11 Of The Best Gifts For Foodies According To Pro Chefs

From knives, to cookbooks, to handheld smokers.

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If there's anyone who knows what cooking supplies and food products are worth the money, it's chefs.

So when we decided to create a gift guide for food lovers, who better to ask than pro chefs? We asked nine food professionals what gifts they would actually want this year, and this is what they told us:

1. An air fryer large enough to cook for the entire family — Cat Cora; TV personality, author, and restaurateur

Jason Kempin / Getty Images, amazon.com

Air fryers might seem like an unneeded kitchen gadget, but they're genuinely useful and even pro chefs want them! "It's the perfect gift for the chef in your life because the size is large enough for a family but compact enough to store easily," says Cora. "It makes cooking healthy foods simple for the entire family and ‘fries’ using hot air, instead of oil, that circulates quickly around the food."

Get an air fryer on Amazon for $75.81 and check out 17 recipes you can make in it.

2. A microplane to zest and grate all kinds of things from spices to cheese — Padma Lakshmi; cookbook author and host of Top Chef

Cindy Ord / Getty Images, amazon.com

"A Microplane makes for a great stocking stuffer," says Lakshmi. "I have them in all different sizes: A small one for grating spices and larger ones for grating cheese or zesting citrus." (Pro-tip from Lakshmi: "Add a little kaffir lime zest to your next salad. Thank me later.")

Get a Microplane on Amazon for $11.96.

3. ...And a quality chef knife, too.

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"Next to a clean pair of hands, a good knife is the best tool in one’s kitchen," says Lakshmi. "Many chefs like brands like Korin that are lightweight and allow for faster movement when chopping, but I prefer the heavier feel of a brand like Wüsthof for cooking at home," says Lakshmi. And if you're feeling especially generous, Lakshmi recommends getting a monogrammed leather knife roll to store them in, too.

Get a 6" Wüsthof chef knife on Amazon for $59.99.

4. A thick, quality cutting board that will last a lifetime — Mike Solomonov; chef, cookbook author, and owner of Zahav

Noam Galai / Getty Images, amazon.com

"I'd love to receive a thick cutting board," says Solomonov. "I'm used to having small cutting boards for kitchens with limited counter space; but having something big, heavy, and sturdy is awesome. It's dependable, which makes it essential."

Get a large walnut cutting board on Amazon for $59.97.

5. The Dooky Chase Cookbook or Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat — DeVonn Francis; Chef and owner of Yardy

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"This year, think about buying and supporting more content that is authored by women of color," says Franics. "The Dooky Chase Cookbook by Leah Chase or Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat would both make excellent gifts."

Get The Dooky Chase Cookbook on Amazon for $18.92, and Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Amazon for $21.

6. A handheld smoker to easily smoke anything and everything — Kristopher Edelen; Chef and owner of HOTPANnyc

Simon Chetrit, amazon.com

"A handheld smoker would be my ultimate gift of choice for the holidays," says Edelen. "It's a tool every chef, cook, and enthusiast would love. It's versatile and lets you use whatever smoke you want — you can even dehydrate some fresh pine thistles or seaweed to smoke a special dish, drink, or component with." And unlike regular smokers, which take up a ton of space, this tool is compact and can fit in a drawer.

Get a portable smoker on Amazon for $119 and check out five delicious ways to use it.

7. A set of Russian piping tips to create stunning buttercream decorations — Kyle Bartone, Executive Pastry Chef at Eataly Downtown

Kyle Bartone, amazon.com

"These piping tips would be the ultimate gift for bakers looking to up their game," says Bartone. "They're super easy to use, and they make it look like you took hours to decorate." The tips create ornate flowers and other decorations with a single squeeze, so even new bakers will love this gift.

Get a set of 23 piping tips on Amazon for $17.99.

8. ... And a nonstick baking mat to make sure your cookies never stick

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"These mats are a baking essential," says Bartone. "If someone you know loves to bake and they don't own one of these mats, it would be the most practical gift you could give them." The mats are reusable and help cut back on using parchment paper, and they are perfect for cookies, biscuits, and a slew of other baking projects.

Get a two-pack of nonstick baking mats on Amazon for $8.38.

9. A serious outdoor grill to up your camping game — Guy Fieri; TV host, author, and restauranteur

Paul Zimmerman / Getty Images, amazon.com

"The number one cooking gadget on my wish list would have to be a pellet grill," says Fieri. Pellet grills are a unique type of outdoor grill that combines charcoal smokers, gas grills, and ovens in one piece of equipment. "I was just camping and used one and it was totally easy to use, had great results, and was really reliable. This is coming from a guy who hasn’t been a pellet grill fan in the past," says Fieri.

Get a Camp Chef Pellet Grill on Amazon for $899.99.

10. An easy to use immersion circulator so you can start cooking sous vide at home — Andrew Zimmern; TV personality, chef, and writer

Aaron Davidson / Getty Images, amazon.com

For the ambitious cooks in your life, an immersion circulator is the perfect gift to help them explore new cooking techniques. "There is no single piece of equipment that has changed my home cooking for the better as much as my immersion circulator," says Zimmern. To use it, you connect it to a large pot of water and set it to a specific temperature, then just submerge whatever you're cooking (in a plastic bag) into the water to cook. The name sounds intimating, but it's actually super simple and a great gift for home cooks.

Get it on Amazon for

11. And, if all else fails, a massage — Alex Guarnaschelli; chef, TV personality, and cookbook author

Michael Loccisano, Ridofranz / Getty Images

"I honestly feel like most chefs spend so much time taking care of and cooking for others that they rarely take good care of themselves," says Guarnaschelli. "Why not try a gift certificate to a spa for a massage? Or a gift certificate to a local place for a fancy pedicure that includes a foot massage."

If you can't pop for a nice massage, get a bottle of relaxing massage oil on Amazon for $9.02.

Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Looking for more holiday shopping ideas? Check out Tasty's Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for all of our favorites!