10 Gifts the Food52 Team Would Love to Give—or Get—This Holiday

A few days ago, I slacked the Food52 team, asking what everyone's most excited to give and get from our shop this holiday season. Innocent enough.

But the response was overwhelming. Gifts ranged from fun and funny to heartwarmingly-thoughtful; a few were luxurious, yes, but many of them were respectably sensible. (Shout out to Cody—our Data Scientist—for alerting us to the pan "capable of producing a calzone the size and heft of a human head.")

Below, find the 10 items from our shop that members of our team want, need, gotta-have, and gotta-gift this holiday season.

1. Lovely Taper Candles

"I have great anxiety over giving gifts! Will they hate it? Do they have it already? Will it be thrown into a pile of pretty but useless things, never to be retrieved again? With these candles I never have to worry, because who doesn’t love beautiful candles? Plus, you can never have too many. These ones are extra special because they don’t drip (I mean, wax drips can look pretty, but not on your hand-embroidered Italian linen) and because they’re handmade, so each one has a slightly different tone even when they're all the same color." —Arati Menon, Senior Editor

2. TRUFF Truffle-Infused Hot Sauce

"Truffle hot sauce. Do you need this? Yes, you do. Made with jalapeños and just the right amount of truffles (oil and truffles themselves), it luxes up just about anything, and gives it a subtle punch of spice. Think: scrambled eggs, quesadillas, crispy rice with any manner of veggies … the list goes on. And on. I bought a two-pack: one for myself, and the other for a lucky loved one on my list (will it be you?)." —Brinda Ayer, Managing Editor

3. Food52 x GreenPan Nonstick Skillet (Set of 2)

"I’ve gifted these pans to four people now because I just believe everyone should own a really good nonstick skillet. It’s an everyday indulgence for me to use these pans, for everything from scrambled eggs to kimchi fried rice. I also love that we live in an age when “nonstick” doesn’t have to mean toxic anymore. Oh, it’s dishwasher- and oven-safe, too. And most importantly: pretty." —Eric Kim, Senior Editor

4. Dish Rack With Drain Spout

"I’m a big believer in gifting things that people actually need—and just about everyone needs a dish rack. Including me. Which is why, this year, I gifted this one from Yamazaki Home to myself! My drying system used to be: kitchen towel on counter, dishes on top. I don’t need to tell you this didn’t work well at all, but I hadn’t found a dish rack that I liked the look of enough to commit to. Until this one. I love its simple design, sneaky drain spout, and, especially, how I no longer have to dry dishes by hand." —Emma Laperruque, Food Writer and Recipe Developer

5. Five Two Silicone Lids

"We use these lids for everything: leftovers, covering dough while it’s proofing, and even as toddler toys." —Tim McSweeney, Senior Graphic Designer

6. Small-Batch Quarterly Hot Sauce Subscription

"It's a great gift (especially for last-minute shoppers) and you get to try new hot sauces. What could be better?!" —Patrick Moynihan, Senior Social Media Manager

7. Simple Soft Cotton Waffle Towels

"I finally replaced my stash of sad bath towels with a few from the shop, and this guy is unexpectedly the strangest, squishiest, most satisfying towel I’ve ever used. Nothing about the material and 'waffle weave' implied soft or absorbent to me, but it’s both of those things and more, and I’m excited about it every time I use it." —Rebecca Sutter, UX Designer

8. Silicone Perforated Pizza Pan

"I have this in both square and round shapes, and am completely obsessed!!! It's great for making pizza from scratch, or reheating leftovers (if you're extra fancy and don't put leftover pizza in a microwave)." —Danielle Curtis-Williams, Marketing Coordinator

9. Marble & Walnut Rotating Cake Stand

"This stand is the best of both worlds: stunningly beautiful and exceptionally functional. I can give it a spin to frost my favorite cake, then take it right to the table for slicing. Paired with a glass dome, I think it makes a pretty great countertop fixture, even when the cake’s all gone." —Joanna Sciarrino, Executive Editor

10. Food52 x Staub Round Cocotte in White (and fitted with a pig knob!)

"This is the pot I reach for every time, multiple times a day, when developing recipes or assisting with styling on-set. This is the pot I reach for for perfectly-burnished chicken thighs, even braising, the tallest loaves, and, most excitingly, when I need a huge pot of boiling water, quick. This is the pot I reach for at home ... only to realize I don't own it yet. (This is your hint, Trevor!)" —Coral Lee, Associate Editor