I Tested Hundreds of Knives to Find the 4 Best Chef's Knives

Chef's knives are the most popular kitchen knives for good reason. They come in an assortment of sizes — from six- to 14-inch blades that you should choose based on what feels good to you — and can tackle all sorts of tasks like dicing onions, slicing carrots, mincing garlic, chopping parsley, breaking down a chicken and slicing a just-rested steak. A good one will change the way you think about cooking. If it's sharp and feels good in your hand, it'll speed up meal prep and make your cuts that much more presentation-worthy.

Chef's knives (and all kitchen knives) come in two main styles: Western and Japanese. Western knives, also known as German knives, are typically on the heavier side with a relatively thick blade that's designed to handle all of your cutting tasks without fear of chipping or breaking. Japanese knives are lighter and more delicate with a thinner, sharper blade that can handle thinner cuts. When shopping, it's best to try both in person, if you can, to see what feels most comfortable to you.

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances Lab, my team and I have tested hundreds of knives over the years. (We also just tested knife block sets, which stopped every person who came into our Lab in their tracks.) To find the best Chef's knives, we requested brand-new samples of each of our favorites to put them to the test side-by-side. We cut onions, carrots, celery, ripe, heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and more to see how they compared and determine which would be the best for most people.