The Best Professional Chef’s Knives to Level Up Your Home Cooking diced our way through meats and veggies to find today’s best blades. That’s what makes the perfect knife for you; it will depend on many factors
In the world of cooking, chef knives are a critical part of the toolkit. Chef knives are designed specifically for use in preparing and performing various tasks in the culinary arts. In fact, in professional kitchens throughout the world, chefs rely on a multitude of different knives.
What Brand of Knives Do Professional Chefs Prefer?
According to kitchenknifeguru.com, Professional Chefs Prefer Henckels, Wusthof, Messermeister, Global, MAC, and Shun all have proven track records and lifetime warranties. Some have been making knives for hundreds of years. The first three brands are centered in Germany, the last three in Japan.
In cooking, chef knives are primarily sharp cutting instruments used in the preparation of food. The chef knife first was developed primarily as a cutting device to disjoint and slice large pieces of meat. Today, it is usually the primary general-purpose knife for all but the most seasoned western cooks.
In early history, knife blades were created with an edge that did not catch. To keep their edges from dulling, the earliest chef knives had a flat, sharp edge that ran from edge to edge. This was a necessary feature since stone or other abrasive materials would likely scratch and damage the meat.
As time progressed, the knife-blade edge was broadened slightly and eventually became a more rounded edge, similar to today’s steak knives. As steel became commonly used for knife blades, the general trend moved toward a softer, sturdier knife.
Modern chef knives are designed to have both a sharp edge and a softer edge. In earlier times, knife makers incorporated design features such as dropstones along the edges or grooves to cut through tougher or denser skin.
Flat or diamond edge blades were also introduced, as these helped to create more even heat distribution across the entire surface of the knife. Some modern designs still incorporate drop stones or raised ridges along the knives’ edge. Still, most knives now feature a smooth, rounded “edge” instead of the original flat edge.
The actual blade length of a chef knife is often one of the deciding factors determining the most popular type of knife. One type of knife on the market is the Meridian Elite Stealth, which has an 8-inch blade length. Although many people recommend this particular knife, the Meridian Elite Stealth actually only has four inches of usable length on its blade.
This is because the edge on this knife is not as sharp as other, more traditional chef knives. The Meridian Elite Stealth utilizes a traditional handle design that helps make it easier to control, even when compared to some of the more conventional chef knives on the market, which features drop points or ridges along with the handle.
Best Beginners Chef Knife
Best Beginner’s Knife. Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef’s Knife. Victorinox’s Fibrox Pro chef’s knife is the best value of any knife I have seen.
The next factor in determining the best professional chef knives list is the blade material used in constructing the knife. When looking for the best chef knives, you should consider the blade material to determine the type of knife that will work best for you. Your best options include a Japanese knife and a Stiletto knife.
While the former is more popular among chefs who perform actions that require delicate precision, the latter is best suited for those who prefer the appearance of a large knife over everything else. Some of the more notable pros and cons of these two types of knives include the amount of durability, sharpness, and the ability to be worn comfortably.
The last factor on the best professional chef knives list is also one of the most overlooked aspects. The factory edge often determines the quality of the knife’s blade. The factory edge allows the knife to maintain a properly sharp, safe edge, which is critical if you want to cut down the foods, you’ll be working with. Some of the more notable pros and cons include the amount of durability offered by these knives, the amount of use the knives get, and their overall factory edge.
In food preparation, a chef’s knife, a cook’s knife, or a parmesan knife is an all-purpose cutting instrument utilized in cooking. The chef’s knives originated not only to cut but also to stretch and tear the meat used to prepare food. Today, however, the chef’s knives are the main general-purpose knives for all cooks.
For years, it has been the kitchen’s standard to have a fixed-blade knife that comes with a larger handle for easier control and handling. In the beginning, fixed-blade knives were more popular, but the advantages of the smaller and lighter paring knives became apparent. As some cooks would say, these smaller knives are “blunt” and are better at making the slicing, chopping, and dicing of the ingredients more precise and quick.
This became the trend for many chefs, and soon after, the fixed-blade knives replaced the smaller paring knives and chef knives. However, the current trend is that many cooks favor the smaller and lighter chef knives, especially in kitchen setups.
Best Chef Knife for Home Cooks
We waded through all the nonsense and set out to find the best professional chef’s knives for home cooks at the best prices.
There are many different types of chef knives, and key differences are usually based on the blades’ sharpness. Most utility knives are not sharp enough for serious food preparation work, so they are available with a sharpening stone to bring the edges back to proper levels.
Some knives come with additional file tools to accommodate their size and add a more professional look to the knife. If you are new to preparing your own meals and cutting food, you may want to consider getting a knife with both functions to use both ends.
If you are looking for kitchen work tools, then you should consider the cheaper knives. They may have a short blade or blunt edges, but they are much better than utility knives when sharpening or cutting. The cheaper knives also tend to be made of lesser quality metal and are not as sturdy as the premium ones.
But the best part about buying a lower-cost knife is that it can still be beneficial for cooking because its thin edges won’t harm your food. Cheaper chef knives are usually made from carbon steel, so if you are going to buy a cheaper knife, make sure that it has a good amount of carbon steel, or it’ll rust easily.
If you are planning to buy a chef knife with steak knives, then you have to take into account the thickness of the meat. Steak knives have thin edges which will cause your food to be cooked faster. When buying steak knives, you can go for carbon steels or a type that has a high amount of chromium. If you’re going to cook thicker cuts of meat like ground beef or turkey, then you’ll need a heavier knife with larger cutting edges.
For people who want to learn how to cook, owning different knives would be very practical. There are different sizes of chef knives available in the market. They come in different designs, colors, and materials. Some chefs prefer to use particular brands for specific types of cuts of meat. So if you want to buy a new knife, make sure you learn first which type of cutlery you prefer before buying a particular brand or design.