The best kitchen knives for slicing and cutting any food
As a matter of fact: the essential knives in any kitchen are the paring knife and the so-called chef's knife. The chef's knife allows you to slice any type of food cleanly and precisely, from vegetables to meat, from fruit to fish. It is particularly used for cutting meat and is ideal if you need a product that is both versatile and very sharp.
The paring knife, on the other hand, is mainly used to cut, chop and peel small and medium-sized foods: stemmed strawberries, peel and slice apples, cut vegetables and so on. Its small and pointed blade, in fact, allows you to make extremely meticulous cuts.
If you are setting up your kitchen and you do not know which knives to aim at, you can rely on our selection. Inside, in fact, there are high quality professional products but at an affordable price (some are even on offer!). Our choices are based on the advice of the chefs, the opinions of the chefs and users, as well as the in-depth study of the characteristics and materials offered by the best brands.
The chef's knife is a large knife intended for cutting and mincing meat (of all kinds), fish and vegetables. It allows you to make cuts in the style of chefs with a continuous and fluid gesture. This type of knife, thanks to its wide blade, is also used for mincing garlic cloves or grinding spices. The chef's knives are versatile and adapt to any kitchen and, if you are a meat lover, this is definitely the model. knife that's right for you!
See also
Wüsthof 4596/20: multipurpose chef's knife
When it comes to chef's knife brands, Wüsthof is certainly one of the most recognized internationally. This professional knife is part of the traditional knife series with 3 rivets, characterized by a simple and clean design. Forged in a single piece of special tempered stainless steel and with a high carbon content, it guarantees solidity and resistance over time. For maintenance, be sure to sharpen the blade if necessary and wash the knife with warm soapy water.
Our opinion:
Wüsthof is a leading brand in the sector of professional knives and offers products characterized by an excellent value for money. Its blade, very wide and rigid, with a smooth tip, will prove particularly useful for cutting meat, but also vegetables. Furthermore, being fluted, it prevents food from sticking and ensures a clean, precise and razor-sharp cut. In addition, the ergonomic grip of the handle ensures optimized maneuverability, without the risk of the knife slipping out of your hand.
Buy it on Amazon: the price is 78.86 euros!
The paring knife turns out to be another indispensable model in the kitchen, especially for cutting fruit and vegetables. With its short and sharp blade, this knife allows you to easily perform the most common gestures in the preparation of our daily dishes: peeling, slicing, dicing or, simply, cutting in free style. To choose the right product, it will be necessary to favor a high quality brand, with a production that is professional and durable over time.
Shan Zu: Damascus steel knife for peeling fruit and vegetables
This Shan Zu model, suitable for everyday cooking, is made of stainless steel, which guarantees excellent resistance of the product. Perfect for slicing, garnishing, shredding, peeling and dicing, this professional kitchen knife has a hardness of the blade equal to HRC 54-56, an excellent compromise for cutting medium-sized foods (vegetables, fruit, quiche, pieces of tender meat, etc.). It will also be a winning ally for cutting slices of cake in a clean and precise way or to create fruit motifs.
Our opinion:
The blade of this knife is easy to maintain and the waterproof and non-slip black wooden handle guarantees an excellent grip. Versatile and essential for everyday use, the thin, smooth and pointed blade is resistant over time. Made according to the Japanese tradition and also called with the nickname of Santoku, this high quality knife has a hammered blade to always make a cut Perfect. Hammering the blade reduces friction and prevents food from sticking to it during cutting. The weight of this ergonomically designed product also allows us to cut the toughest foods without straining the wrist and hand.
Buy it on Amazon: the price is 49.99 euros!
Zwilling Four Star: 7-piece set with self-sharpening block
The Zwilling knife set turns out to be our favorite set. Satisfy all cooking needs: from daily preparations to the precise cutting of more particular and "difficult" foods, these knives are a safe bet in the kitchen. The Four Stars series in stainless steel is a perfect choice for those looking for professional quality at a fair price. Designed with all the expertise that distinguishes the German brand, these professional models have thicker-than-average blades, allowing you to slice even the toughest foods if necessary. Quality is assured!
Inside the block you will find: a paring knife, a serrated universal knife, a meat knife, a chef's knife, a bread knife and multipurpose scissors.
Our opinion:
This 7-piece block is self-sharpening, which means that every time we take out the knife, the blade will automatically be sharpened during contact with the internal lining of the block. Zwilling steel knives are cold hardened and this makes them more durable over time. In addition, the processing phases of the knives are patented, which guarantees a longer duration of the blade edge and an extreme resistance of the product to corrosion.
Buy it on offer on Amazon: the price is 139.99 euros!
Hecef: set of 6 anti-scratch and anti-corrosion knives
If you are looking for a set of knives with well-sharpened blades and a price suitable for all budgets, we cannot fail to present you the Hecef 6-piece multifunction set. The material of the knives is of excellent quality, made of high carbon stainless steel. Resistance over time is prolonged and guaranteed by a particular treatment to which the knives are subjected before sale, better known as Black Oxide. Thanks to this system, the blades are strengthened and the knives become anti-corrosive. The handle is comfortable and ergonomic and guarantees a soft and relaxed grip. Inside the set you will also find a protective sheath for each knife. Cooking, cutting, peeling and slicing will be child's play with this set!
Buy it on offer on Amazon: the price is 21.99 euros!
In addition to these essential knives, there are other more specific models such as the bread knife, the slicer, the cleaver, the Japanese knife (called santoku), the boning knife, the potato peeler, the steak knife and the ham knife. In short, here are our favorites:
Victorinox Swibo: straight boning knife with flexible blade
The characteristic blade of the boning knife allows us to work and cut the meat with extreme precision and sharpness. In fact, thanks to a narrow, long and slightly curved blade, it will be possible to separate the bones from the flesh and eliminate the nerves with great ease. A boning knife or "butcher's knife" can effectively slice large pieces of meat, game or poultry, but remember to regularly sharpen the blade of your boning knife with a sharpening gun. Only in this way, the product will keep its efficiency intact.
Our favorite is the Victorinox Swibo. Made of stainless steel, this knife lasts over time and allows us to make a clean and precise cut. We were struck by the convenient value for money and the practical and light handle that allows the hand to work without getting tired.
Buy it on Amazon: the price is 18.87 euros!
Zwilling: boning knife
Alternatively, another excellent quality boning knife is undoubtedly Zwilling's Twin Four Star II model. Made of a special stainless steel alloy, this knife divides the meat from the bone in a simple but clean way. In addition, the transition from the heel to the handle is without gaps and this guarantees a practical grip and fluid use.
Buy it on offer on Amazon: the price is 64.42 euros!
Bread knife
With its long, serrated blade, this type of knife allows you to cut even the toughest bread with ease. It can be easily compared to a sponge cake knife and can be used not only in the kitchen, but also in pastry.
The bread knife blade, usually between 19 and 25 cm, is serrated and crescent-shaped. It is thanks to this structure that you can cut the crust of bread without risking crushing it. The most efficient bread knives on the market have a finely serrated blade and teeth of different sizes.
Other models, on the other hand, have blades with a cutting surface called a "sawtooth" and are suitable for cutting and slicing the most solid bread. Finally, there are inverted tooth knives, whose rounding goes downwards and not upwards. Their cut is less penetrating and more pressure must be exerted to obtain the same result. The most classic of bread knives has tips downwards and can also be used for braising and roasting.
Lagostina: forged steel knife for bread
Our favorite bread knife is signed Lagostina. Black, forged and in stainless steel, the blade of this knife is suitable for cutting all types of bread, but not only. The product, in fact, is also suitable for slicing tomatoes and citrus fruits. In addition, the elegant design makes it the ideal knife to show off in your kitchen.
Buy it on offer on Amazon: the price is 18.78 euros!
Wüsthof 4456: ceramic sharpening gun
The sharpening gun is one of the must-have tools when it comes to knives. This tool consists of a rod that is sharpened, both by abrasion and by fine cutting, and can be in ceramic, steel or even "diamond", with extension of a grip handle.
How to choose the right sharpener?
The steel sharpener is recommended for steel blades with a hardness of less than 60 HRC and will sharpen most French kitchen knives, German kitchen knives and a variety of other knives.
The steel shotgun remains the favorite tool for chefs to sharpen their knives.
The abrasion performed by a ceramic gun is closest to that of a sharpening stone.
Sharpens all types of steel, including the hardest and most stainless ones like Japanese knives.
The "diamond" gun, on the other hand, allows, just like the ceramic gun, to be used on harder steels.
Buy it on offer on Amazon: the price is 33.09 euros!
Shan Zu: sharpening tool
Another particularly effective tool for sharpening kitchen knives is Shan Zu's. The sander in question is made of steel and is excellent for sharpening all types of knives, from kitchen to pocket, serrated or standard. The efficiency and quality of the tool are guaranteed by its operation which emulates stone sharpening. Its thin lines are those usually chosen by chefs and this gives the product a professional quality. The use is very simple and is facilitated by a protective stainless steel ring that is added to the handle to protect the hand. Also suitable for left-handers.
Buy it on offer on Amazon: the price is 21, 59 euros!
How to choose the kitchen knife?
When choosing a knife or knife set, you must first ask yourself what your needs are. Depending on your habits, the frequency with which you prepare a certain type of dishes, the foods you cook regularly and the budget you have available, the knives to bet on will vary. For basic and everyday cooking, opt for a professional chef's knife or a common utility knife. If, on the other hand, you love to experiment in the kitchen and try out new recipes, "playing" with a variety of different foods, it will be better to equip your kitchen with a set of knives for every occasion. In any case, what really matters when choosing a knife is that it is of quality and to understand it, you need to pay attention to several details: that the steel is rigorously stainless, that the handle of the handle is ergonomic, that the block is preferably in wood and self-sharpening and, finally, that the design is sober and elegant to adapt to any kitchen.
What are the sharpest blades?The sharpness of a blade is determined by its hardness expressed in HRC. A hardness of 58-60 is recommended, which guarantees clean and powerful slicing and fairly simple maintenance. As for the shape of the blade, this can be smooth or serrated. The smooth blades belong to the most common and widespread models in the West and remain very popular with chefs and cooks (as long as they are knives of the best brands). There are also honeycomb blades, so called because of the single bevel on the back of the tooth. These "air cushions" prevent food from sticking to the blade and are particularly sharp. Also called Santoku, honeycomb knives are the result of the Japanese cutting technique. It is a professional knife increasingly appreciated by cooks, beginners and professionals.
What are the best brands of knives?As for the reference brands for your knives, here are the most recognized and best reviewed: Wüsthof, Zwilling, Victorinox, Shan Zu and Kai (Santoku knife brands), but also Laguiole, Pradel and K. Sabatier.
