4 Best Kitchen Knives In The World
A roundup of the biggest game players in the kitchen knife industry
Hi guys, I’m back! After my last few posts like the lowdown on Basic Culinary Skills and a roundup of the Top 10 Kitchen Knives, I was bombarded with questions from you guys!
Among the many queries I got, a few stood out as awesome topics that I want to discuss with you this week.
SO…
In the following few posts I’ll be tackling things like the Best Kitchen Knife Brands, the Cuisinart Cutlery Set and I’ll do a Chicago Cutlery Insignia Review so that you can better understand why people are raving about these two brands lately.
But for now, there’s something else I want to draw your attention to:
What are the best kitchen knives in the world?
That was a question that gave me a whole lot of inspiration to write to you guys today.
The humble Chef’s Knife is without a doubt the best type of kitchen knife ever made. Essentially, you’ll need a bit more ammo in your kitchen arsenal to master the fine skills if you want to be a kitchen professional, so I’ll extend my list of must haves by 3.
The Four Best Kitchen Knives In The World…In Our Opinion
Number One – The Chef’s Knife
As the king of the kitchen, your chef’s knife can do a lot and it effortlessly takes care of the big chopping tasks BUT if you intend to use it for butchering or carving purposes (and even puncturing cans with it) it’s going to fail miserably and you’ll be throwing away a great investment in no time at all. Since it’ll be your most used go-to tool, your Chef’s Knife deserves the biggest spending budget in order to bring the best quality to the table. Check some of the best chef’s knives that we recommend.
The Chef’s Knife
Number Two – The Paring Knife
Picking up where the chef’s knife left off, a paring knife is as good as gold in any kitchen. Your paring knife is best used for slicing and mincing food items that an 8 or 10 inch blade of a chef’s knife cannot successfully do. The Paring Knife’s besties include things like garlic, shallots and strawberries, really any food item that requires a lot of attention to detail. Don’t abuse your paring knife by forcing it to work with hard veggies like carrots, celery root or parsnips, unless you want it to get damaged.
The Paring Knife
A good paring knife should cost around $20 and if you stick to metal blades, it should boast a pretty long and solid lifespan.
Number Three – The Serrated Knife
You’ll probably identify this one as your common bread knife, but serrated knives can take on just about any job that the straight blade of the chef’s knife can’t handle. If you find yourself a 6 inch serrated knife it’ll be worth its weight in gold when tackling waxy surface foods like tomatoes, pineapples, watermelons, citrus and peppers. Here’s the catch: serrated knives were made with slicing in mind and NOT chopping, and a good quality serrated knife should cost you between $30 and $40.
The Serrated Knife
Number Four – The Boning Knife
The boning knife is your go-to tool for jobs like boning fish, meat or poultry and they were designed to move and flex as they cut. Just because it says boning, the knife should definitely not be used to cut through bones, but rather around them. Spend around $30 on a good quality boning knife if you’re only going to use it every now and then, but if you’re a die-hard meat lover it would be wise to spend a little more for a better quality blade. Check out these boning knives we recommend.
The Boning Knife
So now I’ve shown you the best kitchen knives that every home cook should own, but there’s a more pressing matter at hand: what about the brands?
Ahhh…the age old debate between whether to opt for Japanese or German brands doesn’t seem to be any less heated than it was 10 years ago. In my opinion, they both rock and bring very different qualities and features to the table, so I’m all for Japanese AND Western brands.
Let me show you what I mean…
Top 7 Knife Brands On the Market Today
Here’s a roundup of the best kitchen knife brands of all time. Some of them are my personal favorites while others were rated as the best kitchen knife in the world by happy-chappy customers.
#1 Shun Knives
I’ve talked a lot about Shun in the past (you might remember my piece on the Shun Classic Knife Set) and to be honest, I’ll never grow tired of saying it: Shun knives rock. They stand up way above the crowd and even though they’re really expensive, they are worth every single cent spent! Shun is probably one of the most popular Japanese knife brands out there and with good reason: they’re super sharp edges and seriously attractive looks has the world buzzing. I love that Shun offers knives with much more than just pretty faces; they bring super hard blades to the table that have the ability to hold their 16-degree edges for much longer than any other brand I’ve ever tested.
Overall Rating: 9 out of 10
#2 Wusthof Knives
An exemplary of classic German knife design, Wusthof knives offers some of the most reliable and durable quality for the home cook. Overall, the knives from this brand are well balanced, durable and extremely sharp, albeit this does depend on whether you opt for a line like the classic or the pro. Wusthof has been around since 1814, which means they have been designing and manufacturing precision-forged knives in their two state of the art facilities (in Solingen) to produce some of the finest quality knives known to the industry.
Overall Rating: 8 out of 10
#3 Miyabi Knives
Miyabi translates to The Beauty of Sharpness and it’s the J.A Henckels Group’s answer to the demand for super sharp knives! The Miyabi knives from Henckels are stunning, Japanese style designs backed by experience that dates back to 1731! Essentially, Miyabi knives are a combination of German engineering mixed with the finest Japanese craftsmanship with the renowned Honbazuke honing process. Aimed at cooks who want the fine edge, thin profile and precision feel of carbon steel but without the issues carbon drags along, the results of the Miyabi knives is precision, serious cutting edges and looks that could kill.
Overall Rating: 7 out of 10
#4 MAC Knives
Coming in as one of the very best secrets of the consumer kitchen knife world, MAC knives are preferred by professionals like Thomas Keller and Charlie Trotter who unabashedly endorse them as some of the world’s best knives. Just like Global, MAC is Japanese designed and manufactured hybrids that boast harder and thinner Japanese steel with Western style shaped blades. Rated as some of the world’s sharpest knives, MAC really delivers with their razor-like edges that totally define sharpness. Overall, MAC knives are easy to care for, stay sharper for longer and bring you exceptional value for your money.
Overall Rating: 7 out of 10
#5 Messermeister
Messermeister is best known for its lines of authentic German knives that still utilize the original drop hammer forged manufacturing process. Their handcrafted knives are all made from the best quality carbon steel alloy and industrial strength handles to supply the market with seriously good quality cutlery, culinary tools and kitchen accessories that cater to the professional and home cook market. Their knives look great, feel great and are great at retaining their edges.
Overall Rating: 6 out of 10
#6 Global
Coming in as one of the most popular knife brands in the world, Global is set to be in the kitchen of each and every foodie you know, whether it’s in the form of a paring or utility knife, but their G-2 is by far the best seller! Global strives to deliver superb quality knives that are reasonably priced, lightweight and very easy to handle. From its modest beginnings back in 1983, Yoshida Metal Industry Co (Yoshikin) has been a trend setter in the manufacturing and marketing of stainless steel knives in the one-piece construction style. Global knives has earned massive praise from the most demanding of users and have in their own right, established a standard for stainless steel knives made with one-piece construction.
Overall Rating: 6 out of 10
#7 Zwilling J.A. Henckels
From great kitchen knives to kitchen gadgets and cooking tools, Henckels is a name that’s synonymous with awesome inventions for the home cook and professionals alike. They boast a rich heritage of outstanding quality and craftsmanship, and since they’ve been around since 1731, they’re one of the oldest and most reliable brands on the market today. Most of their knives (especially the Pro series line) support classic French designs, and they’re well known for their sharply sweeping curved blades. Essentially, I love Henckels’ no-frills design and the fact that their knives are comfortable to work with and won’t break the bank like a Shun would.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 10
There you have it. 4 of the best kitchen knives in the world (obviously depending on what brand you opt for) and 7 options for the best knife brands on the market today. If you liked what you read here, stay where you are because I’ve got some more great info coming up. Take a look at the Best Kitchen Knife Brands for the pro-home-cook-in-the-making.
You might also be interested in: a look at the Cuisinart Knife Block Set and my Chicago Cutlery Insignia Review.
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How you feel when you cook can really appear in the dishes you cook.
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