If your teen/young adult is interested in cooking, what kind of gift? Spice set?

[Anonymous]

My 16 year old is starting to enjoy cooking. Mostly he has been making "gourmet versions" of standard American comfort food--macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, etc. and also he has been doing a lot of baking. He seems to be interested in experimenting with things beyond that though; maybe trying some Asian or African recipes.

He asked for a nice set of spices for Christmas, but most of the sets I've seen include a lot of the real basic spices, which I already have plenty of in the pantry. Does anyone have a kid about that age (still living at home) that was interested in cooking? What type of "cooking gift" did you get them that didn't duplicate what you already have in your own kitchen?

Thanks for any tips!

[Anonymous]

Fondue set. Wok. Pizza stone. Mini muffin tin. Look at a kitchen store online.

[Anonymous]

Maybe a couple months of Hello Fresh or Blue Apron. He could could dinner for the family, without having to shop for the ingredients.

[Anonymous]

Cook dinner. 🥘

[Anonymous]

Spice subscription that comes with recipes: https://rawspicebar.com/products/spice-subscription

[Anonymous]

We did cooking classes pre-covid.

[Anonymous]

You can get him some spice mixes from Penzey's. Look at their favorites online. Maybe some other posters can weigh in on Penzey's favorites.
I've read somewhere that Sur La Table is doing online cooking classes. That can be a nice gift.

[Anonymous]

King Arthur is doing some online classes. I haven’t tried them. They are a bit hard to find on their website but keep poking around and you will find them. They are low commitment and a low cost.

[Anonymous]

Online spice stores like Penzey's or Spice House have spice sets that are a bit more exotic, and I think Penzey's allows you to make your own set.

[Anonymous]

Penzeys has a set of spices for Mexican cooking, and a couple different sets of curries. You can also create your own gift set.

Spice house has several sets under "Global Flavors."

[Anonymous]

For my baking kid: kitchen scale (we didn’t have one), macaron silicone baking sheet, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood cookbooks.

I love Penzey’s but think their individual spices are better than most of the blends. Maybe get Vietnamese AND Ceylon cinnamon, or different black peppers.

[Anonymous]

I'd get him some cool kitchen tools and a great apron. Tools might include a microplane, a whisk, a good set of tongs, some nice olive wood spoons. If your budget can stretch to include something a little pricier, you might consider knives -- maybe start with a utility knife and a chef's knife (I love my Wusthof knives). Look for a classic black and white striped apron. And how about a cookbook? Some possibilities -- anything by David Chang or Marcus Samuelsson. Or maybe the memoir Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi of Kith and Kin.

[Anonymous]

I’ve met a cook who had a thing for his special knives. He called them “my little knives”.

[Anonymous]

Sushi making mat? A set of stainless chopsticks? Dipping bowls?

[Anonymous]

Microplane and knives (in a chef’s case/roll, so no one else uses them) would be my pick. And maybe a gift card to Wegman’s or Whole Foods so he could choose one-time or unusual ingredients without having to negotiator for them or add to the usual grocery bill.