The best gifts, of course, are those from your kitchen. So put a bow on that lettuce spinner that’s cluttering up your cupboard and cross one more person off your list.

Kidding aside, everyone appreciates a present of homemade jam, candy, and the like. But if you don’t have time to whip up a labour of love, here are 10 store-bought gifts your foodie friends will love you for.

J&D’s Baconnaise, Bacon Salt, and Mmmvelopes
Somebody on your list loves bacon, so treat him or her to bacon-flavoured mayonnaise, salt, and—envelopes? That’s right: lick the business-sized envelopes and get a hit of bacon. Add a milk or dark Mo’s Bacon Bar by Vosges Haut-Chocolat ($7.99 for 85 grams), and you’ve got a sweet theme happening. (Mayonnaise $6.99 for 443 millilitres, salt $5.99 for 57 grams, envelopes $2.99 for five, Gourmet Warehouse [1340 East Hastings Street])

Cuisine R-evolution Molecular Gastronomy Kit
This year’s sexiest foodie gift has to be Molécule-R’s molecular gastronomy kit, which comes with a syringe, silicone tubes, pipettes, sachets of food additives, and an instructional DVD. The kit facilitates experimenting with textures to make edible foams, caviar beads, and more. With a little practice, die-hard foodies could become the next Ferran Adrií . ($59.99, Gourmet Warehouse [1340 East Hastings Street])

CDN Thermometers
It may not be sexy, but a device ($16.95) that hangs in an oven and measures its temperature—allowing you to discover that an oven is consistently too hot or too cold by, say, 25 degrees—can be invaluable. Or, upgrade to a triple-function digital device, which is a thermometer, timer, and clock all in one ($54.95). When roasting, you can stick the probe in the meat, close the oven door on the sensor cable, and put the timer on the counter. It will alert you when the desired meat temperature is reached. (Call the Kettle Black [various locations])

Duchess Blend Tea and VanDusen Garden Honey
If you’re at the gardens for the annual Festival of Lights (December 10 to January 2), hit the shop for two unique gifts. The Secret Garden Tea Company created this blend of loose Sri Lankan black tea and mallow flowers ($15.95 for 100 grams) for the 2009 visit of Camilla, HRH the Duchess of Cornwall. The honey, made by VanDusen’s bees, is organic and unpasteurized ($8.99 for 250 millilitres). (VanDusen Botanical Garden [5251 Oak Street])

Chatelaine Modern Classics
With triple-tested recipes from the Chatelaine test kitchen, this cookbook is a good bet for reliable results. The Modern Classics title is apt, with meals that will please parents, kids, and foodie friends. Think Quick Quinoa Porridge, Cheater Coq Au Vin, Perfect Prime Rib, Baked Tomato Risotto, and Lemon Meringue Pie. Recommended: Silky Crab Bisque. ($39.95, Wiley)

Chef’s Knife
A good chef’s knife is expensive, which is why some people make do for years with a crappy one. Ming Wo buyer Fontaine Wong tells the Straight that the right knife depends on each person’s comfort level. If the knife is a gift, make sure the recipient can exchange it if it doesn’t feel right. Eight-inch blades are the most popular, and many people prefer sharper, lighter Japanese knives to European ones. Wong recommends the shops’ best seller, an all-metal Global eight-inch knife (on sale for $71.99 until Christmas) or even better, the Damascus-finish eight-inch Kasumi ($209.98). (Ming Wo [various locations])

Cuisipro Herb Keeper
What’s a great way to make a bunch of herbs last longer? Stand them in a glass with an inch or two of water, cover loosely with a supermarket produce bag, and store them in the fridge. They’ll last for several weeks. But inevitably, someone will knock over the glass reaching for the milk and curse your clever contraption. This product, on the other hand, is designed to avoid incident while keeping stems immersed in water. The BPA-free plastic container fully encloses the herbs and has a removable tray for easing them out. (small $19, large $22; Cookworks [1548 West Broadway and 377 Howe Street])

At Home With Madhur Jaffrey
This book, one of many by author and actress Madhur Jaffrey, concentrates on simple recipes with straightforward preparations. These South Asian dishes come from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and include Chickpeas for Nibbling, Red Lentil Curry Soup, and a full chapter on various kinds of dal. ($40, Knopf)

Gift Certificates from South China Seas
In denominations of $25 and $50, gift certificates let the recipient choose from cooking classes on topics such as regional Mexican cuisine, buy a Laotian rice steamer or a tortilla press, or indulge in some exotic spices or fresh truffles. (South China Seas Trading Co. [1502 Victoria Drive; Granville Island Public Market, 125–1689 Johnston Street])

Kitchen
In a world awash with food porn, Nigella Lawson is still the queen of culinary erotica. Case in point: her recipe for Mussels in Cider: “Tumble a handful of pancetta cubes in with the onion to crisp out and imbue the whole with its salty juices.” Or, omit the pancetta and embrace “the naked sweetness of the mussels against the rasp of the cider”. Those who enjoy reading cookbooks will sink into the Domestic Goddess’s latest, which contains 190 recipes, on the pleasures of the kitchen. (Knopf, $55)