Best (and worst) chef's knives — tested

A great chef’s knife becomes an extension of the person holding it: balance equals control, good steel promises longevity, and a sharp edge makes food prep feel effortless. I judged each blade by geometry, materials, grind and, above all, how it felt both at minute one and hour ten—whether it bit cleanly or bruised and wedged, whether it sang on the board or merely thudded.

I tested 14 knives over a fortnight, using them for midweek pastas, braises, light butchery, filleting fish and controlled trials such as chopping chives and slicing waxy tomatoes. The testing drew on a decade of professional cooking, a bestselling cookbook about essential kitchen technique, and what the reviewer calls “10,000 hours” at the chopping board.

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