Steak knives are one of those kitchen items that get pigeon-holed into the niche tool category thanks to their name. Rest assured, the best steak knives aren’t just for steak. I don’t even wait for special occasions to whip mine out. I use my steak knives for everyday dinners, to slice through other proteins like chicken, sure, but also through whole roasted sweet potatoes, and meaty tomato salads in the summertime. And yes, when you’re lucky enough to be cooking a beautiful piece of ribeye, having a nice set of these knives in the drawer will let you complete that fancy tableau.
Our top picks
- The Best steak knives overall: Material Table Knives, $110
- An upgraded pick: Shun Shima Knives, $300
- Also great: Quince Damascus Steel Steak Knives, $100
I tested 11 sets of steak knives to find, first and foremost, the sharpest and best for slicing through thick cuts of meat and dense vegetables. But I also wanted to find a set that was comfortable to hold, economical, and a set that would look elegant on your dinner table.
The best steak knives overall: Material Table Knives
Pros & cons
Pros
- Heavy, substantial feel
- Good value
- Comes with storage
Cons
- Plastic handle
What I loved: Material’s steak knives get a lot of love online, and you can now count me among those online lovers. I found this to be a well-priced, smooth-operating set of knives you’d whip out enjoyably any day of the week. The Material steak knives arrived sharp, slicing through a piece of paper rather than crumpling its edge. They worked their way through pork chops with little effort, and were able to slice cleanly through tomatoes without crushing their flesh.
The full tang knives feel high quality, especially considering their $100 price tag (half or a third of what some other good sets cost). They’re comfortable in hand and, though they’re on the heavier side, that weight made slicing through meat feel easy. The handles don’t contour to your hand like the much more expensive Shun knives below, but they are made of a smooth composite material that feels nice and sturdy. I didn’t find their long, sharp edges as elegant or thin as the Shuns, either, but, because they have more substantial blades they should make it through more sharpening sessions. These knives are unfussy, up to tough everyday cutting tasks, and ready to be used over and over again. They can even be thrown in the dishwasher in a pinch (though take care because dishwashers make dull knives).
They also have a streamlined modern design that will appeal to many home decor tastes, and come in a variety of cute colors. And, unlike many of the more expensive knife sets we tested, they come with a low-profile knife block that fits in a drawer, and protects the knife blades from clanking around (again, something that can make them dull more quickly).
What I’d leave: I found little fault with these inexpensive workhorses. Their handles are technically made of plastic (though it really doesn’t look like plastic), so if you’re want a fancier set, the Shun knives below have a more elevated and elegant finish—and an impressively razor-sharp blade that did feel smoother going through a pork chop than the Material knives.
A fancy set of steak knives that's worth it: Shun Shima Knives
Pros & cons
Pros
- Incredibly sharp
- Beautiful craftsmanship
Cons
- Expensive
What I loved: These knives from high-end Japanese knife maker Shun were the sharpest knives out of the box. They sliced cleanly and abruptly through a piece of paper, and glided through rich, fatty pork and juicy, delicate tomatoes. The knife blade is not serrated, so it can be honed for maintenance and eventually sharpened. The blade edge does curve ever so slightly upward compared to the Material knife, and the subtle curve felt like it enhanced leverage for my slicing.
These knives also have a slight arch in their handle, which, along with the smooth Pakkawood material, made them some of the most comfortable in the hand of any of the knives we tried. While I like a lighter Japanese-style chef’s knife, I discovered a personal preference for a weightier steak knife to help apply slicing pressure, which is why I loved the Material knives. This Shun knife works against that notion, though. It was on the lighter end of the spectrum, but thanks to its comfortable handle and the supreme sharpness of the blade, I found it to be a pleasure to maneuver through thick cuts of meat using a single, clean slicing motion rather than sawing back and forth.
These knives are also elegant with their impossibly thin, delicately curved metal blade. They just look sharp. The design is streamlined, but six decorative inlaid steel rondels on each side of the handle add a little panache.
What I’d leave: First and foremost I’d leave the price. At $300 for a set of four at the time of writing, these knives were among the most expensive we tested. You’re paying for the high-quality steel and the Pakkawood handle, and the reliable Shun construction. This is probably the set to go for as a special gift, rather than as an everyday utilitarian knife set. The comparatively thin blade also means that you’ll be able to sharpen it fewer times before the knife is spent. But this is true in general of steak knives (as well as paring knives). You’ll only get so many sharpening sessions, because each time you sharpen the blade, you strip a bit of the metal and there’s not as much metal to work with.
Also Great: Quince Damascus Steel Steak Knives
Pros & cons
Pros
- Affordable
- Attractive
Cons
- Feels a bit too light
What I loved: I’ve been skeptical of Quince’s forays into more serious kitchen wares (maybe I was just tired of all the podcast advertising), but these knives impressed me. They slid through pork chops and tomatoes with that buttery smoothness I mentioned above, and passed the paper test both before and after cutting through piles of meat and vegetables.
At just $100 they have both a Pakkawood handle and a Damascus steel blade (I didn’t find this contributed to the sharpness, it just looks cool, with those signature waves apparent in the metal). They’re made from Japanese steel, but in a Chinese, keeping the price down. If you’re looking for a sharp knife that looks more expensive than it is, this is a great option.
What I’d leave: This knife is lighter and feels less sturdy than the winning Material knife above. The handle felt light for a full tang knife—not so much that it isn’t balanced, but I preferred the heft and slightly superior balance of the Material knife overall. Its handle also isn’t quite as comfortable to grip as the Material’s, and certainly doesn’t offer the ergonomic feel of the Shun.
How I tested steak knives
The paper test
To test initial sharpness out of the box I held a piece of paper up, and quickly sliced a knife through it. Knives that are properly sharp should be able to slice cleanly through the paper, while duller knives will crumple the paper without slicing it.
The meat test
Next I put the steak knives up against a giant pile of seared pork chops to see how they handled a thick piece of protein. I used them to cut strategically through the toughest areas of the meat, around the bone, through the fat, and into as thin of slices as possible.
The tomato test
I used each knife to slice through tomatoes, which we frequently include in our knife testing, because their delicate flesh can easily get squished by a dull knife.
The weeknight dinner test
Finally, I used these steak knives in everyday life for several weeks, to slice through regular dinners, to note which ones felt best in my hand, and did the best job slicing through a variety of everyday dinners. I paid attention to the knives I gravitated most toward in my daily life.
After all of this testing, I did a final paper test to see which knives best retained their edge.
What to look for in steak knives
Sharp blade edges
Steak knives come with both straight edges and serrated blades, and a few of the models I tested existed somewhere in between, with micro-serrations. I prefer a straight-edged blade to a serrated blade because it can be honed regularly to maintain their edge, and sharpened.
Handle material and blade material
All the knives I considered had high-carbon stainless steel blades. That combo helps knives maintain their edge, but also not corrode provided you wash and dry them effectively.
I also considered knife-handle construction and material. I tested knives that had metal, wooden, and plastic handles, and that were full and partial tang. I was looking for a knife handle designed to be comfortable to hold and durable, as well as attractive.
Blade shape
Some of the knives I tested featured blades that emerged from their handles at upward angles (Chicago Cutlery’s knife represents the most dramatic example of this), while others have a totally straight line. These angles are designed to promote cutting leverage and better forearm control. Blades with angles better support a rocking or sawing motion than straight blades, which are better for diners who like a slicing motion. A lot of this comes down to personal preference. In general I preferred a straight angle, though my luxury pick from Shun featured a gentle curve that enhanced cutting leverage.
Balance and comfort
I paid attention to how these knives felt in my hand as I sliced through many pork chops and tomatoes. A well-balanced knife should support a slicing, rather than rocking, motion you need to make when cutting through a hearty cut of meat.
Aesthetic
I tested knives that looked classic, rustic, and ultra modern. Of course, the look of your knife is all about personal preference, so I tried to provide options that fit different aesthetics—classic, rustic, and ultra modern (with the caveat that performance was, of course, always the top priority over looks).
Other steak knives I liked
Victorinox makes kitchen knives of all kinds that we’ve loved in our testing over the years. This full-tang steak knife had a nice balanced weightiness. Its wood handle had that arch that I liked for its ergonomic qualities. It passed all of our sharpness tests, as well. For the price ($346 at the time of writing), I thought the Shun had a nicer, more expensive-looking finish and a more impressively sharp blade.
The New West knife was very sharp out of the box, second only to the winning Shun model. I was impressed at how it cleanly ripped through the paper test, and how it worked on a piece of pork chop. However, as I kept using the knives regularly, their strange design became more apparent. The knives have a short blade length, with a much longer bolster than I’ve ever seen on a steak knife. And just the tip of the knife is serrated. Because of this design, the knife is sharp at the front, but doesn’t have a lot of long workable blade space toward the back. I didn’t mind this when I was cutting meat, but it made the knife awkward to use when cutting through hunks of potato and tomato. Those last two aren’t tasks everyone would use their steak knives for, so it might not be a dealbreaker. These knives are also the priciest we tested, at $1,230 for a set of six at the time of writing, and the serrations can’t be maintained at home.
These steak knives from a classic and beloved knifemaker are very reasonably priced. The blades are made of German steel, and they feature a nice-looking composite handle. They were sharp out of the box and performed well. My gripe was that these knives felt a little too light, and that the handle was a little bit small, making it slightly uncomfortable to grip. Still, this is a nice option at a great price that will absolutely cut through some steaks.
These steak knives have a rustic look and feel, and are the least expensive of any we tried. At the time of writing, you can get a set of four for just $35. They’ve won many other product tests across the internet, including one done on our sister site Epicurious a few years ago. They are decently sharp and full tang, but I didn’t love the discrepancy between their thick, substantial handle and the small, upward curving blade. It made the cutting motion feel awkward. I also didn’t love the feeling of the unpolished wood on my hand. This is a set of steak knives to consider if you need something functional on a budget; the look is reminiscent of something a place setting you’d get with your porterhouse at an old-school steakhouse.
These classic Ikon knives are beautiful and balanced, with a good weight to them. They feature beautiful African blackwood handles with Wusthof’s classic metal rivets. They succeeded in every test, but in the end, didn’t win a top spot because of their high price tag ($595 at the time of writing)—much less expensive knives performed just as well.
Other steak knives we tested and didn’t like
Miyabi’s stainless steel steak knife didn’t pass the initial paper test and felt clunky in hand.
This knife was larger than anything we tested—not just heavy but also with a longer, thicker blade. It also didn’t pass the initial paper test, and it met some resistance cutting through tough, dense vegetables. It feels clunky in hand, as well.
I’ve always had a soft spot for these knives, maybe because my parents had a set growing up, or because their look reminds me of being in a chic French bistro. While the company does make a pricier $400 set called the En Aubrac, I tried the more reasonably priced Jean Dubost set, which retails for around $80 for a set of six knives. I still love their look, and think they’re comfortable to hold. However, they’re too light weight and didn’t stack up in many of our sharpness tests. They’re also serrated steak knives, which you can’t sharpen at home.
This knife set is similar in look and feel to the Zwilling Twin Gourmet set listed above, but its handle is even smaller and the weight even less. Plus, it didn’t arrive as sharp.
Caring for and maintaining your steak knives
Now that you have good steak knives, you’ll need to know how to care for them. Here are a few guidelines for keeping your steak knives sharp, rust-free, and overall in the best long-term health.
- Make sure you hand wash your knives immediately with warm soap and water. Washing and drying your steak knives right after you use them will prevent rust and corrosion on the blade. Don’t leave them on a dish rack to dry, you should hand dry immediately with a towel. While any knife that has a composite or plastic handle can technically go in the dishwasher, it will make the blade dull faster.
- Don’t let your knives clang around in storage. Place your knives in a knife block or knife box (many steak knife sets come with these), or protect them with sheaths before placing them in a drawer. You want to avoid the blades clattering around and bumping up against each other, which will make them go dull.
- Use a honing rod between sharpens. Every time you use your knife, the microscopic teeth on the blade’s edge get bent out of shape. That’s why keeping a metal honing rod in your kitchen is a good idea. You can run your blade along this rod at an angle, and this friction straightens out the edge of your stainless steel knife blade, restoring the precise edge line. The process doesn’t remove much metal from the blade and can extend the sharpness for a while so that you don’t have to go through the more stripping sharpening process as often.
- Sharpen your knives when they go dull. Take your knives to a professional sharpener, or use an at-home knife sharpener to restore their blades. Depending on how often you use your knives, you’ll have to do this around 1–3 times a year. Read our knife sharpening guide for guidance.