You know it’s time for some new kitchen knives when, despite having sharpened them to death, you find yourself raggedly sawing your way through meat or slipping and nearly chopping your fingers off every time you try to tackle an onion. But with a myriad of shapes, sizes and price-tags (some running into hundreds of pounds), how do you know where to start in your quest for your brilliant new knife?
You may also be dogged by other predicaments: should you buy your knives individually, or as a set? Do you need to go for a well-known brand? What specific features should you consider? Our guide will help you decipher these – and other – quandaries so that you can slice through your salami and race through your red cabbage effortlessly for years to come. Skip past our buying guide, and you’ll find verdict on the best individual knives and kitchen knife sets to buy.
How to buy the best kitchen knives for you
Should you buy kitchen knives individually or as a set?
There’s no need to splash out on a whole set if you only need to replace one or two of your knives – or if you’re the kind of cook who really only winds up using a couple of knives anyway. Don’t automatically replace like for like, though i.e. swap an old paring knife for a new one and so on. Check out our guide to knife types below to see if, say, a Santoku or Chef’s knife (or even a hybrid between the two) may suit your needs better than what you’ve been used to in the past.
On the other hand, if all your knives have had it and/or you like a wide range of knives for different tasks, consider a set – many of which come with a handy block for storing your knives safely.
What types of knives are there?
Kitchen knives are categorised according to their shape and size, with certain options suiting certain tasks best. These are the main types of knife you’ll find on sale:
- Vegetable knife: Also called a paring knife, this small knife is good for detailed jobs like seeding chillies and trimming Brussel sprouts.
- Serrated knife: Also called a tomato knife, the key tasks this small knife can assist you with are getting ultra-thin slices from a tomato, as well as peeling citrus fruit. The serrated edge means it grips as it slices through fruit or veg and it never needs sharpening.
- Bread knife: The long blade with serrated edge is made to cut through loaves without tearing the bread or squashing the middle.
- Chef’s knife: Also known as a cook’s knife, this all-purpose knife is made with a range of jobs in mind from chopping raw meat and hard vegetables to finely chopping herbs and vegetables. They’re available with blades ranging from 15cm to 36cm.
- Santoku knife: These Japanese-style knives, which are made for slicing, dicing and chopping, have become all the rage. They differ from the chef’s knife by having a blunt, rather than pointed, end and the dimples on the blade ensure that you can get really thin slices without food sticking to it.
- Carving knife: Back in the 1950s, no self-respecting household would have been without a carving knife and fork ready for the man of the house to cut up the cooked meat (which his wife had usually cooked). While you can easily live without one (especially if you have a cook’s knife), these long, sharp knives can still be useful especially if you eat lots of roasts.
What other types of knife are there?
For the serious cook, there’s a whole plethora of other knives available, including boning knife (for home butchery), filleting knife (for preparing fish from scratch), cleaver (for chopping meat) and utility knife (general purpose knife with a serrated edge for cutting and trimming meat and larger vegetables). Other more specialist knives include Chinese cook’s knives, palette knives and mezzalunas (two-handled knife with curved edge for chopping herbs).
How important is the metal type?
At the cheaper end is stainless steel - these knives are nice and solid but can go blunt quickly and take a while to sharpen again. Carbon steel is more expensive, but the metal is easier to keep sharp on account of it being harder, although be warned it can rust.
Other alternatives include ceramic blades – these are lovely and lightweight and much harder than carbon steel, with no need to sharpen and they don’t rust, although they can chip. Then there’s Damascus, the king of knives - these pricey mottled knives have a carbon steel core, surrounded by layers of soft and hard stainless steel, the upshot of which is extremely hard and sharp edge.
Any other features to consider?
Find out how the knife is constructed. A fully forged knife is always best because it’s made from a single block of steel for both the blade and tang (the bit that attaches the blade to the handle). Too expensive? Then consider a stamped knife, which is machine cut from a continuous strip of stainless steel. While it’s not as durable as full-forged, it’s not a bad compromise. If you are a regular knife user, you’ll need to think about the weight (ideally going for a lighter, more nimble knife), although for more occasional knife users that won’t be an issue. Make sure the handle is ergonomically suited to you personally – and don’t forget the washing instructions. While most knives are dishwasher safe, washing them by hand will keep them sharper for longer. Then there’s storage to think about, with the best place being a knife block or magnetic wall rack.
The best kitchen knife sets to buy
1. Joseph Joseph Elevate Knives: The best budget kitchen knife set
Price:£89
Most kitchen knives have blades that inevitably touch the kitchen surface or board when popped down between tasks, sending clean-freaks into an instant state of anguish. Not so with this comprehensive set of knives with stainless steel, silicon-coated blades, which feature a handy tool rest and weight handle. Other benefits of this great value set include the comfy handles and the way each knife glides easily through food with no dragging. Meanwhile, the contemporary-looking rotating carousel knife block is a great space-saver that holds each knife in place magnetically (with the added bonus of any knife fitting in any slot).
Key specs – Types included: paring knife 3.5in, serrated knife 4.25in, santoku knife 5in, chef’s knife 6in, bread knife 8in, carving knife 8in; Knife block type: Plastic; Knife block dimensions (WDH): 16.1 x 16.1 x 28.8cm; Warranty: 2 year warranty (1 year if not purchased from Joseph Joseph directly)
2. Global 7 piece: The best for serious cooks
Price:£300
If extreme grip and sharpness are the two features to top your checklist, then feast your eyes on these distinctive handmade, all-steel and surprisingly lightweight knives that cut precisely and cleanly with astonishingly little pressure required, even when it comes to the likes of onions and celeriac. They feel well-balanced and safe to hold, even with wet hands, and unlike the bevelled edges of most cheaper knives, these ice-tempered and thin blades have been hardened and honed so that you get a razor-sharp edge to last a lifetime. A popular and hygienic choice among top chefs, who also praise them for their hardiness. If you don’t have the space for the knife block, bear in mind that you can also buy similar Global knife sets with a magnetic wall rack instead – a great option for more compact kitchens.
Key specs – Types included: vegetable cleaver 14cm, santoku knife 18cm, utility knife 11cm, paring knife 8cm, sandwich/bagel knife 16cm, cooks knife 20cm; Knife block type: Plastic; Knife block dimensions (WDH): 37.6 x 16 x 25.8cm; Warranty: 30 years
3. Robert Welch Signature Knife Block Set with Sharpener: The best all-round kitchen knife set
Price:£325
While not exactly cheap, you actually get a lot more bang for your buck than with these six award-winning, design-led and dishwasher-safe knives than you do with many sets that cost half as much (or more) again. The handles are ergonomically shaped with particularly good balance in the hand, while the fully forged German stainless steel blades, with a 15° angle, are super-strong. Even the block stands out, notably for the integrated knife sharpener that helps keep knives honed and sharp (top tip: change the ceramic sharpening wheel every year or two) and the magnetic locator within each slot that helps to protect the cutting edge. But they’re not for those who like really thin blades.
Key specs – Types included: bread knife 22cm, carving knife 23cm, cooks knife 14cm, kitchen knife 14cm, serrated utility knife 12cm, vegetable knife 8cm; Knife block type: Plastic and stainless steel; Knife block dimensions (WDH): 23 x 20 x 32cm; Warranty: 25 years
4. I.O. Shen 5-Piece Magnetic Knife Block Set: The best Japanese style knife set
Price:£300
These stunning-looking Japanese knives have slim, stable and super-sharp blades, thanks to the sandwiching together of extremely robust and hard steel with layers of softer stainless steel (much better than hard metal alone which can be brittle and break). Because they started life with crude handles that became uncomfortable to use after long periods, the manufacturer worked with the likes of butchers and chefs to develop the ergonomics and the result is that both boxes are now ticked and raved about by a range of kitchen professionals. We love the versatility of the set (the paring knife is a sheer joy for all fiddly tasks, for instance, while the bread knife cuts through the trickiest of loaves, as well as carving well) and the double-sided, easy-to-use block which enables you to add to your collection.
Key specs – Types included: extra-long bread knife 25cm, chef’s knife 21cm, Sahm Kohm slicer 16cm, pointed paring knife 10cm, Knife block type: Wipe-clean magnetic hardwood; Knife block dimensions (WDH): 28 x 12 x 27cm; Warranty: 3-year warranty
The best bread, vegetable, santoku and chef’s knives to buy
1. Le Creuset Vegetable Knife with Stainless Steel Handle: The best vegetable knife
Price:£65
A brand better known for its cooking pots than its blades, this is nonetheless the sharpest, most precise and effortless-to-use paring knife that we could find for chopping or slicing everything from onions and garlic to potatoes and beans. In fact, even after preparing a roast dinner for 16 people, our hands didn’t show signs of weariness or soreness and because the blade is made from Damascus steel, it will see you through year after year of vegetable prep work. It’s hand-wash only, though, and not one to use with wet hands.
Buy the Le Creuset Vegetable Knife with Stainless Steel Handle
Key specs – Type: 9cm stainless steel; Warranty: 2 years
2. Lakeland Stainless Steel Fully Forged Bread Knife: The best bread knife
Price:£19
This is a great price for a strong and well-balanced bread knife. The good grip ensures that it cuts nice and straight, which makes it easy to produce everything from thin and delicate slices right through to chunky doorsteps. We found it slices through loaf after loaf without getting blunt – and that even goes for crusty white loaves with soft and airy middles. The serrated edge, which is made from stainless steel, is sharp and long-lasting and you can bung it in the dishwasher after use.
Buy the Lakeland Stainless Steel Fully Forged Bread Knife from Lakeland
Key specs – Type: 22cm stainless steel blade; Warranty: 3-year warranty
3. Edge of Belgravia Precision Chef’s Knife: The best Chef’s knife
Price:£25
This is the knife of choice for renowned chefs including Cornelius Veakins and James McIntosh, who rave about its precision chopping abilities, thanks to the thin and lightweight non-stick coated blade, which, by the way, is made from medium-hard stainless steel for longer sharpness retention. It’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into the ergonomics too, with a rubber coated handle that looks uncomfortably angular but is moulded in exactly the right places to fit like a glove in your hand. It’s a stunner of a knife – and as good as some five or six times its price.
Key specs – Type: 19cm coated stainless steel blade; Warranty: lifetime for manufacturing faults
4. Robert Welch Signature Santoku Knife: The best Santoku knife under £50
Price:£46
A great Santoku knife can set you back hundreds of pounds, but it doesn’t need to – especially if it’s only for home use. And this one – whose moulded, curved handle couldn’t feel more right in your hand if it tried – provides the proof. The wide blade and scalloped indentations cuts quickly and effortlessly without food sticking to the blade and the fully forged German stainless steel makes it robust and beautifully balanced. Unlike many Santoku knives, you can put it in the dishwasher, although be warned the colour can fade after a few weeks, which is less likely to happen with hand-washing. Not one for wet hands, though.
Key specs – Type: 14cm fully forged stainless steel; Warranty: 25-year warranty
5. Zwilling Pro Rocking Santoku Knife: The best hybrid chef/santoku knife
Price:£100
Not sure whether to go for a traditional Western cook’s knife (more versatile) or Japanese Santoku (more nimble)? This fully-forged hybrid option gives you the benefits of both, allowing for rocking and chopping motions – with outstanding balance and grip - that make short work of everything from fine slicing to precision dicing. The blade, which is made from a single piece of chromium and carbon stainless steel, heated to to 1000°C, then frozen at -70°C, is as strong as they come, as well as having good longevity. No wonder this German made knife is a favourite of some top Michelin chefs.
Buy the Zwilling Pro Rocking Santoku Knife from Zwilling
Key specs – Type: 18cm fully forged formula steel; Warranty: limited lifetime