Gift Ideas for a Heart-Healthy (and Happy) Kitchen

To help you with the cooks in your life, here are 10 of my favourite kitchen tools, toys, and other gift ideas, from small and practical to big splurges. Nothing on this blog is sponsored, by the way, just my opinion.

(Note: I first published this in 2016 and have updated every year since. I’ve moved away from linking to Amazon when possible, to encourage you to shop smaller businesses. Prices are in Canadian dollars, just to give you an idea. Americans, you can cut about 30% from them.)

I’ve used and loved all of these products. Cooking is central for heart-healthy eating, so let’s make it easier and enjoyable for those we love.

Kitchen gifts

1. Swissmar peelers ($8-9) – I didn’t think these were anything special until we went to a friend’s cabin and used her dull, clunky peeler. No thank you! I’ve had these for years and they’re still razor-sharp.

We use the straight one for hard vegetables like carrots. There is also a serrated one for soft-skinned fruit like kiwis and mango, and a julienne peeler for long thin strips, which makes veggies pretty for salads.

2. Apple slicer – $20 – Ours gets used several times a week. I like it because it makes 16 thin slices, which is perfect for throwing together an apple crisp or a quick snack. But it’s a bit tricky to clean because the slices are so thin. So I’ve linked to one that’s 12 slices.   

3. Stainless steel measuring cups and spoons ($39 and $20 respectively) – I was gifted a set of stainless steel measuring cups over 20 years ago and they still look and feel great.

The measuring spoons are narrow, so they can fit into any spice jar. And they have a 1/8 teaspoon measure, which is useful for a small amount of salt. Either way, a nice step up from plastic.

4. Rubbermaid insulated stainless steel travel mug ($13) — These aren’t trendy, but they sure are durable, leak-proof, and well-insulated. We’re used ours daily for about ten years now!

5. Aeropress coffee and espresso maker ($55) — My husband and I decided to start drinking coffee about ten years ago, and we’ve only ever used this immersion-style device. It’s quick, simple, and makes flavourful coffee, kind of like a French press, but easier on your cholesterol. (Yes really!) 

6. Spiralizer ($35-$133) – A fun way to enjoy more veggies, from zucchini noodles to pretty carrots and beets for salads. Something about changing up the texture makes them more appealing.

Zucchini noodles actually taste pretty good on their own, sautéed lightly in olive oil, or sometimes I throw them in the pot with regular spaghetti for the last couple of minutes.

I have the Paderno spiralizer, which is great for zucchini and beets, but doesn’t hold on tight enough to hard vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes. So I linked to a review above instead, if you want help choosing one.

7. Glass food storage containers ($ varies). This is a change from my longstanding recommendation to get good quality matching nesting plastic containers. We tried glass containers this year, and the family greatly prefers them. They can see right away what’s in them, and I worry less about microplastics in the food. (We still need to understand more about that, but I’m erring on the safe side for now.)

8. A quality chef’s knife (varies – mine was about $150) – This is another new addition to the list. In early 2023 I bought one from knife gurus at local business Knifewear, which now has locations from Vancouver to Ottawa and Toronto.

I love it!! If you’ve been using a dull knife to cut vegetables and you switch to a razor sharp knife, you won’t believe the ease with which you can chop everything from onions to cantaloupe to butternut squash.

(You do have to take care of your knife and hone it regularly, and I’ve been in twice to have it professionally sharpened because I don’t take care of it as carefully as I could. But it slides through tomatoes like butter when it’s been honed or sharpened. Makes chopping fruit and veggies a pleasure, making heart-healthy eating that much easier.)

9. SodaStream ($80 and up) – If you like carbonated water, you must have a SodaStream. You never run out (unless you don’t have a fresh CO2 cartridge on hand) and it saves you having to buy and recycle bottles. You’ll pay about $20 each time you replace the CO2 cartridge, which is about every 3 months in our house, with daily use.

10. The 30-Minute Heart Healthy Cookbook ($27) – You have to admit it would kind of be remiss of me not to include my book on the list. Plus I do think it makes a great gift.

There are 125 satisfying recipes that take just 30 minutes or less from start to digging in, plus help your loved one effortlessly add more vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and fish to their life.

I actually don’t have any financial stake in where (or whether) you buy the book (no royalties), so I linked to a review instead of a book retailer. If you have time, call your local bookstore and ask them to order it for you. If you live in Calgary, pop by and I’ll sign it for you. 😊

Bonus Ideas!

I haven’t personally cooked with these tools, but people in my community rave about them, so a few more ideas for fun:

• Life in Hearts mug, totes, or clothing – These beauties were created by Jackie Ratz, who lives with heart failure and founded the “Canadian Women with Medical Heart Issues” Facebook support group. Proceeds go to group initiatives.

• A mezzaluna – Peggy in our Facebook group tipped me off to this, and I admit I had to Google it! She says it’s great for chopping fresh herbs.
• Instant pot – I took this off of the main list, because I think everyone who wants one has one. But if you need to replace a slow cooker, these are worth looking at, because they can speed up the process, with the built in saute surface, and the pressure cooking feature. I also find it makes the only hard-boiled eggs I can peel easily.
• Mandoline slicer – For thinly slicing a pile of carrots, potatoes, onions, apples, zucchini and more in a flash. Just make sure to use the safety cover! Thanks to Rhonda on Twitter for this idea.
• Unique food gifts – Flavoured olive oils, spiced nuts, fancy cheese, and more. See my ten heart-healthy (but fun!) food gift ideas here.

Hopefully these ideas give you some inspiration to get your holiday shopping started and help a loved one enjoy cooking even more.

What’s on your list this year? Share in our Facebook group.