FOOD & DRINK

Chef knives, a roving restaurant, and two new made-in-Scotland gins.

THOUGH YOU COULD clutter your kitchen with a specific knife for every job—a bread knife for your carbs, a boning knife for your proteins, a peeling knife for your vegetables, and so on—what you really need is a great workhorse. But not any chef’s knife will do. Blades vary in price for a reason: Their materials can differ drastically. No matter what you buy, it should have a full tang— which means the metal of the blade should extend the length of the handle—to provide optimal balance in your hand. And it should be forged to make the blade harder, stronger, and better able to retain a sharp edge. Here, three chef-approved knives that make the cut. Jeremy Repanich Kramer Knives A former chef himself, Bob Kramer is one of the few certified American Bladesmith Society mastersmiths to focus on kitchen knives. At his shop in Bellingham, Wash., he crafts blades known for their strength, sharpness, and beauty.

Until recently, Kramer’s knives have been so in demand that they came with a three-year waiting list. Now, he offers ready-made knives five or six times per year for prices between $2,500 and $7,000. And every quarter, he auctions his most painstaking blades, selling them for up to $65,000 each. (kramerknives.com)