Safe and Easy to Clean】：These children's kitchen utensils are made of safe and high-quality raw materials, which are strong and durable, not easy to break or deform. It is easy to clean and can be washed with water or placed in the dishwasher. We’re breaking with chef’s knife tradition here and recommending a much smaller blade than the 8-inch norm. The 11cm (4.3in) Signature Santoku is the perfect size and form for light duties such as preparing vegetables, fish and smaller cuts of meat.

The knives are good-looking, well-balanced and made of steel hardened with chromium, molybdenum and vanadium, similar to that used in the Global G-2. This makes them very sharp for a knife set (although none is individually as impressive as the knives we recommend above.) Though the knife doesn't come with a sheath, which we would have preferred, it was easy to hand wash with no remaining residue or streaks after cleaning. In terms of long-term performance, customers say that it holds its edge well (and recommend Mac Knife sharpeners for when you do need to resharpen the blade). This knife is not dishwasher-safe, but follow the care instructions carefully and it should last you years. While it may not be the cheapest, its versatility and durability make it worth the cost. Full tang The steel extends through the full handle. In these knives, the balance tends to be towards the handle. Knifemakers say that this type of tang makes a more robust knife. Unlike knives that have an attached handle, this entire knife is made from stainless steel, with no joints, rivets, or corners where food could accumulate. To provide a better grip, the handle has dimples that create a textured surface. The knife is designed to be lightweight (despite being made entirely from metal), so it’s easy to wield. Made from molybdenum/vanadium stainless steel, the blade is razor-sharp and will retain its edge, and it comes with a lifetime warranty against breakage.Tang The tang is a portion of the blade enclosed by the handle. A full tang runs the length of the handle and should mean a knife has better balance and durability.

On the initial sharpness test, this knife cleanly cut the paper both times. Tomatoes were also sliced very thin with ease, and the tomato was cored with the tip of the knife as easily as if it were a paring knife. Mincing garlic required work to reach a consistent size, but cutting an onion was very easy and accurate. Butternut squash was cut easily and smoothly, as well. When cleaning the knife, there were spots, streaks, and scratches left behind. Still, overall, the knife performed well, had good balance, and is a good value. There are plenty of names for the proper hold on a chef’s knife. Some describe it as a handshake while others talk about a pinch grip. Generally, the thumb and forefinger are doing all the work, while the other three fingers grasp the handle more gently. With the proper grip, cutting will feel easy and comfortable, and the knife will always be under complete control.

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Key specs – Blade material: German 1.4116 stainless steel; Handle material: DuPont plastic; Size: 20cm

A chef’s knife is a kitchen's all-around knife. It can handle slicing, dicing, and chopping fruits and vegetables, and it can also be used for prepping meats. In a pinch, it can also be used as a slicer, or for carving roasts. While other knives come in handy as the knife collection grows, a chef’s knife will always be one the cook reaches for.

There was no tearing while cutting tomatoes and we were able to able to slice them very thin. While we don't recommend this knife for smashing garlic because of the ceramic material, it did mince garlic cloves nicely. Cutting an onion required slight pressure to cut through and there was some drag when cutting the skin of a butternut squash—though it made up for that by chopping through the flesh with ease. Cleaning the knife was easy, but there were some streaks and some darker spots that couldn't be removed. As knifemaker Laurie says above, Global made a huge splash when they came on the scene, with a lot of talk about Samurai sword-making tradition that isn’t entirely called for (the factory made western-style tableware until 1983). They are very impressive knives though. This isn’t a knife to show off to your friends, but it cuts, slices and dices with unflappable poise.

Blade These come in a variety of shapes and sizes, often named after specialised tasks they've been designed for. The price is justified by the fact that it takes Savernake’s Laurie Timpson, interviewed at the top of this feature, and his team 50 hours to handcraft this Nakiri – which, despite its meat cleaver-like appearance, is actually for slicing vegetables.A panel of testers use each of the knives to slice up carrot batons and then discuss their results to reach a consensus on the most to least comfortable handles. Ease of use