Holiday Gifts for Cooks

There are lots of cool kitchen gadgets out there that the cook in your life would love to have but would never buy for his or her self. The holiday season is the perfect time to purchase these items that will thrill any cook and hopefully help them in the kitchen. Here are a few ideas.

The Professional Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener is a great gadget for any cook. Cooks need super sharp knives and this device will hone them to a razor's edge. It's easy to use, guaranteed not to detemper your knives, and it sharpens serrated and non-serrated knives. It's a great investment at $139.95 and you can find it at sharperimage.com.

The Lighted Salt or Pepper Mill makes a great stocking stuffer. This modern style silver push button mill sheds light on whatever you're seasoning so you never overdo it. It has several grinding settings from coarse to fine, has a window so you can see the level of pepper or salt, and the bottom closes so that you don't leave residue behind. It's $29.95 at sharperimage.com.

The Hands Free Soap Dispenser may sound boring but every cook knows the frustration of needing to wash gunk off their hands without touching anything. This handy gadget has an infrared sensor that detects your hands and also has a slight delay so that they're all the way under the dispenser. You can program how much soap you would like dispensed. It's $39.95 at hammacher.com.

The Cordless Warming Tray is a great gift for a cook who entertains a lot and needs to keep dishes warm while others cook. It can keep dishes at the proper temperature for up to an hour without burning or scorching them and the 2 inch legs keep the tray off surfaces as well as transforming into stay-cool handles. The full size tray is $99.95 and the narrow size tray is $89.95 at hammacher.com.

The Best Blender has all the best features of a blender and food processor combined into one appliance. It's a must-have for any serious cook. This blender has industrial strength stainless steel blades and a 750 watt motor that can puree ice and food in seconds. It has 7 cycles as well as pre-programmed settings such as ice crush and smoothie. The blender itself is extremely sturdy and well-built as well as dishwasher safe. It's $199.95 at hammacher.com.

You should be able to please your cook with one or more of these holiday gift ideas. Just make sure you do your online ordering in plenty of time for the big day.