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Do you have just one or two dull kitchen knives that you use for everything when you cook? A kitchen knife set provides you with a selection of sharp knives so you can choose the best one for the job at hand.
This review looks at a selection of these knife sets – from a five piece set through to an 18-piece set – and details their pros, cons and features, including the knives they contain, with recommendations. The Buyer’s Guide is a primer on the different types of knives and their uses that you might find in a kitchen knife set.
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Kitchen Knife Set Reviews
1. Lief + Svein German Steel Knife Set – 15-Piece
Best Pick
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The Lief + Svein 15 Piece German Steel Knife Set contains a variety of western and Japanese knives for most kitchen cutting chores. All the knives are made of strong German carbon stainless steel. This is a metal that doesn’t stain so you don’t need to worry about cutting vegetables that usually leave their colour behind, such as beetroot.
The knife handles are constructed of black ABS, a high-quality plastic. ABS is non-toxic, BPA-free and doesn’t stain, so it’s very safe in the kitchen. They’re ergonomically designed in a curved shape. They fit comfortably into your hand at the best angle for slicing, chopping and mincing. The 12 knives in the set include four steak knives for use at your dining table.
Along with the knives you receive kitchen shears and a honing steel for sharpening everything. The kitchen shears have a variety of uses from cutting up fresh herbs to dicing bacon rashers.
Everything fits in a para rubber tree wood block that comes with your purchase (and is counted as part of the 15-piece set). The block has a convenient ledge on which to place a cook book or an iPad. You can follow along with your recipe text or video without getting flour or such on the book or tablet.
It’s interesting to note that the wood for the knife block comes from special plantations that ensure that it’s sustainable. And there’s a lifetime warranty with this knife set along with a money-back guarantee if you receive the set and decide that it’s not for you after all.
And remember to always wash these knives (and any kitchen knife) by hand and not in the dishwasher.
Also available in a six-piece knife set and a nine-piece knife set.
Pros
- Fifteen-piece knife set in a wooden block with an iPad/recipe book holder.
- Knife blades constructed of 1.4116 German stainless steel.
- Carbon stainless steel doesn’t stain.
- Knife handles made from black ABS, a thermoplastic polymer.
- Knives designed for accuracy and precision.
- Ergonomically designed curved handles.
- Money-back guarantee.
- Lifetime warranty.
Contains
- Chefs knife – 20cm
- Carving knife – 20cm
- Bread knife – 20cm
- Utility knife – 12.5cm
- Paring knife – 9cm
- Santoku knife – 17.5cm
- Santoku knife – 12.5cm
- Boning knife – 15cm
- Heavy duty shears
- Honing sharpener
- 4 x steak knives
Cons
- Knives rest sharp end up.
- Scissors broke easily.
Our recommendation
The Lief + Svein German Steel Knife Set contains the knives that an enthusiastic home cook could ever want, along with the ever-useful kitchen shears. Made from the finest German carbon stainless steel, these are extra sharp knives that don’t stain. The inclusion of steak knives means that your dinner guests also benefit from the sharp knives.
This is an excellent all-inclusive set of kitchen (and dining) knives with a lifetime warranty. It’s the Best Pick in this review.
2. DALSTRONG Knife Set Block – 18 Piece – Gladiator Series
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The DALSTRONG Knife Set Block – 18 Piece – Gladiator Series is a premium knife set for both the home and the professional chef. Unlike some other knife sets, the acacia knife block isn’t counted as one of the 18 pieces. You really receive 18 cutting implements.
This DALSTRONG knife set is an excellent mixture of western and Japanese kitchen knives. The Japanese knives are especially usefully for slicing meat and fish thinly and for cutting vegetables. [See our Buyer’s Guide for descriptions of what each knife is best for.]
The knife blades are constructed from high quality German carbon stainless steel. This is a material that doesn’t rust or stain, so you don’t have to worry about the juices from highly coloured vegetables from marking the knives. The blades are hand sharpened to a 16° angle. They’re also hand polished to a satin finish which also helps with their sharpness.
The handles of these knives are of black high-quality ABS, a thermoplastic. ABS handles heat, cold and moisture well, by generally ignoring these conditions. They’re riveted in three places so they won’t separate from the blades. A protective finger bolster is ergonomically designed to give you the best grip on the knives.
Along with the kitchen knives you also receive six steak knives and a honing steel for sharpening. However, this set doesn’t come with the very useful kitchen shears.
As there are 18 pieces, the knife block, of acacia wood, is a little large. It’s in three sections but they’re attached to each other. But be aware that the block does take up quite a lot of space on your countertop.
As always with high quality kitchen knives, I recommend that you wash these ones by hand.
This knife set is also available with a white handle and acacia knife block, and with a red handle also with an acacia knife block.
Pros
- Eighteen-piece knife set in a three-part (but connected) acacia wood block.
- Blades are made of German high-carbon stainless steel.
- Blades are stain resistant.
- Handles are of black G10 Garolite ABS polymer and are triple riveted.
- Satin finish to steel through hand polishing.
- Great customer service from Dalstrong.
- Money-back guarantee.
Contains
- Serrated knife – 14cm
- 6x steak knives – 12.5cm
- Paring knife – 9.5cm
- Peeling knife – 7cm
- Bread knife – 22.5cm
- Slicer knife – 22.5cm
- Chef’s knife – 20cm
- Kiritsuke knife – 22.5cm
- Santoku knife – 17.5cm
- Nakiri knife – 17.5cm
- Boning knife – 15cm
- Utility knife – 15cm
- Honing steel – 25cm
Cons
- Become dull quite quickly.
- Knife block is large and sometimes uneven or scratched.
- No kitchen shears.
Our recommendation
The DALSTRONG Knife Set Block – 18 Piece – Gladiator Series has all the knives used by a professional chef. Home cooks may find the choice of knives a little intimidating at first. But these are high-quality knives of German carbon stainless steel that each have a specialist function.
The DALSTRONG Knife Set Block – 18 Piece – Gladiator Series is our choice for Best Pick Premium kitchen knife set.
3. Morphy Richards Accents 46290 5 Piece Knife Block
Best Pick – Budget
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The Morphy Richards Accents 46290 5 Piece Knife Block is a kitchen knife set that doesn’t count the knife block as one of its pieces. You receive five knives that can do most of the basic cutting tasks in the home kitchen. Kitchen shears and a honing steel for sharpening are not included in this basic set, however.
The knives are held in a coloured stainless steel block with a curved front. This gives a slightly organic design to an otherwise geometric kitchen tool set. We review the black knife block but it’s also available in other colours to fit in with your kitchen décor. These include copper, red, original stainless steel, dark grey, and creamy white.
The knife blades are made from stainless steel in a stain finish. There’s no information as to whether this is from Germany. But this is a budget-priced knife set. Some online reviewers remark that the knives aren’t as heavy as they expected.
The handles are an integral part of the knife, made from the same steel. The handles are slightly curved for a comfortable fit for your hand.
You can extend the one-year warranty to five years if you register your purchase online quickly.
Pros
- Five-piece knife set in a black steel knife block.
- Knife blades made from stainless steel in a satin finish.
- Knife block is made from coloured stainless steel.
- Ergonomic design of knives and knife block.
- One-year guarantee extended to five years if you register inline within 28 days of buying this set.
Contains
- Bread knife – 20cm
- Chef knife – 12.5cm
- Carving/slicing knife – 20cm
- Utility knife – 7.5cm
- Paring knife
Cons
- No honing/sharpening steel.
- No kitchen shears.
- Knives not as heavy as expected.
- Not very sharp.
Our recommendation
The Morphy Richards Accents 46290 5 Piece Knife Block contains five knives that can do the majority of the basic cutting and slicing tasks in any home kitchen. This is a relatively low-cost kitchen knife set that’s good for those cooks starting their own kitchen collection of utensils.
The Morphy Richards Accents 46290 5 Piece Knife Block is my selection for Best Pick – Budget kitchen knife set in this review.
4. Tefal Ice Force Knives – 5 Piece Set
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The Tefal Ice Force Knives 5 Piece Set does contain five knives plus the kitchen block to keep them in. Interestingly, one of the five knives is the Japanese Santoku knife that’s useful for cutting thin slices of almost any food item.
This Tefal kitchen knife set uses a different technology to produce the blades than other knives from the same manufacturer. The Ice Force technology cools the blade to -120°C so that it stays sharper for longer and is more durable. The blades are made from high-quality German stainless steel as all the best knife blades are.
I couldn’t find out what the handles are made of. But they are triple riveted for security and have a blade guard to protect your fingers from touching the blade as you hold the knife. This kitchen knife set comes with a 10-year warranty. This should give you confidence. But your knives should last a long time, especially if you only hand wash them.
Pros
- Five piece knife set in a wooden knife block.
- Knife blades constructed from German stainless steel.
- Ten-year warranty.
Contains
- Bread knife – 20cm
- Chef knife – 20cm
- Santoku knife – 18cm
- Utility knife – 11cm
- Paring knife – 9cm
Cons
- No sharpening/honing steel.
- No kitchen shears.
Our recommendation
The Tefal Ice Force Knives 5 Piece Set is a high-quality set of the basic knives that you need to perform kitchen slicing and dicing tasks. The inclusion of the Japanese santoku knife puts this knife set apart from many others. Made of German stainless steel, these knives have an extra sharpness through Tefal’s Ice Force technology.
5. Damascus Kitchen Knife Set – 9 pieces
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No products found.The Damascus Kitchen Knife Set, 9pcs, has all the knives a home kitchen needs, even for use by enthusiastic cooks. The set includes a Japanese santoku knife, as well as a knife sharpener and kitchen shears.
These knives have the pattern in the stainless steel blades associated with the iconic Damascus knives. This is produced by the lamination of 33 layers of steel on each side around a central steel core – that’s 67 layers of steel in total. The knives are rust and corrosion resistant and don’t stain.
The knife handles are constructed of black ABS and the steel extension of the blade (the tang) extends all the length of each handle. The handles are triple-riveted for security along the curved ergonomic shape.
You do get only six knives as the seventh element of the set are the kitchen shears, the eighth element is the knife sharpener and the ninth element is the beech wood knife block. But the shears are always useful for a variety of tasks (cutting herbs and even raw meat). The shears are suitable for right-handed and for left-handed cooks. And it’s always safer to use a sharp knife than a dull one.
Pros
- Nine-piece knife set including a beech wood knife block.
- Knife blades have a VG10 Super steel core of 67 layers of Damascus steel.
- Knife handle is of ABS with a tang along its entire length. handle design.
- Lifetime warranty.
Contains
- Chef Knife – 20cm
- Slicing Knife – 20cm
- Bread Knife – 20cm
- Santoku Knife – 17.75cm
- Utility Knife – 14cm
- Paring Knife – 9cm
- Kitchen Shears – 25.5cm
- Knife Sharpener – 32.5cm
Our recommendation
The Damascus Kitchen Knife Set, 9pcs, has six knives (including the Japanese santoku knife), kitchen shears and a knife sharpener. All this is housed in a beech wood knife block. Taken all together, this is a useful set for most kitchen cutting tasks (including those beyond the basics) as well as for keeping your cutting utensils sharp.
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Buyer’s Guide for Kitchen Knife Sets
In this review, you’re faced with a choice of kitchen knife sets. But they all have a different selection of kitchen knives in them. How do you know which knives you need for your regular kitchen tasks? That’s where this Buyer’s Guide comes in. I give a brief description of the uses of the most common kitchen knives. This will help you decide which ones you absolutely need and which ones are nice to have.
Chef’s knife
Advice from many chefs is start you kitchen collection with a chef’s knife. This is a general purpose knife designed to perform many tasks well. Use it for slicing, dicing and chopping vegetables, slicing meat and cutting up pretty much anything.
Santoku knife
This knife is the Japanese equivalent of the chef’s knife. And again, it’s recommended by many chefs and home cooks. It’s great at cutting thin slices of meat, cheese, vegetables, fruit and fish. You can also use its wide blade to scoop things off your cutting board into a pot or a bowl. Its edge is thinner than a chef’s knife and has a row of shallow indentations that stop food from sticking to it.
Bread Knife
This is the knife that has a wavy or serrated edge. It’s suitable for cutting soft baked goods such as bread and cakes. Use a light touch with this knife and don’t push down hard. Interestingly, it’s also good at cutting ingredients with tough skins, such as tomatoes, once you’ve put the end of the knife in to get the knife cut started.
Paring knife/
A paring knife is probably the smallest knife for use in the kitchen. It’s suitable for peeling (even very finely) and cutting fruits and vegetables. It also can make tiny and delicate cuts in anything else.
Boning knife
If you regularly debone a fish or a piece of meat, you might consider getting a boning knife. This knife has a thin and flexible blade so you can follow the line between bone and flesh or muscles on poultry, meat and fish. The western boning knife is narrow with a sharp blade. Several specialist Japanese boning knives are also available.
Utility Knife
Chefs, food experts and home cooks have mixed feelings about the utility knife. Some say that it’s too general a knife to do anything well; others think that it fills the space between a large chef’s knife and the small paring knife. It’s up to you to decide if you have use for this knife.
Carving knife
If a carving knife becomes a standard in your kitchen may depend on how often you have a roast meal. This knife is designed to carve off thin slices of meat from a cooked roast of beef, turkey, ham and so on. It’s easier to control a carving knife than a chef’s knife for this task as the blade is thinner and slightly bendy.
Slicing knife
A slicing knife is similar to a carving knife but longer and with a blunt tip to the blade. They can have either a plain or a serrated edge. They are almost as flexible as a boning knife so you can manoeuvre them around the roast with ease.
Nakiri bocho
This is another Japanese knife you may want to consider. It’s a specialist knife that’s designed to cut vegetables. This knife has a thin and lightweight blade that’s very straight, so you can cut straight down into the vegetables. If you’re into making your vegetables precise and even decorative, take a look at the nakiri bocho.
Kiritsuke
This Japanese knife isn’t easy to use. It’s long and has an angled tip that’s perfect for slicing fish (for sushi). This knife is usually only found in knife sets for professional chefs and skilled home cooks.
Steak knives
I include steak knives on this list as it’s the only sharp knife that you put on your dining table. If you go to all the trouble to prepare perfectly cooked steak or prime rib, at least give your guests the correct knife to cut it with. These knives cleanly cut meat without tearing through the muscles or flesh.
Kitchen shears / kitchen scissors
These are just the same as garden shears but much smaller. Kitchen shears are great for chopping herbs and leafy greens, for cutting up cooked chicken or for any task for which a knife might be tricky to use.
Honing/sharpening steel
Not a knife, but an essential part of your kitchen knife set. This is a long steel rod against which you carefully, and at the right angle, rub the knife blade to sharpen it.
Final Conclusion
Select your kitchen knife set to provide you with the knives you need on a regular basis for your kitchen tasks. And perhaps the set includes one or two unusual knives for you to try out. Whether you choose a basic six-piece set or a more professional set with 15 knives, your food preparation becomes much easier with a variety of sharp knives.
Our Best Pick is the Lief + Svein German Steel Knife Set, 15-Piece. This set includes two Japanese knives, kitchen shears and a knife sharpener along with the other specialist knives.
Our Best Pick – Premium is the DALSTRONG Knife Set Block – 18 Piece – Gladiator Series. This set has both everyday knives and specialist knives for particular food preparation tasks.
Once you have your kitchen knife set you’ll be able to cut your homemade fresh bread cleanly.
Last update on 2024-05-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
