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The Best Kitchen Knives of 2023 (According to Experts)
It's the most essential part of any home cook's arsenal
A set of elegant, high-quality kitchen knives is one of the hallmarks of a proper home chef's kitchen. Seriously, no grown man should still be using the hand-me-down blades left over from his first flatshare. For the sake of your reputation, it's time to invest in a quality set.
For those of you who are unsure what exactly a quality knife set entails, we asked a couple of professional chefs for their sharpest buying tips. "I've signed up for 'buy it once, buy it well' when it comes to knives,” says food writer and author Jasmine Hemsley. “A long-term investment in a quality product will last a lifetime and beyond, and pay for itself in time and efficacy."
It's not enough for knives to be sharp, well manufactured and stylish – you should also be able to use them comfortably, or there's really no point. "The weight and handle size of a knife is really important," says chef and author Simon Stallard.
Stallard also says you should never throw your knives into a drawer haphazardly; luckily, every set on our list comes with its own knife block. "Tip: put the knives into a block upside down so the blade doesn’t draw on the wood," the chef advises.
But no matter how expensive or fancy your knife set is, there is no way around it: you have to take extremely good care of both the blades and the handles (especially wooden ones) to ensure their longevity and optimal performance. "You really need to be aware that, like a beautiful race car, they need lots of attention," Stallard adds.
Hemsley's parting wisdom? "Just never put them in the dishwasher!"
What are the most important kitchen knives?
These are the knives you'll most often find in a set and what they’re best used for:
- A large chef’s knife for chopping vegetables and other tougher foods such as meat, herbs or nuts.
- A santoku knife for chopping, slicing and dicing. Originating from Japan, this differs from a chef's knife due to its thinner, downward-curving blade.
- A small paring knife for peeling or dicing.
- A utility knife for cutting fruit, sandwiches and softer foods.
- A carving knife for your Sunday roast.
- A serrated bread knife for that artisanal sourdough.
- A boning knife for removing meat from the bone.
How we test knife sets
A panel of experts tested a broad range of knife sets on various foods, from preparing vegetables to carving up joints of meat. Afterwards, each was also cleaned several times to measure wear and tear.
Our testers looked for effortless chopping ability, consistency in sharpness across the set, quality manufacturing and useful design elements.
Here are the best kitchen knife sets that are worthy of a true professional.
Zwilling Pro 6-Pcs Natural Bamboo Knife Block Set
If you're looking for a long-term investment, this is it. Not only are the knives in this set super high quality, but they also come with a lifetime guarantee.
Handy magnetic slots keep them pristine when you store them in their stylish upright bamboo block and it sits flush against a wall so you don't have to give up too much counter space.
Our testers were able to chop foods effortlessly with every one of these knives, but the paring and serrated utility knife were the standouts.
| Knives in set | Chef's, bread, paring, serrated utility, slicing |
|---|
Robert Welch Book Knife Block Set with Knife Sharpener
Robert Welch Book Knife Block Set with Knife Sharpener
This set's premium quality is stand-out. The block has an especially clever design; it's slim so it will sit nicely against the wall, and you can draw the knives from the top or the front for extra ease of use.
There were some small inconsistencies in sharpness, but overall the knives performed the full range of chopping tasks beautifully, with the santoku impressing the most. Plus it comes with a sharpener so you don't have to buy one separately.
| Knives in set | Carving, bread, cook's, utility, santoku, paring (sharpener also included) |
|---|
7P Minimalist Knife Set by Hast
7P Minimalist Knife Set by Hast
Minimalist design lovers, these all-black knives and their matching clear glass block will look right at home in your kitchen. The knives' all-steel design makes them extra easy to clean – that said, they started showing marks after just three washes.
Our expert reckons this sleek set is best suited to serious home chefs. But if you're less experienced behind a chopping board, these knives come with extensive information on how to use them and consistently performed with great precision.
Note you have to pay extra for international shipping.
| Knives in set | Bread, paring, chef's, utility, boning (honing rod also included) |
|---|
Opinel 5 Piece Intempora Set with Knife Block
Opinel 5 Piece Intempora Set with Knife Block
If you're the kind of guy who picks up the first knife you find regardless of what you're chopping (relatable), then this set may come in handy for learning more about what each one can do, thanks to extensive in-box information.
On test, they proved well-crafted, chopping different foods consistently. The knives look stylish too. We docked some points for lack of versatility, though; the chef's knife and santoku behaved similarly.
| Knives in set | Paring, chef's, santoku, carving, bread |
|---|
Global G6367B 7 Piece Knife Block Set
Global G6367B 7 Piece Knife Block Set
Taking ten minutes to slice a single onion is a thing of the past with these knives, which were a total joy to use, cutting our ingredients with next to no effort. The flexible utility knife and vegetable chopping knife were especially comfortable in hand, and the latter performed brilliantly.
Though the chef's knife sits awkwardly during use, the weight distribution of the others was ideal across the set. The steel block looks professional but marks easily.
| Knives in set | Bread, peeling, chef's, flexible utility, vegetable |
|---|
Zwilling Self-Sharpening Knife Block
Zwilling Self-Sharpening Knife Block
If you simply don't have the time to hand-sharpen your knives, you'll be grateful for this knife block's nifty self-sharpening technology. It hones your blades automatically as you remove and return them.
The block and knives alike are excellently manufactured, and the lifetime guarantee ensures you'll be able to keep this set for decades. Some of the knives required extra force to cut through ingredients, and we were a little underwhelmed by the set's overall versatility (read: lack thereof), but we were very impressed with the excellent paring knife.
| Knives in set | Paring, utility, chef's, serrated utility, santoku (scissors also included) |
|---|
Wulff Den Deli Carbonroq Executive 7 Piece Japanese Knife Set
Wulff Den Deli Carbonroq Executive 7 Piece Japanese Knife Set
This knife set's range makes it ideal for adventurous home chefs who are always trying out new dishes. The utility knife is so sharp that the weight of the knife alone was enough to slice through food, and the chef's and carving knives were outstanding, too.
The santoku stuck while cutting our onion, though, and we found the block a bit unfinished. But with seven knives and a sharpening rod included, there's not much it can't do.
| Knives in set | Bread, chef's, santoku, peeling, carving, boning, utility (honing rod also included) |
|---|
Victorinox Swiss Modern Knife Block in Scandinavian Black
Victorinox Swiss Modern Knife Block in Scandinavian Black
Irredeemable carnivores are in for a treat with this modern set. With two carving knives and a carving fork included, you can expect to host Sunday roast at yours every week from now on – and the bread and utility knives were firm favourites among our testers as well.
We'd have liked protective blade coverings for the knives and their plastic handles were pretty slippery. All the same, the knives look great in their block, and they stand up well to cleaning.
| Knives in set | Office, santoku, carving, extra wide carving, bread and pastry (carving fork also included) |
|---|
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