My personal philosophy when it comes to gift-giving is to always try to find something the other person will use. In the case of a friend who loves cooking, it’s important to keep in mind that they likely already have all the tools a cook needs. And unless you’re willing to invest in something really expensive, they’ll probably favor their current knives and pans over whatever you give them.
What you can give, however, are gifts that have an aesthetic element to them. For example, a dinnerware set that has an interesting theme, or a matching set of tablecloths and napkins, or even just an interesting set of cups with matching coasters. Setting a beautiful table is as much a part of cooking as the food itself, and your friend will appreciate gifts that give them more interesting items to use when setting a table. Best of all, unique dinnerware isn’t hard to find. Plenty of sites that sell cookery supplies also stock interesting designs in this area, as you can see on the Dinghams website.