The Best Kitchen Knives for Everyday Cooking

mei 9, 2022

The Best Kitchen Knives for Everyday Cooking

Expand your kitchen collection with a single quality knife or upgrade to an entirely new knife set. Get ready to carve, mince, peel, and slice to prepare for your next feast.

For almost any type of cooking or grilling activity, a home cook requires kitchen knives to cut, dice, slice, mince, or chop a wide variety of foods. From small paring knives and versatile chef’s knives to hulking meat cleavers and other specialty knives—each knife has a unique role to play in the kitchen.

When shopping for the best kitchen knives, no one-size-fits-all best answer exists. Home cooks usually prefer a specific type and size of knife, based on the feel and balance of the knife in the hand and the materials used to make the knife’s blade and handle. Keep reading to find a round-up of the best kitchen knife in each category. From large cleavers to petite paring knives, this list covers the top knives for the most common culinary needs.

Common Types of Kitchen Knives

Many different types of kitchen knives are available, but these are the knives that home chefs use most frequently: the chef’s knife, santoku knife, utility knife, paring knife, boning knife, cleaver, and bread knife.

Chef’s Knife

The blades of a chef’s knife range in length from 6 inches to 10 inches. Designed for a variety of purposes—slicing, cutting, and chopping—this type of kitchen knife is very versatile.

The “belly” of the blade on a chef’s knife is curved to allow the cook to chop foods quickly by rocking the blade back and forth. On this style of kitchen knife, the blade ends in a sharp point, and it’s beveled on both sides to create a V-shape cutting edge. Chef’s knives work well to chop fibrous foods like onions.

Santoku Knife

Santoku knives have a sleek, Japanese-style design. With a blade that’s typically 6 to 7 inches long, these knives are made for slicing, dicing, and mincing. This type of kitchen knife has a flat cutting edge, with a blade that ends in a rounded curve known as a “sheep’s foot.” This curve sets santoku knives apart from Western-style blades, which have sharp points, depending on the type.

The difference in the curvature of the blade between the santoku and the chef’s knife means that you cannot effectively use a rocking or chopping motion with a santoku knife. However, its shorter blade provides better maneuverability and control, allowing for precise, clean cuts.

Utility Knife

The utility knife, or petty knife, is a small, general-purpose knife. It’s used for a variety of cooking and meal-preparation tasks, including carving, mincing, peeling, and slicing. Most utility knives’ blades are between 4 and 6 inches long, which makes them similar in size to paring knives. In fact, some home chefs prefer to use a utility knife to peel fruit or devein shrimp, tasks usually relegated to a paring knife.

Paring Knife

A paring knife is a small kitchen knife with a blade that’s usually 3 to 5 inches in length. These knives are perfect for making small, precise cuts and paring fruits and vegetables, which is how they got their name. “Paring” is cutting off the outer skin or cutting away the outer edges of a food item, such as an apple or a clove of garlic. When paring a vegetable or fruit, you typically hold the food item in your hand, which you definitely don’t want to do with a long-bladed knife!

For party prep, paring knives are useful for a variety of tasks: cutting fruit into wedges, paring citrus peels, and deveining shrimp. Moreover, their small size means they’re easily portable, so they pack easily into a lunch bag to cut up fruits or vegetables on the go.

Boning Knife

Boning knives get their name from their intended purpose: cutting the meat away from the bones of different kinds of meat, including pork, fish, chicken, or other type. However, the name doesn’t mean it cuts through bone. Instead, its slim, flexible blade can trim along the edges of the bone without cutting into it or turning back into the meat.

With a blade between 5 and 6 inches long, a boning knife is a necessity in the kitchens for those who like to fish or hunt.

Cleaver

Like the boning knife, the cleaver also is used to cut meat, but the cleaver’s size and chopping force means it comes in handy when cutting melons and many vegetables. Cleavers’ blades are usually 6 to 8 inches long, but they can weigh more than 2 pounds because their blades are so thick.

A cleaver’s purpose is most evident when this large knife comes down on a piece of meat. Though a cleaver’s blade is usually not as sharp as those of other knives, the weight of the knife and the force of the downward stroke can easily separate thick meats and even small- to medium-size bones.

Bread Knife

A bread knife always has a serrated blade. The serrated edge typically has large, widely spaced serrations that allow the user to cut through, rather than tear, soft-grain products like breads and bagels. The blade is usually completely straight, with no curve at all along its length.

These knives measure between 7 and 10 inches in length, and they can be used to slice more than just bread. Their wide serrations make quick work of softer fruits like tomatoes and tough-skinned food like pineapples and butternut squash.

What to Consider When Choosing the Best Kitchen Knives

Before choosing the best kitchen knives for your home, take a few minutes to learn about the materials and features that affect knife construction. The best kitchen knives for you depends on how you plan to use the knives and the types of foods you prepare frequently.

Blade Material

Kitchen knife blades are constructed from a range of materials: stainless steel, high-carbon steel, ceramic, and titanium.

Stainless steel is not truly stain-proof, but it resists staining and rusting. To carry the name “stainless,” a stainless steel knife must contain at least 10.5 percent chromium. Chromium helps the knife resist corrosion, decay, and wear. A disadvantage of stainless-steel blades: Their edges dull more quickly than those of any other metal, so users must sharpen them more frequently.
High-carbon steel is essentially a higher grade of stainless steel alloy with a high carbon content. Blades made of high-carbon steel have increased strength, edge retention, and cutting ability. Many serious cooks add kitchen knives made with this type of steel to their shopping radar. No industry-standard definition exists to denote the meaning of “high carbon.” Knives marketed as high-carbon steel may actually be regular stainless steel. Purchasing a product from a reputable manufacturer helps avoid doubt.
Ceramic blades, which are thin and sharp, are useful when cutting fruits and vegetables. However, they lack the heft and durability necessary to cut meat and frozen foods. A ceramic blade will not rust and should retain a sharp edge longer than a metal blade. But when it does get dull, it may need to be sharpened professionally. A ceramic blade’s brittle construction can cause it to break during sharpening.
Titanium isn’t used often to make a kitchen knife blade because it’s softer than both stainless steel and high-carbon steel. Moreover, a titanium blade is often more expensive than a blade made of those other materials. When shopping for a boning knife, though, a titanium blade is worth considering. Titanium blades are more flexible than steel blades, and flexibility is necessary in a boning knife or even in a small utility knife.

Blade Features

A kitchen knife blade has several important attributes that can affect how the knife functions and whether it can be used to prepare certain foods, including the blade’s curvature, hollow, tip, and point.

The curvature of a kitchen knife refers to the shape or curve of the blade. Some blades, such as those of a bread knife, are completely flat. A chef’s knife, on the other hand, has a sharply sloping curve. The curvature of the blade differs among brands.
Hollows are small, evenly spaced indents in the blade of a kitchen knife. These indents are meant to help prevent food from sticking to the knife edge as you chop. Hollows reduce friction, so it’s easier to cut through foods.
The terms tip and point are used interchangeably. The tip, or point, is the front quarter of the blade where the majority of cutting and separating occurs. A knife’s tip can be either pointed or rounded. Pointed tips are good for piercing and dicing, while rounded tips are better for cutting thin slices.

Edge

The edge of a kitchen knife’s blade is either straight or serrated. A knife also can have a single- or double-edge blade and varying degrees of sharpness.

Straight-edge blades are the most common type of kitchen knife blade. This is the blade that you see on chef’s knives, santoku knives, utility knives, paring knives, boning knives, and cleavers. A straight-edge blade allows cooks to use downward force to push through food items, such as when chopping and peeling.
Serrated blades are typically found on smaller steak knives, bread knives, and tomato knives. Some chef’s knives even have very small serrations to help cut through meat. A serrated edge on a blade is ideal for cutting through breads, soft fruits, rigid shells, and sinewy meat, because the saw-like cutting motion doesn’t force apart the food. Instead, it cuts through multiple thin layers at a slower pace to keep softer foods from tearing.
Kitchen knife blades usually have a single edge. These knives have just one sharpened edge with a consistent sharpness and grind throughout the length of the blade.
Double-edge blades have two sharpened edges. With a double-edge blade knife, you can use one knife for multiple purposes. One sharpened edge, for example, may have a fine grind that easily slices through fruit and vegetables, and the other sharpened edge may have a coarse grind for chopping.
The sharpness of a knife is not only an indicator of how effective a knife is at cutting through food, but it also helps determine its safety. Using a dull blade can lead to serious injury. The duller a knife’s blade, the more force must be used to cut through food. Ceramic knives remain sharp for the longest period of time, but they’re not effective for cutting meat or frozen foods. The next best option is high-carbon steel, which rarely needs to be sharpened. Titanium can hold a sharp edge longer than stainless steel, but it’s a softer material that may prove ineffective at cutting through harder food.

Weight, Balance, and Control

The weight, balance, and overall control of the knife is determined by three main factors: distal tapering, the tang, and the bolster.

Distal tapering is the thinning of the blade from the base to the tip of the knife. The more tapered a knife blade is distally, the lighter and better balanced the knife will be. Distal tapering changes the shape of the blade, so it’s more effective at a specific task; for example, boning knives are thin at the tip.
The tang of a knife is the metal part that extends from the blade into the handle. A full-tang knife is slightly heavier than a partial-tang knife because the tang extends through the entire handle. Full-tang knives are typically more balanced, which helps provide stability and control. Partial tangs may extend only to the top of the handle or may have a tail that pierces through to the middle of the handle. While these knives are lighter than full tang, they’re less balanced and typically blade heavy.
The bolster of a knife is a thick junction between the handle of the knife and the blade. The bolster can be designed in a variety of shapes, sizes, and weights to help balance an otherwise unbalanced knife. Bolsters also add strength and stability along the length of the blade, so you can put more force into your cuts. Some bolsters, called rear bolsters, appear at the rear of a knife handle and cap a full-tang kitchen knife. The size and weight of a rear bolster can be altered to balance a kitchen knife.

Forged vs. Stamped

Kitchen knife blades are manufactured by forging or stamping.

Forged blades are constructed from a single piece of metal, which is heated and pounded into form before it’s heated again, quenched, and tempered. Next, the blade is polished and sharpened, ultimately resulting in a thicker blade with a heavier construction. These blades are usually of a higher quality than stamped blades, but they also cost more.
Stamped blades are manufactured by machine. The blade is cut from a piece of metal using a hydraulic press and heat-treated. Then, they are ground, polished, and sharpened. Stamped blades are thinner, lighter, and lower in price. Stamped blades work well for multipurpose utility knives or paring knives because these knives don’t need a lot of weight to be effective.

Handle

The handle of a knife is almost as important as its blade. An uncomfortable handle can make a finely-wrought blade almost worthless. Serious cooks probably should avoid knives with handles made of low-quality, cheap material like plastic, which can become brittle over time.

Instead, look for a handle made of stainless steel, a laminated wood composite, or an engineered wood and resin composite. With natural temperature and moisture resistance, these handles are easy to maintain. The shape of the handle is another consideration. If possible, try to hold the knife in your hand before purchasing it. Look for an ergonomic product that sits comfortably in the hand, so you don’t have to do hand gymnastics to grip it.

Versatility

Some types of kitchen knives are more versatile than others. If beginning a knife set for the kitchen, invest in multipurpose rather than more specialized knives. The following kitchen knives range from most versatile to least versatile.

Chef’s knives are the most versatile knife in the kitchen. Use them for almost any type of meal preparation task. Some models even include serrated blades for cutting through meat and soft fruits.
Santoku knives are not as versatile as a chef’s knife, but they’re a close second. They can be used for most meal prep and may even be more effective for chopping than a chef’s knife.
Paring knives, which look like small chef’s knives, are commonly used to make small, precise cuts in a wide variety of meal prep techniques.
Bread knives are somewhat versatile. The serrated edge cuts through bread, soft fruits, rigid vegetables, and tough skins. However, a serrated chef’s knife can be just as effective as a bread knife, so the chef’s knife may serve both purposes.
Utility knives are similar to paring knives, in that many people use one or the other as their go-to knife after the chef’s knife. The blade is a bit longer than the paring knife, which may be better for individuals with larger hands who struggle with the small size of a paring knife.
Boning knives are specialized kitchen knives that remove meat from bone, so they’re not as versatile as a chef’s or paring knife. However, they can be used on a variety of meats, including chicken, fish, lamb, beef, and pork.
Cleavers are used to chop large food products, such as meat or melon, into much smaller pieces, but beyond that, they’re not very versatile.