Trekking along an alpine trail with a picnic basket is the sort of adventure that calls for our favorite field tool: a cherry-red Victorinox Swiss Army knife. Still produced at the company’s workshop in Ibach, Switzerland, over the past 115 years the original ebony-handled Soldier’s Knife, with its folding can opener for prying lids off tinned rations, has evolved into a souped-up gadget—nowadays it can come fully loaded with an altimeter, barometer, mini LED light, or even a removable flash drive. But it’s the Explorer model that we’re most likely to pocket before embarking on culinary escapades. Why? Along with two stainless-steel blades sharp enough to cut through a block of Gruyère, this version has both a bottle opener and a corkscrew to pop open a chilled Grüner Veltliner. Now that’s worth yodeling about. (Victorinox Swiss Army Explorer knife with magnifying glass and stainless-steel blades, $48; swissarmy.com.)
Best Swiss Army Knife for Foodies
Photo: Nigel Cox
