9 Best Chef’s Knives for 2024, Tested and Reviewed – CNET [CNET]

Our list of best chef’s knives includes a $25 Mercer that punches above its weight, a $650 splurge you have to see to believe and a bunch of stunning blades in between.

Our procedures involved five tests — slicing tomatoes, dicing onions, mincing leafy herbs, chopping carrots and breaking down chickens — each with a 1-to-10 rating, with more general use and observation. We wanted to approach the tasks as the average home cook would, focusing on general use and experience. We also avoided overemphasizing sharpness, as factory sharpness doesn’t tell you much about a blade beyond its first few weeks or months of use. 

You’ll likely want to invest in a knife sharpener to get a sharp edge once you buy a chef’s knife. Taking sharpening seriously is key to a knife blade’s edge retention.

We took into account the type of steel used in the knife’s construction (most are high-carbon steel), the method (whether it was forged or stamped) and the general design (full-tang knives, for instance, last longer than blades attached to a distinct handle).

Weight and balance

Despite what some advertising lingo might tell you, balance is not easily measured, nor is one balance point in a chef’s knife necessarily better than another. That said, some knives we tested had too much weight concentrated in the handle for our liking which can cause quicker hand and wrist fatigue. Beyond its measurable performance with various foods, we approached each knife as a package, experiencing how its weight and balance came together to create an experience that felt either intuitive or awkward.

Handle comfort

This is another decidedly subjective category but we took careful note of each knife’s handle shape and general comfort when gripped. Some knives sported handles with harder edges that felt less natural to grip. In general, more rounded handles won out when it came to comfort, and Made In’s ergonomic handle earned the top spot in this category. 

Overall, we tested a dozen of the most popular chef’s knives for home cooks, from Mac, Global, Artisan Revere, Victorinox, KitchenAid, Ninja, Cuisinart, Homefavor, Farberware, Zwilling, J.A. Henckels, Aura, Korin, Wüsthof, Material Kitchen, Misen and Mercer. Of these knives, there were a few clear leaders, but most were solidly designed and just one stood out as bad.

The Mac, Wüsthof, Made In and Global knives were standout favorites for quality and performance. If you’re serious about adopting a high-quality chef’s knife, any of these three will work. Mercer, Zwilling and — to a lesser degree — Victorinox offered solid performance and well-balanced products for beginners looking for a bargain buy (Victorinox’s chef knife gets a lot of love online for its value and construction, but it’s pricier than the Mercer ($16) and not quite as well balanced).

Cuisinart’s, Material’s and Homefavor’s knives were sturdier than the cheaper competitors, but they didn’t stand out in any single category. The $50 J.A. Henckels classic, which seems like a natural winner given its reasonable price tag and similar design to the more expensive Wüsthof classic, really disappointed me. It’s another workhorse of a knife, but its butt is heavier than it should be, so heavy prep gets tiring and mincing feels awkward.

Farberware’s knife was the worst of the bunch: It’s so poorly balanced that we ended the chicken test midway for safety. The handle is light, which leaves the center of balance for the knife an inch or two down the blade. That makes almost every type of prep, from slicing and dicing to mincing and chicken boning, feel awkward at best and dangerous at worst. In short, don’t buy this knife and if you’re looking for a budget blade.

A chef’s knife can be your best friend in the kitchen, especially if you find the right fit. Take your time, figure out exactly what you need from your chef’s knife and make an investment in quality. You could keep buying those generic $10 knives from the store every time your knife gets dull, but if you’re serious about upping your kitchen game, a high-quality chef’s knife is one of the best investments you can make.

Choosing the right size

Most chef’s knives have an 8-inch blade and that’s a pretty safe bet if you’re not sure what size to get. Depending on your skill level and the size of your hand, you might want a slightly longer or shorter blade for a good knife. There are chef’s knives as short as 6 inches but you likely don’t want to go shorter than 7 inches. You can also find blades as long as 9 or 10 inches, but those will be a bit more difficult to control and are not generally recommended for a beginner home cook.

Consider the blade and handle materials

You can find chef’s knife blades in alternative materials, including ceramic, but some composition of steel is the preferred material of 99.9% of knife makers the world over. For this list, we’re only testing steel blades, of which there are lots of different grades. In general, a softer steel blade will be easier to sharpen but may not last quite as long. For an amateur home cook, the difference in durability is negligible and the ability to sharpen it should take priority for a quality knife.

The makeup of your knife handle is perhaps the more critical decision at hand. Chef’s knife handles are made from a wide range of materials, including wood, bone, carbon fiber and steel. Wood and certain poly blends may be a little softer to the touch. There are also handles with contoured and ergonomic shapes, while some — namely Japanese knives — feature a more linear design. Hence, an ergonomic handle will depend on your personal choice.

Difference between forged and stamped knives

A forged knife is made from one block of steel while a stamped knife is punched out of a sheet of metal. Forged knives are traditionally sturdier and more expensive. I’ve read some hot takes that modern knife-stamping technology has caught up to forged models and that there’s not as big a difference as there once was. I’ll be honest, I can feel when I’m wielding a stamped knife versus a forged one. In general, forged knives seem better balanced and they’re often (but not always) stronger, meaning they’ll last longer and keep their edge better. 

Western (or German) knives vs. Japanese

German-style knives are generally heavier, with thicker blades and more pronounced bellies (the curve of the blade). This shape and weight are conducive to a rocking style of chopping. Japanese steel knives are generally lighter with thinner blades, making them a bit better for intricate slices, trims and push-chops. While it’s certainly not necessary, I like having one of each at my disposal to use for certain tasks. To help decide between these two styles or whether you might want both at your disposal, here’s more on the difference between a Western and Japanese chef’s knife.

How heavy should a chef’s knife be?

This really depends on personal preference, experience level and what you intend to do with the knife. In general, Japanese-style knives are lighter and thus better suited for very precise chopping, mincing, dicing and the occasional chiffonade. German-style chef’s knives are often thicker and heavier and might be a better choice if you’re doing more basic chopping and dicing or breaking down bone-in chickens and such.