And remember that any knife works better when it’s sharp, and paired with the perfect cutting board. Read on for the details about the eight chef’s knives CR evaluated in our labs and in our kitchens. It’s a process that’s half surgical, and half, well, just plain gross-but the stakes are high because you’re making intricate cuts with slippery hands. I opted for bone-in chicken thighs so I could really get a feel for deboning and cubing chicken with each knife, which I consider to be one of the hardest tasks you’ll tackle in a home kitchen. My family loves a chicken and veggie stir-fry, and all the chopped ingredients lend themselves perfectly to an evaluation of knives. I used each knife on my household staples-potatoes, garlic, onions, and chicken thighs, as well as for some finer work, chopping cilantro and scallions. I cook almost every night for my family, and with three kids with different tastes, I knew I’d get a chance to really get in the trenches with each knife. Lastly, as both a culinary-school grad and the primary preparer of food in my own household, I brought all eight knives home to try them in my own kitchen. And a vast majority rarely or never washed their knives in a dishwasher, opting instead for hand-washing, which is the way to go. We whittled our list down to those who owned a chef’s knife for a minimum of six months and used it at least weekly, though a majority reported using their knives almost every day.Īlmost every single person reported that they sharpened their knives, though half didn’t hone the blade or know what honing was. In addition, we wanted to know what makes a great knife in the eyes of real users to inform our reviews and picks, so we asked 15 home cooks about their habits and preferences, what they loved and hated about the knives they already use, and what they’d seek out in an ideal knife. Each knife was also evaluated by our in-house ergonomics expert, Dana Keester, to see what factors contribute to good and bad knife design. To do that, we used a basting brush to paint oil on the hands of the participants, and asked them to repeat the tests, noting whether each knife slipped or became difficult to handle. Then we evaluated whether performance and design would hold up with slippery hands, similar to what might happen if you were working through a chicken breast. We’ve also compiled tips on shopping for a new knife and proper knife technique and care, to ensure years of effortless cutting. Because we no longer test knife sets, we took a detailed look at the most popular and useful knife to offer insights into the best chef’s knives. We also fielded a user study to see how home cooks use their chef’s knives in their own kitchens. I brought all eight knives home to my kitchen and used them for everything from mincing herbs to deboning chicken thighs. To answer those questions, CR developed an expansive testing protocol, looking at eight different 8-inch chef’s knives in our labs with panelists and with our in-house expert in ergonomics. Can you get away with buying a cheap knife? And what do you really get when you splurge? A quick online search yields hundreds of choices, ranging from $10 to $1,000 or more. Of course, finding a stellar chef’s knife amid all the options available isn’t easy. An 8-inch chef’s knife is the most common size, and in culinary circles it’s widely viewed as hitting the sweet spot: long enough to cut through large foods like a roast but not so long that it’s unwieldy or difficult to hold.
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