Kitchen Knife Review

Kitchen knife testing and comparisons

The best kitchen knife reviews come from editors at Cook's Illustrated magazine. Testers evaluate each knife for strength, ergonomics and balance while slicing winter squash, chopping onions and mincing parsley. Detailed performance notes, ratings and recommendations are provided for each of the knives tested.

ConsumerReports.org also includes an excellent comparison of 49 kitchen knife sets. Editors don't say exactly how they conducted their testing, but knives are rated for comfort and out-of-the-box sharpness. While ConsumerReports.org rates a larger number of knives overall, we prefer the reviews from Cook's Illustrated, because they are far more insightful.

We also found good knife reviews from Choice magazine, the Australian equivalent of ConsumerReports.org. The magazine enlisted professional chefs, home cooks and an outside lab for knife testing. Although some of the models tested are not sold in the U.S., all of the top picks are.

The 8-inch chef's knife, reviews agree, is the most important knife in your collection of cutlery. Many experts, including chef Cat Cora of the Food Network's "Kitchen Accomplished," say most people don't need seven or eight different kitchen knives -- a single top-quality chef's knife can handle most kitchen tasks. A paring knife and a serrated bread knife are also helpful, and santoku knives are gradually replacing chef's knives for light-duty work in many kitchens.

Although most inexpensive cutlery doesn't perform well in tests, reviews unanimously rave about one budget cutlery line, RH Forschner by Victorinox Fibrox (*Est. $65 for three). We found nothing but excellent reviews for RH Forschner by Victorinox Fibrox knives, which come close in utility, durability and ergonomics to pricier knife brands.

Additionally, while consumers may be tempted to purchase more convenient no-maintenance knives, several reviews we found say they are not the best buy. Instead, the most highly rated knives we saw possess fine-edged blades -- which means they'll require sharpening.