No matter what storm one is cooking up in the kitchen, they cannot do it without a nice, sharp knife. From chopping vegetables to go into your broth to cutting up the steak at the dinner table - a good knife is an integral part of your kitchen tools. And what’s better than a single knife that you love? An entire best kitchen knife set, of course!
Whether you are trying your hand at cooking for the first time or are a seasoned chef, the knives you use in the kitchen can truly make or break your beautiful food creation. Even with the most delicious recipes in your arsenal, you cannot reach that tricky combination of great taste and an impressive presentation if you do not have a few good knives in your kitchen.
So, if you had the option of getting the finest blades for the kitchen in one go, why would you not take it?
But the truth is that not all knife sets are this good. Some will begin to rust with only a few uses, while some blades are simply too dull to cut through anything. Some knives will fly off the handle the first time you try to chop something with them, and still others are simply not safe enough to be used by anybody but a professional chef.
This brings us to the big question of the day. If you are in the market for the best kitchen knives set, which one should you be investing in?
To make the decision a little easier, we have gone through and reviewed several knives that you could buy to make your cooking experience more fun. Here are five of the best kitchen knife sets that you can buy today.
In a hurry? Here is our best!
The Home Hero 17 Pieces Kitchen Knives Set - Our Overall Best
Want one best kitchen knife set that has you sorted for every cutting and chopping action in the kitchen? Go for the Home Hero 17 Pieces Kitchen Knives Set!
Whether you are making a fruit salad or a complicated exotic lamb dish, the Home Hero 17 Pieces Kitchen Knives Set has got all that you need. With 13 professional knives, a peeler, kitchen scissors, a knife sharpener, and a modern knife stand, you do not need to make any additional purchases after this.
Here are some of the reasons why Home Hero 17 Pieces Kitchen Knives Set tops our list of best kitchen knife sets.
- An all in one complete kitchen knife set
- Made with durable materials and lasts a lifetime
- It gives your kitchen that chic, professional look with its modern knife stand
The Five Best Kitchen Knives Sets At A Glance
OUR TOP PICK
Summary
The Home Hero 17 Pieces Kitchen Knives Set is for anyone who wants durability with a professional flair in their cooking. Sitting on your countertop, this will give your kitchen a truly masterly look. This professional set of knives is covered with non-stick paint and features ergonomic pp handles which make cooking an exciting adventure.
This knife set offers excellent precision cutting by including a dedicated knife for every purpose. With the proper tools at your disposal, you can show off your finest abilities in the kitchen.
Worries about the knife set losing its sharpness in the long haul? You shouldn’t. It comes with a premium knife sharpener allowing you to keep the tools in their best shape.
For us, the best kitchen knife set is one that provides tremendous accuracy and sharpness. And fortunately, this knife set brings that to the table.
Pros
- Comes with extras like a peeler, a pair of kitchen scissors, honing steel, and a knife stand
- It is less work and effort than any ordinary knife and makes cooking interesting
- The stand doesn’t flip over since its base and width are the same.
- Easier to clean
Cons
- The peeler in this set does not perform as great as the knives do
EDITORS CHOICE
Summary
The Cuisinart C77SS-15PK is the best kitchen knife set for cooking enthusiasts who want nothing but absolute perfection. The superior high carbon stainless steel blades give you the best of both worlds - durability and precision. This is exactly why this knife set is our editor’s choice for the best kitchen knives set.
Its hollowed-out handles keep the tools lightweight and nicely balanced. A strong, durable bolster provides further stability and control. Thus, forget making irregular cuts.
The long, tapered blades of this knife set do not only provide the cleanest cuts but are also super easy to wash without risking injury.
One of the best features of this set is its ergonomic design; even better for chefs who like to use it for longer hours without turning their hands sore.
Pros
- Lifetime warranty
- Dishwasher safe
- Ergonomically designed stainless steel handles
- Lightweight knives - easier to maneuver
Cons
- Will slightly rust if washed in the dishwasher with silver cutlery
BEST VALUE
Summary
Want to get an extensive set of the best knives at the best price? The McCook MC29 15 piece knife set is the one to go for.
This is a beautiful 15 piece knife set made of high-quality German stainless steel to ensure durability and longevity. The blades are all tarnish resistant and rust-resistant, and last you a lifetime without any damage. They come with a hardwood knife block that makes storage easy and aesthetic.
In this value set, you get an 8" chef knife, 8" slicing knife, 5" santoku knife, 5.5" serrated utility knife, 5" utility knife, 3.5" paring knife, six 4.5" serrated steak knives, 2 pairs of kitchen shears, and a hardwood knife block with built-in sharpener. In short, you get everything you need in your knife drawer at a fraction of the amount it would have cost if you bought it all separately.
Pros
- Exclusive taper edge grind technology
- Ergonomic handles
- Easy and fast to clean
- Durable and dependable
Cons
- Cannot be cleaned in a dishwasher
RUNNER UP
Summary
The next best kitchen knives set on our list is the Mercer Culinary Genesis Forged Knife Block Set. It consists of five knives and a stylish and stable tempered glass block that provides easy and safe storage to your most important kitchen tools.
The ergonomic Santoprene handles of these knives ensure superior comfort and a non-slip grip - even when your hands are dripping wet! The high carbon blade material is impressively resistant to all types of rust, corrosion, and discoloration. They can easily survive for decades even when exposed to kitchen oils and extremes of temperature. And if your blade does go dull over time, you can easily sharpen them at home with honing steel!
The forged manufacturing makes for increased strength and stability and prevents the blade from snapping off when you are cutting through a hard surface.
Pros
- Precision-forged construction
- Taper ground edge
- Limited lifetime warranty
Cons
- The handle design tends to hold water and increases the risk of rust due to improper drainage
RUNNER UP
Summary
Anybody who is just starting out on their cooking journey needs only to cover their bases at first. For this purpose, The Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Fibrox Pro Knife Set is quite an efficient and affordable option.
This basic 4 piece knife set includes the knives you will be using the most in your kitchen - namely the chef’s knife, a bread knife, a utility knife, and a paring knife. It keeps things simple and uncluttered and does not have you shoveling through your knife drawer every single time you want to cut up some fruit.
Made with high carbon stainless steel and featuring a conical ground design, these blades are ice tempered to ensure long-lasting sharpness. Furthermore, the ergonomic Fibrox pro handle has a textured surface that makes for a powerful, non-slipping grip.
The knives are pretty comfortable to use and do not lead to your fingers cramping even after chopping, slicing, and dicing a ton of food.
Pros
- Meets the strict National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) standards for public health protection
- Trusted Swiss quality
- Carefully weighted and balanced for easy handling - even for amateur cooks
Cons
- The blade material may lose its luster over time
Best Kitchen Knives Set - Buying Guide
When you scour the marketplace today, you will find thousands of kitchen knives sets for sale. The mere availability of this many options can make the purchase of one best kitchen knives set quite a challenge. How are you supposed to then even begin to shortlist through the options?
Here are a few key considerations that one should take when buying a kitchen knives set.
What to consider when shopping for the best kitchen knives set
The types of knives
Before you add any kitchen knives set to your cart, you must look at the types of knives that are included in it. Ideally, you would want a set of knives that has all the different types that you regularly like to use. This might vary for everyone, since cooking is an art with (almost) no rules.
But if you are a beginner at cooking with no personal preferences or biases yet, you will want the best kitchen knives set to have, at least, “the three essentials”.
These essential knives are namely the chef’s knife, the serrated knife, and the paring knife. In following a regular recipe, these are the types of knives that you will be reaching out for the most. In addition to these, make sure that your best kitchen knives set also includes honing steel if you plan to sharpen those blades at home.
The weight and balance
When you have shortlisted all the best kitchen knives sets that include your preferred types of knives, the next thing to consider is the weight and balance of each one of them. Again, this is largely a personal preference and there is no ‘ideal’ weight and balance for every cook.
Some might like to work with heavier tools, while others choose more lightweight options. In any case, make sure that the kitchen knives set you have picked is in accordance with what you like.
The manufacturing style
Another very important thing about kitchen knives is how they have been manufactured. There are largely two ways to go about it; your best kitchen knives set can either be forged or stamped.
A forged knife means that it has been made from melting a single piece of steel. Forged knives have a bolster in between the handle and the blade to keep the knife in one place. The bolster also serves as a safe place to rest your finger while using the knife.
These knives are stronger and much more resistant to everyday wear and tear. However, they also tend to be much heavier than their stamped counterparts.
A stamped knife blade is cut out from a sheet of steel via a machine. The blade is then connected to a handle to make into a working kitchen knife. These are lighter and less expensive than forged knives, but are also much weaker than them.
The blade material
Lastly, you have one of the most important factors that decide how good a knife is: the blade material. There are a variety of options that you can find in this regard, but the most popular choices for making kitchen knife blades are carbon steel and stainless steel.
Carbon steel is a strong material, and many of the very best kitchen knives sets make use of it. However, the durability of carbon steel does come with one major drawback - it rusts pretty easily.
On the contrary, stainless steel resists corrosion very well. However, you will need to sharpen a stainless steel knife much more frequently than a carbon steel knife. Japanese best kitchen knives sets manufacturers sometimes use a proprietary stainless steel alloy that holds up its edge better than common stainless steel, but those knives come with a pretty hefty price tag.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. What are the most used knives in a home kitchen?
A. The types of knives you end up using the most frequently in your home kitchen largely depend upon your personal preferences. However, the four types of knives that are generally used the most in home kitchens worldwide are the chef’s knife, paring knife, serrated knife, and a boning knife.
Q. Do you need separate sets of kitchen knives for home and professional use?
A. While you do not need to buy separate best kitchen knives sets for home and professional use, doing so can be pretty tempting. Using a professional best kitchen knives set in your home kitchen can get pretty overwhelming for a beginner at cooking. Similarly, taking your best kitchen knives set meant to be used in your home to your work kitchen may leave you short of many types of knives that are necessary when cooking for a large group.
Q. Why are some best kitchen knives sets colour coded?
A. If you have seen some color coded best kitchen knives sets and wondered what the purpose of the bright colors is, you are not alone. The vibrant colors of different types of knives in a kitchen knives set is not only meant to make them look good, but hold a deeper meaning for the chef.
It allows the chef to easily distinguish the different knives in a set at a glance without having to specifically look at the blade. It also prevents mix ups during cooking, which might contaminate the different recipes you are cooking up at the same time.
Q. Should young chefs be using some special knives in their kitchens?
A. While this is not a requirement, you might want to keep your kids away from the sharp knives you use yourself in the kitchen. If you have young chefs around wanting to follow their passion, you can get them special knives meant for kids that have additional safety features. There are hundreds of best kitchen knives sets for kids in the market today.
The Last Word On Best Kitchen Knives Set
Some say a chef is only as good as his set of kitchen knives. Using the right knife is extremely important whether you are cooking at home for yourself, or in a five star restaurant for hundreds of other people.
Being stuck with a poor quality knife set can not only make your food look awful, but also turn you off from creating wonderful dishes in the kitchen altogether. Hence, having a quality kitchen knife set is essential for every cook.
Which of these best kitchen knives sets makes the cut for you?