Best chef knife UK
Which is the best chef knife in 2025?
VIEW OFFERBest of 2025: Find the right chef knife in the UK
It is important to buy the best chef’s knife you can afford. The higher the quality of your knife, the more you will use it for all kinds of cooking tasks, from preparing vegetables to meat. So it makes sense to buy the best chef’s knife possible for your budget, as this will save you from needing several knives to carry out basic cooking tasks. Finding a great chef’s knife is not easy, as there are all kinds of options to choose from. Cheaper knives are often made from inferior materials and blunter, making them less versatile, while more expensive knives can handle pretty much any task you throw at them. Read our chef’s knife buying guide to make finding the best one for your requirements that bit easier!
The 10 best chef knives in the UK (January 2025)
The bestseller list compares chef knives from multiple brands
- Ergonomics: Pakkawood handle offers comfort and heat/moisture resistance.
- Sharpness: 2mm thick, sharp 12° blade provides precise cutting.
- Durability: High carbon German stainless steel ensures longevity and resistance to rust.
- Durability: High carbon German stainless steel resists corrosion and tarnish.
- Comfort: Full tang construction with ergonomic santoprene handle.
- Sharpness: Razor sharp edge for precise and effortless cutting.
- Comfort: Ergonomically designed handle minimizes fatigue and finger numbness.
- Sharpness: Ultra-sharp edge ensures precise and effortless cutting.
- Material: Made of German stainless steel for durability and sharpness.
- Sharpness: Hand-polished, precisely tempered blades ensure superior sharpness and pattern beauty.
- Handle: Features ergonomic, triple-riveted design for secure, comfortable grip.
- Set: Includes Chef, Slicer, Santoku, and Paring knives - a versatile 5-piece package.
- Comfort: Comfortable and solid grip with frosted glass fiber G10 handle.
- Durability: Forged with 67 layers of steel for long-lasting use.
- Sharpness: Super sharp edge made from Damascus Japanese steel AUS-10.
- Versatility: Multi-functional design suits various cooking tasks, making it ideal for home chefs.
- Ergonomics: Mkuruti rosewood handle offers comfortable and ergonomic grip for prolonged use.
- Sharpness: High carbon AUS-8 stainless steel ensures long-lasting sharpness and durability.
- Sharpness: Hand polished razor-sharp edge allows effortless cutting and chopping.
- Structure: Full tang design provides optimal balance and strength.
- Quality: German high carbon stainless steel ensures superior durability and performance.
- Balance: Full Tang blade allows for balanced, powerful cuts.
- Durability: Forged with 67 steel layers; ensures longevity.
- Sharpness: Razor-sharp edge cuts foods effortlessly.
- Versatility: Meets all chef requirements, handling multiple kitchen tasks effortlessly.
- Design: Semicircle radian on the back for wrist protection and ease of use.
- Material: Handmade forged from 5Cr15MoV high carbon for durability.
- Ergonomic: Balanced handle reduces wrist tension and provides comfort.
- Sharpness: Hand-polished edge ensures precision and long-lasting sharpness.
- Steel: German high carbon steel offers exceptional hardness and durability.
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- Read the definitive chef knife buying guide
- View the chef knife picks and see how they rank in the top list
chef knife buying guide
Do you want to buy a good chef knife? This is all you need to know.
A short explanation: What are chef knives?
A chef’s knife, often referred to as a cook’s knife, is the most important knife in the kitchen, as it can be used for cutting just about anything you want. These multipurpose knives are straight-edged and usually oval-shaped to work with a rocking motion, making them perfect for cutting vegetables, meat, and fish in particular. While they are important for chefs, these are great for home cooking too.
What are the benefits of good chef knives?
You can do virtually any type of cooking with a good chef knife. While most kitchens will feature an abundance of different knives for every cutting requirement, a chef knife is all you need to get started. This means that by buying the best chef knife you can increase the quality of your homemade meals, as preparing ingredients will be quicker and much easier. The best chef knives can handle more challenging cuts, break down large pieces of meat, and even be used for those fiddly tasks like dicing vegetables.
How to choose the best chef knife in 2025?
Choosing the best chef knife can be difficult for first-time buyers, so here are some things to consider when buying:
- Size: Chef knives come in various sizes, so consider what you find most manageable. It is generally recommended to choose a chef knife that equates to the length of your knuckle to offer more control and manoeuvrability. Oversized chef knives (around 8 inches) are popular for this reason, being only slightly long and offering plenty of control.
- Blade Material: The quality of the metals in a chef knife are a good indicator of its overall quality, but it is important to understand what type of metal is used. Some metals are softer but are easy to sharpen, gaining edge retention in the process, while hard metals are more durable but can be difficult to maintain over the long term. Remember, a chef knife with a carbon blade will need to be sharpened often. Stainless carbon steel chef knives are popular for this, combining the best properties of the two metals.
- Maintenance: Beyond the blade, there are additional maintenance tasks to consider, namely whether the chef knife is safe to clean in a kitchen machine. For example, chef knives with a full tang are not suitable for a dishwasher, as the build-up of steam can damage the handle. Generally, chef knives with a serrated edge are safe to wash in a dishwasher. Tho those that require careful handwashing.
Which types of chef knives are available to buy in the UK?
There are many types of chef’s knives available, with every design suiting different people and purposes, with the most popular selling including:
- French Chef’s Knives: This type features a large, downward sloping semi-circular blade that rocks to the tip, which is very popularly used by most chef’s. It’s great for slicing using a rocking motion, so if you love making soups and stews with lots of sliced vegetables, it is a great choice.
- German Chef’s Knives: This design features a more distinctly curved blade, with the entire knife used in a rocking motion when slicing. They are usually heavier too due to a wider spine, making them especially useful for breaking down thicker and heavier items like meats and poultry.
- Japanese Chef’s Knives: Bearing a flatter edge than most other types, Japanese chef’s knives require sharpening more frequently but also result in some of the thinnest slices possible. They are well recognized for their stunning aesthetic, often complemented by intricate designs on the blade.