• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • All Recipes
    • Cakes and Desserts
    • Main Courses
    • Light Meals
    • Sides, Salads and Snacks
    • Drinks
  • Tips and Techniques
  • About
    • About Me
    • What is an Everyday Cook?
    • Privacy Policy
  • Sign up for the newsletter!
  • Everyday Cooks

Everyday Cooks

menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
    • Meals
    • Cakes and Desserts
    • Basics
    • Drinks
  • About
    • Everyday Cooks
    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Recipes
      • Meals
      • Cakes and Desserts
      • Basics
      • Drinks
    • About
      • Everyday Cooks
    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Essentials

    We use cookies · See Privacy Policy in footer · Post contains affiliate links

    Best Gifts for Everyday Cooks 2025

    If you're shopping for someone who loves to cook, take a look at our Best Gifts for Everyday Cooks.

    There's an Essentials List for beginner bakers, a Specials List for the cook who has everything (or would like to have), and a Budget List for under £10.

    Baking tools and cutters

    Essential Equipment

    Sunartis Oven Thermometer

    White metal oven thermometer

    An oven thermometer gives an accurate reading so that you know if your oven runs hot or cool and you can adjust the temperature accordingly.

    This thermometer has a clear enough dial to read through the glass door (so you don't lose heat when you read it).

    Kenwood Hand Mixer

    White hand mixer with beaters

    Not strictly speaking an essential item, but if you do a lot of cooking, a hand mixer saves a lot of time and effort.

    Use to whisk egg whites and cream, make cakes, beat sauces and make fudge!

    Silicone Cooking Utensil Set

    Brightly coloured silicone kitchen utensils

    Heat resistant to 250°C, these spoons, spatulas and whisks won't scratch your non-stick pans.

    Available in a choice of colours to suit your kitchen. Good for cooking, e.g. scrambled eggs, and baking.

    Use instead of a wooden spoon and wash in the dishwasher.

    MasterClass Non-Stick Deep Round Cake Tin With Loose Base

    Masterclass 18cm deep cake tin

    I've upgraded all my baking tins to this Masterclass series. It's a great all-round non-stick cake tin with a loose base for easy removal.

    Start with 15cm (6-inch) and 20cm (8-inch). Add in 17/18cm (7-inch) for a good starter set. The 25cm (10-inch) tin is perfect for a large celebration cake.

    Baking Parchment Paper Circles

    Bag of assorted baking parchment circles

    Line cake tins with these baking parchment liners which don't need greasing.

    An assorted pack (15/18/20/23 cm) will last for years. Or choose individual packs for your most-used tins.

    Silicone baking mats

    Three Silicone Baking Mats in various sizes

    Use for baking cookies, pizza, bacon, pastries - anything you would put on a baking sheet (which I use underneath for stability).

    No need to grease, so cuts down on extra fat, as well as keeping bakeware clean. Wash in the dishwasher.

    For the Cook Who Has (or Wants) Everything

    Digital Meat Thermometer

    Select the meat you're cooking and how well you want it done, push the probe into the thickest part of the meat, put the magnetic display on your oven and wait for the alarm to tell you it's done.

    The probe stays inside the oven, the display is outside, so the door stays closed. I use this every time I cook a roast.

    Microplane Spice Mill

    Microplane spice mill with whole and ground spices

    If you use a lot of spices and want to grind them yourself, this is perfect.

    Ideal for grating nutmeg (the main thing I use it for). Keep the nutmeg in the mill.

    A seal on the bottom keeps your cupboard clean.

    Lemon Zester

    Lemon zester with clear zest catcher

    Take the zest off lemons and oranges easily without skinning your knuckles.

    This microplane-style grater catches the zest so that you don't lose any.

    Cookbook Stand

    Every cook needs a cookbook stand to hold the recipe they're using - in a book or on a phone or tablet.

    Choose something practical or an ornate design to suit the recipient and their kitchen.

    Thermapen 3 Professional Food Thermometer

    Yellow digital food thermometer

    Used by professional cooks and chefs, Themapen are regarded as making the best food thermometers.

    Use to test cakes, and to get best results when making fudge, toffee or jam.

    Large Non-Stick Cake Lifter

    Large metal cake lifter with black handle

    Large cake lifter for moving cakes to the serving plate.

    The 25cm (10-inch) diameter head is big enough for most cakes.

    NordicWare Bundt Tins

    Fluted gold-coloured round cake tin

    Top-end cake tins in a variety of designs. The heavy thick metal conducts heat evenly into your cake mixture and gives stunning clean cut lines on turning out.

    These are heirloom items. Nothing beats Nordic Wear for quality and durability.

    Embossed Rolling Pin

    Embossed rolling pin with biscuits

    Use a good-quality embossed rolling pin to roll out biscuit dough for an easy way to make pretty biscuits at any time of year.

    Blow Torch

    Kitchen blow torch

    A blow torch is easier to use than the grill when you want to add some colour, e.g. to marzipan in Simnel Cake or to caramelise sugar.

    Budget Gifts - Under £10

    Tala Cupcake Corer

    Cupcake Corer

    Makes a hole in the centre of a cupcake to fill with jam or cream.

    I never knew I needed one either, but actually, I do use it!

    (See my recipe for Cherry Bakewell Cupcakes.)

    Beeswax wraps

    Selectionof beeswax wraps in assorted patterns and sizes.

    If you want to reduce clingfilm and foil usage, try beeswax wraps.

    Wrap cakes for the freezer or cover bowls of leftovers.

    Tala Cookie Cutters

    Three white star cookie cutters tied with ribbon, with a label

    I love these Tala cutters with a coloured coating on the top to make cutting out cookies or pastry much easier on your hands.

    These come in a variety of designs - hearts, snowflakes, Christmas trees - and yes, I have them all.

    Reusable Cake Tester

    Four novelty cupcake testers

    Take the guesswork out of deciding if your cake is done.

    Instead of scrabbling around for a cocktail stick or skewer to check whether your cake has cooked enough, use a special cake tester - easy to find in the kitchen drawer! 

    Metallic Cupcake Cases

    Metallic cupcake cases in rainbow colours

    You can never have enough Cupcake Cases.

    Every baker will love these bright metallic cases - or check out all these other options on Amazon.

    More Everyday Essentials

    • Bowl of homemade custard with 2 eggs and a jug of milk
      How to make Custard from scratch
    • Half a loaf of Easy No Yeast Bread with 2 slices, butter and butter knife on a beechwood board.
      Easy No-Yeast Bread
    • A ball of marzipan on a wooden board
      Marzipan
    • White Sauce in a saucepan
      White Sauce

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Karen Greene says

      February 03, 2020 at 5:52 pm

      Made your Everyday Fruit cake this weekend to use up dried fruit left from my christmas puddings/ t was an excellent recipie with a really good flavour. Thank you

      Reply

    Made this recipe or got a question? Let me know! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Susie. Mostly I love cooking and baking, but combining work and home life often leaves me feeling that providing healthy, tasty food for my family is a chore. On those days I am decidedly an Everyday Cook...

    More about me →

    Popular Recipes

    • Selection of cakes and cookies for Easter.
      Best Easter Cakes
    • Pieces of Easter Rocky Road on a plate
      Easter Rocky Road
    • 8 Easter Nest Cupcakes full of mini eggs on a grey plate
      Easter Nest Cupcakes
    • Light Simnel Cake on a patterned plate on a pinkcloth
      Light Simnel Cake

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Privacy

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • About
    • What is an Everyday Cook?

    Copyright © 2018-2021 Everyday Cooks

    Baking tools and cutters
    Baking tools and cutters