What I’m Adding to Cart for Father’s Day

A rolling sharpener
A fancy new knife deserves some equally fancy accessories. Why not throw in a custom-made wooden guard (available for the Kitchin-to, Kitchin-kiji, and Nakiri) and a sharpener to keep the blade in tip-top shape? Milk Streeters love the Work Sharp line of sharpeners, especially their E2 Sharpening System and Rolling Sharpener. (If your dad is a little more old-school, try Work Sharp’s Benchtop Whetstone—it doubles as a fun new hobby to pick up.)

A spicy condiment that's better than hot sauce
If your dad loves hot sauce, give him a jar of something even better: Che Fico Calabrian Chili Bomba. It combines fiery Calabrian chilies with roasted garlic and a touch of vinegar for a complex flavor profile that’s good on anything: eggs, pasta, pizza, roasted vegetables, toast, baked potatoes...seriously, anything.
Maybe your dad is more of a chili oil guy than a hot sauce guy; fair enough! In that case, a jar of KariKari Garlic Chili Crisp is sure to be a hit. Its tagline—“Crunchy spicy garlicky magic!”—sets expectations appropriately high, and even so, it blew us away. He’ll love this stuff’s subtle, tingling heat and delightfully crunchy texture.

A spread that's better than Nutella
Il Colle del Gusto’s luxurious spreads are the perfect niche gift for a dad with a sweet tooth. Their creamy, intensely pistachio-y Sicilian Pistacchiosa has been described as “better than Nutella” and we’re inclined to agree. Peanut butter lovers will go nuts for the sweet, rich Arachidella peanut spread; why not order both and have a Father’s Day sundae party?

Our bestselling, durable apron
A high-quality, buy-it-for-life apron is exactly the kind of thing your dad might not think to buy for himself, making it an ideal gift. Our Maekake Full Apron is made from thick, durable cotton canvas, accented with heavy-duty ribboning inspired by traditional sumo wrestler garb. (Those ribbons aren’t just ornamental—they’re so heavy-duty that the belt provides back support when tied up tight.) It’s tough, it looks fantastic, it has pockets—this is the perfect apron.

The king of kitchen appliances
High-end kitchen gadgets appeal to a very particular type of dad. If yours is one of them, a Vermicular Musui-Kamado will delight him. This revolutionary multi-cooker combines a lightweight cast-iron pot with a wraparound induction heater, creating a uniquely capable cooking tool that does it all. It sears, roasts, braises, cooks perfect rice, proofs bread and ferments homemade yogurt; thanks to a perfectly airtight top seal, it can even sous vide. Precise temperature controls let you pick your exact cooking (or proofing, or fermenting) temperature within a single degree Fahrenheit.

A place for heavy lids

One last gadget-adjacent recommendation: the Topfi Pot Lid Holder. It’s simple and it’s small, but if your dad appreciates genius design—or just tends to make a mess in the kitchen—he’ll love it. The Topfi latches securely onto any pot and holds even the heaviest cast-iron Dutch oven lid securely in place while you stir a soup, scrape up a fond or do whatever it is you need to do.

A cooking class he can keep forever
Finally, if material things aren’t really your dad’s style, treat him to a digital cooking class instead. Milk Street’s Cooking School has dozens of incredible classes to choose from, all taught by recognized experts in their fields. He could learn to make pizza from Peter Reinhart or Michele Pascarella; dim sum from Sarah and Kaitlin Leung, a.k.a the Woks of Life team; tacos from Rick Martínez; the list goes on and on. No matter what kinds of foods he likes to cook—or bake!—we have a digital cooking class he’ll love.