The best chef knives of 2025. We tested nearly two dozen knives to find our favorites

I tested the only method I knew: slicing, chopping, slicing, and chopping in the kitchen, using the knife of the week, a cutting board (I used wood and plastic boards), and a variety of foods. I used each of these knives for a week while I prepared all my meals, using them to do large tasks like slicing thick root vegetables, thinly slicing cucumbers, roughly chopping herbs, crushing garlic, and even opening plastic packages. It’s also important to know how to do less Basic knife skills In the kitchen to get the most out of your knives.

I’m a vegetarian, so I’ve had some of my meat-eating friends and colleagues also use these knives to carve beef and carve up a whole chicken, making sure the blades can handle all types of tissues. As mentioned earlier, the best knife is a sharp one, and every one of them came out of the package deadly sharp. I’ve hurt myself more than once in the process, all for the greater good of finding a chef’s knife that belongs in your kitchen. (But the lesson has been learned: Be additional Be careful when using your new super-sharp chef’s knife for the first time.)

Let’s get this out of the way: the best knife is sharp. After spending hours in the kitchen for hours on end, I’ve found that what makes a knife truly great is the razor-sharp edge. A dull knife is dangerous, you will need to apply more pressure while cutting, which means that when your knife slips, you cut yourself deeper. In addition, a dull knife is not precise or quick in making cuts.

You’ll want to make this investment last as long as possible, especially with a pricier knife. This means regular sharpening to maintain the top cutting shape. Unfortunately, there isn’t one sharpener to rule them all. Different blade materials and shapes require different sharpening techniques. For example, many stainless steel blades are difficult to sharpen with traditional water stones. Former chef and current WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson recommends and loves using water stones for carbon steel Shapton Stones.

The majority of chef’s knives can be sharpened (relatively) easily when needed, usually done by using a sharpening stone at an angle of about 15 to 20 degrees, followed by a sharpening bar or leather to smooth the edge of the knife. I’ve always used a popular (and easy-to-use) retractable sharpener, which is more precise than steel and sharpens faster than sharpening stones. But they are not generally recommended for use, especially for Serious Chefs™, because they lose a significant amount of metal during the process, weakening durability over time.

Most home cooks will only need to sharpen their knives twice a year and use a honing steel to keep the blades in shape at other times. Even though it’s been a few years, we keep coming back to this article from Epicurious onwards How to sharpen a knife the right way In order to keep your knives in their best shape for as long as possible.

In one word: no. Despite what your door-to-door salesman or your MLM-loving cousin says, knife sets are usually not a good investment. You just need a few good knives. An 8-inch chef’s knife will work best for most tasks in the kitchen. I have smaller hands, so I also like a small paring knife for some tasks, a serrated knife for bread, as well as a chef’s knife. Knife sets often cost two or three times as much as purchasing just one good chef’s knife. Not to mention, wooden storage blocks also take up useful counter space, especially if you live in a small apartment like me in New York. We recommend that you save your money by skipping a set and investing in a steel chef’s knife instead. (Plus one or two more if you want a little variety.)

As mentioned earlier, it is a multi-purpose tool used for chopping meat, chopping vegetables, chopping nuts, or crushing garlic. A chef’s knife, in general, is made of several layers of forged steel and has a sharp end point and a prominent edge with a diagonal curve, which aids in the rapid swinging motion that allows chefs to cut food quickly.

A chef’s knife is among the most versatile knives in the kitchen and can be used for anything from chopping to chopping. Common uses for a chef’s knife include slicing meat, chopping vegetables, chopping herbs, and chopping nuts. The flat side of the knife can also be used to crush garlic. The versatility of this multi-purpose knife makes it a must-have in any kitchen. It is important to avoid any hard surfaces that may dull the blade. In addition, learning How to hold a knife It is an important first step to ensuring the best results when using it.

Chef knives generally fall into two camps, Japanese and German Santoku. Both have their advantages, and you may need both in your kitchen, depending on what you usually cook. Japanese blades are very thin and are better at sharpening, while German chef knives are thicker and more utilitarian.

German Knives: The curved blade means you’ll make a back-and-forth swinging motion to cut quickly. German chef’s knives can be used for everything from chopping fresh herbs to deboning a whole chicken.

Japanese Santoku Knives: With a straighter edge used for precision, you will cut straight using the entire blade at once. These are generally used for accuracy and specific purposes. They are usually made of harder steel, making them more brittle.

There’s also the material the blade is made from to consider – these days, most blades are made of carbon or stainless steel.

Stainless Steel: This material is resistant to moisture, can hold a sharp edge longer, and is more flexible than carbon, making it more effective at absorbing shock. However, stainless steel takes longer to resharpen, making it more difficult to maintain without a professional sharpening system.

Carbon Steel: This material has a high percentage of carbon, making it an extremely hard steel, and its edges are resistant to rust when it comes to overall sharpness. Often, they also hold an edge longer and are easier to resharpen. Carbon steel is more sensitive to elements such as moisture or water, so it requires thorough and timely cleaning and maintenance.

All knives on our list are measured according to the Rockwell rating/measurement, referred to as HRC for steel. HRC measures the amount of mark a diamond point can make in metal by weight; So, the smaller the mark, the harder the steel, and vice versa.