Kitchen Knives: Expert and User Reviews

Our AssessmentCook's Illustrated magazine reviews eight gyutou knives that combine Japanese knife-making techniques with European styling, comparing each with the inexpensive yet highly rated Victorinox Fibrox chef's knife. Users of varying hand size and skill are asked to dice onions, mince parsley, quarter butternut squash and cut up whole raw chickens. The knives are also machine-tested for sharpness and durability at a lab in the U.K. Each knife is rated for cutting performance and design. Two gyutou knives are highly recommended, but a more traditional chef's knife holds its own against its fancier competitors.

Our AssessmentAbout 55 knives and sets are tested by ConsumerReports.org editors, including sets made by Wusthof, Henckels and Cutco. Generally, the higher-end sets are rated better for cutting performance, comfort and value, but some lower-priced sets are named as best buys. Editors also note the type of each knife (forged steel versus stamped) and discuss how frequently various knives need to be sharpened. Editors don't test Victorinox Swiss Classic knives, which are highly rated in other reviews.

Our AssessmentAustralia's Choice magazine is roughly equivalent to ConsumerReports.org, with a similar testing methodology. In this report, multiple testers -- male and female, right-handed and left-handed -- test 13 chef's knives, each 20 centimeters (about 8 inches) in length with a fine edge. Testers chop a variety of foods with each knife, and a laboratory also tests the knives for sharpness. Commentary on each model highlights good and bad points, along with details like weight that are more a matter of personal preference. Most, but not all, of the tested knives are also sold in the U.S. One of the tested knifes has been discontinued

Our AssessmentIn this article, Cook's Illustrated magazine tests nine chef's knives with innovative designs intended to improve ergonomics and provide greater precision when cutting. Editors rate the knives on four factors: handle, blade, kitchen tests and edge retention. Pros and cons are listed for each knife, and recommendations are made. While the tests are more detailed than those at ConsumerReports.org, only a handful of knives are rated.

Our AssessmentWriter Christine Quinlan speaks with Jordan and Jared Schmidt of Schmidt Brothers Cutlery to discuss the best new knives of 2011. The brothers call out a "weighty" new release from Hammer Stahl, the new Zwilling Pro and a collaboration between retail store Sur La Table and bladesmith Bob Kramer, It is unclear as to how these knives were selected or whether they were tested.

Our AssessmentThis retailer specializes in high-end cooking and baking products. While there are not reviews available for every model of chef's knife they offer, reviewers do provide insightful feedback for a wide variety of models. This site is particularly helpful if you are looking for feedback on one particular knife.

Our AssessmentThis brief article discusses how to select the best chef's knife for you. The writer does make several suggestions about which knives may be good to consider in the categories of European and Japanese knives. It is unclear as to whether the knives were actually tested by the writer.

Our AssessmentEsquire writer Tim Heffernan tests four knives in a quest to find one with enough heft to slice though tough squashes and bone, but enough sharpness to thinly slice vegetables. He settles on four knives, giving particular praise to the German-made Messermeister Meridian Elite Chef's Knife, which he says gets both jobs done and feels comfortable in the hand.

Our AssessmentThe British incarnation of the popular men's magazine GQ offers a guide to their top 10 must-have kitchen accessories. The Cook's knife from Global (the equivalent to the brand's U.S. 8-inch Chef's Knife) is selected as the top cutlery pick, with the editors saying that most cooks won't use many knives besides this one. It is unclear as to how this knife was tested.

Our AssessmentIn this precise and objective review, Michael Chu (the website's founder) tests 11 popular chef's knives ranging in price from less than $30 to more than $200. The review is thorough and objective, and Chu explains his methodology in great detail. Each knife receives a score, from unacceptable to outstanding, for its performance on each test. Chu says that the Global G-2 20 cm cook's knife is the best performer, but he prefers the Mac Professional Mighty Chef 8-inch chef's knife with dimples because of its superior comfort. A Cutco knife comes in dead last, performing unacceptably in three out of four tests. This review is several years old and does not account for many of the newer models available.

Our AssessmentThis article focuses on Japanese-style knives, such as the santoku. Testers start out with more than 100 knives, pick the 30 "that felt best in our hands" and put those through their paces in the Food & Wine test kitchen. Each knife performs a variety of food-preparation tasks, such as slicing grapes and chopping chicken. The section labeled Winning Brands identifies the testers' top picks. Four brands are recommended: Shun Classic, Kyocera, Global and Mac Professional. However, there's no comparison among the winners and little information about each knife's performance. Also, knives that did not "make the cut" are not identified.

Our AssessmentCook's Illustrated magazine recommends buying individual knives rather than sets, which they say usually contain knives that you'll never use. To put this view to the test, they look at six knife sets costing less than $100. Each set includes an 8-inch chef's knife and at least one paring knife, as well as a storage block. While some sets contain individual knives that perform well, the editors do not find any set that they can recommend as a whole. (The top-rated Victorinox Fibrox line is not included in this test.)

Our AssessmentReviews on Cooking.com are plentiful, but generally quite brief. They also tend to lean more to the positive than reviews on other sites. On the plus side, the site is very easy to navigate. Site owners have helpfully identified top-rated items in the kitchenware category, which are products with at least 20 reviews from users and a minimum overall rating of 4 stars out of 5. The full list of top-rated items can be narrowed by category and brand or sorted based on factors such as best reviews, most reviews, popularity and price. The most popular cutlery on the site includes knives from top brands Wusthof and Henckels, as well as items from celebrity chefs Paula Deen, Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri.

Our AssessmentThis brief article from Bon Appetit discusses knives that combine European and Japanese styles. No methodology or ratings are given, but Elisa Huang describes three favorite knives in this style: the Masanobu Gyutou, the Shun Ken Onion chef's knife and the Mac Mighty Santoku. The description of each knife is focused more on aesthetics than performance, although balance is also discussed.