Holiday Gift Guide 🎄
Santa-Pod is Coming to Town!
The Christmas celebration is but ~3 weeks away and the Holiday Season 🎄 🎁 is in full swing.
This should be a meaningful time to spend with friends and family, showing gratitude and exchanging gifts.
No matter your budget or price point, below is a full range of cooking and food related gifts that I personally vouch for and support.
Craken Spices & Seasonings 🧂 🌶
Thank you to all who ordered on the Cyber Monday launch! 🙏
This is my personal blend of spices and seasonings that have just been released.
Small Batch… Big Flavor
Premium spices and seasonings are the #1 flavor hack to elevate your meals with zero effort required.
The difference between what you’re getting off the store shelf in terms of quality and freshness is “jarring” 😉
These make a great gift for anyone that cooks at home. You can order multiples of the same and give to friends or assemble a bundle to make a very special gift for the avid cook in your life!
Would also make perfect stocking-stuffers 🧦 🎄
There are 10 offerings in the current line:
Craken Steak
Craken Bird
Craken Curry
Craken Pepe
Craken Finish
Craken Taco
Craken Fajita
Craken Dragon
Craken Carne
Craken 2K
Most of the names are self explanatory but I recommend you explore the full line with descriptions and recommendations on each page of the collection
Free Shipping on Orders Over $99
Flannery Beef 🥩
What better gift would there be than to have the highest quality beef in the USA on your table for Christmas Dinner? 🙌
Last week I dropped my first podcast interview on Cooking with Octopod, special guest Bryan Flannery of Flannery Beef.
If you’re interested in farming, butchery dry-aging or beef in general, give it a listen. You’ll also find out why Bryan has found the best marbling to be in Holstein cows, not the traditional Angus or Hereford breeds.
For the holidays, Bryan dropped some great alfa.
Check the Club Roast which is a NY Strip Loin roast that cooks quickly, carves easily (no bone) and is more economical than the traditional Prime Rib roast.
Further, Bryan has a Helluva Deal page where dry-aged mismatched steaks are offered on a very nice discount. Same great flavor, discounted price, they just don’t look identical. Perfect score for eating at home! The filet tail is of special interest as it carries all the flavor of a ribeye with the tenderness of filet.
There’s also a section for people wanting 60 & 90 day dry-aged steaks.
Finally, The Library is a collection of steak offerings that have some of the highest marbling you can find. These are isolated and sold as a special offering.
Whatever you decide, this is the place to go for the beef lover in your life. Gift certificates are an easy choice for people who want to order later!
Mandoline
This is the ultimate hack for getting consistent, razor sharp slices on fruits and vegetables.
The japanese Benriner mandoline has been a staple in professional kitchens. You set the thickness (there’s also shredding blades included) then slice away on potatoes, onions, cucumbers, peppers, citrus, apples, etc.
This is a big time saver
The mandoline takes up hardly any space and is easy to store in a cabinet, ready to be deployed at a moments notice.
Coffee ☕️
Once you get a taste of high-quality coffee beans roasted to perfection, few can go back to the Folger’s tub.
For the coffee lovers in your life consider gifting a subscription to Octopod Premium coffee. Each month, 2 roasts are shipped out and delivered right to your door.
Crop to Cup Goodness; Bitterness Not Included
These are micro-lot coffees supporting small, quality farming communities across the globe, then roasted to the perfect doneness for showcasing the coffee beans natural flavors.
The flavor and taste profiles are unparalleled. What’s more, you can use these coffee beans for pour overs, espresso or even in your drip coffee maker.
Great coffee showcases well in any brewing style
Shipping out in time for Christmas this year, the winter roasts are as follows:
Winter Blend 🎄 (BLEND):
Tasting Notes: Chocolate, Molasses, Floral, Meyer Lemon
Nicaragua 🇳🇮 (Honey Process):
Tasting Notes: Mandarin, White Grape, Honey
Cookware
If you’re looking to add to your stainless steel cookware, Heritage Steel is made in the USA and top notch quality.
Most people think of All-Clad and they do have a giant market share.
Why I love Heritage Steel is that the quality, warranty and durability are at the same level (or higher) with one difference.
The cookware has the most comfortable and ergonomic handles hands-down.
Currently running a Holiday Sale on pans ~20% off, if you need a nice saucepot, skillet or dutch oven, these are the guys to checkout. They also just launched a new line in collaboration with Eater.com
Knife 🔪
Possibly the most important tool you’ll purchase in your kitchen.
The chefs knife is the most frequently used kitchen tool. You want a razor sharp edge that feels light as a feather and makes cutting, chopping, slicing and dicing a joy!
This was my first ecommerce launch and people are still ordering and loving their Octopod Classic Chef Knives
Special Christmas Offer:
Each Octopod Classic Chef Knife will ship with a Craken Finish jar ($15.99 value). My favorite seasoning salt to finish meats or vegetables on the plate before eating.
Butter Pat Cast Iron 🍳
These are the best cast iron on the market. There’s a number of boutique cast iron vendors that have popped up in the last few years but Butter Pat is the best by far IMO.
They went the long route and spent a long time on R&D to perfect their cast iron process and the results are stunning.
If you’re used to heavy Lodge cast iron with rough surfaces, the Butter Pat cast iron will feel like driving a Rolls Royce in comparison.
Smooth finished and practically non-stick out of the box.
I love my Butter Pat and am a huge fan. If you’re looking for a cast iron upgrade, these are the guys to visit!
Books 📚
Here’s a good selection for the avid cookbook enthusiast in your life.
Food Science: On Food & Cooking -Harold McGee
Timeless Kitchen Techniques: Complete Techniques -Jacques Pepin
For the Fish Lover: Fish Butchery -Josh Niland
Italian Cooking Bible: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition -Marcela Hazan
Pastry & Enthusiasts: Delectable -Claudia Fleming
Fried Chicken Secrets: Kung Pao & Beyond -Susan Jung
Infrared Thermometer 🌡
This is the thermometer to add for the ultimate precision cooking in your kitchen.
It’s a total cheat code.
Do you struggle burning meat or fish in your pan on the stove?
Or perhaps you’re trying to sear chicken thighs and the skin has stuck to the pan because the temperature was too low?
No more guesswork needed.
The OnniOne Infrared Thermometer is a convenient hand held, point-and-shoot, laser thermometer with a convenient storage case.
This also works for smokers, grills, ovens, pizza ovens, griddles or any surface you want to get an accurate temperature reading.
There’s currently a nice sale on these (~33%) so scoop some up for a great deal!
Posardi Sardinian Tomatoes 🍅
I have a love affair with Italian cuisine.
The simplicity and focus on technique produces timeless dishes.
These tomatoes from Sardinia are the ultimate expression of Italian produce.
You’ll make some of the best tomato-based sauces be it for pasta, meatballs or gravy using these Posardi tomatoes.
Grab this 6-pack and see what I mean. Choose between tinned or glass jars.
The finely chopped tomatoes have a wonderful natural sweetness that comes straight from the soils of Sardinia. (Strain the juice for making the ultimate bloody mary if you like, as well… I wont tell! 😉 )
This should be plenty of ideas for jolly, tasty and wonderful holiday season!
If you’re wanting to make homemade holiday treats as gifts, I highly recommend this post from last year. A full guide with recipes people will love from your heart to theirs!