Examine Our Picks
Honorable Mentions
{Photograph}: Molly Higgins
New West Knifeworks Joy Bauer 6-Inch Chef Knife for $225: Like my New West Knifeworks choose above, this luxe knife is completely attractive, with a daring red-and-white deal with and an accompanying embossed leather-based sheath. Created in collaboration with nutritionist and TV persona Pleasure Bauer, this 6-inch knife is a Japanese Santoku-style knife with a downward blade and a sturdy prime slope, constituted of American-made 440C chrome steel. I discovered that meals caught to the perimeters of this blade, and it dragged extra with starchier meals, however it’s completely attractive and higher for smaller duties.
Henckels Classic Precision 7-Inch Santoku Knife for $80: I’ve discovered this Santoku-style knife’s flat blade and straight edge are best for slicing and tap-chopping, with the low level and flat blade being efficient for simple sliding and transport of chopped greens. This Spanish-made knife’s blade is fabricated from German chrome steel with a satin end, which additionally has divots to scale back meals sticking to the perimeters. The Mannkitchen Santoku mannequin beneath is a bit sturdier, however this can be a extra reasonably priced, lighter Santoku possibility of these I’ve examined.
Henckels Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife for $70: This 8-inch, Spanish-made Henckels knife has a basic German-style blade constituted of German chrome steel. It simply feels like a heavy-duty workhorse knife. The finely honed blade transitions to an ergonomic triple-rivet deal with. Though solely 0.28 kilos, this knife feels heavier than the comparable Zwilling, partially due to this deal with, which is much less snug with extra extreme, squared edges than some others I examined. The blade was tremendous sharp and I shortly reduce most produce with ease, though it wasn’t as clear a reduce on denser meals like potatoes. Plus, the starchier produce appeared to stay a little bit extra to this knife than others.
{Photograph}: Molly Higgins
Männkitchen 7-inch Santoku MK71S for $130 : This Santoku Japanese-style knife feels a bit heavier than the bulk on this checklist, though the triple-beveled deal with is ergonomically designed and simple to carry, regardless of its giant dimension. The hefty deal with seamlessly blends into the chrome steel knife, and regardless of being heavy, I felt in management whereas slicing. This heavy-duty knife has a decrease level, which makes it simpler to cube and chop shortly with out an excessive amount of arm/shoulder motion or exertion. The blade can be huge and thick, making it really feel a bit sturdier and simpler to switch veggies from the slicing board. This is not going to be my go-to for all the pieces I reduce on the reg, however I particularly cherished it for faster, rougher dicing and chopping of issues like herbs and garlic cloves.
Hast Selection Series Japanese Carbon Steel 8-inch Chef Knife for $79: This smooth Hast knife is fabricated from Japanese carbon metal (see above for extra about carbon supplies) from famend metal maker Koike. It total feels light-weight and svelte, and the ergonomic deal with was very simple to grip, though it acquired a bit slippery (and doubtlessly harmful) when moist. General it would not really feel as heavy-duty as others examined, and flip-flopped a bit whereas slicing extra dense meals like potatoes. It was capable of make tremendous easy cuts on softer meals, and I felt capable of management it simply whereas mincing garlic. It is a remarkably reasonably priced possibility for a Japanese carbon metal chef’s knife that excels in making extra exact cuts.
{Photograph}: Molly Higgins
Material the 8-Inch Knife for $105: This hefty, lovely knife from Materials has shortly turn out to be my go-to giant knife for larger slicing duties. I seen greens do not stick with the aspect as a lot as different fashions, and it was surprisingly capable of make ultra-thin cuts with management regardless of its giant dimension. It is a little bit longer, at 13.5 inches whole, making it larger and sturdier to make use of than the smaller types I are inclined to go for. Every knife is hand-polished, heat-treated at 300 levels Fahrenheit, and cryogenically tempered at -250 levels to make the metal more durable and extra sturdy. The blade is fabricated from sturdy Japanese high-carbon and chrome steel, with an oval-shaped, grippy, and matte composite deal with, and the blade extends into the deal with so weight is distributed extra evenly. Plus, you’ll be able to personalize this knife for a enjoyable improve.
Misen 8-Inch Chef’s Knife 2.0 for $94: This chef’s knife is constituted of Japanese high-carbon chrome steel with a excessive chromium content material to withstand rust, and contains a lengthy blade over 8 inches. The deal with has an ergonomic rounded backbone, which is sturdy, however wasn’t the grippiest or best to carry from these I’ve examined. This knife works excellently should you want longer, extra exact cuts (I might think about it would be good for making scoring cuts or filleting a gentle fish), however issues tended to stay on the perimeters, and the sheer size of the blade made issues much less quick as I handled drag.
I examined the one means I knew how: fumbling, slicing, slicing, and dicing within the kitchen, with a knife of the week, a slicing board (I used each picket and plastic boards), and quite a lot of meals. I used every of those knives for every week whereas I made all of my meals, utilizing them to do large duties like reduce via thick root greens, thinly slice cucumbers, roughly chop herbs, mash garlic, and even open plastic packaging. It is also necessary to know methods to do a number of essential knife skills within the kitchen to make finest use of your knives.
I am vegan, so I had a few of my carnivorous mates and colleagues use these knives to additionally carve beef and reduce up an entire rooster, to ensure the blades may stand up to all sorts of textures. As acknowledged earlier, the very best knife is a pointy one, and every of those got here out of the package deal lethal sharp. I reduce myself greater than as soon as within the course of, all for the better good to search out which chef knife belongs in your kitchen. (However a lesson was discovered: Be additional cautious when utilizing a brand new, tremendous sharp chef’s knife for the primary time.)
Ought to You Purchase a Knife Set?
In a phrase: no. Regardless of what the door-to-door salesman or your MLM-loving cousin says, knife units are often not an excellent funding. You simply want a number of good knives. An 8-inch chef’s knife will work finest for many duties within the kitchen. I’ve a smaller hand, so I additionally like a small paring knife for some duties, and a serrated knife for bread, along with the chef knife. Knife units usually price double or triple as a lot as shopping for only one good chef knife. To not point out, the picket storage blocks additionally take up helpful counter area, particularly should you reside in a tiny New York condo like me. We suggest you save your cash by skipping a set and investing in a stable chef’s knife as a substitute. (Plus, one or two others if you’d like a little bit of selection.)
What Makes a Knife a Chef’s Knife?
As mentioned earlier, it is multipurpose software used used to chop meat, cube greens, chop nuts or smash garlic. A chef’s knife, usually, is fabricated from many layers of cast metal and has a pointy finish level and a outstanding edge with a sloping curve, which helps with the quick rocking movement that enables cooks to chop meals shortly.
A chef’s knife is among the many most versatile knives within the kitchen and can be utilized for something from chopping to slicing. Widespread makes use of for a chef’s knife embody slicing meat, dicing greens, slicing herbs, and chopping nuts. The flat aspect of the knife may even be used to crush garlic. The flexibility of this multipurpose knife makes it essential in any kitchen. It is necessary to keep away from any laborious surfaces that may render the blade boring. As well as, studying how to hold a knife is a vital first step to make sure the very best outcomes when utilizing it.
Most Standard Knife Types
Chef’s knives usually fall in two camps, Japanese Santoku and German. Each have their deserves and also you simply may have each in your kitchen, relying on what you are often cooking. Japanese blades are additional skinny and finest for precision, whereas German chef’s knives are thicker and extra utilitarian.
German knives: A curved blade means you will do the rocking back-and-forth movement to cut shortly. German chef’s knives can be utilized for all the pieces from chopping contemporary herbs to de-boning an entire rooster.
Japanese Santoku knives: With a straighter edge used for precision, you’ll reduce straight down, utilizing the entire blade without delay. These are usually used for precision and particular functions. They’re often made with more durable metal, which may make them extra brittle.
There’s additionally the fabric the blade is made out of to contemplate—lately, most blades are constituted of carbon or chrome steel.
Stainless-steel: This materials is proof against moisture, can maintain a razor-sharp edge for longer, and is extra versatile than carbon, making it simpler at absorbing affect. Nonetheless, chrome steel takes longer to re-sharpen, which makes it tougher to keep up and not using a skilled sharpening system.
Carbon metal: This materials has a excessive carbon content material, which makes it a really laborious metal, and edges out stainless relating to basic sharpness. Most frequently, in addition they maintain an edge for longer and are simpler to re-sharpen. Carbon metal is extra delicate to parts like humidity or water, in order that they require extra well timed and thorough cleansing and upkeep.
The entire knives on our checklist are measured within the Rockwell ranking/measurement, known as HRC of the metal. HRC measures how a lot of a mark a diamond level could make within the steel with the quantity of weight; so, the smaller the mark is, the more durable the metal, and visa versa.
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