The blend of technique and creativity that is cooking demands tools equally exacting and inspiring — a balanced blade, a gastronomical survey of Japan, an over-performing Dutch oven. Yes, there is a kernel of truth to the stereotypically uptight chef, and yes, finding products of quality that are more interesting than the knife block you get him every year isn’t easy. But that’s what we’re here for. This list is for the culinarily advanced (or just culinarily adventurous) dad who settles for nothing short of the best.
Napoleon Prestige PRO 665
For those aiming to grill with precision in mind, gas grills are very often the best choice, and Napoleon’s tricked-out PRO 665 gas model is about as functional (and pretty) as they come. The professional-grade grill sports eight separate burners to eliminate obnoxious hot and cool spots and enough grill space to accomodate 45 full-sized hamburgers. A bevy of temperature-control options are bolstered by a built-in wood chip smoker, infrared rear and side burners that reach up to 1800 degrees and a unique stainless steel grate setup. When all is said and done, you’ve got what might be the most advanced gas grill money can buy.
Buy Now: $2,999
Stone Chef’s Notebook
This notebook is not meant to be babied. The paper, made of finely ground limestone, is completely water- and grease-resistant (along with the rest of the book). It lays perfectly flat so you don’t need an extra hand to hold one side down, and it has magnets cut into it so it’ll hold to any metal surface.
Buy Now: $23
Material Kitchen the Fundamentals
Material’s direct-to-consumer model cuts out retailers and all manner of middlemen in order to provide kitchenware that looks good and improves the cooking experience. The Fundamentals set provides exactly what you’d expect, the essentials, only these you won’t have to hide in a junk drawer.
Buy Now: $175
Yeti Tundra Haul
At long last, the brand that created and perfected the premium cooler market made a cooler with wheels. And because Yeti is Yeti, the wheels are anything but an afterthought — they’re stealthy and don’t cut into haul space nearly as egregiously as other premiums on the market. Perhaps the most underrated bit about the Tundra is a lid that won’t slam.
Buy Now: $400
Japan: The Cookbook by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
Expansive, all-encompassing, comprehensive — call it what you will, author Nancy Singleton Hachisu’s newest tome to Japanese cooking is equal parts gorgeous, entrancing and helpful. Hachisu already has two James Beard-nominated Japanese cookbooks under her belt, and it feels like a safe bet to assume her latest endeavor is a shoe-in for a third.
Buy Now: $31
Gear Patrol StudiosMiir x Gear Patrol Vacuum Insulated Bottle
We partnered with Miir to make a sleek, black powder-coated steel vacuum-insulated bottle with our stamp literally on the side. No matter what goes in this bottle, it will come out damn near the temperature it entered at.
Buy Now: $32
Milo Dutch Oven
It’s not often we discover a product that manages to merge enduring quality, performance, looks, customer service and affordability, and that’s what makes the new Milo Dutch oven unique. At $95, it is firmly one-third the price of the heavyweights it punches up to in performance.
Buy Now: $95
Scotch Malt Whisky Society Membership
After crushing the San Francisco Spirits Competition to the tune of six Double Golds, the Director’s Award for Excellence and Best in Show Whisky, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society is on fire. Access to the 35-year-old whisky club’s bottles is member’s only, and this year-long membership comes with a bottle to get your dad started.
Buy Now: $150
Christopher Kimball for Kuhn Rikon Wok
Bearing the name of the creator of America’s Test Kitchen is no marketing gimmick — this pro-grade carbon steel wok is serious cookware. For the dad with dreams of appropriately fried stir-fry, there are few better options.
Buy Now: $56
Yamazaki Rolling Tower Storage
As a general rule, assume anything with Yamazaki’s name on it will be neatly understated and functionally magnificent. This rolling kitchen storage is ideal for spices, oils, hand rags and, most importantly the cook’s beer.
Buy Now: $58
Umbra Giardino Kitchen Herb Garden
Design collective Umbra has found the cure for brown thumb. The Giardino kitchen garden keeps about three herb plants happy and healthy by way of an integrated showerhead watering and drain system. It would be a feat to kill a basil plant with this thing.
Buy Now: $40
Gear Patrol Issue Six
Ignoring all notion of modesty, our sixth issue explores the wide and weird world of products like nothing else can. Everything from the best cheap pens to designer running gear to the return of the lager, the sixth coming of Gear Patrol Magazine is product journalism at its finest.
Buy Now: $20