The 30 Best Gifts for Bakers

A Whisk for Doughs (and More)

Zulay Kitchen Danish Dough Whisk Large Hand Mixer

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This wonderful whisk makes quick work of combining flour and water without getting clogged or clumpy. And as we explained here: “while the dough whisk was designed for mixing bread doughs, it’s equally effective when mixing all sorts of thick doughs or batters, including those for cakes, muffins, pancakes, crêpes, and soufflés, because it's one of the best tools to use for folding.”

Price at time of publish: $9

A Versatile Scraper (or Two)

Ateco Bowl Scrapers (Set of 2)

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Nope, bowl scrapers aren’t very exciting, but what they lack in appeal they make up for in versatility. Bakers love these flexible tools for scraping dough and batters out of bowls and cleaning workbenches, but scrapers are also useful for shaping bread dough or corralling ingredients on a cutting board and transferring them to a prep bowl.

Price at time of publish: $5

A Top-Tier Bread Lame

Wire Monkey Goose Lame

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Wire Monkey makes some of the best bread lames on the market, and their latest handcrafted tool is the Goose. It’s an elegant upgrade to the conventional stick lame, touting a curved, ergonomic handle and a clever magnetic blade guard. Goose is a great score for the bread baker in your life—no pun intended, of course.

Price at time of publish: $45

A Cast Iron Combo

Lodge 2-Piece 3.2-Quart Cast Iron Combo Cooker

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This is a great gift for bread bakers who are on a never-ending quest for the perfect crust. Instead of baking bread in a Dutch oven—which is very effective but has deep sides that can be tough to maneuver around when hot, Lodge flipped the script and made it so the deep part goes on top. This allows for maximum oven spring and a well-formed crust and makes it easier to add and retrieve the finished loaf.

Price at time of publish: $80

The Best Rectangular Baking Tin

Fat Daddio's Anodized Aluminum Sheet Cheesecake Pan With Removable Bottom

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Anodized aluminum is awesome for baking thanks to its nonreactive properties and light color that won’t absorb too much heat and create burned bottoms. Fat Daddio’s makes some of our favorite baking tins and this one is ideal for sheet cakes.

Price at time of publish: $36

The Best Round Cake Pan

Fat Daddio's 8x3-Inch Anodized Aluminum Round Cake Pan

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Fat Daddio’s cake pans are winners thanks to their deep, straight sides that help cakes bake to their full potential. For gift-giving, we’d buy two and present the pair. These pans have Stella’s seal of approval, too.

Price at time of publish: $16

A Stellar Stand Mixer

KitchenAid 6-Quart Professional Stand Mixer

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Is this gift a splurge? Totally. But it’s also the best stand mixer you can buy. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again.

Price at time of publish: $506

A High-End Food Processor

Magimix 14-Cup Food Processor

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In our food processor tests, the Magimix came out on top thanks to its far-reaching chopping blade, innovative dough blade (for kneading bread or pasta doughs quickly), and workhorse motor that never gave up. But if $400 is a bit out of budget, Cuisinart’s 14-cup food processor also earned high marks.

Price at time of publish: $449

A Luxe Cake Stand

Le Creuset 12-Inch Stoneware Cake Stand

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A nice piece of servingware makes a great gift. It’s something you just maybe wouldn’t buy for yourself, but you’ll be happy to have on hand. You can check out our other cake stand recommendations here.

Price at time of publish: $60

An Easy-to-Use Thermometer

ThermoWorks ThermoPop Thermometer

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You knew the ThermoPop would make an appearance—we do love this reliable, reasonably priced digital thermometer. It comes in fun colors and everyone who bakes, cooks, or generally spends time in a kitchen needs a great thermometer. (For taking the temperature of caramel, baking bread, etc.)

Price at time of publish: $21

A Reliable Scale

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

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Speaking of measuring things, one tool that every baker should absolutely have is a great digital scale. We favor this one from OXO for its accuracy, ease of use, and thoughtful details—like a pull-out face for better visibility when weighing large vessels.

Price at time of publish: $56

A Big Pair of Tweezers

Mercer Culinary Offset Tip Tweezers

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If you’ve ever tried to fish a piece of eggshell out of a bowl using a spoon or your fingertip, you know what it feels like to fight a frustrating battle. Kitchen tweezers offer the convenient length of tongs, but with the precision tips of, well, tweezers. They’re a nice-to-have tool that few of us think about until we’re using a pair and realize what we’ve been missing.

Price at time of publish: $11

Helpful Quarter-Sheet Baking Pans

Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum Quarter Sheet

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“But,” you ask, “won’t someone who bakes regularly prefer a half-size baking tray?” Maybe, but they likely own one or two already, and every baking enthusiast should have the option of a quarter sheet. These are so convenient for everything for a couple of cookies, toasting nuts, and even keeping ingredients organized on the countertop.

Price at time of publish: $22

A Bucket of Good Salt

Maldon 3.1 lb Sea Salt Flakes

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Finishing chocolate chip cookies with a few flakes of salt is an easy way to take them from good to great, and gifting a bucket of Maldon sea salt (instead of a box) is an easy way to delight any recipient. The 3-pound bucket lasts a long, long time, so consider it a gift that keeps on giving.

Price at time of publish: $25

A Salt Storage Solution

Emile Henry Salt Pig

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If you’re using nice salt, you might as well put it in a nice vessel. A salt cellar will keep those Maldon flakes ready for a generous pinch without the fuss of a shaker or grinder.

Price at time of publish: $45

A Reliable Oven Thermometer

Rubbermaid Stainless Steel Instant Read Oven Thermometer

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Oven temperature dials and displays aren’t always accurate—in fact, they’re often not. An oven that is running significantly hotter or cooler than expected can really screw up a nice bake. An oven thermometer is a surefire way to keep an eye on things. This one is inexpensive but effective and would make a lovely accompaniment to the ThermoPop as a little DIY gift set.

Price at time of publish: $18

A New (Better!) n Balloon Whisk

GIR Premium Stainless Steel Whisk

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Your beloved baker for sure has a balloon whisk in their kitchen, but do they have the GIR Ultimate whisk? This one took top honors in our recent balloon whisk test for its comfort and performance, so give the gift of an upgrade they didn’t even know they needed.

Price at time of publish: $14

A Marvelous Mixing Bowl

Fox Run Large Mixing Bowl, 10.25 x 10.25 x 5.25 Inches, Metallic

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Kenji loves this mixing bowl, citing its ideal width, depth, and unobtrusive space-taking-upness. Grab one of these and wrap it up with the GIR Ultimate whisk, and you’ve got a great gift for less than 30 bucks.

Price at time of publish: $19

A Dish Towel Upgrade

Coyuchi Organic Waffle Kitchen Towels Set of 6

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As much as we love the versatility of Swedish dishcloths, we can’t ignore the need for quality dish towels. This six-piece set from Coyuchi is made with soft, ultra-absorbent organic cotton, made even more functional thanks to the deep-set waffle weave. They come in great colors, too.

Price at time of publish: $58

An Accurate Gooseneck Kettle

Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Pour-Over Kettle

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Fine, so an electric kettle doesn’t directly relate to baking, but your favorite baker probably sips on a little something while they’re working, right? Whether they’re a coffee or tea person—or neither, but sometimes recipes call for a splash of boiling water so this is still useful—Fellow Stagg’s kettle is our favorite gooseneck model. It’s elegant, it’s accurate, it’s easy to use. Win-win-win.

Price at time of publish: $165

A Comfortable Apron

MagicLinen Pinafore Cross-Back Linen Apron

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What’s so great about cross-back aprons? There are no straps or ties to fuss with, just slip this over your head and boom, the apron—this one made of soft, breathable linen—is on and stays in place all day.

Price at time of publish: $59

A Big, Beautiful Book

The Nordic Baking Book

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This 575-page tome gathers the recipes and stories that compromise nordic baking culture. Nilsson’s book—complete with lovely photographs he took himself throughout his travels—will inspire both wanderlust and a desire to try new things in the kitchen. It’s a gift every baker can appreciate.

Price at time of publish: $55

Cake Inspiration

The New Way to Cake: Simple Recipes with Exceptional Flavor

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The recipes within the pages of Ebuehi’s book are approachable, yet exciting. Give this gift to the baker who wants to shake things up, experiment with flavors, and (hopefully!) share a slice or two with you.

Price at time of publish: $22

A Sweet and Savory Book

Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries

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This James Beard Award-winning cookbook highlights Chinese bakeries while sharing timeless recipes and new ideas. It’s everything a baking book should be.

Price at time of publish: $30

Really Great Vanilla Extract

Heilala Pure Vanilla Extract

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A giant bottle of one of our favorite aromatic vanilla extracts is an incredible gift. They’ll think of you every time they bake of cookies or whip together a vanilla butter cake.

Price at time of publish: $67

A New Scrapping Spoon

Le Creuset Revolution Scraping Spoon

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For baking purposes and otherwise, a quality wooden spoon is a kitchen must-have. This one from Le Creuset is our favorite, with perfect edges for getting into corners and an ergonomic handle for making stirring a pleasure rather than a chore.

Price at time of publish: $36

A High-Speed Hand Mixer

KitchenAid 9-Speed Digital Hand Mixer with Turbo Beater II

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Even if a baker has a stand mixer, a hand mixer still has its place. These small appliances are easy to use, easy to clean, and don’t take up a ton of space. In fact, they’re especially useful for a baker who doesn’t have a stand mixer, so go forth and gift accordingly.

Price at time of publish: $109

A Truly Beautiful Waffle Maker

All-Clad Belgian-Style Waffle Maker

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Is this waffle maker kind of expensive? Yes. Is a waffle maker an essential appliance for most of us? Not really. Is it worth investing in a good one if you’re going to go for it? Absolutely. All-Clad’s won our “best high-end” category in our waffle maker test, reliably churning out crispy, fluffy, perfect waffles every time. (We also liked Cuisinart’s, which clocks in at a gentler price point.)

Price at time of publish: $200

An Inexpensive Set of Piping Tips

Ateco Stainless Steel Piping Tip Set (6-Piece)

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For your baker friend who does all the fancy decorating for which you have neither the patience nor the steady hand, this set of piping tips is sure to please. The set of six includes both classic and fun designs, and the quality stainless steel will last indefinitely.

Price at time of publish: $15

A Slab of Marble

Crate & Barrel French Kitchen Marble Pastry Slab

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Temperature is key when it comes to baking—and that includes the time before anything goes into the oven. This marble slab will keep things cool for rolling out buttery crusts, laminating dough, tempering chocolate, or just looking nice while doubling as a serving platter.

Price at time of publish: $60