Overall, we tested a dozen of the most popular chef knives for home cooks, including Mac, Global, Artisan Revere, Victorinox, KitchenAid, Ninja, Cuisinart, Homefavor, Farberware, Zwilling, JA Henckels, Aura, Korin, Wüsthof , Material Kitchen, Mission and Mercer. Among these knives, there are some clear leaders, but while most are solidly designed, only one stands out bad.
Mac, Wüsthof, Made In and Global knives are highly valued for their quality and performance. If you really want to adopt a high-quality chef’s knife, any of these three will do. Mercer, Zwilling, and Victorinox offer solid performance and well-balanced products for beginners looking for a bargain (Victorinox’s chef’s knives are popular online for their value and construction). Well-liked, but it’s pricier than Mercer instead of quite and balance).
JA Henckels’ Classic Chef’s Knife looks similar to the Wusthof Classic, but subtle differences in balance and design make it a less pleasant knife to use every day.
Cuisinart, Material, and Homefavor’s knives are sturdier than cheaper competitors, but they don’t stand out in any single category. The JA Henckels Classic seemed to be the obvious winner due to its reasonable price tag and similar design to the more expensive Wüsthof Classic, which really disappointed me. This is another workhorse of a knife, but its handle is heavier than it should be, so heavy prep work can be tiring and chopping feels awkward.
The Farberwell knife was the worst of the lot: it was so poorly balanced that we ended our chick test midway just to be safe. The handle is light, keeping the knife’s center of balance an inch or two away from the blade. This makes almost any type of preparation, from slicing and dicing to chopping and deboning, awkward at best and dangerous at worst. In short, if you are looking for a budget blade, don’t buy this knife.
These are just a few of the chef knives we tested.
A chef’s knife can be your best friend in the kitchen, especially if you find the right one. Take your time, figure out what you want from a chef’s knife, and invest in quality. Whenever your knives get dull, you can keep buying those $10 regular knives from the store, but if you really want to up your game in the kitchen, a high-quality chef’s knife is the best you can make One of the investments.
