A Gift for Every Overly-Ambitious New Year’s Resolution

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PSA: You have exactly two weeks to prepare for the flood of “new year, new me” posts that will dominate your social media feeds come January. Personally, I’m almost ready to see statuses from my sister about her new healthy lifestyle, captions from that lingering high-school Facebook friend about the entrepreneurial lifestyle company that's going to make her get rich quick, and tweets from D-list celebrities about how they’re saying goodbye to negative energy.

But here's a resolution of sorts. Maybe this year, instead of rolling my eyes as I scroll through Instagram, I'll try to proactively help others reach their 2020 goals. In case you want to do the same, I looked at America’s top resolutions and came up with some gift ideas for all those go-getters on your list.


For the "try new things" camp:

<h1 class="title">Joule Sous Vide</h1>

Joule Sous Vide

Joule Sous Vide

Gone are the days when sous vide was a chefs-only cooking technique. You, too, can vacuum seal a fillet of fish and cook it perfectly in temperature-controlled water. In fact, Epi Senior Editor Maggie Hoffman says, “It’s great for anyone who’s new to cooking fish, because it’s the easiest way to cook it without drying it out.” Sous vide also works wonders as a technique for cooking eggs, meat, and vegetables. The Joule won our test for best sous vide due to its sleek profile, compact size, and easy-to-use smart phone app.

BUY IT: Breville Joule Sous Vide, $145 at Amazon


<cite class="credit">Via Crate & Barrel</cite>
Via Crate & Barrel

AeroGarden Indoor Garden

Eating quality produce is great. Grocery shopping at farmers' markets is cool, too. But growing your own produce all! year! round! is the best. This indoor gardening system fits six different herbs and vegetables, so you can grow lettuce, tomatoes, and basil all at once—in the dead of winter. The gleaming copper finish is a chic addition to the kitchen (some of these things can be real eye-sores!), and its automatic settings will make any gardening newbie feel like a pro.

BUY IT: AeroGarden Indoor Garden, $130 at Crate & Barrel


<cite class="credit">Via Williams Sonoma</cite>
Via Williams Sonoma

Chili Lab Hot Sauce Kit

Any cult hot sauce would make an amazing stocking stuffer—but this gift is about trying new things. Spicy food lovers should try this as a new hobby: making their own hot sauce. Chili Lab’s homemade hot sauce kit comes with two signature dried pepper blends: Make a smoky red hot sauce with guajillo, chipotle, and pequin peppers and an herby yellow hot sauce including piri piri, Anaheim, and habanero peppers.

BUY IT: The Chili Lab Homemade Hot Sauce Kit, $50 at Williams Sonoma


The aspiring penny-pincher:

<cite class="credit">Via Amazon</cite>
Via Amazon

Ninja Coffee Maker

Save your caffeine-addicted friend a trip to the local coffee shop and hundreds of dollars with one of our product test winners for the best drip coffee maker, the Ninja. This coffee maker has settings for classic and rich brews, which earned it the title for “best coffee maker for making strong coffee.” Plus, the 24-hour programming allows users to set a timer and wake up to freshly brewed coffee (which is kind of like taking a trip to the local coffee shop). The permanent coffee filter, which eliminates the need for paper filters, is an environmentally conscious bonus.

BUY IT: Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker, $80 on Amazon


<cite class="credit">Via Amazon</cite>
Via Amazon

Ball Mason Jars

You already know to use Mason jars for overnight oats and homemade ice cream. But, this year, resolve to take them to the grocery store with you. Shopping the bulk bins is cheaper than buying individually boxed or bagged goods (and, of course, it cuts way down on packaging). This set includes three different sizes perfect for your lentils, nuts, and granola.

BUY IT: Ball Mason Jar Bundle, $19 on Amazon


For the person about to clog your feed with smoothie bowls and gym selfies:

<cite class="credit">Via Amazon</cite>
Via Amazon

Breville Fresh & Furious Blender

The Fresh & Furious blender is one of our favorites on the market because of its lightweight, streamlined design—not to mention its nine different task controls and pre-programmed settings. In our test of the best blenders, we found it crushed ice beautifully, was easy to pour from, and was a cinch to clean.

BUY IT: Breville Fresh & Furious Blender, $200 on Amazon


<cite class="credit">Via Williams Sonoma</cite>
Via Williams Sonoma

Kombucha Starter Kit

This starter kit contains everything you need to make your favorite fun, funky, fizzy fermented beverage at home: a glass brewing jar, black tea, cane sugar, fruit flavoring, and that scary, beautiful SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) that really makes the magic happen.

BUY IT: Tropical Citrus Kombucha Kit, $50 at Williams Sonoma


For the increasingly environmentally conscious:

<cite class="credit">Via Bamboozle</cite>
Via Bamboozle

Bamboo Compost Bin

This durable bin is made of biodegradable bamboo fibers. The container has a-tight-sealing lid, an odor-blocking carbon filter, and a slim handle. Turning rotted kitchen scraps into garden soil couldn't possibly be more stylish.

BUY IT: Bamboo Compost Bin, $40 at Food52


<cite class="credit">Via Amazon</cite>
Via Amazon

Reusable Grocery Bags

Reusable shopping bags are among the easiest ways to reduce waste. This set includes seven multi-use bags made of biodegradable organic cotton. They’re durable, foldable, and machine-washable.

BUY IT: Reusable Produce Bags, $19 on Amazon


For the COOK90 participant! (Or someone who wants to cook more):

<h1 class="title">The Fundamentals.png</h1><cite class="credit">Via Material Kitchen</cite>

The Fundamentals.png

Via Material Kitchen

The Fundamentals

For people who don't cook at home but want to take it on as a hobby in 2019, the Fundamentals set from direct-to-consumer brand Material is a great starter kit. It consists of a chef’s knife, a paring knife, a wooden and a stainles-steel spoon, and a stainless steel spatula. It also comes with a sleek wooden box for storing them on your counter. Choose from a variety of handle colors, including (obviously) a dusty blush.

BUY IT: The Fundamentals, $175 at Material Kitchen


<cite class="credit">Via Amazon</cite>
Via Amazon

Cookbook Stand

This Yamazki cookbook stand is compact and lightweight. It's perfect for propping up all of those cookbooks your aspiring culinary friend put in his cart in December—and it'll hold a tablet so he can cook all of our favorite Epi recipes, too.

BUY IT: Yamazaki Home Cookbook Stand, $18 on Amazon


For the aspiring entertainer:

<cite class="credit">Via Crate and Barrel</cite>
Via Crate and Barrel

Hayes Black Marble Serving Board

Anyone who’d like to host more gatherings needs a proper cheese board—excuse me, I mean, serving board—since these days there seems to be no limit to what you can serve as board food. This black marble number is neutral and stylish and easily an Instagram stunner.

BUY IT: Hayes Black Marble Board, $24 at Crate & Barrel


<h1 class="title">Threshold bar cart.png</h1><cite class="credit">Via Target</cite>

Threshold bar cart.png

Via Target

Threshold Bar cart

Bar carts are actually multi-purpose kitchen carts and they’re perfect for entertaining—especially when there’s a lack of tables or counter space. Use the sleek shelves to hold cocktail essentials, or wheel it around the room to serve snacks. It’s not bulky, so it's easy to navigate between rooms.

BUY IT: Threshold Bar Cart, $143 at Target

Originally Appeared on Epicurious