Best Professional Chef Knife Review
This is part of a series of articles where we help you choose the best chef knife for you. Below you’ll find all the information you need to select the best professional chef knife, and also make sure to check out the best chef’s knife on a budget and best chef knife for beginners.
Wusthof Classic Ikon 8 inch Knife
The Wusthof Classic Ikon Chef’s knife offers you precise cutting versatility through its super sharpness properties. It is ideal for a wide range of kitchen cutting tasks such as slicing, dicing and chopping. Ii is ideal for cutting and chopping vegetables as well as fruits with thin skins. The knife is slightly heavier than most of the other knives that have the same size. This makes it ideal for use by people who prefer the heft of the knife as an aid during cutting.
The Wusthof Classic Ikon 8 inch Knife is precisely forged from a single piece of high carbon German stainless steel material. Due to its high quality chemical and physical properties, the material makes the chef very strong and long lasting. It is able to withstand intense cutting actions, making it perfect for general cutting properties.
The knife is designed with double bolsters that provides it with both heft, and balance. The bolsters make the knife easy and comfortable to use since enhances effortless cutting. This property has made the knife a favorite chef knife to many home and professional cooks.
Unlike some other types of chef knives, the Wusthof Classic Ikon 8 inch Knife features a full tanged blade. The blade extends al through the length of the handle. This ensures that it stays intact in case of intense cutting motions.
The knife is made with a black triple riveted handle that is design with a contoured design to enhance secure and comfortable grips. The handle is made from a material that is very impermeable to water and detergents. This ensures that the substances do not penetrate into the handle, which would otherwise lead to the destruction of its constituents.
Though the Wusthof Classic Ikon 8 inch Knife is dishwasher safe, the manufacturer recommends hand washing it with warm soapy water. The knife comes with limited warranty on manufacturing and craftsmanship defects.
Pros & Cons of the Wusthof Classic Ikon 8 inch Knife
Pros
- Skillfully crafted from a single piece of high carbon stainless steel that enhances its strength and durability.
- Made with double bolsters that enhance balance and heft for ease of use and comfortable cutting
- String and full tang blade that remains intact for a long time
- Super sharp cutting edge that offers precise cutting versatility
- Black triple-riveted handle made from a durable and impermeable material that enhance comfort and secure grips
- Dishwasher safe though hand wash is recommended
- Come s with limited warranty on manufacturing and workmanship defects
- Perfect for use for opening cans and preparing sandwiches
Cons
- The blade can start rusting exposed to moist conditions
- Might be too heavy for some users
- The blade does not enhance knuckle clearance, which might result in accidents
- The knife is not made with a protection sheath. You have to incur n extra cost to buy a knife rank
Global G-2 8 inch Chef’s Knife
The Global 20CM Chef’s Knife is the perfect choice for dicing herbs and potatoes as well as savory home fries. The knife is skillfully manufactured from a single piece of CROMOV stainless steel material. It is this material that makes the knife unique from other chef knives. It provides the knife with outstanding strength and edge retention properties.
The knife features a long blade that makes it ideal for almost all your cutting needs. The size of the blade also makes it perfect for heavy cutting actions, especially the straight up and down motion.
The blade of the Global 20CM Chef’s Knife features an ice hardened convex edge that retains it sharpness for a long time. The cutting edge cuts through your food producing clean and fine slices and chops.
Pros of the Global 20CM Chef’s Knife
- made with large blade that makes it ideal for almost all cutting tasks
- lightweight and easy to carry around
- features a hollow handle this filled with sand to enhance balance
- convex edge that holds sharpness for a long time
Cons of the Global 20CM Chef’s Knife
- The dimple pattern on the handle might chip off after some time
- Not ideal for light tasks due to the large size of it blade.
Shun Hiro 8 Inch Chef’s Knife
The Shun Hiro 8 Inch Chef’s Knife is crafted from SG2 Japanese steel that offers it exceptional strength and durability characteristics. The steel is clad with 32 layers of Damascus Nickel on each side of the blade. This makes a total of 65 layers of metal.
Thee blade feature a cutting edge that has a Rockwell hardness of 64 degrees. The edge is double beveled to enhance its cutting versatility. It is angled at 16 degrees on each of the sides to help enhance its slicing properties. Furthermore, the edge is Japanese hand sharpened.
The Shun Hiro 8 Inch Chef’s Knife is made with a dark charcoal pakkawood handle that has deep crimson striations. The handle also features an inbuilt Samurai mosaic crest as well as a nickel silver bolster that enhances heft.
Pros of the Shun Hiro 8 Inch Chef’s Knife
- Its dene grain structure provides it with unparalleled edge durability
- Handcrafted by experienced artisans in Seki, Japan
- Handle made from black pakkawood that makes it durable
- Nickel silver bolster promotes heft and balance
- 64 degrees Rockwell hardness
- Damascus cladding enhances its stunning nature
Cons of the Shun Hiro 8 Inch Chef’s Knife
- The blade does not offer precise knuckle clearance
Zwilling HENKELS Twin Pro 8 Inch Chef’s Knife
The knife is made with a traditional POM handle that is metal triple-riveted to ensure that it is firm. The rivets also hold the blade to ensure that it is intact.
The HENKELS chef’s knife is skillfully forged from a special material of high carbon stainless material that makes it extremely durable. The material enhances the strength and edge retention of the knife
The knife is made with a curved bolster. The bolster enhances cutting versatility and boosts precision, comfort and safety.
Pros of the Zwilling HENKELS Pro 8 Inch Chef’s Knife
- Manufactured through a new technology of blade making
- Full tang ensures that the blade is intact
- The cutting edge does not lose its sharpness easily
- Seamless transition between the blade and handle
- Blade provides you with precise cutting versatility
- Dish washer safe though hand washing is recommended
- Comes with limited lifetime warranty from the manufacturer
Cons of the Zwilling HENKELS Pro 8 Inch Chef’s Knife
- No sheaths to protect the blades
- The knives may start rusting after a while if not wiped right
Wusthof Pro 10 Inch Chef’s Knife
The Wusthof pro chef knife is ideal for a wide range of cutting applications, including chopping, slicing and dicing. It I also ideal for odd task such as trimming. Moreover, you can use the knife for opening cans and making sandwiches.
The Wusthof knife is made with a tough polypropylene handle for comfort, balance and resistance to water. The handle is triple -riveted for tightness and durability.
The chef knife is made with fully forged design hand in hand with seamless transition between the handle and blade. This ensures that food and water particles cannot penetrate into the handle.
Pros of the Wusthof Pro 10 Inch Chef’s Knife
- Blade made from German stainless steel for strength and durability
- Seamless transition between the handle and blade
- Lightweight and well balanced for comfort and ease of use
- Does not absorb food elements, making it easy to clean
- Limited lifetime warranty
- Dish washer safe though hand washing is recommended
Cons of the Wusthof Pro 10 Inch Chef’s Knife
- The handle might chip off in case of heavy cutting actions
- Blade might rust after some time if not wiped well after use
Victorinox Fibrox 8 Inch Chef’s knife
The Victorinox Fibrox 8 inch is ideal for general cutting purposes. It is designed for mincing and dicing as well as chopping vegetables and meat.
The knife is manufactured with a high carbon stainless steel blade that provides it with precise sharpness and edge retention. The material offers it with strength and durability characteristics.
The handle is skillfully rafted rom Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) material that is impermeable to water and food particles. The material makes the handle comfortable to hold. The handle is textured and ergonomically designed to enhance knife balance
Pros of the Victorinox Fibrox 8 Inch Chef’s knife
- High carbon stainless steel material offers maximum edge retention
- Patented and textured handle to enhance comfort, balance and ease of use
- Handle is ergonomically designed and resistant to slip
- Seamless transition between the blade and the handle
- Limited lifetime warranty
- Crafted by experienced artisans in Switzerland
Cons of the Victorinox Fibrox 8 Inch Chef’s knife
- The cutting edge might bend in case of heavy use
- Might dull after some time
ZELITE Infinity 8 inch Chef Knife
The ZELITE Infinity 8 inch Chef Knife offers you extreme cutting performance every time that you use it. It is visually stunning and attracting to any guest who comes to your home. It adds style and stun to modern home as well as professional kitchens. Its special design makes it unique from other chef knives.
The knife features a blade that is skillfully crafted from premium Japanese AUS-10 steel that offers it extreme strength and durability characteristics. The strength is complimented by a 67- layer High Carbon stainless steel that also makes the knife non-stick. The two materials make the blade very strong, hence ideal for intense and heavy cutting actions.
The ZELITE Infinity 8 inch Chef Knife is designed with the Japanese TSUNAMI Rose Damascus
Pattern that enhances it striking appearance. This design also makes it easy for to differentiate the knife when blended with other knives. The Damascus pattern is tempered with Liquid Nitrogen to ensure not only durability, but also high performance and resistance to rusting.
The knife is made with a stunning round handle that is triple riveted to ensure that is intact. The handle is skillfully manufacturing from a top military grade G10 material. It is this material that majorly differentiates the ZELITE chef knife from the competition. The handle is precisely enforced with the Zelite Infinity 3 metal Mosaic rivets that hold it in position. The rivets also hold the tang of the blade, ensuring that it is firmly attached inside the handle. Furthermore, the handle is ergonomically designed to enhance knife balance, comfort and ease of use. It is made with a TAOERED Bolster to boost comfort and extreme comfort.
The blade of the ZELITE Infinity 8 inch Chef Knife features a very sharp cutting edge that I perfectly finished through the Traditional 3-step Honbazuke process of blade making. The blade is angled at 12 degrees on each of its sides. This polished cutting angle ensures effortless slicing, maximum performance as well as safety.
The knife is risk free. It comes with a lifetime warranty against any manufacturing defects. However, the warranty applies only if the knife is bought directly from the manufacturer.
Pros & Cons of the ZELITE Infinity 8 inch Chef Knife
Pros
- Blade made from premium Japanese steel with 67 layers of high carbon stainless steel to enhance strength and durability
- Black, round handle that is ergonomically designed to enhance secure grips and comfortable grips
- The handle is triple riveted with Zelite Infinity metal mosaic rivets to ensure that it remains intact
- Damascus pattern enhances its stunning appearance and makes it pleasing to look at
- Honbazuke process results in a mirror polished 12 degrees cutting edge
- Comes with lifetime warranty on manufacturing defects
Cons
- The handle might pull of in case of careless use
- Not dishwasher safe
Tips on How to Choose the Best Professional Chef Knife
The chef knife is necessary for preparing most of the kitchen meals that require cutting. This makes it an important and a must have knife for any kitchen. A good chef knife will not only make your cutting experiences enjoyable, but also result in clean and fine cuts.
It might be difficult to identify the best professional chef knife, especially if you have little or no earlier experience with the knife. Today, there are many brands, types and models of chef knives that are on market. To help you choose the best knife that will suit your needs, we have provided you with some of the important tips on how to choose the best professional chef knife. They are as follows
Tip 1: Go for the Best Material
Ensure that the material from which the best professional chef knife is made from is strong and durable. This will ensure that it serves you for a long time, so you don’t have to keep replacing it. The blade material should be metallic. If possible choose a knife whose blade is made with stainless steel content. Such knives have perfect edge retention, resistance to rust and skip and can withstand heavy cutting uses. To determine the hardness of the knife, feel its blade with your hands.
Tip 2: Consider the Handle Properties
Choose a professional chef knife whose handle is shaped in such a way that it fits in your arms. This fitness ensures a firm and secure grip. Go for a handle is not too heavy, as this may make it difficult for you to handle the knife. A light handle ensures that you have perfect control over the cutting edge.
Choose a knife whose handle is properly riveted. If possible, go for a knife that is metallic triple riveted. The riveting assures you that the handle will remain intact for a long period of time.
Tip 3: The Knife Should be Well Balanced
The knife’s balance is determined by the weight of its handle and blade. A good professional chef knife should not have a handle that is heavier than the blade and vice versa. If the handle and blade have different weights, the knife will be uncomfortable to use. A well balanced knife will provide you with an excellent cooking versatility, as well as control over the knife’s cutting edge and tip. To determine if a knife is balanced or not, try balancing it on your middle finger.
Tip 4: Consider the Blade Fitness
Study the point at which the blade is attached to the blade. There should be a seamless transition that is: there should be no gap between the blade and the handle. This ensures that water, food and detergents do not get their way into the handle, which would otherwise destroy its constituents. As a result, the handle might not last for long.
More importantly, that the knife should be well fitted into the blade. If possible, go for a knife with a full tang blade. Such a blade will be firmly held by the handle rivets, ensuring that it remains intact for a long time.
Tip 5: The Blade Should be Sturdy
When it comes to strength, there are two types of blades: thick or thin blade. You can choose from any of them depending with your tastes and preference. The thickness of the blade of the best professional chef knife determines its ability to withstand pressure exerted on it during cutting.
Thus, if you cut hard vegetables with you knife, you might be forced to exert a lot of pressure. This means that if you intend to buy a chef knife for that purpose, you should choose one that is thick and strong enough to bear such pressure without its blade breaking or detaching. Moreover, ensure that the tip of the blade is strong enough if you intend to use it for purposes such as opening cans and preparing sandwiches
Tip 6: Blade Flexibility is Vital
It is important that you choose a flexible chef knife. A flexible knife will allow you to chop or slice any type of food at your desired angle. Check to be sure that the blade is stiff enough to enhance slicing and mincing. The knife should also be easy to turn to any direction. This allows you to use it for different cutting actions, including straight up and down, back and forth as well as rolling motion.
Tip 7: Go For a Knife That’s Easy to Use
Before settling for a particular chef knife, consider its physical properties and appearance. Ensure that that the knife has a sharp cutting edge. Such a knife will provide you with perfect slicing and cutting versatility. Consider how comfortable to hold the handle is. The handle design determines if your grip will be secure or not.
Choose a knife whose features and functions match with your cutting needs. For example, do not choose a short chef knife if you intend to use it for tough tasks such as cutting fruits that have thick skins.
Tip 8: Take into Account Your Budget
Make sure that the price of the best professional chef knife that you choose is within your budget. Chef knives vary in prices depending with the brand, type and quality of the knife. However, it does not mean that a cheap knife will be of low quality. Whether the knife is cheap or expensive, it should match with the intention for which you are buying it.
Although choosing a perfect chef knife is a bit difficult, the tips that we have provided you with in this guide will help you out. You will go back home with a knife that will be of perfect help to you. Kindly use these tips to choose a good chef knife that will serve you for decades.
Benefits of the Best Professional Chef Knife
A chef knife is one of the most crucial tools that are a must have for every kitchen, be it domestic or commercial. The best professional chef knife boasts nearly all properties and specifications found in other types of knives. It is therefore ideal for many uses including paring, carving, and slicing, boning, fileting as well as cutting bread. While there are many benefits that you can get from your chef knife, we have just described some of them for you.
- It is Razor Sharp
The best professional chef knife is very sharp. Its blade is made from either German or Japanese High-Carbon stainless steel materials, both of which enhance the knife’s cutting versatility. The cutting edge of the blade is not only easy to sharpen, but also retains its sharpness for a long period of time. A sharp knife performs better than a dull knife since it requires less force. A chef knife maneuvers through ingredients such as vegetables and meat cutting them into clean chops and slices. The sharpness of the chef knife makes cutting jobs a bit easy, comfortable and enjoyable for you. - It is ergonomic and sturdy
The best professional chef knife is easy to grip and use without feeling tiring off or getting fatigued. It is made with a handle that is not too heavy to make the knife difficult to use. The handle is sturdy and perfectly fits into the curves of your palm. This enables you to hold the knife firmly for any cutting action. The blade of the knife is also not made from a heavy material. In addition, the blade is fully tanged to ensure that it is firm and ergonomic, hence does not pull out of the blade easily. - It is easy to control
The best professional chef knife offers you precise control over the knife’s tip and cutting edge especially when slicing or chopping. When using a chef knife, you can easily and comfortably control the movement of its blade as it maneuvers via the food. This promotes perfect knuckle clearance, hence reducing the risk of injuring your fingers. Furthermore, you can easily control the tip of the knife. This ensures that the knife cuts towards your preferred direction without destroying the surrounding food. The knife is also easy to control during the sharpening process. - Good Design
The best professional chef knife is crafted in a very attractive design. Compared to other types of knives, it is the most stylish due to its special features such as enhanced blade designs. This explains why it is a favorite knife for both commercial and professional cooks. The knife remains functional for a long period of time. - It offers Versatility
If you are looking for the best knife to use on vegetables such as squash that have thick skins, a chef knife is the best choice. In fact, the best professional chef knife is ideal for almost all cutting tasks, ranging from dicing, chopping, mincing, slicing, trimming and boning. - Easy to clean
You don’t require any professional training on how to clean the best professional chef knife. Its blade material is non- stick, making it easy to clean. Though the knife is dish washer safe, hand washing is recommended
