6 chefs on their favorite go-to knives for everyday cooking

Written by Elizabeth Fuhrman
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6 chefs on their favorite go-to knives for everyday cooking

If anyone knows what makes a good knife, they’re going to be a professional chef or cook. Whether they’re a chef, dietitian, or private chef, someone who works with food all day knows what gets the job done fast and well.

Even if those of us at home aren’t pros, a good knife can make everyday cooking far easier, as well as more enjoyable (with a good blade, suddenly everything is suddenly way less of a struggle).

We talked to chefs, who are notoriously precious about their knives, about their go-to knives they use on the job and at home, too. They shared some great advice about buying knives as well as their top picks for what knives to add to your own kitchen toolkit.

What to look for in an everyday knife

“A great knife should feel like a natural extension of your hand,” says Christiane Matey, a chef, dietitian and founder of North Carolina-based MINT Nutrition.

For many people, the answer is a suite of three knives: a paring knife, a serrated knife and a chef’s knife. While the paring knife can handle smaller-scale tasks, and a serrated knife is great for bread, chef’s knives are perhaps the most versatile in the kitchen.

“Choosing a chef’s knife is less about the brand and more about how it feels: its balance, comfort, and how easily it moves with you while cutting,” says Matey. “Knives that are too heavy or bulky can feel clunky and make precision work harder than it should be.”

To narrow down what are the best everyday kitchen knives, we spoke with Matey and four other professional chefs about their go-to knives.

The best everyday kitchen knives, according to chefs

Best all-around chef’s knife: Wüsthof Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife, $170. A balanced chef’s knife with a comfortable handle and sharp, reliable edge.

$170 Wusthof

Best kitchen knife upgrade: Tojiro Chef Knife Gyuto 7.08 Inches, $109. Razor-sharp Japanese steel delivers lightweight, workhorse performance that holds its edge for everyday use.

$109 Amazon

Best paring knife: Cangshan N1 Series 1020397 German Steel Forged Peeling/Tourne Knife, $40. Small but mighty, this curved knife can handle peeling, coring, and detailed prep work.

$40 Amazon

 Best chef’s knife with style: Global Z 8-Inch Chef's Knife, $250.Tough, razor-sharp knife with a diamond-like carbon coating that holds up against daily use

$250 Global Cutlery

Best knife for weekly meal prep: Schmidt Bros. Evolution 8-Inch Chef Knife, $70. Grooved blade reduces friction and keeps food from sticking while you cut

$70 Amazon

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Best all-around chef’s knife: WÜSTHOF Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife, $170 at Amazon

“One of my go-to knives is the Wüsthof Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife,” Matey says. “It has a comfortable, well-designed handle, a medium-weight blade that’s easy to control, and a sharp, reliable edge that allows for clean, precise cuts every time.”

$170 at Amazon

Pros

  • ✓ Has an edge that’s 20% sharper than standard knives
  • ✓ Stainless steel is corrosion resistant and easy to maintain

Cons

  • ✕ Above-average price point
  • ✕ Requires handwashing and thorough drying
  • ✕ Not suitable for cutting on surfaces like glass or bamboo

Best kitchen knife upgrade: Tojiro Chef Knife Gyuto 7.08 Inches, $110 at Amazon

“This knife is a workhorse,” says Gabe Kennedy, chef partner at Checker Hall restaurant in LA. “It’s made from strong and razor-sharp Japanese steel at a price point that allows me to bang it around, use it and not be precious.”  

Since it can handle pretty much any kitchen task you set it to, it’s a great pick for yourself or your favorite home cook. “I can’t tell you how many people I have gotten this knife for,” says Kennedy. “It’s perfect for a pro chef or a home cook looking for a great all-around knife.”

$110 at Amazon

Pros

  • ✓ Sharp VG10 steel blade holds its edge well and is easy to re-sharpen
  • ✓ Lightweight, balanced feel makes it comfortable to use
  • ✓ Versatile design works for most everyday cutting tasks

Cons

  • ✕ Wooden handle may need occasional upkeep over time

Best paring knife: Cangshan N1 Series 1020397 German Steel Forged Peeling/Tourne Knife, $40 at Amazon

“I like a good paring knife, specifically a bird's beak or tourne knife like the Cangshan” says Chuck Hayworth, a private chef and medical meal specialist from North Carolina. “They’re fantastic as a peeler alternative and as a tomato coring tool. They’re also great for shaping root veggies into fine-dining wedge cuts…the list goes on.”

“One time, I was in a kitchen and a well-known celebrity French chef complimented my work on the potatoes with my tourne knife,” he adds. “That confirmed that I was going to make it my knife of choice.”

$40 at Amazon

Pros

  • ✓ Curved design makes peeling and trimming feel easy
  • ✓ Durable German steel
  • ✓ Doubles as a corer

Cons

  • ✕ Requires handwashing and towel drying

Best chef’s knife with style: Global Z 8-Inch Chef's Knife, $250 at Global Cutlery USA

Chef Jumoke Jackson is the executive chef at Slutty Vegan and shares his passion for food with more than 425,000 followers on his TikTok, @mrfoodtasic. His favorite everyday knife is the sleek, matte black 8-inch chef's knife from Global Z, a made-in-Japan knife brand. 

“In my own kitchen, it’s the knife I reach for constantly,” Jackson says. “It’s lightweight, precise, and comfortable, even during long cooking sessions.” 

Plus, he says, “the blade is thin and razor sharp, so it glides through vegetables, herbs, and proteins with very little resistance—exactly what you want when you’re doing a lot of everyday prep.”

$250 at Global Cutlery USA

Pros

  • ✓ Diamond-like carbon coating boosts durability and helps reduce friction
  • ✓ Thin, razor-sharp blade glides effortlessly through meat and produce
  • ✓ Dimpled handle helps with maintaining your grip

Cons

  • ✕ Dimpled handle can take some getting used to if you’ve been using a smooth grip

Best knife for weekly meal prep: Schmidt Bros. Evolution 8-Inch Chef Knife, $70 at Amazon

“This is one of the best meal prep knives,” Kevin Curry, author of cookbook “Fit Men Cook.” “The blade has grooves along the blade so food doesn't stick to the sides when you're chopping. That sounds small until you're breaking down pounds of chicken and vegetables, and everything just slides right off. It’s a total game changer for weekly meal prep."

$70 at Amazon

Pros

  • ✓ Grooved blade stops food from sticking as you slice
  • ✓ Design reduces friction for cleaner cutting

Cons

  • ✕ Cleaning the grooves isn’t quite as seamless as a straight blade

Expert Spotlight

Chef and dietitian Christiane Matey is a licensed nutritionist who founded MINT Nutrition. She’s currently based out of Mooresville, North Carolina and helps others with holistic nutrition, mind-body wellness, and integrative medicine. She completed degree programs at the Culinary Institute of America and a MS in Health Sciences Program in Integrative Medicine from George Washington University.

Chef Gabe Kennedy, a Forbes 30 Under 30 designee, is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and Cornell University, Hotel School, as well as co-founder of Plant People and chef partner at Chicago North Shore’s Checker Hall. As a winner of ABC cooking show “The Taste,” he was named America’s best undiscovered cook by a judging panel that included Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson, Marcus Samuelsson, and Ludo Lefebvre.

Private chef and medical meal specialist, Chuck Hayworth is a twenty-five year cancer survivor who owns Real Medical Meals System. Using his knowledge as a Ph.D. candidate in nutrition and his own experience as a survivor, his business provides meals for complex dietary needs while still maintaining a high-end culinary experience. He has been featured on Food & Wine, The Takeout, Fox News, Chowhound, and Daily Mailed, and also the author of The Chef’s Recovery.

Chef Jumoke Jackson is the executive chef at the Slutty Vegan, and a culinary TikTok creator who shares his recipes on his profile Mr. Foodtastic. He has also been featured on several national shows, including Dr. OZ, ABC’S The Chew,Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen, and Beat Bobby Flay. Most notably, the company he helped start, Everything Legendary, landed a deal on Shark Tank with billionaire Mark Cuban for his vegan burger, now available in hundreds of grocery stores across the country.

Kevin Curry is a self-taught chef, author, and creator of Fit Men Cook, a global community where he shares meal plans, healthy recipes, seasonings, and an app to help people eat healthy, flavorful meals. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and the Harvard Kennedy School. After graduation, he taught himself how to cook from scratch as part of his own health journey and began developing balanced, tasty meals that resonated with his growing audience.

FAQs: What to look for in an everyday kitchen knife

For everyday cooking, most home chefs benefit from a core set of knives: 

  • a chef’s knife for general tasks
  • a paring knife for small precision work
  • a serrated or bread knife for crusty items 

These three knives will cover slicing, dicing, peeling, and more without needing dozens of specialty blades

A well-designed knife should feel like an extension of your hand. When choosing an everyday knife, focus on:

  • Sharp, durable blade steel for reliable cutting
  • Balanced weight and comfortable handle for control and safety
  • Appropriate blade length (often seven to eight inches for chef’s knives)
  • Easy maintenance and corrosion resistance

An 8-inch chef’s knife is widely regarded as the best all-around size for everyday kitchen tasks, big enough to handle most chopping and slicing, but still manageable for everyday use. Shorter blades offer more control for precision, while longer ones add cutting surface.

Both styles of knives work well for everyday use. Here’s how to decide between knife types: 

  • Western knives, like classic chef’s styles, tend to be sturdy, durable, and versatile.
  • Japanese knives, like santoku, are often lighter and offer precision cutting with thinner blades.

Yes, many kitchen knife sets include the essential blades you’ll reach for daily, from chef’s and utility knives to paring and serrated blades. A good set can be more cost-effective and ensure you have the right tools for most prep tasks.

To keep knives performing well, always hand-wash and fully dry them since dishwashers can dull or damage blades. Be sure to regularly sharpen them with a steel or sharpener to keep the edge sharp longer.

Investing in quality knives can pay off with better edge retention, comfort, and durability over time. However, excellent performance can also be found in mid-range knives — especially if they feel balanced in your hand and stay sharp through regular honing.
  • We only spoke to professional chefs to recommend products for this article. 
  • All recommendations from the featured expert chefs are independently chosen. They don’t have any brand affiliation with featured brands or products.
  • We never pay experts for their recommendations

If These Walls Could Talk” operates independently and exercises sole editorial discretion in all content decisions. While certain brands, products, or services referenced may have current or prior relationships with our affiliated marketing agency, such relationships do not influence our editorial content. We disclaim any liability for conflicts of interest, omissions, or outcomes arising from reliance on our content. All information is provided for general informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as professional or individualized advice.

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