For those who can’t pay top dollar, the Henckels is our first choice. The full tang, riveted handles have an endcap polished off with thick stainless steel to increase durability. Throughout testing, the blades remained sharp, and there wasn’t any sign of warping. It features remarkable quality given the price, and it’s more robust than others, making it able to withstand the abuse of big meals. However, the handles are angled right where they meet the blade providing a solid pinch grip. The sharper angles can dig into your palm when slicing larger quantities of tougher ingredients, such as butternut squash.
The storage block sports four built-in knife sharpening slots — three of which you must always store a knife in. Beyond the chef’s, santoku, and serrated knife, the paring knife might be the kitchen’s most used blade. The small size makes it handy for peeling, hulling, or cutting up small quantities of food for more precise cuts. We tested each paring knife by hulling strawberries, slicing cheese, peeling apples, and cubing potatoes.
The collections with stamped blades (Non-stick Edge, ColorCore, ColorPro, Advantage, and Graphix) won’t perform as well or last as long. They’re relatively easy to sharpen with a handheld or electric sharpener but using a whetstone can be challenging. Since most Cuisinart blades are thin and flexible, they can bend as you run them across the whetstone, resulting in an inconsistent angle. In terms of cutting ability, Cuisinart knives are sharp right out of the box (even with the larger, 44-degree edge angle).
Precise cuts are a common trait of Japanese-style knives, and it didn’t disappoint. It gave us thin cucumber and avocado slices that would make any sushi roll proud. We tested each chef’s knife on a piece of thin magazine paper and observed how smooth or ragged the cut was to compare sharpness. We track prices for every brand we review and alert our readers when they’re on sale.
All the knife handles join flawlessly to their steel blades. Even the solid wood storage block is crafted with detail as it houses each knife on its side for better blade protection. The workhorse of the kitchen knife set is the chef’s knife, which allows you to glide through dense vegetables Cookware Sets and tough meats or mince just about anything. The santoku blade is a handy tool for slicing, dicing, and chopping, while the serrated bread knife will be perfect for all of your crusty loaves. The shorter yet versatile utility and paring knives can be used for smaller or more delicate jobs.