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5 Best Steak Knives, Tested in Our Kitchen Lab
We tested almost 20 steak knives side-by-side and these won't cost you a fortune.
The professionally trained cooks in us prefer using a chef's knife to slice up steak before serving instead of offering guests a deliciously-cooked steak recipe to cut into. But sometimes people still need their own steak knife, which is why we put 16 different ones to the test in the Good Housekeeping Institute, including serrated steak knives and straight-edged steak knives.
Our top picks:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
In the Kitchen Appliances Lab, we test all sorts of products related to cooking, eating and drinking. We've tested countless knives, from chef's knives, including Japanese knives, to bread knives and even butcher knives. When we test knives, we assess their sharpness, ease of use, durability, ease of cleaning and more. We put them to the test, keeping the home cook in mind, which is how we landed on these tests for steak knives: thick juicy ribeyes to assess how they can cut through big, tougher pieces of meat with lots of fat, bone-in pork chops to get a grasp on how thin they can cut and how well they can cut around bone and skirt steak, which is a little more fibrous and hard to cut when cooked to a medium or less temperature.
Read on to see how our top-tested picks performed in these tests, more on how we tested, what to look for when shopping for steak knives, if steak knives are worth it and whether it is better to have serrated steak knives.
Cangshan L Series 4-Piece Fine-Edge Steak Knife Set
Cangshan L Series 4-Piece Fine-Edge Steak Knife Set
Pros
- Sharp
- Durable
Cons
- A little heavy
Out of all the steak knives we tested in this side-by-side steak knife test, these stood out for being sharp, comfortable in the hand and easy to clean. One tester said "this cuts so well" when cutting through ribeye and another one said how she liked how it cut immediately without having to use a lot pressure.
These Cangshan knives are made out of German steel, which makes them strong and durable enough to use every day. They have a small amount of flex to them and a pointy tip with a deeper angle than most of the steak knives we tested. They feel solid in the hand and offer some heft. The base of the handle is wider than the top and rests in the palm nicely. The bolster, a.k.a. the part of the blade that meets the handle, is angled and offers a place to comfortably rest your fingers when cutting and even offers some protection from the bottom of the blade. The smooth handle is easy to clean, and, unlike with wood, our sponge didn't drag across it all all.
| Serrated or straight-edged blade | Straight-edged |
|---|---|
| Blade material | German stainless steel |
| Handle material | Steel |
| Stamped or forged | Forged |
Farberware Triple-Riveted 4-Piece Steak Knife Set
Farberware Triple-Riveted 4-Piece Steak Knife Set
Pros
- Sharp
- Flexible
Cons
- Plastic handle doesn't feel luxe
We had to take a double-look at the price of these Farberware knives after we selected them as one of our winners — for barely $2 a piece, they deliver on sharpness and ease of use. They're lightweight with a plastic handle, and were able cut through a ribeye and a bone-in pork chop. They also worked well on fibrous skirt steak. One tester noted it wasn't the best at cutting through fat.
The blade is made of stainless steel. It's thin and flexible, but still felt sturdy. Each one has a sticker on them that advises you hand-wash them only and dry them immediately, likely because they are prone to developing rust spots. We didn't notice any rust spots in our tests and will be sure to continue keeping an eye out for the them so we can better inform you of their long-term use. The knife is lightweight and the handle feels comfortable. The bottom part offers a good place to rest your pinky and ring finger for a good, secure grip.
| Serrated or straight-edged blade | Straight-edged |
|---|---|
| Blade material | High-carbon stainless steel |
| Handle material | Plastic |
| Stamped or forged | Stamped |
Messermeister Avanta 5” Fine Edge Steak Knife Set
Messermeister Avanta 5” Fine Edge Steak Knife Set
Pros
- Sharp
- Feel strong
Cons
- Heaviest steak knives we tested
These Messermeister knives top the list of many best tested knife stories. They performed great in our tests and offer a relatively good value for steak knives. Their German steel blade is sharp and strong, and we love the look of the pakkawood handle. The knife is on the heavier side, a few grams heavier than our best overall steak knife, but feels balanced. One tested noted she was OK with the heft because "it felt powerful and it cut well."
The bolster feels secure and offers a good grip. One downside we noticed when comparing steak knives side to side is that wood handles offer a small amount of drag when washing with a sponge versus steel or plastic that felt smoother.
| Serrated or straight-edged blade | Straight-edged |
|---|---|
| Blade material | German stainless steel |
| Handle material | Wood |
| Stamped or forged | Forged |
ZWILLING J.A. Henckels ZWILLING Knives Steak Knife Set
ZWILLING J.A. Henckels ZWILLING Knives Steak Knife Set
Pros
- Large with wide blade and handle
- Come with a knife holder
Cons
- Light weight may not feel durable enough to some
All testers immediately noted that these steak knives reminded them of a steakhouse. They have big, wide wooden handles that offer a strong grip. They're lighter weight compared to others on our list, like the Cangshan and Messermeister, but still feel strong. The blade is wider than all of knives we tested and feels good cutting through thick pieces of meat. The top portion is serrated with a pointy tip so you can better cut through. Out of all the serrated knives we tested, these were the only ones that didn't drastically tear the meat; the teeth are small with rounded edges, which offer a smoother cut. They're also different sizes and offer less places for meat to get stuck.
These knives come in a wooden case with a hard, plastic cover that slides in and out.
| Serrated or straight-edged blade | Top portion is serrated |
|---|---|
| Blade material | Stainless steel |
| Handle material | Wood |
| Stamped or forged | Stamped |
Material The Table Knives
Pros
- Pretty, dainty design
- Come with a knife stand
Cons
- Some may consider them too thin compared to others we tested
We love how these knives look, but also how they work. They're thin and dainty, but still durable. In our tests, they proved to be sharp. One tester said they cut well, and another said they cut through most parts of a pork chop well. The blades are made with German stainless steel and have a smooth, slick finish. The oblong handles offer a unique control factor that allow the knife to be rotated effortlessly from the cutting position to the resting position.
They come with a slim, wooden knife stand that can fit in a drawer or upright on your counter.
| Serrated or Straight-edged blade | Straight-edged |
|---|---|
| Blade material | German stainless steel |
| Handle material | Composite |
| Stamped or forged | Stamped |
How we test the best steak knives
In the Good Housekeeping Institute, we've been testing all sorts of knives for decades. We test to see how sharp they are, how durable they are and how easy they are to use.
To test steak knives, we put almost 20 to the test side-by-side to see how well they could cut through thick, juicy ribeye, bone-in pork chop that's more dense and skirt steak that's fibrous and hard to cut. We chose these to represent the different types of meat people would use their steak knives on at home.
Three different testers with varying degrees of knife skills participated in the test, including a professionally trained cook, a food editor and someone with limited knife skills. All opinions were considered but it was easy to see which knives came out on top.
Each knife was also assessed on how easy it was to clean by hand. We considered how safe it felt to clean the knives as well as whether we observed any rusting.
Once Lab testing was completed, knives were sent home with testers so we could conduct long-term testing.
We plan to test more steak knives in the future from brands like Wusthof and Shun, which are two brands that have topped many of our knife tests in the past. Both offer higher price points than the ones we featured in this list.
What to look for when shopping for steak knives
✔️ Serrated vs. non-serrated blades: Some people think it's better to have serrated steak knives; they're believed to cut through difficult tasks easier as well as stay sharper, longer. In our tests, we preferred straight-edged blades that offered smoother cuts. If you go with a serrated blade, consider ones with rounded teeth for a smoother cutting experience.
✔️ Blade material: It's hard to understand the different types of materials used to make steak knives. Many are made from stainless steel, but you'll also see many are made with German stainless steel which is considered to be stronger and more durable. Some have a polished finish that is supposed to help with sticking and rusting.
✔️ Handle material: The three most common types of steak knife handles you'll find are wood, steel (a continuation of the blade) and plastic. Wood is nice and lightweight, but can be harder to clean and tends to wear; it also prevents it from being able to go in the dishwasher though we don't recommend dish-washing knives. Steel feels the nicest and most polished to us, but it can make a steak knife heavy. Plastic is nice and light, but may not offer the quality you're looking for since it can get scratched up easily and is usually used on lower-priced steak knives.
✔️ Stamped vs. forged: Stamped knives are cut out from piece of steel while forged knives are made from a single piece of steel until the desired shape is achieved. They tend to be higher quality than stamped knives since they're one continuous piece. They also tend to have more heft.
How much does a good steak knife cost?
From our research, it's common to find a good set of four steak knives for around $100. Many are sold for a lot more. We tested several that were at least double that price, but they didn't meet our expectations, which further proves that a higher price tag doesn't always mean it's a better product. A lot of different factors go into the cost of a product, including materials used, storage cases, etc. To find a good steak knife, consider what's the most important to you. All of our picks performed well in our tests and felt like a good value. The lower middle-range steak knives we tested didn't feel worth it, mostly because they tore the meat or were hard to use, and if you use a steak knife, we think it should make your life easy and more enjoyable.
Are expensive steak knives worth it?
Expensive steak knives can be worth it depending on your definition of expensive. All of the steak knives on our list cost around $100 for four. This is much lower than many of the steak knife prices out there, and we strongly stand by all of our recommendations.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Kitchen Appliances Lab where she oversees all of the testing and content related to cooking, eating and drinking gear. She led this steak knife test and recruited Associate Food Editor Becca Miller and Textiles Lab Analyst Amanda Constantine to get an array of steak knife opinions. She typically avoids using steak knives but has been converted during this test because she finally found a handful that are worth investing in and won't ruin her steak.
Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal.
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