in the practice.

I don't know what the chef in your life wants for Christmas, but I know what they don't want, because I asked a bunch of them on social media. You know your friend or family member better than I do, that's for sure. If you know they would love it, you can give it to them. I am not the leader of the holiday.

Naomi Tomkey said in her reply that if someone is really into something, they already own the most obvious tools and accessories that relate to that interest. I don't buy my sister art supplies or my parents pets because they already have everything.

Most food focused people already have most, if not all, of the gear, gadgets, cookbook, and ingredients they need. Unless they've been naughty, these are the things you shouldn't buy for food obsessed people.

The most popular answer was this one. If you wanted to give a gift that was made with real truffles, it would be an amazing one. The Tasting Table says that the oil of the past isn't what's on the shelves today.

Originally, truffle oil was high-quality olive oil infused with black or white truffles, but today, most of the stuff is made synthetically with ingredients like 2,4-dithiapentane, an aromatic molecule that gives truffles their distinctive smell.

There is a lot going on in a truffle, and a single isolated molecule does not make it, and the synthesized flavor tastes like it comes from a body smell. Don't purchase it. Don't give it to someone.

I've been yelling about these dumbass rocks for a long time and it made me happy to see so many people drag them to hell. Four years ago, I wrote a missive for those of you who didn't read it.

Whiskey stones do not chill your whiskey drink as well as ice. They also don’t dilute your drink, which is marketed as a good thing, but is actually a bad thing, since all booze tastes better with a little dilution. (I mean there are some expensive whiskeys you’d probably want to enjoy completely neat or slightly diluted, at room temperature, in which case a couple of drops of water is the most you’d want to add.) They are also much more expensive than ice, which is not free, but almost free.

Your friend who is really into good whiskey is not wanted by anyone.

I wouldn't recommend a contraption that tried to disrupt the frozen water. Store-bought, clear-ice-making contraptions rarely work and ice wedges are single use tricks that don't chill your drink any more effectively than a cube. Home bars don't need a mold that makes small cubes.

Several people in my mentions called out cheese boards and cheese knives as something they don't want, especially wooded cheese boards that absorb stinky cheese smells and are difficult to get rid of.

Anyone who cooks a lot probably already has all the cutting boards they need, and glass will fuck your knives right up.

A lot of people in my replies don't want any oil, not even a "nice" bottle ofEVOO, but especially not a "flavorful" bottle ofEVOO. botulism is a terrible gift if you flavor an oil that has plant parts in it.

Wine aerators and charms were popular answers. The wine charms do not stick to the glass.

I don't buy wine people wine or anything related to wine as they tend to be the most specific about their area of interest. Wineheads buy me wine. They are very skilled at it.

The answer was "unitaskers", which included sloth-shaped tea strainers, avocado slicers, and herb strippers.

If the task can be accomplished with a knife, don't buy gadgets or tools that only perform that task. Everyone has a unitasker that they love, but it is not always the same from person to person. It's best not to risk it unless your beloved chef asks for it.

Even though I never wear an apron, I agree with a lot of my friends that they don't want aprons or potholders, and there is a very cute red apron I have been eyeing at Trader Joe's. Personal things like aprons are a thing. People who work in trendy restaurants seem to like the apron made by a lady who is friends with a guy from Modern Family. You're aware of the one.

Pot holders are redundant. Potholders are not necessary if you have kitchen towels. I think kitchen towels are a good gift. I appreciate a new one, and I am hard on them.

Unless your giftee has requested a very specific knife, or you know an artisan knife maker who can make a very specific knife, I wouldn't give it to them. People who cook a lot are picky about their slicing and dicing tools, and if you buy them a worse version of something they already own, you'll end up paying more for it. The knife sets should be avoided at all costs. They have a lot of unneeded blades.

If you find yourself in an aisle filled with mixes that are packed in jars or attached to pans, leave immediately. Most people don't want to make cookies, soup, brownies, or cocktails from any of these mixes. People who don't cook.

I would love to have a huge bucket of Maldon or a box of Diamond Crystal Kosher, but not many people agreed with me on social media. I'm aware of why. There are tons of salts out there that are not needed by anyone.

Salt should be the most versatile thing in your kitchen, as ginger-flavored salt is less versatile than simplesodiumchloride, and flavored salts are usually bad ideas.

There are some things to keep in mind. If your friend has expressed interest in a certain type of cuisine, and you happen to be an expert in that type of cooking, a spice blend that is commonly used in that type of cooking would be very welcomed and appreciated. Generic all-purpose blends only take up a small amount of space in a spice cabinet, and will most likely be used up.

TJ Maxx and similar establishments that sell weird little jams, dipping spices, and stuffed olives are the best places to find them. Though some of the food you see there is unsold excess from other stores, a lot of it is made specifically for TJ Maxx, and a good bit of it is intentionally weird and out there so as to cultivate a "treasure hunt shopping experience". Treasure hunting is enjoyable but not the best way to eat food.

Gift baskets full of food that seems like it came from TJ Maxx was another popular answer.

The majority of hot sauce heads have their favorites. It is possible to introduce someone to a new favorite at a novelty hot sauce shop, but be careful if it has a punny name and is located in a tourist area. If you haven't tried the sauce yourself, don't give it to anyone else.

Coffee and tea drinkers don't like shopping for things because they already have everything they need. If you really want to buy something coffee related, check out the gift guide, but avoid generic bags of coffee, as well as any syrups and novelty milk frother. Tea drinkers are the same. It is one thing to give someone an electric kettle, but another to give them another teapot or tea set that may or may not be what they are looking for.

A lot of other home cooks don't want an air fryer. If your food-loving friend or family member is interested in buying you an air fryer, it makes a great gift.

Your fancy friend with a fancy oven probably doesn't need or want one, like they don't want to replace their pressure cooker with an instant pot. If they don't have an circulator by now, they will never cook sous-vide.

A friend of yours who cooks a lot has too many cookbooks, and they take up a lot of room, which is a source of stress.

I don't need anything written by a celebrity chef or food writer. It is best to leave your giftee's cookbook leanings on the shelf if they have asked for a specific book. It's the same for cocktail books. A bartender does not need another book.

18/12/2018