Build Your Own Knife Set
The best knife set is the one you assemble yourself. All-in-one knife sets often have a lot of filler, such as subpar steak knives or compromised versions of knives you need. If you’re buying knives for the first time—especially if you’re on a budget—the smart approach is to start with a few well-made essentials and then build your collection with lower-priority tools as your budget allows.
Essentials
Chef’s knife
A chef’s knife is the main workhorse in your kitchen, and a good one is worth investing in. Spending over $100 gets you a blade that offers more balance, arrives sharper, and stays sharp longer than cheaper options.
With a super-sharp edge, a blade shaped for both rough chopping and fine slicing, and a comfortable handle, this is the knife our experts would pick if they had to choose one—and only one—to use forever.
The Best Chef’s Knife
With a super-sharp edge, a blade shaped for both rough chopping and fine slicing, and a comfortable handle, this is the knife our experts would pick if they had to choose one—and only one—to use forever.
This classic German knife is made of softer but more resilient steel than the Mac. If you cut a lot of tough stuff (like meat and poultry with bones), it's the better choice.
The Best Chef’s Knife
This classic German knife is made of softer but more resilient steel than the Mac. If you cut a lot of tough stuff (like meat and poultry with bones), it's the better choice.
This knife's blade is punched from a sheet of steel—not forged, like our main picks. That makes it less durable but a lot cheaper. Sharp and comfortable to use, it's a superb value for casual cooks.
The Best Chef’s Knife
This knife's blade is punched from a sheet of steel—not forged, like our main picks. That makes it less durable but a lot cheaper. Sharp and comfortable to use, it's a superb value for casual cooks.
Paring knife
A sharp paring knife makes quick work of small tasks like mincing a shallot, peeling apples, or making perfect orange segments. It also replaces the need for single-use utensils like cherry pitters or avocado slicers.
The comfortable-to-hold Victorinox 3¼-Inch Paring Knife is thin, super sharp, and absurdly inexpensive. It’s a favorite of culinary professionals throughout the industry.
The Best Paring Knife
The comfortable-to-hold Victorinox 3¼-Inch Paring Knife is thin, super sharp, and absurdly inexpensive. It’s a favorite of culinary professionals throughout the industry.
With more weight to it, the Mac Professional is a high-end knife that looks great in any kitchen.
The Best Paring Knife
With more weight to it, the Mac Professional is a high-end knife that looks great in any kitchen.
Serrated bread knife
Serrated knives are for more than just bread: They make quick work of soft fruits or vegetables and even carve up leftover roast or chicken. Most serrated knives in sets are too short (8 inches). Our picks have the optimal length of 10-plus inches.
This serrated knife is light and precise—and won’t break the bank.
The Best Serrated Bread Knife
This serrated knife is light and precise—and won’t break the bank.
With reverse-scalloped teeth (like half-moons in a row) instead of pointed teeth, the Tojiro is marginally less adept at slicing bread than our top pick, but better on roast meats and soft fruits.
The Best Serrated Bread Knife
With reverse-scalloped teeth (like half-moons in a row) instead of pointed teeth, the Tojiro is marginally less adept at slicing bread than our top pick, but better on roast meats and soft fruits.
Honing rod
Even the best knives need to be sharpened every six months to a year (either by you or a professional) to maintain their sharpness. But using a honing rod regularly can keep the edge straight and true.
This fine-grained ceramic hone keeps the edges of both German-style and Japanese-style knives (like our chef's knife picks) in shape. It will keep your knives keen between full resharpenings.
The Best Knife Sharpener
This fine-grained ceramic hone keeps the edges of both German-style and Japanese-style knives (like our chef's knife picks) in shape. It will keep your knives keen between full resharpenings.
Knife storage
Storing knives in a drawer will dull the blades—and endanger your fingers. A knife block, a strip, or a set of guards will keep you safe and your knives sharp (and take up less room, too).
The exposed metal rails on most knife strips wreak havoc on blade edges. Benchcrafted’s all-wood strip protects knives, and its powerful magnets keep even heavy knives securely in place.
The Best Gear for Small Apartments
The exposed metal rails on most knife strips wreak havoc on blade edges. Benchcrafted’s all-wood strip protects knives, and its powerful magnets keep even heavy knives securely in place.
If you want to store your knives in a drawer, protect their edges (and your and your loved ones’ fingers) with cheap knife guards.
If you want to store your knives in a drawer, protect their edges (and your and your loved ones’ fingers) with cheap knife guards.
This in-drawer knife storage tray doesn’t take up much room, and it can hold up to seven knives (three 10-inch blades and four 6-inch blades).
This in-drawer knife storage tray doesn’t take up much room, and it can hold up to seven knives (three 10-inch blades and four 6-inch blades).
Kitchen shears
In addition to cutting twine, mincing herbs, and the like, a good pair of kitchen shears makes quick, precise work of tasks that would be messy with a knife (like spatchcocking a chicken).
The lower micro-serrated blade helps these scissors grip raw chicken, while the smooth upper blade makes a clean slice. And the blades pull apart for easy and thorough cleaning.
The Best Scissors for Every Task
The lower micro-serrated blade helps these scissors grip raw chicken, while the smooth upper blade makes a clean slice. And the blades pull apart for easy and thorough cleaning.
Cutting board
A good cutting board is crucial to keeping your knives sharp. Go with plastic or wood. Granite and glass boards are very hard and will dull a knife’s blade; be sure to avoid them.
This plastic board resists warping, staining, and odors better than the other plastic boards we tested. The rubber feet keep it stationary, and the juice groove does an excellent job collecting liquids.
The Best Cutting Boards
This plastic board resists warping, staining, and odors better than the other plastic boards we tested. The rubber feet keep it stationary, and the juice groove does an excellent job collecting liquids.
This beautiful, eco-conscious teak board requires more careful cleaning than a plastic board, but it feels better under a knife and is easier to maintain than the other wood boards we tested.
The Best Cutting Boards
This beautiful, eco-conscious teak board requires more careful cleaning than a plastic board, but it feels better under a knife and is easier to maintain than the other wood boards we tested.
Nice-to-haves
Serrated paring knife
A serrated paring knife is great for slicing into delicate, soft-skinned fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes. It’s also one of the best tools for thinly slicing rounds of citrus and segmenting oranges.
This serrated version of our straight paring knife pick is both super sharp and affordable.
This serrated version of our straight paring knife pick is both super sharp and affordable.
Boning knife
Boning knives evolved—over centuries of practical design iterations—to efficiently trim, debone, and carve meat, poultry, and fish. If you do those tasks often, you’ll be glad to own one.
The ergonomically shaped handle is comfortable to hold and provides a good grip even when wet, while the blade is thin and flexible enough to gently curve around bones and tissue, creating a clean cut.
The ergonomically shaped handle is comfortable to hold and provides a good grip even when wet, while the blade is thin and flexible enough to gently curve around bones and tissue, creating a clean cut.
Steak knives
If you eat meat regularly, you should consider owning some proper steak knives. Although many knife sets come with steak knives, we’ve found that you can do much, much better if you buy them separately. We have options for every budget.
Beautiful to look at and as high-performing as knives six times their price, the Messermeister Avanta Pakkawood steak knives are great tools and an exceptional value. The black-resin-handled version is even thriftier.
The Best Steak Knife Set
Beautiful to look at and as high-performing as knives six times their price, the Messermeister Avanta Pakkawood steak knives are great tools and an exceptional value. The black-resin-handled version is even thriftier.
Beautiful? No. Functional? Very much so—especially next to the universally awful serrated knives that dominate at this price. You’ll pay more for a pint of microbrew than for each Chicago Cutlery Walnut Tradition steak knife.
The Best Steak Knife Set
Beautiful? No. Functional? Very much so—especially next to the universally awful serrated knives that dominate at this price. You’ll pay more for a pint of microbrew than for each Chicago Cutlery Walnut Tradition steak knife.
You can find showier (and pricier) steak knives, but Wüsthof’s Classic Ikons are beautifully designed—the most comfortable to hold of all the knives we tested—and as finely crafted as their German engineering suggests.
The Best Steak Knife Set
You can find showier (and pricier) steak knives, but Wüsthof’s Classic Ikons are beautifully designed—the most comfortable to hold of all the knives we tested—and as finely crafted as their German engineering suggests.
Opinel’s olivewood-handled South Spirit knives are a standout choice if you want a lighter, more modern look. They also have very functional blades (as any steak knives must). An otherwise identical version comes in cheerful colored hornbeam wood.
The Best Steak Knife Set
Opinel’s olivewood-handled South Spirit knives are a standout choice if you want a lighter, more modern look. They also have very functional blades (as any steak knives must). An otherwise identical version comes in cheerful colored hornbeam wood.
Knife sharpener
Everyone who owns a knife should have a sharpener. Even the highest-quality knife will lose its edge over time and with use. The simple, foolproof sharpeners here will satisfy most people, and they all do the job quickly.
This top-of-the-line electric sharpener isn’t cheap, but it produced the best edge in our tests. Serious home cooks should give it a look.
The Best Knife Sharpener
This top-of-the-line electric sharpener isn’t cheap, but it produced the best edge in our tests. Serious home cooks should give it a look.
B&T bucks tradition in design and mechanics, producing a highly effective sharpener whose form encourages regular (and necessary) blade maintenance.
The Best Knife Sharpener
B&T bucks tradition in design and mechanics, producing a highly effective sharpener whose form encourages regular (and necessary) blade maintenance.
Carving knife/slicer
A chef’s knife will work in a pinch, but a carving knife (aka slicing knife) is a great tool for specialized tasks like slicing a holiday roast or halving cake layers. That said, a Tojiro serrated knife works nearly as well.
The comfortable-to-hold Victorinox 10¼-inch slicing knife is our favorite knife to use for carving meat and pastry. It’s both reasonably priced and notably sharp.
The comfortable-to-hold Victorinox 10¼-inch slicing knife is our favorite knife to use for carving meat and pastry. It’s both reasonably priced and notably sharp.
Utility knife
Sometimes you need a smaller knife for finer work, something in between a chef’s knife and a paring knife. Enter the utility knife, for jobs like slicing tomatoes, cutting cheese, or making sandwiches.
In our guide to chef’s knives, we recommend the Wüsthof Classic Ikon as an also-great pick, and here is a matching 6-inch utility knife. It’s durable and well-balanced.
In our guide to chef’s knives, we recommend the Wüsthof Classic Ikon as an also-great pick, and here is a matching 6-inch utility knife. It’s durable and well-balanced.
Santoku knife
Lightweight and thin, santoku knives are great for many tasks, especially cutting vegetables. Straighter than a chef’s knife, santoku knives are more suited to up-and-down chopping. For some people, a santoku’s shorter blade inspires confidence.
This nimble knife offers a solid santoku blade paired with a classic Wüsthof handle. When it’s sharp it can tear through vegetables cleanly and precisely. One Wirecutter staffer’s Wüsthof santoku is 15 years old and going strong.
This nimble knife offers a solid santoku blade paired with a classic Wüsthof handle. When it’s sharp it can tear through vegetables cleanly and precisely. One Wirecutter staffer’s Wüsthof santoku is 15 years old and going strong.
Wirecutter editor Tim Heffernan says his Henckels santoku holds an edge way longer than some fancy Japanese knives he’s owned. He’s had this knife for over 20 years, and it’s still excellent.
Wirecutter editor Tim Heffernan says his Henckels santoku holds an edge way longer than some fancy Japanese knives he’s owned. He’s had this knife for over 20 years, and it’s still excellent.
Things to skip
There are plenty of knives, tools, and accessories to avoid, especially if you’re just starting out.
Knife set
We’ve tried to recommend the best knife set, but in our experience, most of them offer many little-used knives and compromise on the main ones—too-short, 8-inch bread knives being the primary offender.
Knife block
Counter space is always at a premium, and knife blocks are total counter-space hogs. They can dull knife blades and are difficult to clean. And if you acquire a knife from outside the set, it probably won’t fit.
Electric carving knife
Although these can be good at slicing big, largely boneless pieces of meat, if you’re cutting apart a whole turkey or chicken, you’re better off using a traditional carving knife or a chef’s knife—they’re better at navigating around bones.
Granite or glass cutting boards
They may look pretty, but granite and glass are very hard materials and will easily dull a knife’s blade. Stick with plastic or wood.
Whetstone
Unless you really want to dig in and learn how to sharpen your knives like a pro, use our knife sharpener picks or get your knives professionally sharpened.
