Shopping for cooks sounds easier than it is. We’ve all been victims of well-meant gifts — electric appliances that aren’t worth the counter space, gadgets that solve problems we’ve never really had. There’s an awful lot of wasted opportunity in kitchen stuff.

This year, though, we came away impressed with some improvements, including thoughtful designs and reasonable price ranges.

These suggestions may help you find something that will keep the cook in your life bubbling along.

Hot stuff

The Hot Spot (The Farmer’s Wife, Cornelius, $7) can be a pad for grabbing hot handles, or it can be a trivet. Or– added value — put it under cutting boards to stop slipping. Silicone-coated whisks (Williams-Sonoma, $12 for 10-inch size) don’t scratch bowls and beats in air more quickly. Silicone spatulas come in bright colors, but what we really like is the heat-resistance — up to 600 degrees. We like the spoon-shaped spatulas for general uses — great for folding. (Available at discount stores, ranging from $2.99 to $4.99).

Smart cookie

Even nonartists can use Icing Pens: Run them under hot water to soften them, then draw on cookies. At Williams-Sonoma stores, they’re part of the Christmas decorating kit ($29, includes three icing pens, two coloring pastes and eight decorating sugars), or they can be ordered separately through the catalog ($12.50 for five; www.williamssonoma.com or toll-free (877) 812-6235.

Pan-o-rama

Our advice on nonstick pans has always been: Buy cheap so you can replace them when the coating wears out. Not the hard-anodized pans: We’ve spent a year cooking in an 8-inch omelet pan from Calphalon’s Kitchen Essentials line (Target, $21) and it’s still pristine.

Knead it

Every cook can always use a new cutting board: They get scratched so quickly. We liked this wooden model from Cottage Kitchen, with a plain surface on one side and a flip side that has pastry guides and measurements along the edges (World Market, $14.99). Throw in a pair of Regency pastry gloves made of material similar to rolling pin covers ($1.99) and call a baker happy.