17 inspired kitchen gifts for home cooks, according to a pro baker

May the forks be with ... the other utensils in a drawer far, far away! That's what your recipient will say once they get a load of these endlessly amusing food grabbers. They light up with the click of a button, which will make chowing down all the more enjoyable. 

"These were so cute!" exclaimed a buyer. "[I] bought these for a white elephant game and they were a top gift! They kept getting taken by people who wanted them. The person who won the by the end of the game had tons of family members asking if they could get one of the chopsticks. The light on them is actually pretty bright and they look like actual mini lightsabers!"

It's a spoon! It's a spatula! It's a very-smart-invention-that-sadly-won't-pay-for-my-retirement-because-it-wasn't-my-idea! That said, it's quickly earned a permanent spot in my kitchen arsenal, and your fave home cook will love it, too. What makes it so genius is that it actually does work equally well as a spatula and spoon. 

I'll admit, I'd assumed it would score high marks in the spoon department but was less confident in its spatula-bility. Well, the folks who developed this product proved me wrong; The edges are thin and flexible enough that they'll fit into the crevices of my bowls but sturdy enough that the head isn't flopping around as it navigates its way through thick mixtures. And because it's shaped like a spoon, tasks like, say, filling cupcake liners are easy because I can just scoop out the runny batter rather than precariously holding up the bowl and scraping. FYI, this tool often sells out, so act fast!

Check out my full GIR Spoonula review for more.

Every cook worth their salt has a bottle of EVOO in their kitchen at all times — but they might not have the one preferred by the Italian cooking queen herself, Giada De Laurentiis. 

"I eat olive oil with almost everything — from my oatmeal in the morning to salads to cooking with it, there’s no such thing as too much olive oil,” she tells Bon Appetit. This brand is one of her go-tos, and according to the brand, it has a "mild" flavor profile with "notes of almond and a momentary peppery finish." It's also quite affordable, so grab a bottle for yourself while you're at it!

No one likes having to pick each and every little leaf off of their herbs or removing the stems from their kale. And with this top-rated tool your recipient won't have to. They'll just slide the stems through the hole that fits best and the leaves will come gliding off. I bought one for my brother-in-law a few years ago (he's an avid cook) and he uses it all the time. 

"This is one of those random kitchen gadgets that you would never even think about existing, but it's brilliant!" raved a fan. "We grew kale in our garden this fall and I was spending way too much time cutting the leaves off the stems. Then I stumbled across this tool ... I immediately ordered one and was very impressed! It saves me so much time stripping those leaves. I also use it for rosemary, oregano and other herbs. It really has come in handy way more than I would have thought, especially since we have a garden and I have lots of fresh, leafy veggies and herbs!"

Many home cooks are trying to use less plastic in their kitchens now, and this sleek cutting board — which I learned about via Cameron Diaz, no less! — is made of a paper composite, meaning it's about as lightweight as the plastic variety. 

I use this all the time and reserve one side for serving cheese and snacks, since it looks nice enough for hosting. It's gentle on my knives and easily wipes clean — I'll take a second one, if any of my friends and family are reading!

Check out my full Epicurean cutting board review for more. 

This adorable crab would make one shelluva stocking stuffer! It can cleverly be used as a spoon/utensil rest or be clipped onto the side of a pot to prop open the lid. It's like having your own little crustacean cheerleader while cooking. 

"I got this as a gift for our family's Secret Santa gift exchange," explained one happy recipient. "Not only did it make me laugh, but it's also been incredibly useful! No more dirty spoons laying all over the stove; this is easy to affix to the side of a pot or pan and keep a stirring utensil handy while keeping it out of the way."

We could all use a little inspiration sometimes, and for those nights when your favorite foodie is in a creativity rut, this fun game can help shake things up. Upon rolling, they'll be given a selection of ingredients to cook with and a method of preparing them — there are over 186,000 possible combos!

"Good gift for the creative cook," said a thoughtful spouse. "Got [it] as a stocking stuffer for my husband and he really liked it! We are horribly indecisive when it comes to dinner, so we are excited to roll the dice and see what creative dishes we can come up with."

The home baker on your list probably has a KitchenAid stand mixer, but there's a good chance their arsenal lacks this nifty attachment, which we spotted Jennifer Garner using on Instagram. 

Sifting isn't fun, but it is necessary to ensure baked goods don't wind up containing little balls of flour or powdered sugar that weren't properly mixed in. This nifty device sifts ingredients all on its own and weighs them for more accuracy than using measuring cups. 

"As a baker, I can tell you there's nothing more tedious than having to sift everything," shared a pastry pro. "This little gadget is so worth its weight in gold! You can measure and sift in your dry ingredients with ease ... and you don't get the 'cloud effect' because it slowly adds your ingredients. LOVE this!"

Soup's on — and dishing it out has never been cuter. How sweet is this No. 1 bestselling Nessie-shaped scooper, which is so well designed, it stands up on its own. It's a conversation piece that'll put a smile on your giftee's face as soon as they open it — no wonder more than 5,000 have been purchased in the past month alone. 

"I bought this for my secrecy pal at work since she loves cooking, and it’s cuter than I imagined!" swooned a reviewer. "I wanted to give something that I was sure she didn’t have, and this is so unique!"

Even those of us who love cooking have our dreaded prep tasks — mine is chopping onions. It's not so much the chopping itself that I hate, but the burning feeling my eyes endure every time. That's why I reach for these very stylish (ha!) goggles my sister gave me a few Christmases ago whenever I have to slice up an allium. 

I can mince several in one go without so much as a light sting, and I appreciate that the lenses are fog-resistant, since not being able to see clearly is, well, probably not the best condition to be wielding a knife in. 

Check out my full onion goggle review for more. 

I gave this pasta-tively charming accessory to some family members last year and it was a big hit. It really looks like an oversized raviolo, and while it's undeniably silly, it's also quite useful — so long, saucy counter!

"This is a nice-size ravioli," declared a shopper. "Looks so realistic and fun. I bought one for my daughter too as a stocking stuffer."

For the host with the most — courses to prep, that is — this unassuming gadget will be a welcome addition to their kitchen. Not only will it allow them to keep track of up to four dishes at once, they'll be able to label them too. It comes with a dry-erase marker and has a magnet so they can attach it to their fridge. They can also prop it up on the counter via its foldable stand, or carry it with them to another room. And it runs on AA batteries, which are included, so they can use it right away.

"I love being able to set as many as four timers at once," said a shopper. "When I am cooking a complex meal, that ability is a big key to my success. I keep a spare replacement for this timer in stock at all times. Can't do without it!"

A funnel is one of those kitchen essentials many of us don't realize we need until we're trying to precariously transfer the contents of one vessel into the much narrower opening of another. This flippable fungus will keep your recipient from spilling oils and condiments everywhere, and it's so tiny, it'll hardly take up any space in their drawer. 

"Dopamine for your kitchen," raved an oddly expressive customer. "Love this thing! Easy to use, very easy to clean and it's just dang cute."

No one enjoys precariously pouring a pot filled with hot pasta and boiling water into a colander. Here's how to spare your favorite food prepper that dreaded task. It clips right onto the side of the pot to give them better control, and it takes up way less space than a traditional strainer, since it folds down flat. 

One Yahoo editor swears by this thing: "The Snap N' Strain is made entirely of silicone, which means it can fit virtually any round bowl, pot or pan — even the lipped kind. Just clip it onto two sides and pour out the extra water, grease, oil or sauce. ... I keep mine behind my sink and pull it out whenever I'm boiling pasta."

Check out her full Snap N Strain review for more. 

Leave it to these to cut your home cook's herb-prep time dramatically. Equipped with five times as many blades as traditional kitchen scissors, they make chopping a breeze and will help them finish the job in a fraction of the time. One snip with this stainless steel set is the equivalent of 10 slices using a knife, plus, they won't have to bust out the cutting board just to mince the garnish for their roast chicken.

"I loved mine so much, I purchased five more for my foodie friends," shared a thoughtful giver. "It is a great tool to prepare herbs from the garden easily and quickly. I found this item to be a great time-saver."

You know what's not so sweet about honey? Trying to get the last bit at the bottom of the jar out. This No. 1 bestseller eliminates that issue, as it stores honey upside-down and has a lever to dispense that golden nectar without any sticky mess. As beautiful as it is practical, it would make a lovely gift for anyone who appreciates a sweet treat. Oh, and attention, flapjack fans: Works for maple syrup too!

"This honey dispenser looks so nice on the table or counter in the kitchen," said this shopper. "[I] gave one as a gift and they loved it too. Not messy like [a] typical honey stick in a pot."

How many of us actually use all of the fresh herbs that come in a bundle for preparing one meal? Rather than letting your food-loving friend's excess parsley go to waste, get them one of these, which can keep those greens fresh for — wait for it — up to three weeks!

"[I] gave this as a gift, and [the] recipient said he didn’t know he needed it but won’t be without it now," said a buyer. "[It] fits easily in the fridge."