Holiday Gift Guide: 10 Food-Forward Goodies Under $30

This holiday season, be an excellent gift giver and never submit to the ease of gift cards or the obviousness of wine-in-a-fancy-bag. Whether it's a last-minute stocking stuffer, a white elephant gift, or a token of appreciation for the host/hostess, the holiday season is rich with opportunities to impress. Below are some super-fun, unexpected and thoroughly delicious products for your gift-giving needs this year.

Turn it into a super-savory paste; sprinkle it on pasta, eggs, or atop a gooey slice of margherita. Not only are the possibilities endless, but it's a unique, high-quality ingredient that is sure to impress even the most discerning foodie. For me, no carbonara is complete without it.

Long, luscious zucchini noodles look so simple in pictures but are more difficult to achieve in reality. Usually an expensive, hard-to-clean stand mixer attachment is required. Luckily this handy spiralizer makes it easy to craft sexy slaws and alt-pastas without the headache. A must-have for any home cook looking to up their plating skills.

I rarely recommend gifting anything plastic to a wine aficionado, but these flutes are a necessary addition to any picnic basket. They feature a lovely design with well-balanced proportions. They're reusable, unbreakable, and nearly as clear as real glass, elevating even the most simple of outdoor affairs to luxury status.

From the always-reliable Italian design house Alessi, this clever tool chops, grinds, and stores hot chilies. Cooks no longer have to wear plastic bags over their hands when prepping peppers; this handy gadget prevents interaction with the skin and cross-contamination with woodgrain cutting boards. Use it like a pepper mill for fresh chili grinds on pizza or into sauces.

Compact, practical and a better way to enjoy soft-boiled eggs. Be a great giver of gifts with thoughtful culinary gadgets.

Wood chips are the best way to infuse smoky depth into grilled foods, but unless you're a professional bbq'er, they can be messy and daunting to use. These bags, made in the heart of BBQ country — Texas — are a hassle-free way to turn your basic grill into a legitimate smoker. Bag of mesquite + baby back ribs = win. And they're reusable, so you can double down with a pork shoulder the following weekend.

Don't call it a spoon rest! It's a pasta pillow, and this fun and funky stocking stuffer would bundle nicely with a selection of wooden spoons and other cooking utensils. Made of silicone, it's stain resistant and dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.

Novelty ice cube trays usually make me groan and roll my eyes, but these tiki-shaped molds make a lovely accompaniment to vintage mugs or ceramic pineapples for an on-point luau. Plus, tiki parties are en vogue now! Gift with top-shelf rum for a wonderfully unexpected present for your favorite host or hostess.

Campers, off-the-gridders, hippies, and residents in tiny apartments can rejoice! This compact food processor preps all your veggies without any electricity and liberates counter space dominated by bulky electric food processors. Roughly five inches in all dimensions, this petite yet mighty device works with a simple, low-tech pull mechanism.

Make flying coach a little sexier with these handy kits, which include real cloth napkins (classy!). It's challenging to get a passable old-fashioned at any airport bar, so I like the old-fashioned kit, which includes bitters and cane sugar. A proper cocktail makes the usually unpleasant experience of flying more tolerable. Or, if you don't reserve the second serving for your round trip home, it makes the first flight downright sublime.