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journalism → support → readers
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we → purchase → commission
It's also very likely that anything that once resembled our best knife set is now a random collection that lives among everything else in the utensils drawer, while knife blocks are full of mismatched knives, or empty.
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blocks → resemble → knives
A decent set of knives brings plenty to the table, and as soon as you use a new, sharp knife, you'll instantly see the difference.
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you → bring → difference
But when it comes to finding a set right for you, it can be a little overwhelming, especially when there are so many, and it's not always obvious what each knife is for, so we've detailed this below.
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we → come → this
A good place to start is having the core three knives: a chef's knife, which has a long thing blade and can be used on anything from vegetables to meat, a serrated bread knife; and a paring knife, which has a small short blade and is used for more intricate jobs like peeling, but can also be used for chopping.
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which → start → chopping
Best overall – Wüsthof Classic 3-piece Starter Knife Set: £319, Wusthof.co.uk
Best budget buy – Stellar Classic, 5 Piece Knife Block Set, Pine: £80, Stellar.co.uk
Best for built-in sharpener – Shark Ninja Foodi StaySharp Knife Block: £199, Sharkninja.co.uk
Best for beginners – Pro Cook Professional X50 Contour Knife Set: £139, Procook.co.uk
Best for serious chefs – HexClad 6 pc Japanese Damascus Steel Knife Set: £459, Hexclad.co.uk
To prolong the life of these knives and to look after them properly, it's best not to put them through the dishwasher, especially ones with wooden handles.
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it → build → handles
How I tested
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I → test → ?
I used the set of knives for chopping everything needed for my usual go-to meals, from vegetable egg-fried rice to aubergine parmigiana.
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I → use → parmigiana
I always used them on a wooden chopping board to ensure a fair comparison.
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I → use → comparison
I was looking for a sturdy knife with great precision.
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I → look → precision
I considered the material the knife was made from, how well they were able to cut what they're designed for, the weight of the knife and whether it felt balanced in the hand, the comfort of holding it, and its value.
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it → consider → it
I also considered whether the knives are full-tang or not (whether the steel runs right through into the handle), which gives extra strength, and how sharp they are out of the box, which I tested by doing the slicing paper test.
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I → consider → test
One of the most important factors I considered was how to store the knives and prevent them from being damaged and too quickly becoming blunt.
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I → consider → them
Wüsthof Classic 3-piece Starter Knife Set
★★★★★
Best: Overall kitchen knife set
What we love: Excellent simple design
Take note: Not as affordable
Wüsthof is one of the top brands when it comes to kitchen knives.
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it → love → knives
Look after them properly, and they should last a lifetime – making them worth the investment.
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them → look → lifetime
The set includes the most useful three knives: a chef's knife, a bread knife and a pairing knife, all of which are full-tang.
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all → include → which
There's no trendy Damascus finish here, or a storage block, but they are well–made, ergonomically designed knives with sharp edges.
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they → be → edges
Made in Solingen, Germany, each is forged from a single piece of Wüsthof’s special stainless steel, giving the blades impressive strength.
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each → make → strength
The chef’s knife is beautifully balanced, and the pairing knife makes light work of vegetables: it’s incredibly smooth and precise to use.
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it → balance → vegetables
Thanks to little teeth along the blade, it glides through bread with ease – a dream addition to any kitchen.
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it → glide → kitchen
I also like that there's a green handle option too, which makes a nice change from the usual black handles.
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which → like → handles
- Set includes: Chef (20cm), bread (23cm), pairing (9cm)
-
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Set → include → Chef
Blade metal: Premium forged stainless steel
- Holder included: No
Stellar Classic, 5 Piece Knife Block Set, Pine
★★★★☆
Best: Value knife set
What we love: Excellent value
Take note: Wooden block feels light
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block → include → note
Coming in a wooden block made from simple pine, the knives are full-tang and feature black handles with three rivets.
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knives → come → rivets
They're strong, well-weighted and look smart on the countertop.
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They → weight → countertop
Best of all, their reasonable cost makes the set a great buy for students or anyone setting up their first flat – particularly with their lifetime guarantee.
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set → make → guarantee
Each knife is hardworking and makes a good everyday option, they're not too heavy and the standout is the chef's knife, which considering the price is really price, and slices nicely as it has a really thin bladed edge.
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it → make → edge
The only negative is the wooden block, which feels a bit light and not that solid, though it does have feet on the bottom to keep it in place.
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it → feel → place
- Set includes: Chef (15cm), bread (20cm), carving (20cm), utility knife (10cm),
- Blade metal: Stainless steel
- Holder included: Yes
Shark Ninja Foodi StaySharp Knife Block with Integrated Sharpener 6-Piece Set
★★★★☆
Best: Knife set with a built-in sharpener
What we love: Well-designed, includes a knife sharpener, and scissors
Take note:
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love → include → note
Keeping things simple and all in one place is Shark Ninja's knife block with an integrated sharpener
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Keeping → keep → sharpener
SharkNinja always goes the extra mile with its premium products, and including the sharpener in the knife block means there's one less thing to be rummaging around the drawers for, as little is more annoying than misplacing a knife sharpener when your knives are starting to lose their edge.
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knives → go → edge
Made from German rust-resistant stainless steel, the full-tang knives feel sturdy but comfortable in the hand, and each piece – including the scissors and block – is well ergonomically designed.
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piece → make → scissors
They are the heaviest set tested, and though I thought that would be good for the bread knife, it needed more pressure than others to get a slice of bread.
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it → test → bread
The smallest knives, the utility and pairing knife both have flat edges rather than slightly curved.
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knives → have → edges
For this reason, I found they made chopping little cherry tomatoes that love to roll around on the board really easy.
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that → find → board
Though Ninja is known for its dark grey tones of plastic and chrome, it would have been nicer to have a wooden block, and perhaps a smaller one, as it's quite hefty.
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it → know → block
- No. of knives: 5 plus scissors
- Set includes: Chef (20cm), bread (20cm), carving (13cm), utility knife (13cm), pairing knife (9cm)
- Blade metal: German rust-resistant stainless steel
- Holder included: Yes
Sous Chef Chef ARC Edge Damascus Steel Knife Trio
★★★★☆
Best: Damascus knife set
What we love: Damascus steel pattern, good selection of knives, and deeper blades than others
Take note: More expensive compared to some
At under £80 per knife, these knives are a great buy for the budding chef looking to upgrade their kitchen equipment.
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knives → include → equipment
They're made from 73-layer Damascus steel, giving them that professional-chef look with its rippling appearance across the blades, meaning they're great to display in the kitchen on a wall-fixed holder or magnetic holder on the worktop.
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they → make → worktop
The handles aren't wooden, but have a wood-like effect known as pakkawood, where thin layers of hardwood are compressed into the handle.
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layers → have → handle
…and 55 more, not listed.
The Aporia
