Best Knives Sets

Our Top Knife Set Picks:

Wusthof Classic Nine Pieces Block Set Best For Low-Maintenance Cooks.

Ginsu Gourmet Chikara Series 8-Piece Set

Sharon Franke, Food Network Kitchen. A good pair of knives is essential to any cook. A sharp knife is essential for any task, whether you are preparing dinner or preparing a snack. There are many knife block sets to choose from, with different prices and styles. This guide will help you sort through the many options and choose the right knife block set for you.

Since its initial publication date, this article has been updated to include new selections.

Professional chefs reveal which sets of knives are best to buy

Pin It Image: Getty Images/Capelle.r Sharp knives are the most important kitchen tool, culinary skill aside. If you don’t intend to cook in the cabinets, then what is the point? Sharp knives are the best and most reliable knives. A knife set is a great way to simplify the process of choosing the right knives.

A good set of knives should have a few key points. To help you sharpen up your options, we talked to a number of chefs to find out what you should look for in a knife set and which ones they prefer or use themselves. Ahead, find 16 of the best knife sets to have in your kitchen, so you can get cracking on all the pumpkin recipes for the season.

Best Value: Mercer Culinary Genesis 6-Piece Inged Knife Block Set

Mercer knifes are an excellent compromise between high quality and low price. This package is just under $160. The set contains an 8-inch kitchen knife, bread knifes, boning knives, utility knives and a 3 1/2-inch utility knife.

German-made knives are strong, tough, simple to clean, and extremely sharp. These blades are made with full tang and taper ground edges. The handles have easy-grip rubberized handles that don’t slip even in wet conditions. These sets are half the cost of other sets.

Customer wrote, “As a chef/culinarian instructor, I have had many knives made from German steel and are comparable or even better than those that cost 10 times as much!” To buy: $156 at amazon.com

These are the 10 best knife sets in 2021

Independently, our editors research and test the products to recommend them. You can read more about us. Purchases made through our links may result in us receiving commissions.

The Spruce Eats / Chloe Jeong A great set of knives is essential for your kitchen, whether you’re regularly mincing up a mirepoix or simply carving a grocery store rotisserie chicken for serving. Because of the variety in materials and requirements, knives can make cutting and slicing much easier and safer. There are many variables to consider when buying knives, from ceramic blades to stainless steel, to plastic handles to flat edges to Granton and hardwood handles.

Our picks for the top knife sets, whether you are looking for a starter or an upgrade to your existing cutlery set, will be of great value.

Amazon Top Picks Chicago Cutlery Fusion Slice Knife Block Block Set

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The Tests

Credit: Reviewed / Lindsay D. Mattison. In our quest to find the best knives sets, we tried many variations of BLT sandwiches.

From the most popular knife brands, we selected top-rated knives sets at different prices. Next, we tested the knives together to find out how they performed. Although we normally test knives in isolation, premade sets must prove to be usable and perform well to offer good value. Every set should contain all the basic knives. Bonus points are awarded for additional features. A set we could store easily was also important to us.

These were the criteria for designing tests that evaluated performance, value, and storage. We chopped onion and basil thinly with the chef’s kitchen knife. With the paring knives we peeled and segmented oranges. And with our serrated knife we cut bread and sandwich dough. A majority of the sets had a smaller utility knife so that we could slice tomatoes or block of cheese. Sets with kitchen shears could have been tested. This allowed us to cut cardboard as well as glide the knifes through parchment. Each blade was evaluated for its sharpness and comfort. We then weighed the overall weight and length to decide if it was worth the money.

Some Knife Terms Explained

Full tang? Triple-riveted? You can forge and stamp knives There are many terms that can be confusing. If you’re looking at more expensive knife sets, you likely don’t have to worry about many of these terms. Nearly all Zwilling knives and Wusthof knives tested by us, for instance, have full-tang forged blades. So let’s take a look at the terms to help you be informed about your purchase.

First, knife manufacturing involves heating steel and then hammering it to the desired shape. After that, the blade is sharpened. A single steel piece is used to forge the knives. This then forms the knife’s blade, as well as the handle bolster. Stamped blades are more heavy and thicker than forged knives, which can be punched or shaped with lasers. Although they are cheaper than forged blades, they don’t last as long as stamped blades because they have never been heat-treated.

These types of knives can either be full-tang (or partial-tang), which is how much the metal extends inside the handle. Full-tang knives are generally considered to be the best because the knife is one continuous piece of metal from the tip to the end of the handle. The handle’s top often shows the metal. A lot of knives have handles attached with three rivets. This is why you might see triple-riveted handles.

When you buy a full-tang knife, you know it will be stronger and more durable than partial-tang knives, which only extend the metal through half of the handle. Although they’re heavier, full-tang knives have a better balance and are more balanced. Some stamped blades have no tang and they’re simply welded onto the handle. This knife is the lightest, most expensive and also the least heavy. But the handle can come off of the blade so they don’t last nearly as long.

The Top 5 Picks

Victorinox Swiss Style Knife Set Saveur Chooses Small Knife Set:

Victorinox 10-Piece Swiss Army Classic Knife block Set.

Victorinox’s 10-piece stainless steel collection is the Toyota Camry for knife sets. The set includes a variety of useful and stylish knives. Set includes paring knives for chef, cook, utility and boning. There’s also a honing steel to keep knives straight and sharp, kitchen shears for snipping duties, and a hardwood block for safe storage. It’s hard to find a fault with the non-forged, plain black handles or the non-textured steel. But the Amazon rating of 4.7/5 stars is a great deal. It speaks for itself.

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Sometimes there’s more to life than one. A 17-piece Saveur Selects collection (designed and made by me) is a great choice if you want a set with more chops. The bamboo block comes as a bonus with this set. That’s quite a few knives! Each full-tang knife a knife made with one continuous piece of metal that extends from the tip of the blade and all the way to the butt of the handle is crafted from extremely hard and durable German steel, which has been hand-sharpened to a 16-degree edge. You can expect this set to last a lifetime with proper care. With this many knives, it’s likely that you won’t need another one.

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This was the very first set of legit knives that we bought decades ago. We still have them today. The unique stainless steel construction of global knives makes them easily recognisable. It stretches from the tip to the handle to the end, and then continues to the edge. Since its inception, the iconic design has not changed. Global knives have been a favorite of ours for their sharp edges, great balance, and comfortable textured grip. This set of three includes the 6 inch Chef’s knife and 6-inch Serrated Utility knives. The Paring knife is 3 inches long.

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The Shun knife has a special cachet. They’re undeniably beautiful, with light blonde Pakkawood handles capped in an embossed stainless-steel cap that subtly announces your discriminating taste in kitchen instruments. The distinctive signs of tsuchime are evident in each Japanese knife. Each forged blade has a hand-hammered, dimpling pattern. Shun’s proprietary VG MAX steel results in a slightly harder and more durable edge compared to other high-quality Japanese style knives. These Shun knives are usually expensive so this William Sonoma 5-piece exclusive includes a knife sharpening at no additional charge.

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Consider These Things

Do you actually require every piece of the set? Before you decide to go and purchase the most expensive knife set, think about whether or not you will use it. It may not be necessary to buy the most expensive set, if your collection includes a couple of quality knives (such as your favorite carver’s knife), you might be able get by with a simpler one. You will find that smaller sets usually have five to six of most common knives like a chef’s or serrated knife. You can also choose to buy a large 14- to 17-piece set if all you need is one knife.

Next, take a close look at what knives you currently have. An excellent bread knife is worth having, so you might want to consider buying a set which includes kitchen shears as well as a steak knife. It is possible to add more items to your existing collection.

Top Paring Knives The Best Carving Knives The Best Knife Sharpeners

Also consider how you’ll store or display your knives. If you intend to place your knives in a wooden block that is placed on top of the counter, be sure the aesthetic matches your kitchen. Also ensure the knife blocks are comfortable in your area. Check the dimensions of the block relative to your counter space to make sure you don’t end up with something too big. If your kitchen has a magnet strip or another storage option, some knife sets won’t be in any blocks at all. A few knife sets also come with a case for easy travel.

These are the Best Knife Sets in 2021

Our editors test, research, and then recommend only the most effective products. Find out more about our. Purchases made through our links may result in us receiving commissions.

Chloe Jeong/Simply Recipes Quality knives is often the first purchase a cook makes. There are many blade options and storage options. Make sure you choose one that is right for you. It doesn’t matter if you use your knife to cut onions, roast meat, or make quick work out of sourdough bread.

While consideration of options is important, it is also paramount to understand how to care for your knives once you decide what to buy. Although the description may state “dishwasher-safe,” most cooks and chefs recommend that you handwash your knives in order to maintain their sharpness and beauty. Dishwashers use high-powered spray, steam, and uniform baskets to clean cutlery. The sharp edges of blades may be pushed against one another, causing rust and corrosion. Heat and steam can cause cracks in handles. Also, food spots may form on your blades. You can keep your investment looking sharp for many years by simply washing it with warm water and drying thoroughly after each use.

These are the top knife sets, from a Japanese-made blade to a self-sharpening one.

This brand is unique in that it holds the seal ‘Made in Solingen,’ rather than the less generic ‘Made in Germany’ designation.

Made from forged stainless steel, the premium set has a full-tang handle which is easy to grip.

Shun, a reliable and gorgeous choice for anyone looking to explore the wonderful world of Asian knives is a good option.

.Best Knives Sets