Welcome to Hotline Rewind, the weekly series where we gather up your questions from the week (and pepper in some from the Hotline archives) about a specific topic. We are barreling towards the holidays and asked our readers for all of their gifting questions.
The Hotline sat down with Jackson Fust, our Senior Director of Merchandising to help better answer your questions. Jackson is in charge of doing tons of research and testing to ensure that everything sold on the Food52 shop is of the highest quality and feels definitively special. So basically, he shops for a living. And as a result, he had some incredibly helpful last-minute shopping advice:
What is the best, last-minute gift for food-focused friends?
I’ll say it—we as a society need to move on from gift cards. They’re mostly disappointing and lack that personal touch. I also recognize we can’t all be perfect. Enter our subscriptions. Jackson loves our monthly grass-fed butter subscriptions, as well as our salami of the month. When you order them through Food52, you also get beautiful explainer PDFs that you can print and present to your recipient instead of handing them a blurry picture from the internet.
My chef brother has everything. What’s something he won’t expect?
Jackson was super quick to come to two ideas: first, the the super sturdy/durable Perfect Prep Rubber Cutting Board. Rubber cutting boards are a favorite of Japanese chefs for being easy to clean and really kind to your knives.
He also loves Holcomb’s Dripless Stainless-Steel Oil Can. Not only is it a stunning statement for your counter, but it is truly dripless. We have tested it for weeks, and it has kept our cooktops clean and oil-free.
What is something people can go without buying this year?
Jackson and our co-founder, Amanda, agree that the biggest thing that is “out” for the 2024 gifting season is PFA-based non-stick pans. There is growing evidence that PFAs or polyfluoroalkyl substances are bad for your health and the environment.
Instead, they recommend getting a seasoned carbon-steel pan or the Our Place Titanium Nonstick Always Pan Pro for mess-free holiday brunch. Not only is it gorgeous, but it provides a natural nonstick surface that we believe in.
What is the ultimate Food52 stocking stuffer?
Here are Jackson’s favorite little extras to give this year:
I’m over sweets! What are some good shelf-stable, savory treats I can give to my friends?
People under estimate the power of a homemade cracker! They can take a charcuterie board from good to unbelievable. Or grind them down to bread crumbs for topping pasta.
Advice on cookbook buying?
Stalk their socials and takeout orders to see what your recipient likes to ea.! If they order bibimbap every week, get a Korean cookbook! This year I’m hoping I get Renato Poliafito’s DOLCI! His bakery, Ciao Gloria, is a 10-minute walk from my place, and I’d say I go at least once a week. He has incredible takes on classic Italian pastry and sweets. And I was able to sample a ton of them at Food52’s most recent cookbook club event, too.
What are the best cookies to send by mail?
Due to bumpy transit and unknown route temperatures, you’re going to want a cookie that is sturdy and easy to pack tightly together to avoid crumblage. I’d also avoid melty components (chocolate, glaze, frosting etc). Nea’s new Swedish Pecan Pralines are perfect!
Have more holiday entertaining questions? Ask away on our Hotline or drop us a line at 1 (877)-52-HOTLINE.