Clear Cut

Growing up I thought there was only one kind of knife — the Victorinox serrated knife — in a bajillion colors, of course. Turns out there are a lot of different kinds of knives, and when you get the right one and know how to use it, cutting, chopping, dicing, slicing becomes way easier, and — dare I say it — fun!

Utility knives are the workhorse of the kitchen for most people. Yes, proper chefs will tell you it’s a chef’s knife, but those take skill and practice to master. The utility knife is most accessible to the home cook, and is easy to master and maneuver with little instruction.

The knives I chose to review range from 4-inch to 6-inch blades. All are under $20, all are sold on Amazon, all are non-serrated, all are highly rated. I tested each one for design and performance. Meaning, did I like how it looked and felt in my hand, was I able to maneuver it easily, and most of all, how smooth was the slice.

Testing, Testing

I put the knives through my Shabbat prep, peeling cantaloupe, dicing onions, cubing potatoes, chopping vegetables for salad and soup and other dishes. The works.

Overall Winner: Kuhn Rikon

I knew it was the winner when I chose to take it with me on a family trip the next week to an AirBnb.

Kuhn Rikon Colori 5-inch Utility Knife

Price: $12.26

Design: 5 stars

Performance: 4.8 stars

Comes in many colors.

Great handle and blade length.

Super sharp and smooth.

Easy to maneuver.

Great on tomatoes!

Victorinox 4-inch Utility Knife

Price: $11.33

Design: 4 stars

Performance: 5 stars

Jewish women got it right with this brand.

Super sharp and smooth.

Easy to maneuver.

Almost won, but the blade was too short. Another inch would have clinched it.

Henckels Dynamic 6-Inch Utility Knife

Price: $13.85

Design: 4

Performance: 4

Don’t buy the cheap version of an expensive brand.

Handle heavy.

Sharp, but not the smoothest.

Longer blade and handle make it harder to maneuver.

Cheaper knives perform better.

Mercer Culinary 6-inch Utility Knife

Price: $18

Design: 3.5

Performance: 5

Super sharp and smooth blade.

Handle is too ergonomic and clunky.

Longer blade and handle make it harder to maneuver.

Great on tomatoes.

Farberware Edgekeeper 4.5-inch Utility Knife

Price: $9.99

Design: 3

Performance: 2.5

Has a self-sharpening sheath.

Not sharp.

Needs way too much effort to use.

I stopped testing it midway, it was a clear loser.

Don’t bother with it.

SteinBrücke 5-inch Utility Knife

Price: $18.99

Design: 4

Performance: 4

Looks like oversized steak knife.

Sharp, smooth, and large.

Nothing bad, but in comparison nothing exciting either.

Also, one of the more expensive ones.

Note:

Why no serrated knives? So glad you asked. Serrated knives ruin delicate fibers in food. They’re good for bread. That’s it. Non-serrated knives are what you should be using. Keep them super sharp, and you’ll find them to be superior. *Steps off soapbox.*

Originally featured in Mishpacha Magazine.