The Best Chef Knives Recommended by Real Chefs
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Loading... - Laura Rios
- 02 Aug 2022
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The chef’s knife is the ultimate tool for professional and amateur chefs alike, but not all knives are created equal. We asked some of the best professional chefs in the world to recommend their favorite go-to chef knives to suit their different styles and approaches to cookery. Read on to find out their recommendations and where you can buy one yourself.
Top Picks
1. Best Overall: Mac Professional 8 Inch Hollow Edge Chef Knife (as used by Eric Ripert)
2. Best for Beginners: Global G-2 (used by Anthony Bourdain)
3. Best for Butchery: 9.4″ Masamoto VG-10 (used by Jose Garces)
4. Best Professional Knife Set: ZWILLING J.A. Henckels Professional 7-Piece Chef’s Set (as used by Gordon Ramsay)
How we selected the best knives
While we could’ve scoured the Internet for top-rated knives, we made the smart play and asked brilliant chefs who’ve worked their way up through the world’s most demanding kitchens to reach the top of the restaurant game.
We’re talking Daniel Boulud. Michael Solomonov. Eric Ripert. Jose Garces. These culinary aficionados have the knowledge, skills, and background to help you justify spending a few hundred dollars on a hunk of (exceptionally sharp, hand-crafted) metal that’ll change your kitchen routine. Plus we’ve updated the list, researching additional knives used by the likes of Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay.
Here are the most outstanding blades you can buy, according to some of the finest chefs in the country.
Best overall
Mac Professional 8 Inch Hollow Edge Chef Knife (used by Eric Ripert)
Very few chefs have mastered the art of transforming the ocean’s freshest catches into refined, elegant dishes like Eric Ripert. The chef and co-owner of Le Bernardin, an institution with three Michelin stars and four stars since 1986, Ripert is an expert in delicate seafood and other rare ingredients.
“My ultimate go-to is a MAC chef knife,” says Ripert. “There is nothing like this knife. It’s a workhorse.” But, most important, Ripert is diligent when it comes to caring for his blades: “I take really good care of it, and get it sharpened on a stone very often to keep it in good condition.”
Best High-End Knife Set
Michel Bras Collection used by Daniel Boulud
One of the most highly regarded chefs in the world, Daniel Boulud is an undisputed master of all things culinary. Perhaps best known for Daniel, his eponymous, Michelin-starred restaurant, this maestro also helms his own culinary empire around the world, including the recently opened Boulud Sud, and high-end marketplaces.
His go-to knife brand: The Michel Bras collection. “It’s the perfect combination of precision and sharpness, and balance,” Boulud says. For the collection, acclaimed chef Michael Bras “collaborated with Kai of Shun knives to make these out of stainless steel and PakkaWood”. According to Boulud, “it’s the finest collaboration of expertise between a chef and a steel master, with a beautiful design”. And though the price tag might be a bit shocking, Boulud offers this: “While they are very expensive, they will last a lifetime.”
Best American Knife
Bob Kramer 8″ Stainless Damascus Chef’s Knife by Zwilling J.A. Henckels used by Michael Solomonov
Best Chef Knife Kramer
Chef Michael Solomonov, a three-time James Beard Award winner (and 2017’s “Outstanding Chef”) unequivocally put Israeli cuisine on the map. His restaurant Zahav has garnered critical acclaim and widespread popularity for transforming the authentic flavors of Israel’s cuisine into modern, soulful dishes.
His go-to knife also happens to be one of our personal favorites: “My Kramer knife is the jam,” he says. “Bob Kramer knives have super-sturdy blades, hold an edge well, and have the perfect balance when it comes to grip and weight.” Solomonov gives “bonus” points to these steel-cut beauties for being American-made and to legendary bladesmith Bob Kramer: “He’s a legit mensch of a guy, which is huge.” Read More...
