Cooking can be amazing and fun when you have the best kitchen tools. A lot of people spend time in preparing food in their kitchen. Instagram might be responsible for it but it is true that people have become more health conscious which means cooking at home and having less processed foods. So, people invest more on right tools like knives and appliances.
Chef knife is the most important tool that you shouldn’t miss for your kitchen. This universal knife can be used in around 90% of the cases. These knives can also perform some difficult jobs like deboning a piece of meat which need special types of knives. It is a myth that good knife costs hundreds of dollars and the most expensive ones are superior. Well, the differences are barely seen.
A good knife remains sharp as long as it is sharpened after and before use. Even the most premium knives need proper sharpening.
For a knife, the most important thing is that it should have good handle and it needs not to be ceramic. With proper maintenance, knife can survive for several years of heavy use.
So, here’s the list of best professional chef knives for your kitchen.
Table of Contents
Victorinox Fibrox Chef’s knife is the great all-rounder, ergonomically designed carving knife from the professional range of knives and is loved by both professional chefs and home cooks for its non-slip, comfortable ergonomic grip and its balance and optimal weight delivered by its extra large blade. It has razor-sharp edge which rarely needs sharpening. It promises both efficiency and ease when slicing grilled and cooked meat or larger food items.
Key features
Mercer is a leading brand for producing top quality cutlery items for over 30 years. Millennia is one of the best Japanese chef knives made of stainless steel which resists corrosion, rust and discoloration.
It has razor-sharp edge which smoothly chops and cuts food items. It has got ergonomic Santoprene handles and polypropylene for comfort and durability. It provides slip resistance with textured finger prints. This knife is certified by NSF, the leading provider of safety-based and public health risk management solutions.
Key features
ZELITE is a family-run brand known for producing uncompromised quality kitchen tools to exceed their customer needs and demands. This Infinity chef’s knife is designed to resist wear and tear over long term. This professional chef knife sets the new benchmarks of quality as it is made of premium imported Japanese steel to ensure long-lasting performance. It has rounded, triple riveted handle which is ergonomic to ensure comfortable and safe grip.
Key features
Made of German High Carbon Steel, DALSTRONG Gladiator Series chef knife is the complete workhorse for a serious chef. From a simple meal in your kitchen to the heat of professional restaurant pantries, DALSTRONG chef’s knife works endlessly with you, compliments your style, and remains brutally sharp and dependable. This merciless gladiator is the perfect staple for home and professional kitchens.
This blade is forged with one-piece imported ThyssenKrupp German steel with precision to ensure super sharp edge and excellent resistance from wear and stain. It is hand sharpened 14 to 16 degrees on each side to ensure ultra-thin dicing and slicing with less maintenance, effort or cleanup needed. It has wide blade for easy knuckle clearance scooping food from cutting board to pan or pot.
The knife features ergonomic, beautiful and imported pakkawood black handle made in Spain and is laminated for great sanitation, strength, and stain/water resistance. It is designed well for great maneuverability and comfort.
Key features
Cut and slice every food you want with confidence if you have this classic chef’s knife from J.A. Henckels International. It has fine-edge, precise blade honed for prolonged sharpness. Dice apples, chop potatoes, slice salmon and mince shallots smoothly with this kitchen workhorse.
It is made of top-quality German Stainless steel which is durable enough for long-term use. With smooth transition from blade to handle, the fully forged built of this knife provides great balance as its triple riveted handle promotes tireless cutting. Henckels International is a leading brand makes great kitchen tools needed by every home chef.
It is a great quality chef’s knife which is the perfect staple for your kitchen. You can use it for everything, i.e. from prepping steaks for grill to mincing onions finely.
Key features
Wusthof Classic Chef’s Knife is an ultimate workhouse for kitchen. It is a perfect staple for your cutting and chopping needs. It is an all-purpose, indispensable kitchen tool for mincing, chopping, dicing and slicing. It has ideal balance and weight management for heavy use like cutting meats and thicker vegetables.
Key features
This 8-inch hollow-edge professional chef’s knife from Mac is the perfect companion for your professional or home kitchen. It has fine blade and bolster to slice and cut almost anything eatable that comes your way. It has dimples to cut foods like squash and apples.
Key features
Made of Japanese AUS8 Steel, the DALSTRONG 8” Phantom Series chef knife is widely used in professional kitchens. It is well designed to with agile, elegant, and culinary instruments of best performance. The AUS8 steel is engraved beautifully with Dalstrong branding down the spine and Japanese kanji for ‘ghost’ or ‘phantom’. Each blade is sharpened by hand with Honzabuke method to ensure effortless, smooth cuts.
Key features
The 8-inch Imarku Gyutou knife is designed well for professionals including culinary experts, chefs, caterers and any household. It is a complete knife for different tasks like chopping, cutting, slicing and dicing vegetables, fish, fruits, meat and other items. It is also the best choice to remove flesh from bones and smashing/pounding garlic.
The knife is crafted with German engineering and has toughened stainless steel blade measuring 8-inches. It has 2.3mm thick blade which has around 0.6% to 0.75% carbon for great durability and strength.
Key features
This knife set includes 8” Chef Knife and 7” Santoku Knife. The Santoku knife has 15 degrees of knife edge angle which can easily cut any foods and is ultra sharp. Each knife in this set is made of 5Cr15Mov German Stainless steel made of best quality material. It is completely rust resistant and sharp and sturdy.
Key features
Apart from these two common factors, you should know that the cost of a normal knife is lesser than a chef’s knife and they are more efficient too.
If you are planning to purchasing on a chef’s knife, then here is a buying guide that could help you get yourselves the best chef’s knife.
a) Blade material – A chef’s knife could be made two materials
Stainless steel – A stainless steel chef’s knife has comparatively lightweight when compared to carbon steel chef’s knife and stainless steel knives are resistant to rust.
Carbon steel – Durable but prone to rust and stains if handled carelessly and if left alone without cleaning. However, carbon steel chef’s knife is the most recommended as they tend to be sharper and thinner.
There is certainly something you should know, never go for hard steel chef’s knife. Hard steel is brittle and it could prove worthless if handled and used carelessly.
Based on the above mentioned facts select a suitable knife
b) Handle material – A handle incorporated into a chef’s knife could be made commonly of two materials.
c) Balance – When it comes to a chef knife, the balancing should be well done. Not all knives would come with well balanced body. An unbalanced knife could really be a pain and could increase the effort put into using it. Check the specification and make sure the knife that you select is well balanced.
d) Size – Chef’s knife comes in different sizes and selecting the size is all up to the user’s personal preferences. However, there is something you should remember if you end up purchasing a large knife for a small job, then it would not be an easy task using it, in the same way, if you end up purchasing a small knife for a big job then the same thing could happen. So, first fix on the job you need to perform with the knife and then select the appropriate sized chef’s knife accordingly.
A majority of the people think that cleaning a knife is easy. Yes, it is, if you know the right method to do it. Type of cleaning entirely depends on the type of material used to make the knife. Here is how to do it
Let it be whatever material, you should avoid washing the chef’s knife in the dishwasher and avoid storing the knife in a place with high humidity or moisture.
Now, when it comes to cleaning a chef’s knife always be careful enough to point the knife sharp edge away from you while cleaning. You could consider putting the knife on a flat surface in such a way that it does not bend and then scrub the sides using a soft sponge and water. If you find any deposit not coming off the knife, soak the knife in water for 5 minutes and then wipe clean the knife. Remember, not to put the knife in the sink or soaked in water for a long time.
If you are using a wooden handle chef’s knife, the handle would need seasoning to avoid drying up and breaking. Seasoning should be done with mineral oil in such a way that the handles offer stability and not in a way that you won’t be able to hold it.
Finally, Getting the best chef’s knife is not easy, the buying guide above could help you select the best knife and the cleaning and caring guide could help you keep the knife clean and healthy for a long time.
Uses – Both Santoku Knives and Chef’s Knives differ from each other on the basis of their area of operation. Santoku Knives are used for cutting meat, slicing, slicing cheese,dicing fruits, creating finely sliced seafood and vegetables, chopping nuts, and vegetables. They are also useful in mincing herb or meat. Due to their wide blade, Santoku Knives are ideal to scoop food from a cutting board.
Chef’s Knives are best suited for complex and versatile cutting, slicing, disjointing and cutting meat. The tip of the knife is appropriate to separate chicken parts. Chef’s Knife helps in slicing cheese, slicing, chopping, dicing fruits, nuts and vegetables.
Knife length – The length of a Santoku knife is a little shorter as compared to the length of a Chef’s Knife. The actual measurement of a Santoku knife is 8 inches while an average length of Chef’s Knife is around 10 inches. Chef’s Knife comes with a remarkable handle-to-blade design that makes it appropriate for people with small hands.
Edge – Chef knife has got a curved blade that makes it ideal for shaking back and forth to chop vegetables on the cutting board. It has a sharp and long edge that makes it suitable for chopping or slicing of meats or bread, peeling potatoes and separating individual chicken parts. A Chef knife is a versatile design of knife that is ideal for efficiency and speed in a professional level cooking environment.
The edge of a santoku knife is almost fully straight. It does not have a sharp tip. This feature of santoku knife makes it ideal for chopping a small sized bunch of vegetables as well as mincing herbs quickly and easily. This versatile knife serves various different purposes such as cutting boneless meat, vegetables, cheese, fruit, herbs, and other kinds of foods.
Weight – As far as the weight of the knife is considered, the Santoku knife looks a little shorter,lighter and thinner as compared to a chef knife. This implies that people who have smaller hands can comfortably get a firm grip on the handle as compared to the chef knife.
Conclusion – Both the Chef knives and Santoku knives work as a remarkable cutting tool that should be present in your knife drawer. Where the chef’s knife comes handy for jobs that need a longer blade, the Santoku knife allows effortless cutting of foods. They are powerful tools in every chef’s arsenal. When properly cared, both these knives will give you several hours of efficient service.
It has been a problem for many people to use the chef’s knife safely for cutting vegetables and fruits. Here we will discuss it in detail.
Proper Chef’s Knife Grip:
To hold the knife in the right way, ensure that the thumb and the index finger are facing opposite to each other on the sides of the blade. Now the left-over three fingers are placed in a loosely curled position over the knife’s handle. Here you get a grip with your thumb and forefinger. If you feel difficult to cut the vegetables due to tight holding of the handle, you can relax and loosen the holding grip. When you practice with the same grip position, you will feel uncomfortable with other grip positions. Thus you used to this grip position for cutting.
Use the Guiding Hand to Secure the Food:
When you get the grip to hold the knife in a proper position using one hand, you also need to what your other hand does. The hand that doesn’t hold the knife is known as “guiding hand”. This hand helps in holding the food for cutting them properly. This hand may get cut when you didn’t hold the food in the right position. As the knife blade moves up and down quickly, you need to place the fingertips safe from the knife blade’s position.
Holding the food with the right grip using your guiding hand is known as “claw grip”. Here you need to keep your fingers inward and hold the food using your fingernails, as this will help you to stay out of danger. Ensure that you maintain the knife blade’s side against your first knuckle, and thus maintaining the blade right angle to your cutting board.
Alternate Claw Grip:
When you consider another claw grip, the first knuckle rests flat on the food and the fingers curl inward for safe cutting. Here the second knuckle rests against the knife blade’s position. This also ensures the safe-cutting of the food.
What Size of Chef’s Knife do you need?
According to the chef’s recommendations, it is advised to use an 8-inch French knife for cutting small veggies, fruits, and herbs. To cut the large foods like watermelon or cantaloupe, the chef recommends a 10-inch serrated chef’s knife. Because when you use a small knife to cut large foods, it ends with serious issues. Thus, you need to use the right-sized knife for cutting the food ingredients by holding it in a claw grip to ensure safe-cutting.
Bottom Line
Now that you have gone through several most popular and best chef knives out there, we hope you have decided which knife you would want to buy.
At least, we hope you have understood what is available and how different roles a chef’s knife can play. We hope this list will help you choose from your own opinions.
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Great review and very good information. When it comes to knives I'm always a bit lost. Take care.
Thanks Stacey, Have a Nice Day!
I have been using over 100 knives. Absolutely not exaggerated. From ultra cheap to some very expensive, from old carbon knives to latest powder steel knives. And even a few ceramic ones (I might still have about 10 ceramic knives). And I’ve worked with many people, pros or not. There is not a single scenario in which, even if you are not a professional, a good knife does not matter (I might add outdoor stuff as well, but I’m not talking about that here). Most of the time people just don’t know better. Every single time, every single one of them was able to appreciate right away a good knife. And a good knife is not always, actually it’s not at all about the very cutting edge. That edge could be screaming sharp and could even remain like that for a long time and still not be a very good knife. Because the geometry of the knife cuts even more than the edge itself. You will have a much better cutting experience with a good geometry knife that is a bit dull than with a bad geometry knife that has a very sharp edge. You will feel this the second you use it. You can feel how effortlessly it glides. You will feel how you would feel cutting into nothing. Japanese knives tend to be nimble like this. Even most ultra cheap ones. And a lot of people actually love them without understanding exactly why. But here’s the deal breaker. There are some variations from user to user. All one can do from the other side of the screen is to offer some broad suggestions, some starting points and put into perspective some issues. Even the best knife for me will not be the same for everyone. I don’t even think there is a best knife for me. I like several and they are quite different. I would be happy with any of them. The bad news is that no one can really decide for you. You should take recommendations, but also explore a bit. If you use that knife, that is a part of your life a lot and I found out that a nice knife, a nice kitchen, really makes a difference even at home and really turns the chores of cooking again into something better. And if you still have to do it, why not enjoy yourselves? Good knives are not about professionals anyway. And, with a little bit of care, a knife will stay with you for life. Yeah, knives are companions like that, not just stupid tools you HAVE TO use. The good news, if you made so far, is that I’m not going to start writing about sharpening. You had enough already :)