A Taste of the Holidays: Our 5 Favorite Culinary Gifts

It's an embarrassment of riches this holiday season with so many terrific food-centric gifts to be found. It may be hard to focus when considering what to give your culinary-minded loved ones. Maybe they're an amateur chef who wants to elevate their baking game, or perhaps they'd appreciate a unique kitchen tool from another part of the world. Or do they simply like to snack and could use a pantry refresh?

EDGE turns up the heat this holiday season with five of our favorite culinary gifts.

Verve Culture
Allow yourself some time to explore Verve Culture's exquisite collection for home and kitchen gifts. This one-stop shop offers beautifully curated items from a women-owned and women-run company. Co-founders Jacquie Lewis and Jules Vertrees have canvassed the globe to source hand-crafted and unique items from Morocco, Mexico, and Thailand.

For the true chef, the Thai Chef Moon's Knife ($70) adds major wow factor to anyone's knife collection. The carbon steel blade is light yet durable, forged by a cooperative of Thai artisans who carry on centuries-old traditions.

For serving pieces, Verve's Mexico collection can add a pop of color to any tablescape. The Handblown Glass Carafe ($40), made by Javier Gutierrez Esponosa and his team in Tonola, Mexico, uses recycled glass for new creations. Pair with a set of four handblown glasses ($48) for an eye-catching gift.

Art Smith 'Cooks Who Feed' Apron

One of our favorite out chefs, Art Smith, has partnered with the nonprofit organization Cooks Who Feed to create a stylish, embroidered apron that also benefits a terrific cause.

Each apron purchased ($79) provides 100 meals to those in need through charity partnerships with hunger relief organizations across the U.S., Canada and India. Other notable celebrity apron collaborations include Christine Cushing, Romain Avril and Devan Rajkumar.

The light grey cotton canvas apron is available in two sizes (standard and tall) with a delightful detail of an embroidered chicken silhouette for some coq au vin flair. Smith was once Oprah's personal chef and recently opened Homecomin', in Walt Disney World, which pays homage to Florida's agricultural history.

Atlas Coffee Club

Once they receive Atlas Coffee Club, your coffee-drinking loved ones will be caffeinated connoisseurs. The subscription service delivers a constantly evolving curation of the world's best single-origin coffee, along with a postcard from the country and brewing and tasting notes for each batch. Customize your recipient's delivery based on quantity, schedule and grind type.

We sampled one of the latest batches from Uganda, which delivered a medium-body brew with subtle notes of chocolate and a smooth finish. For the freshest and most aromatic brew, we suggest whole bean. (Price varies)

Edd Kimber's 'One Tin Easy Bakes'
It's been more than a decade since Edd Kimber won the very first season of "The Great British Bake-Off," and he's been writing and baking ever since. "One Tin Easy Bakes" is a follow-up to last year's "One Tin Bakes"

Here, Kimber offers 70 additional recipes that can be easily (depending on your baking skills) prepared in a 9x13-inch baking tin. The latest edition provides options and alternatives for 5-ingredient or no-bake treats, along with vegan and gluten-free options. He also explores unique ingredients for baked goods like miso and tahini.

"I want to inspire people at home, not burden them with ingredients that they can't find or recipes that are too difficult," said Kimber in a previous interview with EDGE. Some of our favorite bakes include espresso caramel cake and a delicious holiday treat, pumpkin sheet cake with maple butter glaze.

Preggo Pickle

Is your gift recipient a little bit sour and a little bit sweet? A batch of Preggo pickles is the perfect holiday item. It's long been said that pickles ease some symptoms associated with pregnancy, which is how Preggo Pickle was born. But expectant moms aren't the only ones who appreciate the satisfying crunch of a pickle.

Available in Gingerly, Garlic Dill and Lemon Drop, pickles are low in sodium, kosher, dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan, but pack plenty of flavor ($33 / 3-pack). For the extra passionate pickle-eater, check out more options from The Pickle Co. and Cleveland Pickle.