The Sharpest, Absolute Best Chef’s Knives You Can Buy Right Now, Starting at Just $30

The single most important tool in any kitchen (home or professional) is a chef’s knife. Arm yourself with a good chef’s knife and you can make nearly anything.

But what’s so darn great about a chef’s knife? With its large wide blade, pointed tip, and heavy rear, it’s truly all-purpose. You can use it for the obvious things like slicing, chopping, and mincing. You can use the tip for smaller jobs (like dicing a shallot) and the back of the knife like a cleaver for hacking through bones. And with the wide side of the blade, you can smash garlic, scoop up diced veggies to transfer them to a pot, or whack chicken breasts to flatten them into cutlets. You get the point, right? (Pun intended.)

Whether you are a new cook or an experienced one, a smart, sharp, effective chef’s knife is an absolute must-have. Ideally, a good chef’s knife. . . or even the best chef’s knife. And that doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money, either. In fact, some of the best chef’s knives out there are still very affordable. Let’s take a look.

The most important thing about a chef’s knife (aka cook’s knife or French knife) is that it feels comfortable when you hold it. Blade sizes range from six to 14 inches — although most people find an eight-inch blade is both versatile and manageable. Any shorter and you can’t cover as much ground; any longer and you may find it unwieldy. For most home cooks, an eight-inch blade is just right.

When it comes to chef’s knives, there are five areas we consider when deciding what makes a great pick:

1. Knife type: There are two main types of knives: German and Japanese. The latter type has a thinner, sharper blade. German knives are heavier, thicker, and more durable. For a more detailed explanation, check out this post.
2. Handle quality: Whether made of wood, resin, or plastic, the handle should be solidly attached and not wobble at all when you pick up the knife. Any gaps between the handle and the steel will only worsen over time.
3. Blade quality: Most knives you’ll be looking at are probably either stamped (machine-made using a cookie-cutter model) or forged (which are more labor-intensive to make and usually cost more).
4. Balance: How does it feel when it’s your hand? Do you feel like you have control over it when you hold it?
5. Sharpness: Obviously, you want your knife to be sharp. And it should be sharp right out of the box. (Your new knife has what’s called a factory edge.) If the knife isn’t sharp to begin with, that’s not a good sign.

Below, we rounded up some of the best chef’s knives on the market today that hit all of these criteria and then some, including some long-standing favorites of the team here at The Kitchn, as well as reader favorites you all can’t get enough of.

Do you have a chef’s knife you swear by that didn’t make this list? We want to hear all about it. Tell us about your favorite finds in the comments below!

Our writers and editors put hundreds of products to the test every year to determine which ones get our stamp of approval and are really worth your time and money. If we love it, you’ll hear about it. 

Our team is made up of writers and editors with years of experience in the home, kitchen, and parenting consumer product space, and who are always testing for new tried-and-true staples.

We put products to the test right where they matter: at home. We bring these products into our personal spaces and test them for weeks and even months to see if they live up to their claims. At the end of the day, we’re consumers too, so we’ll provide you with all the information we’d want — and then some.

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