21 Fall Drink Recipes Starring Our Favorite Autumn Fruit

These fall drink recipes take advantage of the best seasonal fall fruit—some are warm, some chilled, and some are even nonalcoholic, so everyone gets to enjoy a taste of autumn in a glass. Cheers!

Summer beverages are all about the thirst-quenchers: lemonades, iced teas, and beers the palest shade of yellow. Winter, on the other hand, is the time for hot cocoa, toddies, and anything that will erase the agony of the cold. So what about fall, the season in between?

Serve In StyleChic Home Bar Gifts Under $100Clever marketing may have us believe that it’s the time to scarf down pumpkin spice everything, when really it should be about featuring the fruits of the season. We’re talking about beverages with apples, pears, grapes, cranberries, and pomegranates. The sort that have way more actual products of the autumn harvest in them than some dubiously-made goop from a squirt bottle.

It’s time to end the parade of pumpkin-like flavors and reclaim fall for its real fruits, in their many shades of russet, ruby, and amber. We’ve collected 21 drink recipes to lead the way.

Fall Mocktails

Virgin drinks are no longer simply kids’ stuff, or even tossed together as a token gesture to teetotalers and designated drivers. Nonalcoholic drinks just keep getting better, and should be crafted with as much care as a perfect Manhattan or martini. These are some of our favorite zero-proof fall drinks (of course, if you want to, you can add a splash of something harder to any one of them).

Related Reading: The Ultimate Guide to Mocktails

1. Green Apple Sparkler

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The seltzer might give this alcohol-free Italian soda its sparkling name, but it’s really the prickly flavor of Granny Smiths that dazzles and shines. Get our Sparkling Green Apple Mocktail recipe.

2. Cranberry-Apple Shrub

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Shrubs (sweetened and infused drinking vinegars) are addictively acerbic. This cranberry and apple version can serve as the base for a wide array of pucker-y creations. Get our Cranberry-Apple Shrub recipe.

3. Cranberry Shrub Spritz

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For instance, you can mix the above shrub with a few ounces of seltzer for a carbonated drink that’s a complete 180 from your sugary sweet colas. Get our Cranberry Shrub Spritz recipe.

4. Autumn Chiller

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Think of the autumn chiller as a brisk, summer juice with the flavors of fall (thanks to ginger beer and sparkling apple cider), suited for sipping on those still-warm days between the two seasons. Get our Autumn Chiller Fall Mocktail recipe.

5. Puritan’s Pride

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Sparkling cider, ginger syrup, and cranberry juice combine for a festive mocktail that’s right at home on your Thanksgiving table. Get our Puritan’s Pride Cranberry Mocktail recipe.

6. Mulled Apple Cider

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What’s fall without at least one mug of warmly spiced, steaming apple cider? Our version includes cloves, allspice, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, and orange peel, as well as an unexpected addition of black peppercorns for a bit more kick. They infuse the apple cider with a wonderfully aromatic flavor that’ll warm you from head to toe. Get our Mulled Apple Cider recipe.

Fall Cocktails

And now for the boozy bunch. These mixed drinks all pack in the flavors of fall, plus a punch of alcohol.

7. Brandy-Apple Punch

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Fruit punch can be so much more than a candy-like medley of tropical fruits. This version is downright autumnal with its mix of apple, cranberry, and brandy. Get our Brandy-Apple Punch recipe.

8. Bobbing for Mezcal

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Okay, “bobbing” for mezcal may be a bit of a stretch when the smoky agave liquor is so easy to pick out among the ingredients. Regardless, that headstrong aroma brings a mouthful to savor against the sweetness of apple cider, maple syrup, and ginger beer. Get our Apple Mezcal Cocktail recipe.

Related Reading: What Is the Difference Between Tequila and Mezcal?

9. Rum and Cranberry Shrub Cocktail

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Returning to that tart cranberry-apple shrub from above, if you prefer to make it into a spiked drink, you can shake it with some dark rum, which gives it a molasses-y edge (or try vodka to let the puckery fruit flavors take center stage). Get our Rum and Cranberry Shrub Cocktail recipe.

10. Le Petit Hibou

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This “little owl” amplifies the fruity qualities of a pinot or sauvignon blanc, blending it with apple juice and Lillet apertif. Get our Le Petit Hibou Wine Cocktail recipe.

11. Hot Mulled Sherried Apple Cider

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Hot mulled cider is well known for its ability to accommodate healthy glugs of whiskey and rum. But sherry? It turns out that nutty amontillado is ideal for accentuating the mellow spices that are also thrown into the mix. Get our Hot Mulled Sherried Apple Cider recipe.

12. Slow Cooker Spiked Wassail

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A wassail is made by slowly mulling juices with a handful of aromatic spices. It’s then spiced with apple brandy and served with whole roasted apples that skim the surface—could you get much more autumnal than that? Get our Slow Cooker Spiked Wassail recipe.

13. Concord Grape Martini

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Concord grapes have an unmistakable, almost aggressive flavor, one that can be tricky to mix with others. Luckily, it finds a mate in the juniper and bergamot notes of gin, making a martini that’s fruity without being frivolous. Get our Concord Grape Martini recipe.

14. The Flying Fig

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Fresh figs are an underrated ingredient in general, but especially when it comes to drinks. This cocktail fixes that: You muddle two figs with elderflower liqueur before shaking with vodka, lemon juice, and agave nectar. Get our Fig Cocktail recipe.

15. Grilled Sangría

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If you’re enjoying an Indian summer and haven’t yet put away the grill, you can make the most of the situation with this sangria that uses fall fruits for backyard barbecue purposes. The skewered apples, grapes, and citrus take on a smoky flavor that then plays off the full body of red Rioja. Get our Grilled Sangría recipe.

16. Spiced Brandy-Pear Punch

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Don’t forget that cider season isn’t just about apples—pears make for a perfectly sweet, floral, and refreshing drink, too. This punch allows hard pear cider to go deep, marrying it with cinnamon and Courvoisier. Get our Spiced Brandy-Pear Punch recipe.

17. Spiced Pear-Champagne Punch

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For a completely different pear-centric punch, add Champagne. Effervescent and cheery with bubbly, spices, and blood orange, this large-format drink is fit for special occasions. Get our Spiced Pear-Champagne Punch recipe.

18. Sparkling Rum and Pomegranate Punch

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Pomegranate juice is powerful and straight to the point, but rum and sparkling wine can help sweeten its aggressive edge. Serve this punch with a stunning pomegranate and lime ice block, which not only looks good, it will also help keep the drink cool without watering it down. Make it in a Bundt pan for an even prettier presentation. Get our Sparkling Rum and Pomegranate Punch recipe.

19. Smoky, Hot Apple Cider with Scotch

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For a smokier take on fall fruit, try this warm cocktail with apple cider, honey, scotch, and lemon. Get our Smoky, Hot Apple Cider with Scotch recipe.

20. Spiced Cranberry Sangria

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Cranberries and Granny Smith apples fix this sangria firmly in fall, but the ruby port and spiced simple syrup with cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and anise mean it’ll be just as appropriate at all your holiday parties too. In addition to port and Cointreau, there’s also rosé, which needn’t go away with summer. Get our Spiced Cranberry Sangria recipe.

21. Cranberry Culprit

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The cranberries here are only guilty of improving on a bar staple, swapping out the amaretto sour’s cloying lemon-lime mix for the briskness of tart fruit. This a fantastic way to use up any leftover cranberry sauce, but also tasty enough that it’s worth whipping up a fresh batch. Get our Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail recipe.

Related Video: How to Make Quick Cranberry Sauce Sangria

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9 Wrapped-Up Recipes That Are as Cozy as You Are

‘Tis the season for cozy food that comforts, so here are nine recipes that epitomize the snuggly warmth of being wrapped up against the chill of fall and winter.

That cozy time of year for pigs in blankets is upon us. To clarify, I don’t necessarily mean that it’s cocktail party season where pastry-wrapped hot dog bites take center stage, accurate though that may also be. No, it is the season where we ourselves become pigs in blankets, predisposed to little else other than snuggling up with the nearest afghan, pet, or willing body, and leaning in to the spirit of hibernation preparation with whatever comfort food best pairs with the body, beverage, or binge-watching session you’ve lined up for your day on the couch.

If coziness is what you crave, why not lean in even a little harder—like almost lost between the cushions hard—with comfort foods that are themselves…blanketed? Because nothing says cozy quite like these nine recipes where your favorite foods for all moments of the day are wrapped up as snugly as you are. Note: You may be required to get up off the couch to prepare them, but they will make settling back in under a toasty blanket all the sweeter.

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Classic French Onion Soup

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French onion soup isn’t just #lunchgoals, it’s #goals, full-stop. Pastry isn’t the only stuff capable of doing some cozy blanketing, and yeah, I totally lead off with the recipe that employs cheese for such a purpose. A blanket of cheese. Did I mention #goals? Get our Classic French Onion Soup recipe.

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

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If you’re centering a party around Netflix and Chill with a BYO-Blanket kind of vibe, why not throw together a snugly-bound appetizer spread? These prosciutto-wrapped asparagus spears prove that even veggies can get cozy, and mingle with the likes of bacon-wrapped dates, OG pigs in blankets, and even mini egg rolls for the full, veggies-in-a-sleeping bag approach. Get our Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus recipe.

Related Reading: Our Favorite Trader Joe’s Frozen Food to Stock Up On

Italian Sausage Calzone

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“Parks and Recreation” fans, do you share Ben Wyatt’s assessment that calzones are “just a stunning culinary innovation?” No matter. Because when the inevitable day comes this winter where you are fit for nothing besides barely poking your face out from the hood of your full body blanket, you will need your pizza to follow suit and stop judging you. Get our Italian Sausage Calzone recipe.

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Falafel Lavash Wraps

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These flavorful, Middle Eastern wraps almost seem too elegant to hang out in a round up of comfort foods, but not only are they on-brand with the tucked in presentation, but they barely require one hand to eat. Get our Falafel Lavash Wraps recipe.

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That's a wrap.

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Breakfast Sausage and Cornflake Scotch Eggs

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Ensconced. Enrobed. Cradled. Swaddled. You can basically choose your own verb here and it will never be wrong as long as sausage is the thing doing the cradling or ensconcing. I see your cheese and pastry blankets and raise you an egg contained within the loving embrace of breakfast meat. Get our Breakfast Sausage and Cornflake Scotch Eggs recipe.

Pumpkin Tortelloni with Sage and Pumpkin Seeds

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It is the law of autumn that you can’t have coziness without a mention of pumpkins. (Or at least gourds.) And what are blankets without pillows? Put these ideas together and you get a dinner that is not only swoon-worthy and thematic, but provides excellent hibernation carb-loading, and is likely to impress whomever you’ve invited for cozying up. Get our Pumpkin Tortelloni with Sage and Pumpkin Seeds recipe.

Related Reading: How to Make Fresh Pasta

Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pies

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The particular beauty of pot pie is that the look of the thing under the covers is less important than its character. Meanwhile, the addition of mushrooms to a classic chicken pot pie lends a little depth and earthiness. There’s a parable in there somewhere. Get our Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pies recipe.

Related Reading: 15 Recipes That Marry Mushrooms and Cream

Classic Beef Wellington

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Look, it’s the granddaddy of the en croute family of foods, and its lengthy preparation is not for the faint of heart. But one could hardly assemble a lineup of blanketed foods without the pièce de résistance. Should you endeavor into the process of Beef Wellington, you might find yourself inspired to change out of your pajamas and consider setting the table for real on this one. Get our Classic Beef Wellington recipe.

Apple, Cranberry, and Cherry Galette

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You know sometimes when you’ve been bundled on the couch all day, and then your bed suddenly seems too toasty and you kind of have to keep one or both feet outside of the covers to regulate? That’s kind of the idea with galette, a free-form kind of tart or pie with just a bit of tuckage. You don’t need to get a perfect circle of pie crust. You don’t even need to get a pan, really. It’s the best version of pie representative of lazy, snuggly days. Get our Apple, Cranberry, and Cherry Galette recipe.

Related Reading: Which Is Better for Lining Baking Pans, Parchment Paper or Silicone Mats?

Related Video: How to Assemble a Galette

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Crème Brûlée Cheesecake

Do you love crème brûlée, but you also love cheesecake? Get the best of both worlds with this luscious Crème Brûlée Cheesecake! A buttery graham cracker crust balances the light and creamy cheesecake, then it’s finished with the sweet and satisfying crack of brittle sugar.

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Simply Recipes 2019 Meal Plan: November Week 1

What's for dinner? This week's meal plan is all about answering that question with a bevy of delicious ideas: citrus pork, cauliflower chickpea curry, crispy chicken thighs, salmon, and beef and broccoli stir fry.

Continue reading "Simply Recipes 2019 Meal Plan: November Week 1" »

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Friendsgiving: The Ultimate Guide

Take a look back at the origins of Friendsgiving, and find out everything you need to know about pulling off the perfect Friendsgiving yourself.

On that first Thanksgiving episode of “Friends,” which aired 25 freaking years ago (I know!), nobody—not Monica, Chandler, Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, nor Joey—ever utters the phrase Friendsgiving. It’s also easy to forget that none of them really wanted to spend the holiday together.

Almost everyone has plans with their families that ultimately fall apart—Ross and Monica’s parents hightail it to Puerto Rico, Rachel misses her flight to Vail, Joey’s family uninvites him after he appears in a V.D. ad that’s plastered all over the city, and Chandler boycotts all “pilgrim holidays” on principal, seeing as Thanksgiving was the day his parents told him as a child they were splitting, mid-pumpkin pie.

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Monica tries to whip up a perfect holiday spread as salve for the gang’s familial wounds, but scorches the turkey and “three different kinds of mashed potatoes” after she and Rachel lock themselves out of the apartment when they go to watch the escaped Underdog balloon from the Thanksgiving parade float above their roof at Chandler’s behest (classic Chandler).

But when these permanently 20-somethings gather around a meal of grilled cheeses, wine, and Funyuns, liberating themselves from all the routine family drama that rears its head when people drink too much boxed wine, that was probably the moment many of us realized there was an alternative to rolling your carry-on through the fresh hell that is the airport during the busiest air travel time of the year.

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Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

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Even more than that, this and the other Thanksgiving episodes that followed (remember “The One With The Thanksgiving Flashbacks?”—add it to your Netflix playlist for pre-main event entertainment) served as a playbook of sorts for a new kind of holiday, one where you didn’t have to spend three and a half days pretending to be pumped about your mom’s new paleo green bean casserole recipe or that as an adult, seeing your dad in his underwear at the coffee pot before sunrise isn’t emotionally scarring whatsoever.

But When Did Friendsgiving Officially Become a Thing?

The official term Friendsgiving didn’t appear until 2007 on Twitter (and some other proto-social media platform called Usenet that sounds like a plot device from “Short Circuit”). Four years later, when young urbanites who either couldn’t afford the plane ticket home or get the time off from work to travel—or just couldn’t stomach sleeping on their aunt’s trundle bed yet again—were staying put and making their own feasts with other derelict adult children, Baileys Irish Cream saw dollar signs and released an ad using the tag line “Friendsgiving with Baileys.”

Amanda Formaro

Of course, if you want historical accuracy, look to McSweeney’s origin story of the first Friendsgiving, which obviously took place in L.A. in 2008 and was hosted by Millennials. Pummeled by the financial crisis, and bagging groceries at Whole Foods, Millennials had no money to get home for Thanksgiving so decided to throw their own feast “because it was way warmer here than in the Midwest, anyway,” and “like a miracle, one of the Millennials had a friend in graphic design who was pretty badass at Photoshop and willing to design a logo for the eVites and the Facebook page.”

Whether or not Millennials or Monica are responsible for the inaugural meal, you know it’s a legit trend when there’s an emoji rollout—in 2017, Friendsgiving became so prevalent on social media, Venmo created a turkey hand that looks like the hot glue-gun art project you insisted mom hang up on the fridge for the entire month of November.

Aldi/Venmo

What Is Friendsgiving, Exactly?

Friendsgiving has evolved of course. Some people—even old people, like 40-year olds—celebrate Friendsgiving before or after the actual holiday so they can still be with family on Thursday (newsflash: mom doesn’t care if Julie is making the actual ramen from the Momofuku cookbook—get your ass home).

Chef Tara Lazar, who owns Cheeky’s, Birba, Mr. Lyons, and Seymour’s in Palm Springs, Calif., has a long tradition of hosting Friendsgiving, but opts to include family members too. “I say combine them!” she says. “It’s one of the only holidays that has nothing to do with religion—just food! Why wouldn’t you want to invite your friends? We usually invite all the Europeans and convert them into Thanksgiving enthusiasts.”

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Lazar is a big believer in the potluck (“everyone has an ace in the hole,” she says), but cautions against assigning out the turkey. “Not unless someone is really into it.” Lazar does, however, like variety when it comes to sauces; she makes three cranberry sauces alone, though she reluctantly serves the jellied kind for her brother because, “he still likes it, so we slice that up—gross.”

Lazar’s guests leave with something a little more elevated than Tupperware too. “We make two stuffings, one we cook inside the bird, and then one in a Crock-Pot, which is the only time a year we use it, to make sure we have enough so everyone has some to take home with them for leftovers. Then we put it in cute Chinese takeout boxes so everyone has something to take home.”

Medium Thanksgiving Paper Take Away Cups with Lids, 6 for $7.99 at World Market

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Friendsgiving Is Whatever You Make It—But It Should Definitely be Fun!

If you’re not a restaurant-owning chef, doubtful your friends are expecting various cranberry sauces and enough stuffing to feed them for the week. But they are expecting a fun meal, hopefully that goes above and beyond Funyuns and wine. Which is exactly why we’ve put together a fail-safe, you-can-only-win guide to your Friendsgiving this year, whether you celebrate with friends over a basted turkey by candlelight on Thursday or with those leftover string beans on Saturday night.

Below, the definitive guide to hosting your own Friendsgiving (plus a sibling, maybe—the one you like), via bite-size pieces you can pick and choose from and put together into your own spin on the holiday.

Planning

• A Comprehensive Friendsgiving Timeline – When to do everything so you don’t undercook the bird.
• How to Assign Roles of Friendsgiving – Obviously, this is based on skills, personality types, and astrology signs.
• Best Tech Apps for Planning Friendsgiving – Put your phone to work too!
• Icebreakers, Games, and Fun Activities for Friendsgiving – Whether you’re just celebrating with your besties or inviting newcomers into the mix, show everyone a good time.
• How to Host Friendsgiving on a College Budget – Your job’s a joke, you’re broke? You can still host a fabulous Friendsgiving.
• A Guide to the Unique Types of Themed Friendsgivings You Can Plan – What to do if you’re not a “flowers-on-the-table” type of host.
• How to Throw a Friendsgiving When Friends Have Kids – It doesn’t have to be a disaster for anyone involved.

Preparing

The Food

• Friendsgiving Recipes You Can Make Ahead of Time and Freeze – This way you can have a glass of rosé on the couch too.
• Potluck Ideas Other Than Turkey and Sides – There’s so much more we can bring to the table.
• A Curated Friendsgiving Menu Using Chowhound’s Cookbooks of the Month – We read all the cookbooks so you don’t have to.
• Best Apps for Friendsgiving Dinner – Give your guests something to nosh on before the main course (especially if you’re also serving drinks beforehand).
• Modern Twists on Thanksgiving Classics – Skip the same old same old and put an elevated spin on all your favorites.
• How to Accommodate Vegans During Thanksgiving – Because you know there’s going to be at least one.
• How to Host a Friendsgiving Brunch – Maybe you’re more of a morning person?
• 18 Great Thanksgiving Dessert Alternatives to Pie – If ever there was a time to break from tradition, this is it.

The Rest

• Easy Ways to Make Your Friendsgiving Space More Inviting – Because you want your guests to feel at home—or like your place is even better.
• What to Stock Up On to Avert Friendsgiving Disaster – Avoid that pit-in-your-stomach-feeling when the wine and beer supplies start to dry up.
• The Best Products to Transport Food for Friendsgiving – This isn’t your mother’s Tupperware.
• What to Bring to Friendsgiving That’s Not Wine – Why not show a bit more creativity? (Of course, if you also bring a bottle, it’ll be appreciated.)
• The Dos and Don’ts of Friendsgiving According to “Friends” the TV Show – Those 90s era twenty-somethings knew how to have a fun meal together.
• Special Occasion Dishes & Linens – Dress up your table for the festive occasion, whatever your budget.

Pulling It Off

• ‘Queer Eye’ Food Expert Antoni Porowski Shares His Friendsgiving Tips and Tricks – Don’t get stuck in a rut with your turkey.
• Lessons Learned: Friendsgiving Takes from Influencers – Take your cues from others’ triumphs and mistakes.
• How Professional Chefs Host Friendsgiving – Steal their ideas and look like a pro too.
• Music & Netflix Playlists for Friendsgiving – Queue up “Friends” and “The Office” reruns—and all the right tunes for pre-, mid-, and post-meal times.
• How to Make Cocktails Using Your Cooking Ingredients – It’s cheaper and tastier than buying mixers!
• Last-Minute Things You Can Make If You Just Got Invited to Friendsgiving – Got a half hour? Then you’ve got this!
• Why Rosé Is the Best Thanksgiving Wine – It’s not just for summer, and it tastes even better with stuffing.

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Baijiu: The World’s Most Popular Spirit, Explained

If you lately happen upon baijiu (pronounced BUY-joe) as a cocktail ingredient at your favorite hot spot, take note. The latest weapon in the arsenal of the American bartender isn’t some small-batch, hard-won, under-the-radar potion, but actually the most widely drunk spirit in the world.

What’s that now? But, but…vodka! You might insist. Or whiskey! And you would be well-reasoned to believe in either of those seemingly ubiquitous spirits. But despite the comparable hugeness of mother Russia, and the fact that it seems every country on earth is now producing whiskey (“e” optional), enter China, population 1.4 billion, and its traditional spirit of choice.

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The rise of the American cocktail bar over the last decade has definitely produced a rise in profile for the spirits of the world, many of them with ancient history, that had long gone unnoticed or underappreciated by young, American tipplers. Spanish Sherry is no longer a thing of the past that sits dusty in the back of your grandmother’s pantry, but a mixed-drink rockstar capable of texture and nuance. If you made the rounds of the hottest cocktail bars in your city but never had a single drink anointed with absinthe, did it even count as a night out? Nowadays it seems your average American drinker not only has a strong opinion on London Dry versus New American style gin, but can also name at least two or three different amari, and also knows that the plural of Italian amaro is amari. And the recent emergence of baijiu beyond its motherland is definitely part of that same trend.

What Is Baijiu?

“Baijiu is super hugely popular in China,” says Steaven Chen, owner of CNS Imports, an American company largely responsible for bringing various brands of baijiu to the U.S.

Baijiu, or shaojiu, is a distilled, white spirit whose name literally means “white alcohol,” but that drinks with more flavor and a much fuller mouthfeel than the other white spirits of the world. Baijiu is typically made from sorghum, and utilizes a starter culture for fermentation. If vodka is the white bread of the spirit world, then baijiu is the sourdough. Variables of production and mash bill produce a number of different styles categorized by their aroma, with the four most common being strong aroma, light aroma, rice aroma and, wait for it…sauce aroma.

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If you want to sip baijiu in the traditional manner, tiny glasses are the way to go.

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Strong aroma tends to be sweet with notes of tropical fruit on the nose. Light aroma is light and clean, gently redolent of flowers. Rice aroma is made from a rice-based starter culture with light aromatics, and sauce aroma promotes a flavor that has the prized umami quality of fermented bean paste or soy sauce. According to Chen, strong aroma is most popular worldwide, while light aroma is the most approachable for novice drinkers. As for sauce aroma and its decidedly “earthy” quality? “You know Dale DeGroff? He loves sauce,” says Chen. “Some people love the sauce, and some people can’t handle the sauce.”

Why Is It Becoming More Popular?

CNS has been importing baijiu to the U.S. for over 30 years, but Chen credits the current rise in interest to the baijiu brands themselves. “There’s been a lot of interest from the brands in China to do more marketing in the U.S. Baijiu has been around for hundreds of years, but they are now wanting to share their spirits with the rest of the world.”

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The Chinese New Year is the most important traditional festival in China for which Moutai is an essential drink. #MoutaiDiscover

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In China, baijiu is typically served in tiny glasses at room temperature and only with food, but American bartenders are finding its value as a cocktail component. “In the metro areas, especially like New York and Los Angeles, bartenders are making their own unique drinks,” Chen explains. “It’s not like we suggest that they should substitute it in a Moscow Mule. The general strategy is to go and experiment.”

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Chowhound Gift Guide 2019: The Best Kitchen Gadgets, Appliances, and Tools

Gift-giving season has arrived again, and that means you’re probably searching for the perfect thing for several people on your list, some of whom are sure to be enthusiastic home cooks (or maybe in need of a little help in that department). These kitchen gadgets, tools, and appliances make great gifts for a whole range of people, from those who love to cook and are always looking for another toy, to those who have a rather bare-bones kitchen and need a way to rustle up some sustenance (cue air fryers and Instant Pots).

Food52 x Staub Turmeric Cookware Collection 4-Quart Cocotte, $149 on Food52 (normally $284)

Food52

A cocotte is essentially the same thing as a Dutch oven—perfect for braising, stewing, and roasting, but also useful for baking and deep frying things. This one is made by Staub for Food52 and is part of their beautifully colored Turmeric cookware collection, which will look great in anyone’s kitchen, not to mention on their dining table too. (Now through Nov. 28 you can also get free shipping on any Food52 purchase with no minimum order.)Buy Now

Mealthy CrispLid Air Fryer Attachment, $59.95 on Amazon

Mealthy

Know someone who’s intrigued by air fryers but already has too much counter space given over to their Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker)? This nifty new Mealthy CrispLid will basically turn that Instant Pot or other 6- or 8-quart pressure cooker into an air fryer; see our Mealthy review for more. It comes with a basket, tongs, and a few other tools, but those will store much more easily than an entire bulky air fryer.Buy Now

Instant Pot DUO60 6-Quart 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, $79 on Amazon

Instant Pot

Speaking of Instant Pots, if you know someone who doesn’t have one yet and wants one, it’s still a great gift to wrap up this year! There are more and more models available all the time, from the small-scale Instant Pot Mini to the brand new Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer Combo, but this classic DUO 6-quart remains one of the most popular options. It includes the yogurt making function, but there’s a lot more you can do with it too.Buy Now

KitchenAid Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, $279.99 on Amazon

KitchenAid

Another oldie-but-goodie, a stand mixer is on nearly everyone’s wish list at some point, and maybe this is the year you’ll make a die-hard home baker very happy. (But heads-up: stand mixer uses go way beyond pastry.) For the cook who already owns and treasures their stand mixer, there are always plenty of nifty attachments to gift them. Or Buy Now

Food52 x GreenPan Nonstick Oval Roasting Pan, $99 on Food52

Food52

Roasting pans are a must-have in the kitchen, but when’s the last time you saw one that was so pretty? This pale sage-blue pan with gleaming brass handles is totally gorgeous, but also a workhorse—it’s nonstick so it washes up like a dream, it’s oven-safe up to 600°F, and it’s compatible with any cooktop, including induction surfaces.Buy Now

Five Two Essential Knives, $49-$139 on Food52

Food52

Another essential kitchen tool: good knives. But you don’t necessarily need an entire 18-piece set because chances are you’ll rarely use most of them. This pared-down knife collection includes the three that always prove most useful: a sharp chef’s knife, a small paring knife, and a serrated knife for bread and cakes. They’re designed with looks and performance in mind; sharp Japanese steel, carefully calibrated weight for the proper heft in the hand, and vintage details (brass rivets and handles in lovely shades of blue, orange, pink, or gray) make them something special. You can buy them singly or save $38 by opting for the trio all together—but they won’t ship until December 16.Buy Now

For great edible gift ideas, see our gourmet food and drink gift guides too.

from Food News – Chowhound https://ift.tt/2NwdmD5
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