20 Fathers' Day Gift Ideas For The Chef In Your Life

Intro

Every year, the start of warm weather is marked in part by celebrating the people who are most important to us in our lives. While Mother’s Day kicks things off in May—bringing with it everything from brunches, to late-spring outings and graduations—for many, the start of summer is marked by Fathers’ day in June. The question remains, however, what does one get for their father on Father’s Day? After all, dads don’t usually make that big of a deal out of the occasion—at least, that is how it has been in my experience. Nonetheless, it doesn’t mean that your dad isn’t deserving of celebration, and while we are sure that plenty of recommendations are starting to reach your inbox—from clothes to electronics, to outings and adventures—if your dad likes to cook then we have a list of 20 unique and awesome potential gifts for him. Whether you find yourself on a limited budget—or heck, you’ve got a few hundred bucks to spend—our list of 20 gift items covers everything from knife sharpeners, sushi rollers, and sandwich makers, to pizza ovens, knife sets, and restaurant-grade cookware. We also have a couple of gifts for dads that like to drink, dads that like to grill, as well as one or two gifts for dads that are open to learning new things. So, without any further ado, let’s get into our list!

Under 20 Dollars

Knives are an essential tool in any kitchen, and if you cook a lot, then you are already familiar with the inconveniences of a dull blade: Meat needs multiple cuts, thick-skinned produce gets torn instead of sliced, and speed chopping is borderline impossible. Help your dad avoid these issues with a quality knife sharpener. The KitchenIQ Edge Grip 2 features two sets of carbide blades at preset angles and is the perfect sharpener to bring dull kitchen knives back to their proper condition. (Find it at Amazon) The New Primal Marinades - $9.99 If your father loves grilling, then he’ll probably appreciate a quality cooking marinade. For the barbecue enthusiast looking for healthier options, try the Noble Made line of sauces by The New Primal. Featuring fun flavors such as Citrus Herb, Classic, and Spicy, Noble Made marinades are also Whole30 approved, Non-GMO Verified, Certified Paleo, Certified Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar & Trans Fat-Free, and features no artificial preservatives or fillers. For a tasty affordable gift that your father will love to cook with—and may even continue to buy—consider these marinades. (Find it at Amazon) The Sushezi Sushi Roller Kit – $11.95 While some dads love to cook BBQ, others prefer sushi. For those that live somewhere with access to fresh, tasty fish, making sushi at home can absolutely be a thing. That is where the Sushezi Sushi Roller Kit comes into play. At almost a foot long, this simple roller creates perfectly round, restaurant-quality sushi at home. Whether it’s California rolls, Avocado rolls, or Dragon rolls —now is the perfect chance for your sushi-loving father to start making his favorite creations from the comfort of home. (Find it at Amazon) Weston Burger Express Hamburger Patty Ejector – $19.99 Nothing says summertime like burgers. What kind of burgers? Any burgers! Hamburgers, turkey burgers, veggie burgers—they are all welcome additions to the days of summer. And what better contraption to gift your dad than the Weston Express Hamburger Press & Patty Ejector? I mean, at only $20, this thing is freaking awesome. It allows for the user to take their favorite burger ingredients, and press them into a consistent, perfectly packed, 4.5-inch burger patty that will cook on your grill evenly. With hefty aluminum construction, and a spring plunger to pack and remove the patty, this thing is easily worth is weight in burgers—and would be a welcome addition to any father’s cooking arsenal. (Find it at Amazon)

25-50 Dollars

Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker – $24.99 While hamburgers are great for summer, breakfast sandwiches are great year-round. If your dad thinks the same way too, then the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker is exactly the product that he needs in his life. This breakfast sandwich press allows the user to incorporate their own choice of meat, eggs, bread, and cheese in a series of compact, chambered, griddles to create the perfect breakfast sandwich. With the ability to make perfect, restaurant-quality sandwiches, the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich maker is a gift your father is sure to love—and get some great use out of too. (Find it at Amazon)

The Wildwood Grilling Gift Set – $24.99 There is cooking out, and then there is grilling. The former is what you do on holidays, random summer evenings, and family events. The latter is what you do all the time. Grilling, to some, is a continually evolving process that is nuanced, sometimes competitive, and rife with individual taste considerations, as well as unspoken recipe secrets. If your dad falls into this category, consider getting him this Gift Set from Wildwood Grilling. Featuring five 5x8” Cedar, Alder, Cherry, Maple, and Hickory Wood Planks, as well as 50 cu in. of Cherry and Hickory Smoking chips, this kit is the perfect setup to get your dad slated away in the world of wood smoking BBQ. (Find it at Wildwood Grilling)

Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook - $26.29 Is your dad a fan of Anthony Bourdain? I mean, who isn’t? While being known as a world-renowned chef, Bourdain was also a TV host, icon of style, and objectively considered to be a pretty cool dude. Though he is no longer alive, Anthony Bourdain still leaves a piece of himself behind for us to enjoy with his Les Halles Cookbook. Those that love French Bistro cuisine will love this book as Bourdain uses his charming, irreverent style, to reveal the delicious recipes of the legendary Les Halles restaurant in New York City, where Bourdain got his start as a fine-dining chef. (Find it at Amazon)

Membership to The Craft Beer Club - $44.75/mo Everyone has their favorite beer. But if your dad is a bit of a beer snob, then this monthly subscription from The Craft Beer Club will be right up his alley. For $44.75/month, your dad will get a total of 8 beers in four different styles, from 2 breweries in different parts of the United States. This subscription box includes 2 fun and interesting color publications that help you learn more about the featured beers and breweries from each month. Consider getting this for your dad if he fancies himself a beer connoisseur, but also consider picking it up if your dad is someone that just likes beer and trying new things. (Find it at The Craft Beer Club)

Cast-Iron Home-Made Tortilla Kit – $48.00 If your dad is someone that regularly celebrates “Taco Tuesday” in your house—even when it’s not Tuesday—then this homemade tortilla kit from Uncommon Goods is exactly what he needs. By just taking a simple mixture of casa cornflour and water, pressing it on the press, and then heating it on the griddle at home, this Cast-Iron tortilla maker is an essential tool needed to make tortillas as home. For those dads that just have to do everything themselves, or those that simply want to impress guests on a Mexican cuisine-themed night, this Cast-Iron homemade tortilla kit is an essential addition to your father’s kitchen. (Find it at Uncommon Goods)

50-100 Dollars

Asobu Coldbrew Coffee Maker – $60.49 One of the cool things above the 50-dollar mark that your dad will get plenty of use from is the Asobu Coldbrew Coffee Maker. This nifty device is great for anyone that enjoys coffee as a part of their morning routine and will make for a welcome addition to the lives of busy commuters. While this coffee maker is branded around its unique cold brew capabilities, it is also capable of making hot coffee and tea, and it is also mobile! The top portion of the device both heats and steeps your coffee, while the bottom chamber serves as your very own oversized mug! For 60 dollars, this gift is truly a steal. (Find it at The Apollo Box) Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Maker – $84.95

The Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine is the perfect gift for any pasta-loving dad that wants to take his Italian cuisine game to the next level. Designed to cut pasta dough for lasagna and fettuccini, the Atlas 150 is also capable of rolling sheets of dough to 150mm wide x 10mm thick. Referred to as “the Ferrari of the pasta machine world” by Cook’s Illustrated, the Atlas 150 is also a well-made masterpiece of culinary hardware, featuring a nickel plating, as well as steel and chrome plated moving parts. If you have a dad that loves to cook pasta, now is the time to give him the chance to do it all on his own. (Find it at Amazon) The Cuisinart Griddler Five – $99.95 Whether your dad likes making sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, or a midnight snack, the Cuisinart Griddler Five is the appliance for him. With 2 interchangeable non-stick cooking plates and five cooking options, the Griddler Five is more than just a great panini press. With a Griddle Plate capable of cooking Steak, Burgers, Chicken, Kebabs, and Veggies, and a Griddle Plate capable of cooking pancakes, eggs, bacon, and French toast, the Cuisinart Griddler Five is like the swiss army knife of cooking appliances. (Find it at Williams-Sonoma)

100 Dollars and Up

Man Crates! – $59.99 - $129.99

Over the years I have become resistant to buy or endorse anything that puts manliness at the front and center of its branding considerations—and the reasons are specific. Usually, these products have try-hard branding, cringe names, and stereotypical ideas for “guy stuff” that all seem to be colored by the same, neckbeard-esque panache characterizing all “manly” products. Man Crates is not one of those things. Sure, they offer crates featuring your standard “guy fare” such as BBQ Sauces, seasoning sets, and hickory grilling sets, they also offer really off the wall ideas for gift crates that you cannot necessarily find anywhere else—such as Everest grill crates, chef knife making crates, and pitmaster crates. ManCrates are offered at multiple price points, for varying levels of affordability. To learn more, be sure to visit ManCrates. (Find them at ManCrates)

The Finex Dutch Oven - $280 If your dad loves soups, stews, and sauces—as well as fun things like home-baked bread, and mussels—then the Finex Dutch Oven might be just what he needs. Though it is pricey, and some may not be able to justify almost 300 dollars for what is “essentially a pot,” the Finex Dutch oven is made out of cast iron for superior heat retention, and features stainless steel speed-cool handles, an octagonal multi-pour design, and a hand-polished finish for an exceptional looking product. For those that would like to give their father a considerate, high-end kitchen product, look no further than the Finex Dutch Oven. (Find it at Nordstrom)

Philips Smokeless Infrared Grill – $299.99 If your father looks just a little bit funny while grilling and awkwardly holding an umbrella in bad weather, maybe it’s time to bring the action inside. Luckily, the Phillips Smokeless Infrared Grill is just perfect for that. Featuring a nonstick cast-aluminum barbecue grid for steaks, burgers, and chops, as well as a steel wire grid for fish and veggies, the Phillips Smokeless Infrared Grill produces up to 86% less smoke than standard American electric grills. This impressive unit is able to maintain a constant 446-degree cooking temperature and has dishwasher-safe removable parts. If that isn’t enough, this thing comes with its own recipe book! What is there not to love? (Find it at Williams-Sonoma) The Hestan Cue Smart Cooking System, Gen 2 - $399.95

If your dad needs a little help in the kitchen—or just some new recipes, the Hestan Cue Smart Cooking system is a great gift option. Featuring a smart induction frying pan, and smart induction burner, the Smart Cooking System automatically adjusts temperatures as you are guided through step-by-step recipe videos taught by professional chefs on how to cook restaurant-quality dishes. Whether you use it as a supplement to your kitchen workflow—or use it to replace a conventional electric stovetop, the Hestan Cue Smart Cooking System is open to myriad applications. (Find it at Amazon) The Made In Cookware Starter Set - $399.99 There is cookware, and then there is Made In Cookware: restaurant-quality pots, pans, and dining sets created for use in your home. If you have a dad that is a true, hardcore, home chef, Made In offers exactly the type of cookware that will stand up to the demands and rigors of heavy use. The Made In Cookware Starter Set is an entry point into Made In’s incredible array of home kitchen and dining products. It includes two 10” frying pans, a 2qt saucepan, and an 8qt stockpot. For those looking for something more advanced, be sure to click around on Made In Cookware’s website. They offer a little bit of everything. (Find it at Made In Cookware)

Some dads like beer, while others like wine. No matter the preference, either is fine. Hey, that rhymes! But in all seriousness, for those dads that are partial to a soothing glass of wine after work, the Coravin wine preservation system is probably one of the nicest gifts that you can give him. Each Coravin Wine Preservation System comes with a wine preserver, and Coravin pure capsules to ensure preservation. The Coravin is capable of preserving an already opened bottle of wine for up to 4 weeks and comes at multiple price points—with some nicer models being more feature-rich and including nifty extras such as carrying bags. For the wine-loving dad in your life, consider getting him a Coravin Wine Preservation System. Learn more about them at Coravin. (Find it at Coravin)

Oni Koda 16in Pizza oven – 499.95 The Oni Koda 16-inch Pizza Oven is the perfect gift for pizza lovers. Capable of cooking standard large 16” pizzas, the Oni Koda Pizza Oven is also a great way for cooking large meat dishes, fish, stews, veggies, and flatbread. Each oven features an L-shaped gas burner that requires only one rotation for food to bake evenly and features a cordierite stone base so that heat is locked in, and crusts are perfectly cooked. Though this device looks like it may go into a kitchen, it is actually designed to be used outside like a grill, or outdoor stove. For such reasons, its burners are powered by propane, as well as natural gas with the correct conversion kits. For more information on the Oni Koda 16in Pizza Oven, visit Williams-Sonoma. (Find it at Williams-Sonoma)

The Benchmade Table Knife Set - $600 Over the years, Benchmade has developed a reputation for offering some of the strongest, and finest, production-line knives that money can buy. Endorsed by construction contractors, hunters, fishermen, police, and military, Benchmade is a company that is world-renowned for delivering its customers knives that are not just sharp—but startlingly sharp. It should be of little surprise then, that a company with such a deeply revered name in the utility and tactical knife industry should decide to make a foray into offering fine kitchen products. The Benchmade Table Knife Set is exactly that. Crafted around the vision of offering a multi-purpose knife for both cooking and eating, the Benchmade Table Knife set is built on the philosophy that knives should not have to sacrifice their strength for cutting precision. This means that while these knives are smaller than, say, your standard cleaver or chef’s knife, they are strong enough to rapidly cut tough-skinned vegetables such as garlic and onions, while still being fine enough to cut through steak in one smooth slice. This is not just any knife set. Like the Made-In Cookware system, the sheer price of this set means that you have to really be a serious cook. Causals need not apply. For more information about the Benchmade Table Knife set, be sure to visit Benchmade’s website. (Find it at Benchmade)