The Best Chef Knives for Home Cooks (Review) in 2020

Whether you’re a professional chef, an experienced home cook or a beginner at making your own food, a proper chef knife is a must-have. With its sharp and wide blade and pointed tip, you can use it for chopping, slicing, mincing, dicing and even peeling, depending on the knife. Out of all kitchen utensils, an all-purpose chef’s knife is the most versatile and gets the most use.

The only problem is, with so many different knives available to purchase, how do you choose the right one? While a huge number of choices may overwhelm anyone, if you ask yourself two simple questions, you’ll make the process of picking the right one easier for yourself. One, how experienced are you with chef knives? Two, what is your budget? By answering these questions, it’s likely you’ll narrow down your search to a couple of different knives. What’s left then is to pick the one that fits your preferences the best. Of course, not everyone can decide that easy (we weren’t able to either!). For folks who need more information on how to find the best chef knife, our buying guide should be able to help. Here, we talk about all important features to consider before purchasing, as well as differences between various chef knives. Finally, we also answer some of the commonly asked questions, so grab a cup of tea, make yourself comfortable and read on!

What to Consider When Buying The Best Cooking Knives

Finding the best chef knife is anything but easy. There are dozens of things to consider, and even then, it’s possible to end up with a knife that just doesn’t feel right. Furthermore, what’s best for one cook may be subpar for another. So how do you determine which knife is the best? Although what makes the perfect chef knife may be subjective, there are a few objective factors that determine whether a knife is actually any good. Before making any purchasing decisions, consider the following things.

• Knife type

There are two major chef knives – European (specifically German) and Japanese. European-style knives are heavier, sturdier and typically longer-lasting. Japanese chef knives are thinner and sharper, absolutely perfect for slicing.

• Handle type

The handle can be made from wood, plastic or metal. Although each material has its pros and cons, what’s truly important is to pick a knife with a comfortable, preferably ergonomic handle. A good handle will not only feel comfortable to hold but will be sturdy and solid, non-slippery.

• Knife size

How big your chef knife should be depends on your own constitution and preference. Generally, most people find an 8-inch knife to be the most versatile and easy to use, although again, this does depend on the size of your hands.

• Sharpness

If a chef knife isn’t sharp, it isn’t any good; it’s as simple as that. A good knife should be super-sharp right out of the box (“factory edge”) and remain like that through moderate use for 6 – 12 months.

Why You Should Get a Chef Knife

When it comes to cooking, there are a few kitchen utensils you absolutely need, and a proper chef knife is definitely one of them. Multi-purposed, a chef’s knife is the go-to tool for the majority of daily kitchen tasks.

Good kitchen knives are perfect for:

• Cutting meat and fish
• Disjointing some cuts
• Dicing fruits and vegetables
• Chopping large veggies, plants and nuts
• Mincing onions and other vegetables
• Slicing and crushing herbs other spices
• Smashing garlic cloves.

Honestly, in capable hands, a good chef knife has nearly endless uses. If there is one thing a chef’s knife shouldn’t be used for though, it’s for cutting open boxes and cans.

Stainless Steel Vs. High-Carbon Steel Vs. Carbon Steel

While reading our chef’s knives reviews, you’ve probably noticed that there are several different types of steel. Namely, there are three main types: stainless steel, high carbon steel and carbon steel. Let’s get over the basics of each type so you can determine what works best for you.

• Stainless steel

These types of blades have at least 12% chromium, which makes them resistant to corrosion and rust and relatively easy to sharpen. The downside is that they’re softer than high carbon knives, meaning once sharpened, they tend to lose their edge a little bit quicker. This type of chef knife is durable and tough, and best of all, recyclable.

• High carbon steel

These blades are exceptionally hard and strong which makes them perfect for edge retention (low edge maintenance). However, those that don’t have any chromium added, have poor rust resistance capability. They’re razor-sharp, very durable and hard.

• Carbon steel

Carbon steel blade is basically the same as high carbon steel blade, only with less carbon content (usually). Carbon is the hardest element, making this type of chef knife extraordinarily hard and great at edge retention. On the flip side, they have almost zero rust resistance capability, so you have to be careful when washing and storing them (never leave them in wet conditions).

Difference Between German and Japanese Chef Knives

There are two main types of chef knives: European a.k.a. German and Japanese. When shopping for cooking knives, it’s important to make a distinction between the two and understand what each type is best used for.

• German chef knife

This knife is typically heavier, thicker and more robust than a Japanese knife. It’s perfect for more heavy-duty cooking chores such as cutting larger chunks of meat and cracking through bones. Of course, a proper German knife can also be used for more delicate tasks, including slicing, dicing and even mincing, depending on its size. This knife is usually very durable and may be a better choice for beginners.

• Japanese chef knife

Lightweight, razor-sharp and thin, Japanese knife is ideal for precise work, including thin slicing and chopping. This type of knife is rather particular though – because it’s lightweight with a straighter edge, it can be more difficult to work with, at least for beginner cooks. Also, it’s more prone to chipping and cracking, so you really need to know what you’re doing when using a typical Japanese knife.

If you’re unsure about what type of chef knife you need, know that ultimately, there isn’t that much difference if you’re buying from a reputable brand. Nowadays, the gap between European and Japanese knives is rather small, with more and more Japanese knives implementing Western features and vice-versa. Still, if you’re an absolute beginner, we’d advise you to stick to European chef knives.

How to Care for Your Knife

A quality chef’s knife should last for decades, if not generations if you take good care of it. Luckily, caring for a chef knife is easy – all it takes is a little bit of attention and a few extra minutes.

• Washing

Wash your knife after every usage but never put it in the dishwasher. Although some chef knives are dishwasher safe, if you really want to keep it as sharp as possible and free from corrosion, you need to wash it manually with just a little bit of dish soap and hot water. Also, always dry it right away to prevent stains and corrosion. This is especially important for Japanese knives.

• Using

The best way to keep your chef knife sharp is to use it the right way – on a cutting board. Never cut on countertops, marble, granite or concrete either as these materials can ruin even the best of knives. Preferably, use a wooden cutting board.

• Honing and sharpening

To keep the edge of the blade straight and tip properly aligned, use a honing steel Ideally, you want to run it across the knife several times before each use (this literally takes around 20 seconds). Your knife will eventually need proper sharpening, which is usually every six to twelve months. You’ll know when it’s time by cutting through tomatoes – if you have to work to get through the skin, it’s time to sharpen the knife.

Best Chef Knives FAQ:

Q: Should I get a knife set?

A: Unless you’re a professional chef, there’s no need to purchase a knife set. Generally speaking, it’s best to buy one knife at a time. Of course, having only a chef’s knife isn’t enough for most people, so it’s natural to want to purchase more as your cooking improves/you start cooking more. Still, if you’re on a budget, we’ advise to skip knife sets completely and simply focus on the most important knives every cook needs.

Q: How many other kitchen knives do I need?

A: How many kitchen knives you need depends on several factors, two of the most important ones being how often you cook and what, and your budget. Saying that most cooks need at least the following three kitchen knives:

• Chef’s knife
• Paring knife
• Serrated/bread knife.

A boning knife is also highly useful but is not an absolute necessity.

Q: What’s the best way to hold my knife?

A: The safest way to hold a knife is to use a grip called the “pinch grip”. This allows for great control over the knife, plus flexibility for your hand. It’s also great for developing faster knife skills!

Q: Does it need to be forged?

A: When it comes to manufacturing differences, there are forged knives and stamped knives. Forged knives are made of a single bar of steel (which is why they usually have a full or partial tang), which is heated and beaten into shape, either by a human or machine. Stamped knives are stamped out of a large sheet of steel, then heat-treated and honed. The former ones are usually more expensive as making them requires more time and effort.

Until just a couple of decades ago, it used to be that if you wanted a quality, durable knife, you needed a forged knife. But nowadays, the line between forged and stamped is blurring so much that ultimately, it really doesn’t matter. You can find excellent quality stamped knives just like you can find poor-quality forged knives, so it’s best to simply stick to reputable brands.

Q: What are the best kitchen knife brands?

A: Some of the most reputable knife brands include (but are not limited to) Zwilling, Shun, Global, Wusthof and Messermeister.

Our Top Pick

While all chef knives featured in our Top 10 list are great-quality knives, we chose the Zwilling J.A. Henckels International, Classic Chef’s Knife as our top pick. There are several reasons for that, but to keep the story short, it offers the best value for money. While inexpensive, J.A. Henckels is a forged chef’s knife made from German stainless steel, with an ergonomic, triple-riveted handle (full tang). This sturdy knife is sharp, versatile and durable, loved by both professional chefs and beginner cooks.  Considering its top-notch quality and low price, this is one of the best chef knives, hands down.