Not all knives are created equal, and a good one can make all the difference in the world. Someone who likes to cook can never really have too many knives. Sure, there are the essential three, but as long as it's beautiful and sharp, it'll make a great gift. Here are four of test kitchen manager and knife enthusiast Brad Leone's picks, plus a magnetic knife rack that will tie everything together.
Miyabi Stainless-Steel and Birchwood Slicing Knife (far left in the photo above), $300 at Sur La Table
This is a knife where the use is written right into the name. The super long, super sharp, hand-honed blade is perfect for achieving ultra-thin, even slices of meat or fish. The smooth birch handle will make whoever you give this to think of you every time they're slicing into something delicious—and we're pretty sure that's a good thing.
Shun Dual Core Butchery Knife (second from left), $260 at Williams Sonoma
"Honestly, this one is just super beautiful," Leone says. "It's got that geometric handle, and the patterned metal." The patterned metal comes from two types of stainless steel that are welded and forged together when making the blade. This knife is good for what the name implies: butchering animals. But it also works for anything from cutting up veggies to slicing cheese. This isn't the knife you buy yourself on a random Tuesday at Bed, Bath, and Beyond; it's a unexpected and generous gift.
Bob Kramer Carbon Steel Paring Knife (third from left), $150 at Sur La Table
This Bob Kramer knife (Kramer is the Yoda of knife making, btw) has the same carbon steel edge as the chef's knife below, but for uses like coring tomatoes and hulling strawberries.
Bob Kramer 8" Carbon Steel Chef's Knife (far right), $300 at Sur La Table
"This is your workhorse," Leone says. "I use mine for everything." The shape and width of the blade is perfect for crushing garlic and scooping up, say, chopped herbs. It's also easy to sharpen because it's made of carbon steel. You'll feel a real difference if you treat yours right and keep up the maintenance. You can go a little bigger or a little smaller, depending on the size of the hands of the person you're buying it for, but we find that 8" is generally just right.
Wake the Tree Magnetic Knife Rack, $99 at Wake the Tree Oh, and one more thing! Not all magnetic knife racks are created equal. This one from Wake the Tree particularly stunning, with six colors to choose from and two types of wood (one lighter, one darker).