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1. Quality knife set. A good deal of food preparation requires chopping, slicing and paring - all achieved by knives. Dull or poor-quality knives cannot only make cutting harder, they can make it more dangerous. Sharp knives sail through food more easily and in turn, safely. If your budget does not allow for a top-of-the-line complete cutlery collection, offer the gift of one quality knife that can multi-task, such as a santoku. A santoku is a general-purpose chef's knife originating in Japan. Its unshouldered blade, which is typically between five and eight inches long, has a flat edge and a dull back which curves down near the point to a tip angle of around 60 degrees. It is good for slicing, dicing and mincing.

2. Graters. From grating hard and soft cheeses to mincing garlic to zesting citrus fruits, graters are multi-function workhorses in the kitchen. There are styles for many tasks, but not all graters are the same. In general, most graters are manufactured by punching or stamping holes into flat or curved stainless steel. The results are not very sharp edges that rip and tear food as they grate. Microplane® established its dominant position in the market through its exclusive, patent-protected manufacturing process that engineers its grater edges into extremely sharp cutting surfaces that simply shave the food with little effort. The company is recognized among professional chefs and at-home-cooks alike as the first choice in food grating tools. For a particularly versatile gift option, select the Microplane® Zester/Rotary Grater Gift Set, which comes in two colors, including the very festive holiday red and the traditional black.

3. Meat thermometer. Safety should be a priority in the kitchen, which includes making sure foods are cooked to the correct temperature so that they are free of harmful microorganisms. A meat thermometer will tell exactly that, and ensure roasts, poultry and other cuts are to the temperature and wellness
preferred. Digital models have an easy-read display, but the standard dial thermometers are just as effective.

4. Silicone spatula. Whether flipping flapjacks or omelets, spatulas are versatile tools. However, many people burn or melt spatulas by using them with very hot foods. Silicone spatulas can withstand heat in upwards of 500 F, and won't chip, crack or melt. Stock up on a variety of sizes offering broad spatula surfaces for turning larger items such as cakes or crêpes. These can be found in a virtual rainbow of colors at specialty kitchen retailers. Try tying a powder blue spatula to the outside of a gift wrapped in winter wonderland paper for that added special touch.

5. Easy-use can opener. Easy-use can opener. Why let gift recipients continue to wrestle with old-fashioned can openers? There are so many new and innovative models out there you can have a field day browsing through them all. There are electric models that whiz through lids, but perhaps the best option is openers that slice through the upper sides of the can. Many varieties offer the safety of producing no sharp edges when cutting.