21 Host and Hostess Gifts

Spain is home to many excellent potato chips—a regular on the tapas bar. We particularly love the deep-golden Bonilla a la Vista Chips. They’re made with the Xinzo de Lima spud variety, known for its balanced sugar-to-starch ratio, by a family-owned business operating in Galicia, Spain since 1932. When our kitchen team compared them to Lay’s, they found that the Bonilla chips tasted much more potato-y, with a better-balanced saltiness. They also had a superior texture—an almost flaky crisp that was still sturdy enough for dips. Best of all: They come in a resealable, 10-inch-tall tin akin to a paint can that your giftee can pry open to dramatic effect to get the party going. Feeling splurgy? Bring a can of caviar, too.

If your hosts often break out chopsticks for dinner, they’ll treasure a Wing On Wo & Co. Chopstick Rest assortment. The five-generation-operated shop in Manhattan’s Chinatown specializes in porcelain ware, including modern interpretations of cultural crafts, like these. Colorful and compelling, the affordable ceramic rests come in a cornucopia of cute produce, including watermelon, eggplant, and pink radish, all sweet for mixing and matching. At approximately 2.5 inches long, they are, however, hand-wash only, but so too are any wood chopsticks.

Not your average Calabrian chili spread, the lush Che Fico Calabrian Chili Bomba has a layered fruity spiciness, tangy zip, and almost creamy-silky texture, thanks to the additions of sweet roasted garlic, Fresno chilies, vinegar, and sunflower oil. It’s the signature condiment for San Francisco’s celebrated Che Fico restaurants, and it’s straight-up delicious. A dab or dollop zips up pizzas, pastas, eggs, and almost anything else. Whether your host is an Italophile, spice enthusiast, or just a great cook, this feisty but nuanced condiment will easily slide into their cooking and eating rotation.

Flowers are a welcome gesture. Just save your hosts the find-a-vase scramble by presenting fresh stems in a Falcon Enamelware 3-Pint Jug. Made of ceramic-coated steel, the shatterproof, dishwasher-safe pitcher comes in nearly 20 contemporary colors, including spring green, a deep blue, and blush pink. And the tall, handsome vessel can serve libations at dinner parties, alfresco lunches, and lingering breakfasts to come, long after the flowers have faded.

Surely, your hosts already have a glassware set for entertaining guests. (If not, we have drinking glass picks galore that are tough, stackable, and colorful.) But lovers of nature, artistic flourish, or just adorable things will easily find space to fit a Ichendorf Milano Fantasia Animal Tumbler or two into their collection. Each of the fantastical, borosilicate tumblers, which are handmade in Italy, have a little animal poking up from their center: hedgehog, rabbit, snail, and more. They bring a bit of whimsical delight to the simple act of sipping.

The 7-inch Botanica Flameless Lighter is a stylish, reusable answer to clunky gas-station lighters, and it’s perfect for hosts who love candles, a crackling fire, or an occasional toke. It comes in six modern color combos, looks like a pretty pen, and much easier to use and more reliable than matches. Slide back the safety switch, and two small rods protrude to spark a hot arc of plasma (ionized gas). Equipped with a USB port and a 5-inch cable, the windproof lighter is rechargeable and butane-free. As with most flameless lighters, this one’s ignition emits a soft, high-pitched sound that can irritate some people, but our tester was unbothered. For an especially luxe gift, pair it with one of our candle picks.

Although it’s true that all salt is just sodium chloride when you get right down to it (thank you, high school chemistry), Maldon Sea Salt Flakes, produced in Essex, England since 1882, is truly something special. Professional and home cooks, including members of our kitchen staff, favor the finishing salt for its pyramidal crystals, which lend a textural crunch as a final flourish to all manner of dishes: pan-seared ribeye, pan con tomate, and a famed chocolate caramel tart. If your recipient knows their way around a kitchen (and has the pantry space), this will likely be a hit.

The Glasseam Clear Glass Bud Vases look great in a cluster on a shelf or in a row down the center of a table. Made from hard-to-break borosilicate glass, with slightly frilly Victorian edges, these little vases are almost guaranteed to mesh with your host’s decor. Maximalists can style them with tiny yet opulent arrangements, and minimalists can use them as bud vases for single, spectacular blooms (hint: grab a bouquet on the way). The tallest one is 6 inches, and, out of the box, they look way more expensive than they are.

Everyone can use extra napkins, and this State set is so vibrant and playful it could work with just about any aesthetic. The 14.5-inch square napkins, which have an Indian-block-print-meets-Marimekko vibe, are 100% cotton and machine-washable. And we dare anyone to find a stain in the dazzling floral patterns. Our only gripe? They really do look better ironed.

A delight for any entertaining buff, the cleverly designed Ekobo Chip & Dip Set streamlines appetizer hour—with no bowls sliding around on heavy plates en route to the buffet. Made with renewable bamboo fibers in four muted colors, the self-contained set is lovely to tote, fill, and wash. It’s easy to refill the removable center bowl with salsa, warm spinach-artichoke dip, or any other kind of spread, and then load the capacious outer dish crudité, pretzels, or chips.

We love a good candle. But—not to freak anyone out—they do account for 23,600 house fires annually, according to FEMA. Be the stylish safety patrol by gifting your host a matchless Candle Warmer Lamp, which gently heats wax with two 50-watt halogen bulbs, to safely release the aromas. By melting the candle more gradually, the warmer purportedly helps it last much longer than if it were intensely burned at the wick. The plug-in lamp also has two-, four-, and six-hour shut-off times, as well as four brightness settings. If your recipient isn’t picky about scents, give it alongside the Boy Smells Hinoki Fantôme Candle or the Brooklyn Candle Studio Palo Santo Minimalist Candle, two of our favorites.

Who among us hasn’t uttered “which glass is mine?” at a buzzy and rollicking dinner party? Save your hosts the trouble (and extra dirty glassware), by giving them the erasable Chalkola Chalk Markers, which come in 10 colors. The chalk glides on easily, and the markings will stay put until wiped clean with water—unlike those futzy wine-glass charms that seem to always fall off (and aren’t all that easy to remember in the first place). The markers can also label jars or leftovers long after the party has ended.

For some hosts, nothing beats a good bottle of the brown stuff. But with dozens of quality bourbons on the market, choosing often presents quite a conundrum. The exceptional Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Bourbon was our favorite in arduous testing. Aged in charred barrels—a nod to a 1910 fire on the bottling line—this high-proof bourbon has a powerful, concentrated flavor that is more characteristic of vintage whiskies, as well as toffee and spice notes. Since it’s reasonably priced, you won’t grimace if your host decides to mix it into an old-fashioned or with soda, but it’s also sophisticated enough to sip neat late into the night.

These canned olives aren’t anything like the mushy and bland ones found in US supermarkets. The excellent Perelló Olives—which hail from Seville, in Spain’s Andalusia region—are made with a pitted Gordal variety (the name translates to “fat one” in Spanish). They’re firm and meaty, with a warming kick from guindilla chilies, so they are just right for tapas or pre-dinner snacking. The cans are charming enough to be repurposed—the large one for flowers, the smaller ones for crayons or markers. Since these olives are imported, shipping costs a bit more, but we like to order and keep several cans on hand, both for snacking and giving as gifts.

What smells great to one person might smell like cleaning fluid to another. For that reason, we choose to give tapered candles in place of scented ones (unless we absolutely know the olfactory preferences of our hosts). A twist on traditional tapers, these bright and shapely 11½-inch candles add a pop art flair to tabletops, and they burn for about 20 hours.

At Wirecutter, it’s a beloved tradition for every employee to receive a Maui Gold Pineapple on their yearly work anniversary. Pineapples are a symbol of hospitality. And these pineapples, which are grown on the slopes of Haleakalā and handpicked at peak ripeness, are in an entirely different category of sweetness and juiciness than what’s available in mainland grocery stores. If you’re traveling from afar to visit your host, order this pineapple a few days in advance of your arrival if you don’t want to lug a bulky gift.

Bananagrams is basically a free-for-all, lightning-fast variation on Scrabble. Players use lettered tiles to build word grids, but there’s no board, and instead of competing for points, players compete in a race against time. Staff Writer Samantha Schoech’s family brings this game on all family vacations, and the kids have been playing with the adults since about age 10. It’s easy to learn, works for two to eight players, and comes in a portable, unmissable banana-shaped pouch.

Bringing a nice bottle doesn’t have to mean wine. A good olive oil is just as wonderful, and it lasts a lot longer. Graza “Sizzle,” our pick for the best grocery-store olive oil, is made for cooking. Our testers found this extra-virgin olive oil to be “balanced, green, and peppery” with “summer vegetable garden vibes.” It comes in an opaque plastic bottle, with a handy squeeze top—one of its best features—that makes it easy for a cook to control the amount of oil they’re adding to the pan or drizzling on vegetables.

Designed to hold an avocado pit for optimum sprouting, this bubble-shaped vase is a lovely and engaging piece—a grown-up version of the sprouted pits held between toothpicks on jam jars. Made of shatter-resistant borosilicate glass, the Ilex Studio vase is available in clear, smoke gray, and blue, among other dreamy shades. And it comes with a helpful book of avocado lore and growing tips.

The chocolates in the Recchiuti Confections Black Box were more luscious than any other bonbons we tasted during testing (a very tough job). There’s never a wrong time to give candy, but this sleek box is especially great for a host with a sweet tooth or one you don’t know well. Slide open the modern box to reveal 16 elegant morsels—no two alike. Recchiuti uses high-quality ingredients, and it doesn’t dull the intensity of the chocolate with preservatives or sugar (as do some other chocolate makers from our tasting). Flavors include classics like Burnt Caramel and Maple Pecan Praline, as well as punchier combinations like Sesame Nougat and Tarragon Grapefruit, which, while adventurous, are still subtle and balanced.

The Graf Lantz Bierfilzl Wool Felt Coasters are a welcome addition in any home, plus they’re supremely easy to pack in a bag. Longtime staff favorites, they don’t scuff surfaces they’re intended to protect and provide excellent protection against condensation rings. Supervising editor Hannah Morrill has had hers for more than a decade, and they’ve held up beautifully. Consider gifting yours along with a bottle of wine, whiskey, or non-alcoholic aperitif.

We love finding gifts that are unusual, thoughtful, and well vetted. See even more gift ideas we recommend.

This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Jennifer Hunter.