Need to know
- You don’t have to spend top dollar to get a good knife, but the cheapest knives are unlikely to stay sharp
- Sales and discounts on kitchen knives are a regular occurrence so you'll rarely need to pay the full recommended retail price
- A sharper knife is a safer knife; caring for your knife properly ensures it'll last as long as possible
If you do a lot of cooking from scratch, a good knife is an essential piece of kitchen kit.
It's one of the first things you'll reach for each time you begin to prepare a meal and something you'll use time and time again.
Whether you're a master chef or a disaster chef, having a sharp kitchen knife will help make cooking easier, safer and simply a more pleasant experience.
But for a tool that humans have used for literal millennia, the price variation on different knives – anywhere from less than $100 to over $400 – can be more than a little perplexing.
Choosing the right knife
What makes the best knife can be subjective. Is the weight of a knife important to you? The size? What it's made from?
All of these factors can influence your decision, as can the simple issue of price.
Sami Levett is a chef and recipe developer for QuiteLike, a subscription meal box service. She says that a well-made, sharp and comfortable knife will make your time in the kitchen safer, more enjoyable and more efficient.
It will also help you make the most of your food: "a good knife can cut effectively and precisely through ingredients, preserving their quality," she says.
A dull, poor-quality knife can not only damage ingredients – for example, delicate herbs can be crushed and bruised when cutting with a blunt blade – but it's also a safety risk.
A dull, poor quality knife can be a safety risk.
"A dull blade requires the knife wielder to press down with force, which can cause accidents from the knife slipping," says Sami.
If you'd rather cut the tip of a zucchini instead of the tip of your finger, a sharp, well-honed blade is crucial.
Our kitchen experts have compared 12 cook's and chef's knives from a range of brands and price points to find out which blade is best.
Our test included knives that cost as little as $5, and as much as $379. For each one we assessed cutting performance, sharpness and ease of use.
We found that (as is often the case) expensive doesn't necessarily mean better, though in this case it does play a part.
Do you need to spend hundreds on a chef's knife?
According to CHOICE expert Peter Zaluzny, probably not. But a cut-price knife might not impress either.
"Knives that cost more than $100 outperformed almost all of the cheaper models in our test," says Peter.
"But you don't necessarily need to pay top dollar to get a very good knife that retains its sharpness."
And conversely, paying top dollar won't necessarily guarantee you'll get a very good knife: the lowest-ranking knife in our tests costs $200 and was outperformed by a $5 Kmart Anko knife.
Our tests also found plenty of mid-priced knives that are good-quality options for home cooks.
Should you buy a $5 Anko knife from Kmart or Target?
While our tests didn't find any knives for less than $100 that we would recommend, that doesn't mean they don't have their place.
"Cheaper knives may not perform as well as those that cost over $100," says Peter.
"But their performance-to-cost ratio is often much better. In other words, some cheaper knives aren't as good but offer much better value for money. There are still good options if you're on a budget."
CHOICE test coordinator Elias Plastiras, who conducted our recent test, agrees.
As part of our in-house testing he sliced his way through 30 tomatoes, 30 onions, 45 carrots and 20 steaks, assessing each knife for how easily it cut through each food. The less effort needed to cut, the higher the score.
You don't have to spend a lot to get a nice, sharp knife, but you might need to spend at least $100 to get one that will stay sharp for a longer period
CHOICE test coordinator Elias Plastiras
Along with our in-house tests, we partnered with the University of New South Wales to conduct an assessment simulating wear and dulling of the knives. This revealed that the cheaper knives in our test didn't stay as sharp as the more expensive options.
"You don't have to spend a lot to get a nice, sharp knife, but you might need to spend at least $100 to get one that will stay sharp for a longer period," says Elias.
Should I pay full price for an expensive knife?
In some product categories, we frequently see sales and discounts.
For example, in our mattress review, we find that when shopping both online and instore you can often make substantial savings on recommended retail prices thanks to sales that offer big price reductions.
After shopping around for this test we found that it seems to be a similar story with knives.
Want a big-name brand? Check the sales
"All but the cheapest knives are pretty well permanently on sale," says Peter.
"Many homeware retailers slice a reasonable chunk off the RRP across most of the year and prices often drop even further during popular sales periods like the end of financial year, Black Friday or Boxing Day."
Peter recommends that if you find a knife you want, it pays to shop around online and compare prices. "You won't have to work very hard to find a deal," he says.
Regularly sharpening your knife will help it last longer.
How long should your knife last?
A good knife will last a long time, provided it's cared for and stored correctly.
Sami suggests that you follow these steps to keep your knife sharp for as long as possible.
1. Sharpen it regularly
Routine sharpening with the correct materials such as a whetstone or fine ceramic honing steel will keep your knife working as it should. There are professional services available that can do this for you if you aren't able to do it yourself at home.
2. Wash it well
Never put your blades in the dishwasher and make sure you dry them using paper towel rather than a tea towel. "Tea towels can leave residue on the knife, resulting in rust, depending on the metal it's made from," says Sami.
3. Cut wisely
Don't use your knife to cut directly on hard surfaces such as bench tops, sinks or chopping boards made from glass or bamboo. "Ideally your chopping board should either be wood end-grain or soft plastic," says Sami.
4. Store it properly
Keeping your knife in the box or scabbard it came in, or in a knife block will help protect the blade. Storing a kitchen knife loose in a cutlery drawer is not only a safety hazard, it's also likely to cause your blade to dull more quickly.
For help with choosing the right knife as well as tips on costs, discounts, and paying the recommended price, our kitchen knife buying guide has lots of advice.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
