Each year, it can be a struggle to find just the right gift… the right mixture between snarky and original yet useful. Frankly, if someone is into wine or food, gift selections are a bit less challenging and cheaper than an electronics nerd or car enthusiast but if you’re going on ten years with a foodie, the gadgets might have run out. But fear not! Here are five great food and wine gifts new to the market that might spur ideas:
Great cookbook: Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reece of www.tipsybaker.com. Funny, personal and practice all rolled into one. Jennifer has done the time-consuming work many foodies ask themselves: what is better/cheaper/faster made at home versus store bought? I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this well-written, extremely useful cookbook. $15 on Amazon.com
Random Yet Interesting Wine Gadget: Chill Balls. They’re not a new invention but I’ve just gotten around to trying them. Say your white wine is too warm and doesn’t taste quite right (this especially happens to less expensive wine) and you’d love to put a couple of ice cubes in your glass. But you: a) don’t want to look trashy; b) don’t want to water down the wine; or c) both. Chills Balls to the rescue. Horrible name, yes. But they’re nifty if you keep them in your freezer and wash after use. Find it on Amazon.com
Barrel Stave Wine Rack: I found these while cruising for a gift on the internet. Reused barrel staves get reinvented as a wine rack. Very classy and sleek way to show off prized bottles while stroking your recycling green side as well. About $100 on Amazon.com
Scrabble Cooking Edition: Know a cook who is also a Words With Friends junkie? I do, so I almost squealed when I saw this. Completely random yet so hilarious, someone who cooks yet also loves Scrabble would spend way too much time on this game. Just like traditional Scrabble, yet you earn extra points for cooking related words and use recipe cards. Classic. Available on Amazon.com
Growler Werks uKeg: For the beer nerd in your circle of friends or family, this is super cool. Not only are they impressive to look at, these small beer kegs also keep craft beer fresh, cold and carbonated, the way the brewer intended. For the enthusiast who has everything – comes in different finishes too. Check out the uKeg Pressurized Growler – Copper
