A great knife It is the foundation on which a great meal is built. But if you ask three chefs what makes a great knife, you’ll probably get at least five answers. The truth is that what makes the perfect knife for you will depend on many factors, including your comfort level with the knife, the size of your hand, and the type of food you enjoy cooking.
That said, there’s a reason the basic 6- to 8-inch chef’s knife is so popular: It’s the most versatile knife. The chef’s knife can chop vegetables, chop meat, smash garlic and chop herbs and nuts. In a short time, it will even go through small bones without too much difficulty.
There is a wide range of chef knives available, from inexpensive knives to expensive specialty knives. To help you understand that better, we cut and diced with dozens of knives until one simple truth emerged: A poor quality $10 blade that you sharpen weekly will save you money. more useful than a dull $200 blade. Every knife needs sharpening, some just need it more than others. Much of the difference in the price of knives depends on the quality of the material, which in turn often translates into blade durability.
We mainly use the 8-inch blade, which is great for a classic chef’s knife. Experimenting involves things you would do in your own kitchen — peel, fillet, diced, chop, diced, thin, and all the other standard prep work for meat and vegetable. Here are our picks.
Updated October 2022: We’ve added kids chef knife sets, Benchmade’s Station knives, and prices are updated all the time.
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