I love Christmas and gifting, but for whatever reason, the stockings stuffers are always the hardest gifts for me to figure out. So, this year I did a little research on some fun stocking stuffer ideas for the cooks in your life. I decided to focus my finds on less expensive stocking stuffers because there are a lot of great things that won’t cost you an arm and a leg! And who doesn’t need to save money at Christmas?

Idea #1 – Kitchen Shears. I use kitchen shears all the time! They are great for cutting meat, pizza, herbs, quesadillas, sandwiches, and any other foods my kids need cut. My favorite pair of kitchen shears is from The Dollar Tree! No joke. They are the Betty Crocker brand kitchen shears. My mom has them too and she also loves them. How’s that for frugal?

Idea #2 – Odd-sized Measuring Cups and Spoons. Most standard measuring cup sets do not come with a ¾ cup or a 2/3 cup, but these measurements are often in recipes. Or have you ever needed 1/16 of a teaspoon? “Prepworks by Progressive” has a set of 19 measuring cups and spoons with odd-sizes on Amazon for about $10.

Idea #3 – Garlic Peeler. This simple, little gadget is a lifesaver when peeling garlic. You simply pop the garlic clove(s) inside, press down, and roll. The skins fall right off! This blue garlic peeler is made by Modfacture and can be found on Amazon for only $4.88.

Idea #4 – Knife Sharpener. A knife sharpener may not be at the top of your wish list, but it could come in real handy! I would even venture to say that there are many cooks out there (like myself) cutting with dull knives. The AccuSharp knife sharpener on Amazon has over 4,000 positive reviews and is less than $10.

Idea #5 – Pie Shield. I have wanted one of these for a long time and never realized how inexpensive they are. You place it around the edges of your pie to prevent them from burning while baking. It costs all of $5 on Amazon. And you can even adjust the size of the shield to perfectly fit your pie.

Idea #6 – Pineapple Corer. If you love fresh pineapple as much as I do, then this is the gadget for you! It not only cores your pineapple, but it can peel and slice it too! You can find stainless steel pineapple corers for $10 or less on Amazon. They work great.

Idea #7 – Can Top Colander. Okay, whoever thought of this kitchen gadget is genius! This silicone cap fits over your cans to help you train the juice from your pears, the water from your tuna, or whatever else you need draining. This is also a “Prepworks by Progressive” gadget. One will cost you about $3.75 on Amazon.

Idea #8 – A Zester-Grater. This 2-in-1 gadget is amazing for zesting your lemons or grating your cheese. The long design of these zester-graters makes them easy to handle without accidentally grating your fingers. The stainless-steel blades are sharp and make your grating/zesting jobs faster and easier. You can find them on Amazon for $7-10 depending on which brand you buy.

These 8 ideas are only a small sample of the many great, inexpensive kitchen gadgets out there. Who says you have to spend a lot of money to up your cooking game?! Have a very Merry Christmas!