Rating and reviewing the best kitchen knives is not an easy thing to do, but that’s what I’m going to try to do in this article today. It’s especially difficult because everybody has different preferences and everybody cooks differently. Somebody who cooks throughout the day every day will have a different opinion as to which knife is best than somebody who dabbles every once in a while.
Nevertheless, I’ll try and narrow it down to a select few. So the first question is this; what are the best brands of kitchen knives available today? This is a much easier question to answer. In my mind the best cutlery companies/brands by far are:
- Shun
- Wusthof
- J.A. Henckels
- Forschner Victorinox
- Chicago Cutlery
The first four on my list are really the top-of-the-line high quality knives on the market today while the last one, Chicago Cutlery, specializes in lower end less expensive knives that certainly have a place in every kitchen.
Now you can find kitchen knife sets from these companies, and we have several pages on this website dedicated to reviewing sets, but they will cost hundreds of dollars and even thousands of dollars in some cases. If you’re a very serious chef, this may make sense to you but if you’re on a budget or if you aren’t that particularly serious about cooking then you may want to focus on a different way of doing things.
By that I mean focus on one or two or maybe three specific knives that you use day in and day out and buy a high-quality knife for each of those three while the same time fleshing out your collection with less expensive models.
For instance, many of my friends own a very nice 10 inch chef’s knife and maybe a smaller 8 inch chef knife and then a nice santoku knife to round out their “nice” knife collection. I find that many people use santoku knives as general chopping or utility knives, and of course everybody needs solid chef’s knives for everyday use.
If you follow this plan then any one of the first four companies that I listed above, Shun, Wushtof, JA Henckel, or Forschner Victorinox will do very well for you.
But what Do we Want In A Good Kitchen Knife?
In my mind a good kitchen knife has several qualities that are easily identifiable across the range of different brands available. These qualities include:
- Sharp edged blade
- Thin blade
- Nice balance
- Good grips in your hand
- Allows for easy cutting, and slice well
- Easy to sharpen
- Lasts a long time
- Looks both beautiful and professional
- Cuts a tomato easily
Okay that last one is just silly but you get the idea. Having a high-quality stainless steel chefs knife, or any knife for that matter is very important but the way it feels in your hand is even more important. That’s why it’s important to not only read guides like this but also go to the store and hold the knives in your hand. You’d be amazed how easy it is to make a decision on the best kitchen knife after you’ve held a few.
On Sharpening
Many people focus on buying a quality knife but not sharpening it. Keeping your blades sharpened is very important for maintaining the health of your knife. So take my advice and buy a nice knife sharpener to maintain the sharpness that your knife came with.
Hopefully now you have an idea of what the best kitchen knives look like. Now it’s up to you to go to the store and handle a few yourself to pick out the best for your particular situation and needs. If you stick to the brands that I mentioned in this article today you simply can’t go wrong in your selection.
