Forgive the Daddy Warbucks-ness of what I’m about to say, but I think it’s important to remember that a splurge and an extravagance aren’t quite the same thing when it comes to gifts. On one end of the spectrum, there are vapid luxury items (24-karat Labubu, find me on the streets); on the other, there are the gifts whose steeper price point is tied directly to their artistry, quality, and/or durability. While the former can be fun to window-shop, our hard-earned clams are best spent on the latter.

As a seasoned shopping writer, I ask myself two big questions when mulling over a pricey purchase: What is the story behind this item? Can I picture it in my life for years to come? Consider the iconic, mid-century modern Moccamaster coffee machine, which first debuted in the 1960s and has been trending on social media lately for its array of colorful, modular designs. I took the cult-fave machine for an extended test run (it’s still my daily driver), and the yellow pepper iteration made me fall (back) in love with drip coffee all over again. The Dutch company behind the appliance, Technivorm, really exercises what it calls its core tenets of “form and function,” and will service any repairs on the machines for up to five years. That is exactly the kind of lore I crave from the splurge-level items on my holiday shopping list (and the kind that will make your own design-savvy, coffee-loving giftee feel special).

Another beautiful, >$100 gift I’ve been obsessing over is this carved walnut tray, which is a reproduction of a personal studio item from the beloved, late mid-century modern sculptor JB Blunk. As the story goes, he would use the leftover wood from his artworks to create afternoon tea trays, and I just know that if I were to own his gorgeous wood block, I’d think of its story every time I used it to serve charcuterie or cookies.

If you’re reaching into your budget for gifts that last, impress, and — if you’re giving them to a family member or partner — you might be able to use yourself for years to come, the fancy gifts for food lovers start getting good. There are the big-ticket kitchen titans: a design-forward Moccamaster coffee grinder, sleek Miele vacuums (post-kitchen-prep cleanup doesn’t stand a chance), and electric pizza ovens that can reach 850 degrees Fahrenheit in just 90 seconds. Sometimes “splurges” are just wise investments, especially with appliances and cookware; your giftee is going to use a well-made cutting board or top-tier kitchen knife for years or decades to come. There are also the gifts with spectacular whimsy: a massive chocolate mushroom, a martini-lover’s menorah, a tabletop lighter that’s also an incredible conversation piece.

These gifts may be at higher price points than a classic stocking stuffer, but they’re also extra-special — we’d say, so worth it if you have the dough. If you’re looking to roll out the red carpet with splurge-worthy food and kitchen gifts, look no further.

This pepper mill has fascinating lore

No better way to pull focus at the dining table than with this copper and brass pepper mill, which East Fork says can literally last for “hundreds of years” when cared for properly. The 10-inch tall grinder is made in collaboration with a small, family-run company in Greece, and is actually modeled after the same mills 20th-century Greek soldiers would carry to grind coffee, a fact that finds homage in the Greek lettering inscribed on the mill.

A Japanese toaster that achieves perfection

The Eater staff has tested its fare share of toaster ovens, and crowned the Balmuda as one of the best for its minimalist design and ability to not just warm but rehydrate breads and pastries; it uses a steam process to reinvigorate that day-old croissant like a wizard. This Balmuda Pro is the latest model, not unlike the tech in Terminator 2, it has an even more powerful heat source, and a new setting called Salamander Grill Mode for giving your salmon the restaurant-grade finishing treatment.

For the dirty-martini-loving mensch

The cultural martini discourse has never been stronger, or brinier. Help your giftee celebrate Hanukkah with Susan Alexandra’s dirty martini menorah. As the designer’s site proclaims, “The miracle of Hanukkah was that the olive oil that was enough only for one day of light lasted for 8 days. Our favorite way of consuming olives? In a bath of vodka/ gin and a touch of vermouth!”

A drop-dead gorgeous cutting board that basically cleans itself

Behold, a splurge that is also a cooking investment! We’ve all experienced the frustration of chopping special ingredients on a sub-par cutting board, and the moment you level up to a thick, handsome slab is one that can help give you newfound confidence and efficiency as a passionate home cook. Boardsmith’s walnut end grain cutting boards are all made to order out of a sustainably harvested black walnut, resulting in beautiful, checkerboard-like and ombré color variations. Cheese boards have never looked better, folks.

This 18-portion, giant chocolate mushroom

“Not without my Chihuahua-sized mushroom!” your giftee will exclaim upon unboxing the storybook whimsy (and dark chocolate hazelnut ganache) that is this half-a-foot-tall homage to amanita muscaria. It feels important to note that this chocolate shroom does not include any traces of the famously psychedelic, toxic red and white mushroom of its namesake, but it is actually infused with reishi, maitake, and turkey tail mushrooms (but we all know who the star of the show is here: that ganache). According to Vosges, the mushroom can feed up to 18 people, and it’s definitely worthy of becoming a holiday centerpiece.

Whether your giftee has been craving the spicy vodka rigatoni from Carbone or no longer lives within visiting distance of the virtually-impossible-to-get-into, iconic New York City red sauce joint, this at-home spicy vodka kit brings the storied dish straight to their door. The bundle includes a Carbone recipe card, two jars of its cult-fave spicy vodka pasta sauce, two boxes of DeCecco rigatoni, a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup, and, most importantly, the very same Italian-made rooster platter you can find in the restaurant.

This festive olive oil bundle

MacKenzie-Childs, iconic creator of courtly check print home goods, has joined forces with the olive oil overlords at Brightland, one of the reigning cool kids of the hip olive oil brand phenomenon for its high-quality, California family farm-grown ingredients and chic glass containers. This bundle includes the brand’s signature extra virgin olive oil, an olive oil infused with rosette garlic, two pour spouts, and a checkered dipping dish, all handsomely packaged in a gift-ready tartan print box.

Level-up their tapas game

Fredericks and Mae has earned a devoted following thanks to its Funfetti-esque cutting boards and striped rim glassware, which you can often spot at restaurant darlings such as Heros in Manhattan. The NYC design studio worked with Big Night on this serving board, which is a clever homage to olives from a bird’s eye view and the perfect gift for the person who loves to host tapas nights.

A coffee grinder from the makers of the coveted Moccamaster machine

I really do think the Moccamaster coffee machine is the Platonic idea of drip coffee machines; my own yellow pepper model swept me off my feet with its talent for quick, smooth brewing and its modular, chic mid-century modern design. If you love someone who loves coffee — and perhaps already owns the GOATed machine — why not invest in the brand’s powerful burr grinder? It’s certified by the European Coffee Brewing Centre (ECBC), which means it has passed a rigorous testing process for uniform grinding and quality construction.

Caraway’s debut bar set does not disappoint

Caraway has made a name for itself in the arena of modern aesthetically minded, nontoxic cookware brands, and its foray into bar cart staples feels just as intentionally designed. The set’s cocktail shaker, muddler, wine key, strainer, bar spoon, and jigger are all made out of rust-resistant 304 stainless steel, and it also comes with its own bar cart-ready storage set up: a magnetized birch wood storage base available in a whole flight of colors. There’s nothing more frustrating for your beloved cocktail nerd than rummaging around kitchen drawers for various bar tools, which makes that level of chic consolidation an especially gift-worthy feature.

This versatile set of handmade nesting bowls

Boutique North Carolina pottery company Haand makes bowls that are so comfortable to hold and use that they feel like an extension of your own, well, hand (this rice bowl is in heavy rotation in my house for cereal, stew, and porridge). Over the past decade, the brand’s dishes have also become a mainstay in more than 175 United States restaurants, including numerous James Beard Award-winning spots. This collection unites various sizes of its much-loved, asymmetrical Hestia bowl, and includes a dessert bowl, breakfast bowl, fruit bowl, ramekin, and sharing bowl in a flight of neutral colors that can effortlessly blend in with your gitee’s existing dishware.

Wear their love of coffee shops on their sleeve

Tyler McGillivary, cool clothing designer of the moment and master of farmstand graphics, has just launched a drop with Lisa Says Gah that is my personal Avengers-level collaboration. It’s called “Midnight Breakfast” and includes cheeky textiles and styles like receipt print and neon diner sign tops, milkshake shirts, and other brilliant sartorial odes to the classic diner.

Every coffee table deserves this jelly lighter

I always have a few lighters floating around my house for candles and incense, but there’s something so retro-chic about a coffee table lighter. Edie Parker, master of eccentric and surreal lifestyle [puffs chamomile pre-roll] accessories has a line of jelly-inspired tabletop lighters with all kinds of “fillings,” and the cherry is one of the most charming.

This work-of-art iteration of a classic chef’s knife

Made in Victor, Idaho, the boutique blades of New West KniveWorks are a departure from the recent fad of making knives extra wide,” favoring instead the graceful docility of a light, 8-inch steel blade and a handle made out of a durable resin composite material that will last a lifetime. In the fighting words of New West, “this precision instrument isn’t a club like Mom’s old Wüsthof Trident.” If you’re shopping for a partner who tends to their knife collection like the Crown Jewels, it’s the kind of gift that feels equal parts lifetime cooking investment and personality-forward essential tool.

A set of pie-inspired cookies from the brand that broke the internet

For the food-obsessed giftee who’s always on the pulse of what’s trending, I propose the caviar of cookies from the TikTok-viral company Last Crumb, and its flight of Thanksgiving-themed cookies. This Los Angeles-based cookie company leans into a sense of mystique (so very LA) by dropping limited-edition, small-batch cookies made by hand in small batches with high-quality ingredients and unique flavors; in this instance, we’re wide-eyed over the “I’d Smash That” pumpkin cookie and the “What’s Up Doc” carrot cake cookie, to name just two of the six cookies offered in the box. (From the brand’s Core Collection, the Donkey Kong — a heavenly, salty-sweet banana-cream-pie-like creation — is our deputy editor Hilary Pollack’s favorite cookie of all time.)

Rocco’s chic wine fridge

This $1,500 drink fridge, endorsed by Eric Wareheim and seemingly designed by someone who loves Eames chairs, has multiple temperature zones so that you can store your Two Buck Chuck next to your Krug and your Athletic beer by your LaCroix collection, all in the same fridge. That’s called having range.

For the iced coffee fanatic

There is nothing like devoting counter space to yet another coffee machine that requires highly specific capsules, but hey! This one is different — it brews only cold coffee. (Nitro cold brew, cold brew, and cold espresso to be specific.) Sure, it’s definitely a bit of a luxury, but then again, so is spending $7 on an iced cortado from the coffee shop every morning.

This elegant non-alcoholic bubbly

N/A drinks were created to be a more inclusive product. Only a rare few can order bottles of bubbly for over $100. The Venn diagram where these two groups overlap is small, but it exists, along with this $119 bottle of booze-free bubbly made with French Chardonnay grapes.

Khushbu Shah is the former restaurant editor at Food & Wine and the author of the cookbook AMRIKAN: 125 Recipes From the Indian American Diaspora. She lives in Los Angeles and you can follow all of her egg eating adventures on Instagram.