In this edition of The Gift, a collection of unexpectedly giftable spoons, including an elegant silver option, a surprisingly useful cookie scoop, and a gold-plated barspoon.I wasn’t always a self-proclaimed spoon snob — or someone who gave a piece of cutlery as a gift — but nearly a decade ago, my first day as a line cook at a buzzy Los Angeles restaurant changed that.I could still smell the stale cigarettes and sweat lingering in the air from the guy who had just quit on the spot when I was thrown into his station. I worked alongside a disgruntled cook who glared in silent judgment for hours as I struggled to make globs of fermented chickpea paste look artful with a clunky spatula.My presence wasn’t the issue, though. The true source of his irritation was that I had no idea what a Kunz spoon was.Eventually, he reached into a round, stainless steel container filled with cooking utensils and plucked out the shiny tool. “Buy yourself a Kunz spoon, would ya?” he said smugly as he lent me his for the rest of the night. “Heard,” I replied.By the end of the shift, I was a convert. The large, slightly tapered spoon is now one of the most versatile kitchen tools I own.It’s also a can’t-go-wrong gift. I’ve lost count of how many friends have called to thank me for giving them this little tool that quickly became an everyday staple.It sounds silly: How could something as trivial as a piece of cutlery be special enough to wrap up for your nearest and dearest? But in reality, a great spoon embodies everything an exceptional gift should be. It can simplify weeknight dinners and elevate something as basic as cereal — it can also symbolize a rite of passage for a graduating culinary student stepping onto the line for the very first time, like I once was.Beyond the Kunz, I’ve amassed more than 70 spoons, which might sound ridiculous, but each serves a distinct purpose — and many would make surprising-yet-practical gifts. These are a few of my favorites, along with a couple my colleagues recommend, too:Wooden spoons can last a lifetime if you care for them properly, which is why I love gifting people the Spootle — a spoon-spatula hybrid made of high-quality cherrywood. Its flat edge won’t scratch delicate cookware, and its carved-out belly is perfect for scooping and stirring soups and stews.I bought this elegant silver spoon last year after my colleague Alexander Aciman recommended it, and I’ve been delighted by its slender design ever since. Like the Kunz spoon, it’s built for cooking, but it also doubles as a measuring tool, holding exactly one tablespoon. What I appreciate most, though, is that it comes packaged in a sleek black box, making it feel especially gift-worthy.I’m getting married in a few months, and high on my registry is an assortment of espresso, soup, and dessert spoons from this iconic French brand. They come in vibrant jewel tones and muted pastels that would liven up a neutral tablescape. It’s a dreamy gift for anyone who enjoys hosting dinner parties.My uncle, an avid cook, once gave me a sturdy stainless steel cookie scoop. I don’t bake cookies often, so I initially doubted I’d get much use out of it. The joke was on me, though: It’s a boon for meal prep. It makes it easy to shape golf-ball-sized meatballs or portion blueberry muffin batter mess-free.Whenever a good friend is nursing a sore throat or recovering from wisdom teeth surgery, I like to drop off a pint of my favorite vanilla ice cream and a vintage-looking ice cream scoop. It brings the whimsy of an ice cream parlor straight to their couch — which, as far as I’m concerned, speeds up recovery time.A few weeks ago, a friend and I stumbled into a swanky bar in Manhattan. We were awed by their experimental cocktails: a Roquefort-infused Paloma, a martini tasting of prosciutto-wrapped melon, a palo santo-smoked mezcal Negroni. Her birthday is coming up, so I’m building her a bar kit that she can use to replicate one of the drinks at home. I’m including an elegant, gold-plated barspoon, along with other goodies from our guide to the best gifts for cocktail lovers.My calendar is currently packed with baby showers, so I asked baby and kid expert Brooklyn White, who’s also a mom of four, for advice. She suggested gifting parents something they rarely prioritize on their registries: spoons! Her favorite are these colorful silicone baby spoons, which she says are the ideal shape for introducing younglings to solid food.And for the coffee enthusiasts in your life, you simply can’t go wrong with a bag of fresh beans from a local roaster paired with a set of modish coffee spoons and a sophisticated stoneware mug, which writer Rose Maura Lorre says brings out her inner “coastal grandmother.”I’m sure by now you understand how my spoon collection reached double digits — in my opinion, you can never have too many.