16 Must-Haves for the Chef du Home

Known for making messenger bags and urban commuter gear, Chrome has taken a stab at a knife roll. Co-designed by celebrity San Francisco chef Chris Cosentino—he of Boccalone, Incanto, and Cockscomb—this carrier holds up to 11 knives and has extra pockets for pliers, thermometers, pens, and notebooks. Get it for your loved one who's also a cyclist; it'll match their bike bag.

The first thing your beloved chef makes in the kitchen each day? A caffeinated pick-me-up. For those of the French (press) persuasion, get them this marvelous copper-plated brewer from Espro. Not only is it gorgeous, but the extra-thick glass walls will keep their coffee or tea hot longer than those thin-walled also-rans.

Sure, authentic stove-top donabe rice has a texture all its own, but sometimes you just gotta set it and forget it. They know this. Get them this rice cooker. It's the best rice cooker.

Since they're better at regulating cooking temperatures, induction cooktops are noticeably more precise than gas or electric ranges. Hestan's cooktop is controlled by an app and works beautifully for everything from melting chocolate to searing a steak. It comes bundled with its own sensor-laden pan for extra control on the countertop.

This compact sous vide wand from ChefSteps is one of our favorite kitchen products of the last two years. The Joule's heating element is efficient and quick; it can bring a stock pot full of water up to the proper temperature for slow-cooking a wide range of proteins in well under an hour. The app used to control the device has videos embedded in the recipes so your loved one can see how beautifully that sous vide salmon will flake when it hits the table.

This two-in-one steel plate is perfect for cooks who feed large families. It goes in the oven, where it transfers crust-crisping heat into their baked goods, making pizza night that much more delicious. Sunday morning, they can flip it over and plop it on the stove top, where it works as a griddle for pancakes and eggs. With a ring around the edge to trap grease, their bacon will always be perfectly cooked.

If they're into sous vide cooking, get them this reusable bag. It can also be used for marinades and for overnight food storage. Best of all, they can stop throwing Ziploc bags into the landfill.

Samin Nosrat's best-selling tome breaks down the mystery of food preparation into its four most basic elements. Part cookbook, part science lesson, and part personal journey, it's a fascinating and inspirational read that'll have them rushing into the kitchen between chapters. The illustrations by Wendy MacNaughton are priceless as well.

Do they make their own cocktail bitters? Of course they do. Get them this bottle to better serve (and show off) their creations. The dasher top delivers the perfect dribble into their Sazerac, and the clear fat-bellied body displays their bitters' lovely hues. It's a smart gift for any booze nerd—even if they're just buying artisanal bitters at the farmer's market.

The trivet is the thing that goes under a hot saucepan or kettle so it doesn't scorch the countertop or the table. Most trivets are boring silicone or pedestrian wood. This trivet is made of exceptionally lovely molded concrete. The design lets them nestle several trivets together as a set. Get them two or three to sharpen up their dining room.

The blades of this mandoline can be adjusted with a twist of a knob, letting your beloved chef dial in the perfect slicing thickness for their gratin de pomme de terre à la béchamel. Other blades can be swapped in for wavy and waffle cuts, or a fine julienne. Pairs well with either an armored glove or a giant box of Band-Aids.

Who says cutting boards have to be boring rectangles or ovals? This gorgeous slab takes things in a delightfully funky direction with an angular design cut from reclaimed oak. The Belgian company that makes it, Heerenhuis, also crafts a range of beautiful furniture pieces for the dining room.

Waffles! I mean c'mon! This waffle maker is superior because it stands up—you close it first and pour the batter in from the top once it's heated up. The goopy mess is gone, but the seductive smell is just as strong.

How hot is that cast iron pan? Hot enough to sear a tuna steak? If only they had a non-contact digital laser infrared thermometer that can accurately report surface temps between -58 and 716 degrees Fahrenheit from a few feet away. Then they'd know. They'd totally know.