Shun Premier 8-Inch Chef's Knife

Of all the cool knives around, a chef’s knife is the one that gets used every day, and the Shun Premier makes that daily job look good. It’s handcrafted in Japan, and the 8-inch blade has a VG-MAX steel core wrapped in 34 layers of stainless Damascus on each side. Where the layers meet near the edge, they form a wavy line that echoes the hamon on a traditional Japanese sword. The hammered tsuchime finish has a job too: its shallow dimples help food fall away instead of sticking to the steel.

The blade is thinner than a typical European chef’s knife, so it’s lighter and less tiring through a pile of onions, and it’s hand-sharpened to 16 degrees per side. The curved belly rocks through herbs for a fine mince, the wide heel keeps your knuckles off the board, and the handle is contoured walnut PakkaWood.

Give it to the cook who cooks a lot and still uses whatever knife came with the block.

The catch: a thin, hard edge rewards care. Hand-wash it, dry it, keep it away from bones and frozen food, and plan on a good sharpener, because a dishwasher will undo that edge quickly.