The chef’s knife made quick work of dicing onions, and the bread knife cleanly cut through the thick-sliced bacon on BLT sandwiches. The utility knife’s wide blade was versatile enough to slice through both dense items and tender-skinned foods like tomatoes. If you want everything you need to start cooking without breaking the bank, check out the Misen Essentials 5-piece Knife Set. In addition to the basics, you get a santoku knife that’s perfect for chopping vegetables and a smaller utility knife that can tackle smaller foods like shallots.
The knife’s appearance is pleasing, too, with smooth, shiny wooden handles that stand out against the bright steel. We also used the serrated bread knife to slice French rolls for serving with dinner and the small paring knife for cutting fruit, chopping strawberries, and slicing mini cucumbers for a salad. Building on the successful DNA of the Cuisinart Classic series, their Graphix line forgoes a molded plastic handle for a bumpy metal one. As a result, this line offers substantially better grip, even while your hands are wet. That’s combined with the same high carbon stainless steel blades, and offered at the same price as the Classic series. Cuisinart knife sets are some of the most affordable knife sets on the market without sacrificing quality.
Each Cookware Sets is made from durable stainless steel and has a ceramic coating that prevents food from sticking to the blade. Shoppers even say the Cuisinart knives are better than professional alternatives due to their sharp blades that cut “like razors.” Inspired by the hammered tsuchime finish of Japanese knives, the Artisan series is Cuisinart’s biggest departure from their Classic series. They still use forged high carbon stainless steel blades, though there is no bolster to protect your lead finger. Use the Right Tool for the Task With a wide variety of knives, this set is useful for many different types of prep work.
This comprehensive cutlery set provides all the knives you need for slicing, dicing and mincing almost any ingredient – for preparing so many kinds of recipes. Also included are eight steak knives and a wooden storage block that keeps the knives organized and will look great on your kitchen counter. Sharp and durable, there’s a reason Solingen, Germany, has been producing Zwilling knives since the 1700s.
Most Zwilling collections are forged knives and some are full tang, but this brand has no shortage of knife collections. Overall, we were pleased with the performance of the Günter Wilhelm 6-Piece Premier ProCut Knife Set. These German steel knives were sharp and precise, cutting through onions and segmenting citrus without issue. The triple-tang design is neither lightweight nor too heavy, creating a balance that makes them easy to use for any task.
There’s no need to shell out a small fortune—or stick to the registry—when it comes to shopping for your favorite couple. Instead, consider grabbing practical items that they’ll get plenty of use out of over time, like a set of towels, a Dutch oven, or even a custom cutting board. Everyday products like these can really help the happy duo settle into married life with greater ease, and best of all, none of these best wedding gift ideas under $50 will break the bank. If you’re serious about cooking, it’s time to enter the world of Japanese knives. Famous for craftsmanship and traditional forging techniques, quality Japanese knives are sturdy, lightweight and wicked sharp. Miyabi is the third tier of knives by the Zwilling J.A. Henckels company.
Each criteria will give you greater insight as to the sort of knife you need, and how much you should budget for it. Once more based on the Cuisinart Classic design, the Nitrogen series reimagines the handles for a more ergonomic grip. This is especially evident in the Nitrogen santcoku — a Japanese style knife that greatly benefits from the balance provided by a thicker handle. The Graphix series paring knife is the major standout from this line. That’s because a paring knife requires delicate movements, and even a small slip can lead to nicked fingers. The textured grip from the Graphix series helps keep this paring knife firmly in your grip.
Yoshihiro is, in our opinion, one of the best choices for home chefs that don’t want to pour hundreds if not thousands of dollars into their knives. Its entry-level blades range from mid-$100 to around $250, with more elevated options for more serious chefs. Yoshihiro boasts “modern stainless metallurgy” in the forging of its blades, leading to the traditional Japanese blade aesthetic Cookware Sets without the high maintenance of reactive high-carbon steel. Shun is a popular Japanese knife brand often connected to celebrity chef Bobby Flay (although Flay told Men’s Healthback in 2010, “I’m not married to a particular brand”). This brand has been churning out knives in Seki City, Japan, for just about 20 years, but Seki has been known for forged knives for centuries.
The Global G-835/WS 6-Piece Knife Set with Block is absolutely our pick if you’re looking to upgrade. It doesn’t have every extra piece like a honing steel or shears, but it was absolutely gotham steel cookware sets the sharpest set of knives in the group. The chef’s knife feels like an effortless extension of my arm, and the serrated bread knife sliced through the crusty baguette surprisingly easily.