It’s no secret that rule number one when dad is at the grill is that no one messes with whatever dad has on the grill. But outside of that well-established norm, the tired tropes of dads and cooking are just that: tired. From home fermentation experiments to homemade pizza to sandwiches that are true works of art, the kitchen is, for many dads, the playground where magic happens.
Whether your dad is a capsaicin fiend or is always complaining about how his “perfect chef’s knife” doesn’t cut how it used to, you’ll find the ideal Father’s Day gift for your cooking obsessed dad here.
Komo’s Kimchi Kit
The kitchen is for doers. Bring the world of homemade kimchi into your dads repertoire with Komo’s Kimchi Kit. Founder Crystal An created the company after finding store-bought kimchi lacking when hosting a Korean barbecue with some friends in college. So she decided to create something to show people what real kimchi tastes like. “Komo” means “aunt from your dad’s side of the family” and the brand’s kimchi paste is inspired by the recipe from An’s komo. The kit comes with everything one needs to make kimchi minus the produce: a kimchi cookbook, thermometer, 16-ounce package of Komo’s Kimchi Paste, and a 32-ounce jar for fermentation.
$34
Grilled & Distilled Box From Flaviar
Grilling and whiskey go together like brisket and smoke. Flaviar teamed up with six-time World Barbecue Champion and Barbecue Hall of Fame inductee Tuffy Stone for a package that pairs whiskey with grill know-how. The box includes Tuffy’s book Cook Smoke, his Original BBQ Sauce, two spice rubs, an engraved Flaviar rocks glass, and 10 50ml samples of whiskeys (bourbons, ryes, and a single malt are all in the mix) that go perfectly with barbecue. Also included is a free 12-month base membership to Flaviar–already a quality gift if your dad is the type who enjoys a beverage or two while grilling out.
$225
ButcherBox Subscription
[Partner] Father’s Day is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate Dad than with the gift he truly desires: MEAT. ButcherBox has got you covered with an exclusive offer for a limited time. Treat Dad to the ultimate meat lover’s dream: FREE ground beef for a whole year in every box. PLUS if you join between June 16th to June 18th you can enjoy a generous $70 off your subscription.
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Duluth Trading Men’s BBQ Relaxed Fit Short Sleeve Shirt
[Partner] The ultimate official BBQ attire. It’s a game-changer for scorching hot days by the grill. This 100% cotton poplin shirt keeps you cool, never sticking to your skin. It’s softer than soft right out of the box. With free-moving Reach Gussets™, you’ll handle tongs like a samurai and toss that Frisbee® like a champ. The stylish plaids and patterns bring class to your backyard revelry. Go untucked with the straight hem and side vents, no complaints from the wife.
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Victorinox Swiss Classic Chef’s Knife
Fancy kitchen knives have their time and place. And if your dad is already proficient around the stove and countertop, then he probably knows that time and place well–and already has a favorite knife that would be hard to replace. But for any dad who likes to take his skills in the kitchen elsewhere, he’ll appreciate having a Victorinox Swiss Classic Chef’s Knife in his camping kit. The brand is, of course, most famous for its Swiss Army knives. Its chef’s knife is just as ready for the task at hand with a double bevel for easy sharpening, ergonomic and slip-resistant handle, and lightweight durability to cut all types of meat and vegetables.
$55
Bacon All Year Club
Ask pretty much any dad who eats pork how they feel about bacon, and you’ll get an emphatically positive response. Some might even have a specific butcher and and type of bacon that they always have in the fridge. Not many, however, are part of a bacon club that sends 12- to 16-ounces of specialty bacon, histories, and recipes to their door every month. Expand dad’s bacon profile this Father’s Day with a gift that keeps giving month after month. Some of the options he’ll get include hickory smoked Duroc bacon, thick-cut steak bacon, Irish-style back bacon, Indiana jowl bacon, and more.
$495
Breeo Y Series Firepit
Smokeless fire pits take a lot of the hassle away from everything that comes with building a fire, from location limits to safety, to ease of use. It also is a great cooking tool if you pick the right one. Breeo created the first smokeless fire pit, and it’s also the best option for anyone who wants to cook over a live fire without finding (or building) a full-on fire pit. To make things easier, the Breeo Y Series has a high leg adjustment so there’s no hunching or kneeling over the fire while tending to the food. Added bonus: it stores easy, is light enough to carry, is designed to work safely on just about any surface (even compost decking), and it packs easy so it can go on family vacations.
To truly go above and beyond when it comes to Father’s Day gifts, through in the Outpost 19 Grill. The Y Series is compatible with all the accessories, including a cast iron kettle hook to simmer a soup as a side.
$495
Weber 18-inch Smokey Mountain Cooker
While live-fire cooking is a special experience, grill dads know there’s nothing like properly smoked brisket, pork, and other meat. Actually smoking that meat can seem like an insurmountable task, though. The Weber 18-inch Smokey Mountain Cooker helps one achieve that classic barbecue house flavor. It’s made of porcelain-enameled steel and comes with two nickel-plated cooking grates, a water pan, thermometer, vents on the bowl and lid, and a heat-resistant nylon handle. This won’t magically turn your dad into a pitmaster this Father’s Day, but it can hold a whole turkey and ham at the same time.
$420
MEATER Plus Wireless Smart Meat Thermometer
There are few more disappointing things to happen when grilling than to spend hours thinking it’s going to reach the perfect temperature and then it ends up being overcooked and dry or, worse, unsafely raw. This smart thermometer uses one probe to measure both the internal meat temperature up to 212°F and the external ambient temperature up to 527°F. An app walks the user through the entire process, estimates the cook time, and sends alerts. Best of all, it’s completely wireless with a Bluetooth range of 165 feet. It’s not completely set it and forget it (that would take the fun out of grilling after all), but it does make getting the perfect cook level every time a whole lot easier.
$80
The Cook You Want to Be: Everyday Recipes to Impress
No matter how many (or how few) kitchen and grill skills your dad has mastered, there’s always something new to learn. This award-winning book by Andy Baraghani, who has worked at high-end restaurants and the test kitchens of Bon Appétit among other things, is filled with recipes that are delicious dishes to learn how to make, but also teaches techniques and flavor combinations that will up anyone’s cooking immensely–regardless of whether they’re following a recipe or creating something on the fly.
$20
Turkey and the Wolf: Flavor Trippin' in New Orleans
Few people are doing Southern food like Mason Hereford, the man behind the award-winning Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans. This book, a James Beard Award nominee and New York Times bestseller, is filled with nearly 100 recipes and loads of tips and tricks to make Southern food that goes beyond the classic fried chicken and mac and cheese. Hereford draws from his upbringing in rural Virginia, his upscale restaurant experience in New Orleans, and, of course, the cooking that made Turkey and the World a destination unto itself in a town filled with destination dining. As an added bonus, the photography is just as eye-catching as the recipes.
$21
The Miracle of Salt: Recipes and Techniques to Preserve, Ferment, and Transform Your Food
Salt is the not-so-secret ingredient that makes the best meals pop. Naomi Duguid’s book tells the story of how salt has long been used to flavor, ferment, and preserve food around the world. Gifting this book this Father’s Day is to gift the start of a long journey into understanding, making, and using things foods like salt cod, sauerkraut, prosciutto, pickles, and much, much more. This is more than a collection of recipes (though you’ll find more than enough to keep dad busy), it’s a connection to the world’s cooking through the interpretation of salt.
$45
The Barbecue Bible
Anything that gets dubbed the “bible” of a subject is meant to be the end-all be-all reference point that stands up to the ages as it’s passed from generation to generation. That’s the place of The Barbecue Bible. From the answers to common questions to recipes (more than 500 in all) to techniques to incredible photographs, the book really does have it all. And, true to form, it’s leather bound so will last through the decades. It’s the perfect Father’s Day gift that will go on to the next father.
$105
ONIVA 18-Piece BBQ Case
If your dad has a hodge-podge of barbecue tools, he’s not able to fulfill his true potential. Sure, being able to improvise when there’s not the highly specific tool on hand is a noteworthy skill, but life is better when everything needed is all in one place and no one needs to go frantically searching before the food burns. This 18-piece barbecue case has everything from the standard necessities like a spatula and tongs to the stuff that always seems to be in the wrong place, like a basting brush and corn holders. It all comes in a plastic case for easy portability whether it’s going to a campground or just to the backyard.
$84
Japanese Chef Knife: The Morado Kiritsuke Kuro-uchi
This is one chef’s knife that’s aesthetic enough to put on display when it’s not in use thanks to its blade and rosewood handle. But it’s also of such high quality that it’ll be put into plenty of use. Hand-forged in Japan, the Morado Kiritsuke Kuro-uchi uses the core of premium Super Blue Steel carbon steel (meaning it’s strengthened with tungsten and chromium and lacking most common impurities). That patina is just as protective as it is attractive, and those dents add more than just a vibe–it keeps the food from sticking to the knife as it cuts through vegetables, meats, or whatever else needs cutting. Knife care is just as important as picking the right knife, and this is an easy to sharpen kitchen piece that holds its edge for longer than your standard kitchen knife.
$275
Roccbox Pizza Oven
The Gozney Roccbox Pizza Oven is a Cool Material favorite that’s worth they hype. It’s portable and compact version of what you may find in a restaurant, with a cavernous oven and a real flame within. It has additional safety features for home use, such as a silicone layer for protection from heat and retractable legs to keep it off the ground. The Roccbox can be converted from gas to wood fuel, making it versatile and convenient depending on the flavor profile desired. Any pizza loving dad (which, let’s be fair, is most dads) will appreciate a Roccbox for Father’s Day.
$499
Fuego Hot Sauce of the Month Club
There are a lot of hot sauces in the world. Even better, there are a lot of great hot sauces in the world. The standbys always deserve a place in the fridge (hello, Frank’s, Cholula, and Texas Pete), but it’s always fun to spice things up a bit (sorry) with other options. The Fuego Hot Sauce of the Month Club sends a new bottle of hot sauce straight to the recipient’s door–and it’s more than likely one that they’ve never tried before, unless your dad is a true hot sauce fiend.
$180
The Weed Gummies Cookbook
For all of the dads who appreciate indulging in cannabis but want to go the homemade route for their edibles, look no further than The Weed Gummies Cookbook. This cookbook provides 30-plus recipes for cannabis-infused gummies, hard candies, and more that are both delicious and easy to make. The recipes are divided into three categories: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The beginner recipes are perfect for those who are new to making edibles, while the intermediate and advanced recipes offer more challenging options for experienced bakers. The recipes include a variety of flavors and textures, so there is something for everyone. The author also includes tips on how to make your own cannabis-infused oil, which is essential for making gummies.
$18
Dreamfarm Pizza Scizza
If your dad is an avid home pizza maker (or, better yet, you just bought him a nifty new pizza oven), then he’ll need a better way to cut his pies than a standard knife or that wobbly rolling pizza cutter. The Pizza Scizza, once you get past the name, makes it easy to cleanly slice through pizzas of any size and into any shape. It’s dishwasher safe, so doesn’t need to be treated like a princess to stay in working shape, and the 5.9-inch stainless steel blades come apart for easy sharpening. And for all the dads who look with disdain at the cut lines on their pizza stones, this ensures there will be no further blemishes.
$35
Ember Smart Mug
If you peruse enough Father’s Day gift guides, you’ll notice that this mug shows up very often. It makes frequent appearances for a reason: there’s simply no better way to keep a cup of coffee at the perfect temperature. The Ember smart mug can be set to an exact temperature for the coffee, tea, Hot Toddy, or whatever else is inside for up to one and a half ounces for the 10-ounce mug or 80 minutes with the 14-ounce mug. Yes, it’s on the pricey side for a mug, but the tech is there to make the price worth it.
$150
