12 perfect gifts for the foodie in your life

The beauty of buying gifts for people that are passionate about food is that you’ll never run out of options. If anything, it can be hard knowing where to start. If your current inspiration begins at tea towels and ends at gift cards, we’re here to help.

For starters, you don’t want to give anything too practical (unless it’s been specifically requested!). So what makes one item a stocking filler and another a stocking killer? We asked around the office of gourmet gadget and appliance aficionados and the answer came back loud and clear: the best gift should be a fun, non-essential item that brings you joy, not something that makes you think of household chores.

A kettle says “I’d love a cup of tea, thanks”, whereas a jaffle maker says “I love you. Enjoy a crunchy, oozy sandwich”.

We’ve separated naughty from nice to come up with some present inspiration for home chefs, BBQ bosses and budding baristas. And what’s more, not only will these gift ideas fit a range of budgets, they’ll also fit nicely in a gift bag.

Crêpes and French toast are great, but when it comes to a decadent cafe-style breakfast, it’s hard to look past the wonder of the waffle. And these days you can achieve the same cafe quality at home, because the best waffle makers don’t only look smart in their brushed stainless steel finish - they are smart!

Whether you choose Belgian, classic, chocolate or buttermilk, Breville’s Waffle IQ technology calculates the perfect cooking time and lets you choose your preferred level of chewiness or crunch.

See price and full details of Breville BWM640BSS the Smart Waffle Maker

FOR BROWNIE POINTS: Pair this gift with a punnet of strawberries and a block of Belgian chocolate to melt over that grid of toasty golden pockets…

A taste of nostalgia? Imagine unwrapping a present that gives you the means to whip up an old-school cheese and ham jaffle. A toaster, no. A toastie maker, yes please.

The first jaffle maker was invented by Australian brand Breville in 1974, and soon became a national icon. The Original 74 Jaffle Maker in glistening stainless steel brings back the taste and quality of yesteryear, with some modern touches.

See price and full details of Breville the Original 74 Jaffle Maker Sandwich Press BSG1974PSS

FOR BROWNIE POINTS: Make sure there’s some cheese and ham in the fridge!

OK, this almost oversteps the mark into ‘practical’ territory, but it’s highly likely that the person you’re gifting it to already has a means of cooking their meals. But, can they ‘fry’ a batch of fresh doughnuts, practically oil free? They cannot.

The Rapid Air technology in Philips air fryers lets you air fry, grill, bake or roast, with the Fat Removal technology capturing and separating excess fat to give you healthier dishes that don’t compromise on flavour.

See price and full details of Philips Avance Collection Airfryer XXL HD9650-93

FOR BROWNIE POINTS: Accompany it with a bag of frozen beer battered chips!

Rise and shine it’s baking time! There’s little more rewarding than baking your own fresh bread and crunching through the golden crust into the warm soft centre. If someone in your life loves a loaf (who doesn’t?) and enjoys getting hands-on in the kitchen, this is a lovely gift idea.

The Breville Custom Loaf Pro Bread Maker has 13 automatic baking settings that let you choose everything from crusty loaves and whole wheat breads to pizza dough. It even has an automatic fruit and nut dispenser so you can create raisin loaves and hot cross buns, with the dried fruits and nuts mixed in at the optimum moment.

See price and full details of Breville Custom Loaf Pro Bread Maker BBM800BSS

FOR BROWNIE POINTS: Include a bag of bread flour to help them get in touch with their inner baker straightaway!

Honestly, we’d be happy enough to just receive a good flat white as a gift. A machine to make one with? Our heart is yours.

As with most appliances, when it comes to coffee machines, the range of available styles - and prices - is huge. If the person you're buying for is a home barista from way back, they’ll probably have their own ideas about the set up they want. This dark elixir is something of a national obsession in Australia after all. For lovers of the java who haven’t previously dabbled outside of instant coffee, though, you can confidently choose from some excellent and affordable entry-level models that will set them on the path to coffee greatness.

For under $300, the compact and stylish Sunbeam Mini Barista Espresso Coffee Machine lets you pull single or double shots, perfectly dosed by its Auto Shot Volumetric Control. With a powerful steam wand, it will also enable the lucky gift recipient to draw a ‘thank you’ heart in your latte.

See price and full details of Sunbeam Mini Barista Espresso Coffee Machine Silver EM4300S

FOR BROWNIE POINTS: Bundling it with a bag of premium coffee grinds will leave them with no excuse not to make you the first cup of Joe...

OK, getting a little healthier with this option. The health nut in your life will appreciate this, especially when those New Year’s juice cleansing resolutions kick in.

If you’re all about the oj, then for sheer style, as well as its juicing capabilities, you can’t look past the Smeg 50s Retro Style Citrus Juicer, which comes in seven different colours. With a die-cast aluminium and powder-coated body, as well as electric juicing functionality and anti-spill spout, this is one gift destined to take pride of place on the breakfast bar.

See price and full details of Smeg 50s Retro Style Citrus Juicer range

FOR BROWNIE POINTS: Accompany with a net of oranges and grapefruits!

Crack open the bubbles, it’s time to celebrate! If your giftee always responds to the waiter's question with 'Sparkling', this kitchen companion will bring out their inner child by letting them get busy with the fizzy!

The sparkle may be the same as you remember, and the look of the SodaKING Classic Soda Machine has retro stylings to further indulge your trip down memory lane.

See price and full details of SodaKING 611654 Classic Soda Machine White

FOR BROWNIE POINTS: Include a couple of bottles of soda drink flavouring syrups, available from supermarkets.

Help them become the King or Queen of the bar. This may be one of those ‘what do you get the person who has everything?’ type gifts, but it’ll be their new favourite toy as they slice and dice the ice like a pro. It’s little flourishes like this that take a cocktail from blah to ‘WOW!’

If hosting big backyard parties is their thing, the SOGA Dual Blade Ice Shaver will help them master clever cocktails and snow cones for the kids, as well as provide the perfect icy bed for those festive oyster and seafood platters.

See price and full details of SOGA Dual Blade Ice Shaver

FOR BROWNIE POINTS: A bottle of something special that’s crying out to be poured over smooth crushed ice.

The Esky’s great, but who among us hasn’t at some point hankered for a handy little bar fridge, a space where leftovers, salad and yogurt fear to tread? Whether it’s for a beer buff’s man cave, a chardy connoisseur's cabana or juice junkie’s home gym, they’ll be all aglow at receiving a gift with such purity of mission: to keep their precious bevvies cold.

With a reversible door finished in black and grey, the Esatto 91L Bar Fridge is a stylish looking little drinks companion, and with a generous freezer compartment you can keep plenty of ice to hand to chill those drinks or smoothies.

See price and full details of Esatto 91L Bar Fridge EBF91S

FOR BROWNIE POINTS: Stock it with a bottle or two of their favourite tipple.

There’ll be no need to wait their turn for the communal hotplates at the beach when they can fire up their very own portable BBQ. Truly, whether you’re a sausage sizzler or a tofu toaster, who wouldn’t be over the moon to unwrap this little beauty?

There are lots of versatile gas BBQ options available these days, but there’s a reason that ‘Chuck it on the Weber’ has become part of the lingo. With durable construction and weighing a manageable 16kg, the Weber Q2000 is a handy and very highly rated portable unit that’s small enough to carry to the beach but big enough to feed the family.

See price and full details of the Weber Q2000 LPG BBQ 53010024

FOR BROWNIE POINTS: Add a bottle of LPG gas and some juicy rib eyes!

This one’s for the person in your life who aspires to be the Boss of the BBQ by not only sizzling those snags and burgers to perfection, but actually creating them from scratch. All hail the new Sausage King! The bragging rights alone are worthy of being gift wrapped.

By mincing your own meat with a Kenwood meat grinder, you know exactly what’s going into your patties and sausages, so you need never encounter a dreaded gristly or bony surprise again. You can choose between fine, medium and coarse grind, depending on your preference, and there’s even a kebbe maker included so you can conjure up your own Middle Eastern creations.

See price and full details of Kenwood MG700 Meat Grinder

FOR BROWNIE POINTS: Accompany it with a nice cut of meat and some sausage casings so they can whip up some luxury snags as a thank you!

If your foodie friend hasn’t dehydrated food before, they’ve got a world of wonder in store as they witness the low and slow transformation of fresh food into chewy or crunchy little flavour bombs.

With six large adjustable shelves, eight settings and even airflow, the Sunbeam DT6000 Food Lab Food Dehydrator is essentially a low temperature oven designed to perfectly produce all kinds of treats, from dried herbs and veggie chips, to granola and beef jerky.

See price and full details of the Sunbeam DT6000 Food Lab Food Dehydrator

FOR BROWNIE POINTS: Accompany it with a selection of fresh berries or a prime cut of beef ready to hit the dehydration station!