Not every gift has to be a grand gesture. Some of the most thoughtful, appreciated gifts are smaller items with staying power, useful year after year in a busy kitchen.

CUTCO SUPER SHEARS

This item is truly a lifetime investment, something I’ve owned and turned to nearly every day for some 30 years.

I use these shears for everything from cutting a piece of meat into strips for a stir-fry to quartering cheese slices for the pupu tray to cutting flatbread and pizza. I section bunches of grapes and chop stewed tomatoes straight in the can.

My shears make quick work of mincing fresh herbs, chopping green onions and cutting lettuce into strips for tacos. Some use it to break down a whole chicken; I use it to trim gristle and fat. The uses go on and on.

Equal to its versatility is the ease of cleaning the blades — pull the handles wide apart with two hands and the two sides disengage!

Because it’s designed so well, this tool fits both right and left hands comfortably, and its high carbon-stainless steel construction offers sturdiness and resilience. So much so, in fact, that Cutco, a kitchen cutlery brand established in 1949, has a “forever” guarantee: That means if I hand down these shears to my daughter, they’ll continue to guarantee the product for her. In the 1990s, I paid $99 for my pair; today it’s $112 at cutco.com.

Think of all the discount and dollar-store items you’ve purchased over those many years. These super shears shed a new light on “bargain,” don’t you think?

KUHN RIKON TOOLS

This award-winning Swiss brand prides itself on creating products that reflect a harmony of design and functionality, for items that are exceptionally handy. Find them at walmart.com, sears.com, bedbathandbeyond.com, kuhnrikonshop.com, qvc.com and amazon.com.

FIVE-IN-ONE JAR OPENER

If you’re like me, and perpetually need help opening jars, this tool is a godsend. A clamp for jar lids of all sizes adjusts with the twist of a knob. Tighten it around a jar cover then grab the handle and twist off the lid with a light touch. But that’s just the beginning.

Are pull tabs a struggle? Use the “hook” along the side of the opener to reach under pull tabs, and pull the opener forward to effortlessly remove the top of a can.

A little hole on the other side of the device fits over tiny screw-on caps to open items such as Tabasco sauce or even nail polish.

Look to the end of the handle for a bottle opener and a soda tab opener as well. Talk about value. You get a lot of function for only about $20.

CAN OPENER

It’s the little things that matter, and my Kuhn Rikon can opener proves it. Remember those metal can openers of decades past that required almost superhuman strength to turn? This opener has transformed what used to be a literally painful chore into an easy task.

Align the notches on either side of the opener with the sides of the can, and a simple twist of the knob starts the process. The handle is ergonomic and the twist knob easy to operate without having to exert lots of pressure. It cuts cans along the side so that lids aren’t sharp and can be used to re-cover the can if necessary.

A button on the side of the opener compresses tiny jaws that grip the lid for easy removal. Find it for about $20.

FOR THE COFFEE LOVER

>> Cold brew pitcher: I have had been besotted with coffee all my adult life. There’s something soul-satisfying about the deep flavor of the brew that has kept me captivated.

Sadly, my stomach has grown sensitive after too many cups of too-intense coffees for too many years, but I’ve found a way to keep my love affair going strong: cold-brewed coffee, which is much easier on a tender tummy. The Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker enabled me to make the transition without a hitch.

Its simple yet flawless system comprises a plastic pitcher with an airtight lid that easily attaches to a fine-mesh filter. Add coarse-ground coffee to the filter and screw it onto the lid. Fill the pitcher with water, then screw the lid onto the pitcher, submerging it in the water. A 12- to 24-hour steep in the fridge and you’re done.

A quart-size pitcher goes for $24.99, a 2-quart for $34.99, at takeyausa.com. But I found my 1-quart for $18.99 at amazon.com.

— Joleen Oshiro, Star-Advertiser

>> Cold brew bag: For a low-tech, cheapo stocking stuffer for the cold-brew lover, buy a muslim bag from the health food store, used to make things like almond milk (Ecobags, 10-by-12 inches, about $8) and add 2 cups of ground coffee.

Fill a gallon pitcher with water and soak the bag in it for at least 24 hours. Remove the bag, squeeze it out (or coffee purists would let it drip from a strainer). Stir and pour over ice.

The hardest part — and it’s not even that hard — is washing out the bag and drying it for next time.

— Pat Gee, Star-Advertiser