One of many important advantages of shopping for a knife set is affordability. Buying a set can typically be less expensive than shopping for every knife individually. Moreover, some units include a block which offers a handy and secure method to retailer your knives, serving to to guard the blades from injury and stopping accidents within the kitchen. Nevertheless, there are cases the place particular person knives could also be preferable, reminiscent of if you require a particular kind of knife for a specific job, e.g. a fish knife.
The 4 commonest knives in a knife set have myriad makes use of. A chef’s knife is a workhorse that may sort out all the pieces from slicing meat, exhausting veggies and crushing garlic. Our beef stir-fry recipe brilliantly showcases how versatile a chef’s knife is.
A bread knife that may seamlessly slice by crusty loaves with out tearing is crucial. Even this crisp-crusted roast potato focaccia isn’t any match for a top-quality bread knife.
Because the identify suggests, a utility knife is an all rounder that may be helpful for slicing cheese or trimming fats. They’re smaller than a chef’s knife so finest reached for when a chef’s knife is simply too giant for the job at hand.
A paring knife could also be small, however this nimble instrument makes mild work of intricate duties like peeling and trimming fruit and veg. Select a paring knife when prepping a traditional apple crumble.
Knives will be made out of a few completely different supplies. Chrome steel is a well-liked selection owing to its sturdiness and resistance to corrosion. It’s harder to realize a brilliant tremendous edge on chrome steel, nevertheless. Carbon metal, whereas requiring a bit extra upkeep, is thought for its sharpness and wonderful slicing skills. Though there are none on this listing, ceramic knives are light-weight and maintain their edge for a really very long time.
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We put quite a lot of knife units to the check to seek out which of them are value shopping for. Learn on to find our high picks.
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Greatest knife units at a look
- Greatest knife set: Katto knife set, from £243
- Greatest knife block set: Victorinox Swiss Trendy knife block, £328
- Greatest knife set with built-in sharpener: Zwilling Skilled S Sharpblock, £169
- Greatest giant set: Victorinox Swiss Traditional cutlery block, £260
- Greatest price range knife set: Victorinox Swiss Traditional 7-piece set, £180
- Greatest Damascus knife set: ProCook Damascus knife set, £459
Greatest knife units to purchase 2023
Katto knife set
Greatest knife set
Star ranking: 4.5/5
Knives in set: chef’s knife, santoku knife, utility knife
Professionals:
- Handmade within the UK
- Sturdy set
- Appears to be like engaging
Cons:
- Handles are giant
- Angular the place deal with and blade meet
- No paring knife
Hailing from Chesterfield within the UK, this Katto knife set is undoubtedly essentially the most engaging on our listing. The set we examined has fantastically tapered walnut handles, although beech and rosewood handles are additionally out there. The blades are made out of Japanese metal and have a wonderful hammered end. Not only a pleasure to have a look at, these knives totally impressed us in check, too.
The chef’s knife reduce by celery and carrot with relative ease, and we additionally managed to realize a pleasing rocking movement with this knife. The santoku knife reduce by butternut squash simply and took the powerful rind off with deft precision. The utility knife is the smallest within the set and has a tremendous pointed tip that made mild work of slicing by tomatoes and supreming an orange.
The handles on this set are on the bigger aspect, so these with small palms could discover them a bit too large. Testers who use the pinch grip technique additionally famous some rubbing on the forefinger the place the deal with meets the blade.
Katto is the one model we’ve examined who provide free knife sharpening for his or her prospects. Londoners can attend a month-to-month sharpening clinic or, in case you’re outdoors of London, prospects can prepare sharpening through publish.
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Victorinox Swiss Trendy knife block
Greatest knife block set
Star ranking: 4.5/5
Knives in set: chef’s knife, bread knife, utility knife, carving knife, santoku knife, carving fork
Professionals:
- Nice starter set
- Minimalist
- Understated
- Snug to carry
- All black or vibrant set out there
Cons:
This engaging and minimalist knife set incorporates six helpful knives in addition to a carving fork. It’s out there in both all black or with vibrant handles. It is a fabulous set for on a regular basis cooking and entertaining. The knife block itself isn’t too giant so would match comfortably in most kitchens.
As we discovered once we examined the Victorinox Swiss Trendy chef’s knife beforehand, regardless of trying fairly angular, these knives have very snug handles, and we notably like the marginally textured end that gives an additional grip. The knives are on the light-weight aspect, however it doesn’t really feel as if you’re not holding something when utilizing them.
Lengthy and nimble, the carving knife sliced by roast hen with lengthy managed strokes. We reduce by crusty sourdough simply utilizing the bread knife, although the blade felt disconcertingly versatile. The utility knife is tremendous sharp and reduce by tomatoes simply and supremed an orange effectively, too, although we did really feel a paring knife could be higher suited to this. From our testing notes, one phrase was written on repeat for each the chef’s and santoku knives: clean. Each knives reduce by exhausting root veg very simply.
These knives are simple to scrub and so they include a lifetime guarantee.
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Zwilling Skilled S Sharpblock
Greatest knife set with built-in sharpener
Star ranking: 4.5/5
Knives in set: chef’s knife, paring knife, serrated paring knife, utility knife, scissors
Professionals:
- Good vary of knives
- Scissors included
- Built-in sharpener
- Symbols present precisely the place every knife is
Cons:
With innovation in spades, this knife block set was undoubtedly essentially the most user-friendly of all of the blocks we examined. Housed inside every of the knife compartments is a sharpener in order you pull the knife out of the block, it’s sharpened mechanically. And whereas knife blocks preserve your knives saved tidily and safely, one of many large downsides is that it’s not all the time clear which knife is housed the place. This Zwilling set options little icons subsequent to every knife compartment so the place to achieve each time.
Every knife has a traditional European deal with: riveted and curved barely on the finish. The handles are notably snug to carry and every knife felt effectively balanced. Though there are simply 5 knives within the set, every is a necessary. The chef’s knife tackled meat and exhausting veggies effectively. The blades are on the thick aspect, so slicing by meals with the bigger knives was the smoothest of processes. The bread knife is on the shorter aspect at simply 20cm lengthy, nevertheless, little or no effort was wanted to slice by our crusty loaf. The paring knives and utility knife are the place this set shines. The serrated paring knife is nimble and cuts by tomatoes very well. We loved complete management and a brilliant sharp blade when utilizing the paring knife.
As with all Zwilling knives, you’ll be able to get pleasure from a lifetime guarantee. The scissors are helpful and good high quality, too.
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Victorinox Swiss Traditional cutlery block
Greatest giant knife set
Star ranking: 4.5/5
Knives in set: chef’s knife, carving knife, bread knife, santoku knife, paring knife, curved paring knife, serrated paring knife, carving fork, honing metal, scissors
Professionals:
- Good number of knives
- Plenty of paring knives
- Compact set
- Scissors and honing metal included
Cons:
In case you’re after a knife set that incorporates all the pieces you want for on a regular basis cooking proper as much as entertaining, the Traditional cutlery block is a good selection. Outfitted with seven knives plus ever-useful scissors, honing metal and carving fork. All housed in a compact beechwood knife block, this set is certain to go well with any kitchen.
We’ve examined just a few knives from the Victorinox Traditional vary and located them to be very sharp and deft in use. They’re on the lighter aspect and the longer knives do tend to really feel flimsy. The carving knife is an efficient size and allowed us to take lengthy, managed strokes when slicing roast hen. Each the chef’s knife and santoku knife carried out effectively when slicing onion, carrot and celery, although the chef’s knife did really feel a bit flimsy. Little or no drive was wanted to slice by a crusty loaf with the bread knife. However the paring knives had been the celebs of the present. They’re extremely sharp and felt like an extension of the hand. We had been capable of reduce tomato and supreme an orange with actual precision.
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Victorinox Swiss Traditional 7-piece set
Greatest price range knife set
Star ranking: 4.5/5
Knives in set: chef’s knife, paring knife, serrated paring knife, santoku knife, bread knife, peeler, carving fork
Professionals:
- Good starter set
- Equipment included
- Snug handles
Cons:
- Not excellent for heavy responsibility jobs
- Slightly flimsy
The knives on this set come from the identical vary as these above. Nevertheless, this set doesn’t include a knife block or any storage choices.
Introduced in a easy plastic show field, this seven-piece set makes a terrific addition for a brand new house or in case you’re seeking to completely change your outdated knives.
We liked the snug, ergonomic handles, in addition to the extra textured floor that gives added grip. These knives are made in Switzerland and include a lifetime guarantee
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ProCook Damascus 67 knife set
Greatest Damascus knife set
Star ranking: 4/5
Knives in set: chef’s knife, bread knife, carving knife, paring knife, utility knife
Professionals:
- Engaging
- Good vary of knives
- Slim block, may slot in drawer
Cons:
- Not tremendous sharp
- Drive wanted to chop by some objects
Introduced in a sequence of safe cardboard packing containers, this Damascus knife set from ProCook is engaging and nimble-looking. We obtained the five-slot knife block which is slimline, permitting you to retailer your knives upwards on the kitchen counter or lay them down in a drawer.
Comprising all of the necessities, these knives are usually snug to carry. Although our forefinger did rub on the bolster when utilizing the bigger knives.
We actually favored the carving knife: it’s lengthy and skinny, so eliminated slices of roast hen breast in a managed and clear method. The paring knife supremed an orange comparatively effectively and the utility knife was nimble and really sharp. We struggled considerably with the bread knife and chef’s knife, nevertheless. Some effort was wanted to chop by crusty bread and a few actual drive was wanted when utilizing the chef’s knife to take away the pores and skin and cube butternut squash. There was additionally notable resistance when chopping root greens, notably carrots.
These knives can be found in myriad variations from ProCook, there’s the choice to purchase the knives alone, purchase the slim block, knife wrap, classic-style block, and extra.
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What to search for in high quality knife set
A knife set is usually a pricey upfront funding, so there are just a few key components to think about earlier than shopping for:
- What’s included within the set: the scale of a knife set can range massively, take into consideration which knives you really want. If you have already got a much-loved santoku knife or bread knife for instance, you don’t want a set that features these
- Snug handles: the knives in your new set will all have the identical deal with, so its paramount that the handles are snug
- Storage choices: in case you don’t have already got knife storage like a magnetic strip or knife roll, search for a set that comes with a storage block. Not solely do they preserve your knives organised however in addition they preserve them secure
How we examined knife units
We ensured that each knife in every set was put to the check to ensure there have been no duds. For the chef’s knives and paring knives we examined them in precisely the identical approach as we did for his or her particular person checks – slicing, chopping and and prepping quite a lot of exhausting and comfortable vegetables and fruit. Bread knives had been – unsurprisingly – examined by slicing exact slices of crusty sourdough and we roasted a complete hen and carved it as much as check the carving knives. Santoku knives had been examined the identical approach as chef’s knives and we used a few the identical checks to check out the utility knives. Throughout all of our knife checks we have now the identical standards:
- Balanced knives: all knives ought to really feel balanced within the hand, not weighted too closely in direction of the tip of the blade or the deal with
- Cozy to carry: a protracted prepping session can see you holding your knives for a very long time, whether or not giant or small, all knives ought to have a cushty deal with that doesn’t limit your motion
- Versatile set: we requested whether or not the set offered quite a lot of completely different knives that somebody would really get round to utilizing of their daily
- Sustainable: knives which have lengthy or lifetime warranties scored extremely. We didn’t wish to see a lot of plastic packaging both
- Storage: if the knife set comes with storage choices, we thought of its look and if any particular additions made utilizing the knife block simpler, e.g. symbols to indicate which knife was during which slot
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Recipes for knife units
Asparagus and ricotta salata tartlets
Rooster soup
Prawn gumbo
Wholesome fishcakes
Vegan fajita bowl with cauli rice
Simple paella
Backyard summer season rolls