Chef's Path Professional Chef Knife Set - 8" Ultra Sharp Japanese Santoku Kitchen Knife - German High Carbon Stainless Steel Chefs Knife with Sheath & Premium Packaging - Best Value Cooking Knife

Product Information

The knife comes with a 7-inch, heavy-weight bolstered fork, and both have water-resistant handles made from pakkawood, an engineered wood that's particularly durable. They aren't dishwasher safe, but we found them easy enough to wash by hand and can see them lasting a long time—particularly if you only bring them out for big events. When shopping for the best chef’s knife, it’s ideal to hold the ones you're considering so you can get a feel for them. At the end of the day, your go-to knife is largely based on personal preference. What might feel perfectly balanced to one cook may feel heavy to another. Here's what to consider: The best chef’s knives to buy 1. Robert Welch Signature Santoku Knife 11cm: Best mini Santoku for general duties Key specs – Blade material: German 1.4116 stainless steel; Handle material: DuPont plastic; Size: 20cm

Though the knife doesn't come with a sheath, which we would have preferred, it was easy to hand wash with no remaining residue or streaks after cleaning. In terms of long-term performance, customers say that it holds its edge well (and recommend Mac Knife sharpeners for when you do need to resharpen the blade). This knife is not dishwasher-safe, but follow the care instructions carefully and it should last you years. While it may not be the cheapest, its versatility and durability make it worth the cost. We tried the knife on a number of items, including garlic, onion, tomato, and a piece of paper. There was no tearing on the tomato, and the knife was able to slice very thinly with ease. It also smashed garlic easily and minced well. The knife's sharp hollow edge helped it glide through an onion, and it only experienced a slight drag when cutting butternut squash. It even sliced through paper twice with only minimal tearing on the second run.

Cast from high-quality German DIN 1.4116 stainless steel and with a hand-applied 15° Japanese-style edge for superior cutting power, this is one of the sharpest blades in this roundup, and it will stay that way for a very long time if properly cared for. That means no dishwashers and no mixing it with other knives or cutlery. In our sharpness test, it easily sliced a dropped grape and had no problem dealing with a soft tomato.

This roundup was written by Donna Currie, cookbook author, food writer, and product tester. She personally tested two of the santoku knives on this list, in addition to over 100 products for The Spruce Eats.If you want an option that will go easy on your wallet yet still get the job done, you really can’t beat the price for this Mercer Culinary knife. If you aren’t carving and slicing a ton of protein, there’s no need to shell out a ton of money for a decorative knife set that you will rarely use. The 11-inch, high-carbon steel blade boasts a Granton edge so that food will easily pull away from the blade as you’re slicing.