X
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

Best holiday gifts for home chefs in 2018

Give one of these to the chef in your life and you're sure to be rewarded with something delicious.

Andrew Gebhart
Brian Bennett Former Senior writer
Brian Bennett is a former senior writer for the home and outdoor section at CNET.
Brian Bennett
new-june-oven-product-photos-6
1 of 11 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

June Intelligent Oven (2018)

It's time to heat up your holiday shopping. If you have a family member who loves to cook, these gifts are perfect and you're bound to get something tasty out of the deal.

Let's start with the second-gen June Intelligent Oven. This $600 countertop cooker looks like a toaster oven, but it has a built-in camera that will recognize your food and set the proper time and temperature for you. You can check in on your food with that camera and you can tweak settings if you want crispier bacon or gooier chocolate chip cookies. 

instant-pot-ace-3
2 of 11 Chris Monroe/CNET

Instant Pot Ace

The $100 Instant Pot Ace -- a blender from the makers of the popular electric pressure cookers -- surprised us with high-level blending performance at a reasonable price. Plus, it can heat your food while it blends so you can quickly mix up a batch of soup or baby food. 

instant-pot-lux-6-in-1-v3-4
3 of 11 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Instant Pot Lux 6-in-1 V3

Speaking of popular electric pressure cookers, the classic $80 Instant Pot is still a great multicooker. Choose from 12 automatic programs to sear, saute or pressure cook your favorite foods. 

lenovo-smart-display-4
4 of 11 Chris Monroe/CNET

Lenovo Smart Display

Not all great kitchen gadgets will do the cooking themselves. Case in point: the $250 Lenovo Smart Display combines the functionality of a smart speaker like the Google Home Mini with a touchscreen for looking at pictures, watching videos and controlling your smart home. 

The touchscreen and the built-in Google Assistant make it a great gadget for helping you cook. It'll show you the ingredients and steps in a recipe while reading them off one-by-one. You can skip forward and back as needed. You can also multitask and watch videos, play music, set a timer and add something to your shopping list while you cook. Tell it to resume the recipe when you're ready, and it'll jump right back to where you left off. 

second-gen-amazon-echo-show-product-photos-1
5 of 11 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Amazon Echo Show (2nd Gen)

The Amazon Echo Show was the first major smart display and led to devices such as the Lenovo Smart Display. While the first Show was clunky and the touchscreen underutilized, Amazon added a lot of polish to the second-generation $230 Echo Show.

Complete with Amazon's assistant, Alexa, the Show offers step-by-step recipe guides similar to the Lenovo Smart Display. You can also watch videos for each step with recipes from SideChef. 

010-google-home-hub
6 of 11 Sarah Tew/CNET

Google Home Hub

The $150 Google Home Hub offers all of the same features as the Lenovo Smart Display for less, including step-by-step recipe guides.

Better yet, when you're not using it, you can set the screen to scroll through your family photos, and it'll automatically customize the brightness and warmth of the pictures to match the ambient light in the room.

amazon-event-2018-product-photos-7
7 of 11 Ry Crist/CNET

Amazon Echo Dot (2018)

If you want voice assistance in the kitchen and don't need a touchscreen, look no further than the 2018 Amazon Echo Dot. The refreshed $50 smart speaker features a softer look than the previous version and still has the same vast assortment of features offered by Amazon's voice-enabled assistant, Alexa. 

100-year-celebration-mixer-limited-ed-misty-blue-ceramic-ksm180rcmb-lifestyle-5-1
8 of 11 KitchenAid

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

Of course, if you don't want to get someone a fancy new piece of tech, you could always go with a classic. A colorful KitchenAid Stand Mixer will likely set you back at least $200, but it's also likely to last a long time and will give your favorite family cook a classy kitchen centerpiece. 

kenmore-ovation-1
9 of 11 Kenmore

Kenmore Elite Ovation

If your family's designated cook is a bit messier, you might want to consider this new covered alternative to the KitchenAid stand mixer. The $450 Kenmore Elite Ovation holds five quarts and you can mix away without worrying about splashing, thanks to the lid covering its bowl. 

char-broil-performance-xl-1
10 of 11 Chris Monroe/CNET

Char-Broil Performance XL

It's never too early to start thinking about summer barbecues. The $300 Char-Broil Performance XL includes a side burner and a ton of cooking power at an affordable price. 

air-fryers-product-photo-1
11 of 11 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Simple Chef HF-898

A nice addition to any basement bar, the $70 Simple Chef air fryer will quickly heat up snack foods like pizza rolls or mozzarella sticks. It's also pleasingly easy to clean once you're done cooking. 

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos