Talk to me about chef knives as a gift?

[Carpetmoffman]

Sorry! Not an Aibu as such. Unless you count “AIBU for buying my partner chefs knives as a gift for Christmas?”

My partner always buys me lovely presents but I’m rubbish! He likes to cook. Likes to have gadgets and what not and likes good quality things. Chef knives - good gift in general? If so...what brands should I be looking at? Clueless!!!

TIA!

I think a good gift if you can afford quality ones.

Don't focus on 1 brand, get him 2 or 3 different. A paring knife, a chef's knife (10 inch) and a serrated knife are the 3 most useful. Maybe a good honing steel if he knows how to use it correctly.

My favourite brands are victorinox (very affordable), Zwillig, Wüsthof, and TOG (expensive).

If you want to go really spendy there is Blenheim Forge and Savernake.

A good knife is so individual - he really needs to try a range and see what suits him best.
Or, just splash the cash on a flashy name, but it might not be the right fit.

I don't know if you're superstitious but it is supposed to be very unlucky to give knives as a gift. If you're not, then you're fine!

If he's a serious cook he may:

a) Possibly want Japanese knives

b) Ideally prefer to choose them himself. (Weight, balance in the hand, etc,) It's a bit like choosing a bed.

So it's a potentially great present but better to give him a voucher so he can choose the exact thing. That way you'll also avoid the unlucky gift superstition!

Good suggestions above. I was going to suggest Wusthof. They do both European and Japanese style knives. You might want to look at Global knives too. Most cooks would be pleased with an 8” Global chef knife. It depends what he already has. Maybe consider other stuff too: an amazing hardwood chopping board, or a pestle and mortar. For smaller gifts: Microplane graters are brilliant and they do fancy ones with walnut handles as well as boring silicone.

I got a set of globals for my birthday, it’s revolutionised my cooking, they’re wonderful

I think you are definitely on the right track and my first reaction was definitely a great gift. But previous poster who said buying knives was like buying a bed is correct. What kind of knives is he using now?

I have a close friend who enjoys cooking and really lacks decent knives. I'd love to give her a set. But she and other members of her household are all so volatile I'm not prepared to take the risk. It really would be tempting fate. So she's better off with the blunt monstrosities in her kitchen drawer.

I.would have loved a gift of decent knives before I bought mine. However I agree with others about needing to choose your ow. When I bought my first two "proper" knives there was a shop in our nearest town that let you practice chopping carrots, tomatoes etc with different knives until you found the right one for you. I had a budget of £120 for two knives which limited my choice a bit, but I did manage to get two fantastic knives for that.

I'm going to take DP to pick a couple knives for his birthday. Was looking at Victorinox but got annoyed when I realised I couldn't just choose and get it right so we'll go to the shop and have a "play".

Thinking pairing and chef's knives

I'm a chef and I think the gift is a great idea but he really needs to try them in his hand first.
It's such an individual choice.