Gifts for Chefs

What to buy for which cook

Forged, not stamped

Almost every kitchen knife sold is punched out of a sheet of steel. Ours are forged: the billet is layered, drawn and shaped under a hammer, hardened to 58 to 60 HRC and ground by hand. That is why the edge holds and why the blade has weight where it should. It is also why these cost what they cost.

Questions

What is the best knife to give a keen cook? An eight inch chef knife. It is the knife they will use more than every other knife combined, and the one most likely to be tired and dull already.

Is a Damascus kitchen knife practical or just pretty? Practical, with one rule: hand wash and dry it. Damascus is reactive steel, so a wet blade left on the board will spot.

Can kitchen knives be engraved? Yes, usually a surname or initials on the blade, up to 20 characters, as a paid option before checkout.

Are these dishwasher safe? No, and neither is any knife worth owning. Heat and detergent wreck natural handles and dull the edge.

What angle are they sharpened to? Around 15 to 18 degrees per side for the kitchen blades, which is finer than our field knives and right for food.

Are these made in the USA? Forged, heat treated, ground and handled in our own American shop.

More reading

See the kitchen knives, the cleaver knives, the steak knives or the wedding gifts.

What a cook notices in the first thirty seconds

Not the pattern. The edge, and the balance. A properly forged and heat treated blade at 58 to 60 HRC goes through an onion without wedging, and anyone who cooks regularly registers that difference immediately. That is the whole argument for a hand forged kitchen knife as a gift, and it is why a good one beats an expensive-looking one.

The one honest warning

Damascus is carbon steel. It will develop a patina from onions, tomatoes and citrus, which is harmless and protective, and it will rust if it is left wet in a sink or run through a dishwasher. If the person you are buying for is a dishwasher-and-drawer sort of cook, buy 440C instead and everyone stays happy. This is not a small point: a Damascus kitchen knife given to the wrong person is a ruined knife within a month, and that is a mismatch rather than a defect.

Our carbon versus stainless guide lays out the trade-off, and the care guide is the whole routine in two minutes of reading. Print it and put it in the box.

What is the best kitchen knife to give as a gift? An eight inch chef knife. It does most of the work in any kitchen, and most people who cook daily are still using a dull one they bought years ago.

Is a Damascus chef knife a good gift? For someone who hand washes and dries their knives, it is the finest blade in the kitchen. For someone who uses a dishwasher, buy 440C stainless instead. Ask yourself honestly which they are.

Can Damascus kitchen knives go in the dishwasher? No. It is carbon steel, and dishwasher heat and detergent will rust and dull it. Hand wash, dry immediately, light oil occasionally.

What if they already own good knives? Buy the gap rather than a duplicate. Most kitchens with a good chef knife have no decent boning knife, nakiri or steak knives.

Should I engrave a kitchen knife? Yes, on the blade near the heel where it will not interfere with sharpening. Initials or a date. Twenty characters, added as a paid option at checkout.

More reading

See also Damascus chef and kitchen knives, steak knives, cleavers, boning versus fillet, or the full gift guide.