The Best Kitchen Knife Sets That You Can Buy (2021)

With so many on the market, choosing the right pellet smoker is a daunting task. So, in this article we’re going to go over some kitchen knife set reviews (the best ones I can find) and more importantly how to pick the right one, so you can separate the wheat from the chaff on your own in the future.

I love knives. They’re one of the handiest tools to have around the kitchen, and you’d be amazed at how much easier your life is if you have at least the basics.

A steak knife simply doesn’t cut it (pun intended) for a lot of tasks. You ever tried carving up a whole chicken with just a paring knife? A brace of potatoes without a good chef’s knife? It’s possible, but a huge pain.

How Do I Choose The Best Knife Set?

Obviously, as a cooking enthusiast you want your set of knives to be of high quality. But what does that mean, in an objective sense?

Primarily with a knife you’re looking at two main things: the steel and the construction.

Unlike many household items, stainless steel is NOT actually the best choice for a kitchen knife. It’s serviceable, but cheap. Stainless steel is harder to sharpen and buff the nicks out of, leading to them deteriorating faster over time.

You want a high carbon (above .6% carbon) steel like those Schmidt Brothers knife if it’s possible to get it with a reasonable price. Hand forged knives with even higher quality steel are also possible, but largely beyond the scope of this article; most of those will need to be custom made, and can be quite expensive (though worth it for a cooking enthusiast).

Ceramic is also solid choice for knives

Being technically one of the best materials. They are sharp and keep their edge a long time, requiring little re-sharpening as they age.

Unfortunately they are expensive and BRITTLE, a poor combination, and should be avoided for the average household knife set.

Aside the basic material, take a look at how the knife is put together. Any half decent knife will be made of one solid piece of material, riveted to the handle. Inspect your knives; if there is clear indication that the knife is made of two or more pieces or metal welded or glued together, avoid it like the plague. These knives have a tendency to fall apart when you need them most.

Likewise look for solid rivets in the handle, with a coating of clear resin to make it smooth. This creates a solid bond on single piece knives and leaves the handles smooth and sturdy. Finally, the handle should be relatively ergonomic, fitting comfortably in the hand and gliding easily in both a chopping and slicing motion.

After taking a look at the quality of the individual knives, take note of what kind of knives come with the set. At a most basic level a kitchen knife set needs to come with: a paring knife, a chef’s knife, knife for slicing brisket and steak knives. This is the absolute bare minimum, mind you.

A good knife set will not only come with other knives, like a deboning knife, bread knife, butcher’s knife, or other long or heavier blades for various purposes, but also a set of kitchen shears and a piece of sharpening steel. Particularly good sets will come with a variety of lesser used knives like a cheese knife or filet knife, but I count these as an “extra” rather than something expected.

Finally, keep in mind your budget

As knives can get extremely expensive at the higher ends (hundreds, even thousands of dollars for hand forged, custom made models like J.A. Henckels Knives), and most people have little need for knives of that quality. Also keep in mind that not every knife set will be right for a given person; different hand shapes, different purposes and even aesthetic tastes can make an objectively great knife set awkward to wield for someone to whom they aren’t suited.

Beginner’s Guide in Using Knife

Knife skills are an often-overlooked area of expertise for at-home cooks. Anyone can cut a potato or slice the skin off a piece of salmon, but if you want to elevate your dishes to the next level, improving the way you handle your kitchen knives is a great idea.

One way to push yourself to improve your knife skills is to browse through new and exciting recipes to incorporate different ingredients into your preparation routine.

Complete guides here on how to improve your knife skills.

Sharpening a Knife with a Wet Stone

Wet stones are a tried-and-true method of sharpening good quality knives. The process for using wet stones to sharpen a knife is simple, even if you’ve never used them before. By following these steps, you can sharpen your knives with high-quality wet stones to ensure your knives stay sharp for years of repeated use.

Learn more here if you want to know how to sharpen a knife with a wet stone.

Storing Your Kitchen Knives

There are four main ways to store kitchen knives correctly at home. 

1. Magnetic Wall Strips 
2. Countertop Knife Blocks
3. Under Cabinet
4. Drawer Inserts 

When correctly utilized any of the four solutions is reliable for knife storage, but which one is best for you depends on your needs and how your kitchen is arranged. To keep you knife safe and to prevent kitchen accidents, there maybe no one size fits all solution. You may need to employ a combination of these proposed methods.

To guide you more here’s a complete information on how to store your kitchen knives.

Knife Safety In The Kitchen

Educate yourself on proper knife safety, storage and cleaning practices to prevent kitchen accidents, and pass that knowledge on to your family, so everyone in the household understands the risks associated with knives.

By following some simple guidelines for where you keep your knives, how you use them, and the correct technique for cleaning them, you’ll create a safe cooking environment that everyone can relax in and enjoy.

Let us help you with the complete guide on knife safety.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Cleaning your knife is a vital step toward safer food preparation, but it is not enough to simple rinse it after each use. Soap and hot water are the best way to eliminate microorganisms and prevent them from contaminating your kitchen utensils and your food.

Clean and sanitize your knives between food preparation tasks and after someone else uses them to prevent cross-contamination. You should also give your knives a good scrub before using them for the first time and after sharpening. Sanitizing your chopping block and cutting boards can also reduce the risk of bacterial growth on your knife blades.

Here’s a complete guide on when must a knife be cleaned and sanitized.