A well-cooked steak is a great source of protein and is undoubtedly one of the best things to eat. Each of us has our preferences when it comes to the doneness of steaks, but one thing that we all need is a good steak knife.
Without the best steak knives, no steak dinner is complete, which is why we are reviewing five amazing steak knives in this article and also providing you with a detailed buyer’s guide so that you can make an informed decision before settling on one.
Best Steak Knives: Brief Reviews
Comparison Chart
Steak knives, Emojoy Steak knife set, Pakkawood Handle Highly Resistant and Durable, German Stainless Steel Steak Knives Serrated (1 Set of 8-Piece Steak Knives)
1. Messermeister Avanta Fine Edge Steak Knife Set
The Messermeister Avanta Fine Edge Steak Knife Set is a set of four carving and slicing knives that come with boning tips to separate meat from bones.
Product Highlights
The Avanta Fine Edge Steak Knife from Messermeister was developed to be used at the highest level of training in popular culinary schools in America. These knives were a part of the culinary sets that the students used while they trained. It’s not hard to see why these knives were deemed suitable for this when you consider the quality of the materials and the precise manufacturing processes that have been used.
The blade is produced from high-carbon stainless steel, which is ideal for maintaining a sharp edge. The steel is specially produced in Germany, and as you would expect, Avanta knives are rust-resistant.
The knives are well balanced by an equally attractive Pakkawood handle, which comes in black and walnut brown colors. The high density of these handles can be felt when you hold them, making the knife heavier on the handle side, which is what gives it a premium feel. Three rivets are used to attach the handle, ensuring it stays securely in position throughout its lifetime.
These knives are produced in China, but they should not be mistaken as low-quality products because they are among the highest-quality steak knives on the market. To back that up, Messermeister gives a lifetime manufacturing warranty with all their products, and that includes this Avanta series of steak knives.
What’s to like about the Messermeister Avanta Fine Edge Steak Knife Set
Often, knives are simply regarded as tools in the kitchen, but the styling and design of these knives, especially with regards to the handle, make them a very attractive addition to the dinner table.
What’s not to like about the Messermeister Avanta Fine Edge Steak Knife Set
It has been noted that the handles may tend to fade slightly if these knives are washed frequently, and this is especially true if washed with detergents that contain citrus.
PROS
- High-quality German steel
- Quality Pakkawood handles
- Lifetime manufacturing warranty
- Very durable handle
- Does not rust
CONS
- Color may fade
- No blade guards included
2. J.A. Henckels International Stainless Steel Steak Knife Set
The J.A. Henckels International Stainless Steel Steak Knife Set is a collection of simple and durable steak knives with one-piece construction.
Product Highlights
The J.A. Henckels International Stainless Steel Steak Knife Set is an affordable set of eight knives. It gives the household something stylish and durable to use during mealtimes. This is a great knife set option whether you are looking to entertain large crowds or just want to own some extra cutlery.
One of the best things about this knife set, other than it being affordable, is that it is quite durable while being lightweight. The whole knife—the blade and the handle—came from a single piece of stainless steel, so there will be no fear that the blade will just break off from the handle.
The J.A. Henckels International Stainless Steel Steak Knife Set is a great option for those who are looking to fill a large table while being on a budget. Its stainless steel design makes the knife look quite elegant, and with the entire set on the table, it is guaranteed to resemble that of a high-end restaurant.
What we also liked about this steak knife set is that the blade on the knives comes with a serrated cutting edge. The company claims that this never needs to be sharpened and will always remain sharp. Since this is made entirely from stainless steel, the knives are completely safe to use in a dishwasher. Best of all, it comes with a lifetime warranty too.
What’s to like about the J.A. Henckels International Stainless Steel Steak Knife Set
The best thing about this set is that the knife is made out of a single piece of material, featuring a full-tang design. The stainless steel makes the knife look quite elegant. We also liked that the knife is dishwasher-safe.
What’s not to like about the J.A. Henckels International Stainless Steel Steak Knife Set
While the knives are lightweight, they are quite awkwardly balanced, and the handle is pretty thin, making the knife difficult to grab.
PROS
- Corrosion-resistant blade and handle
- Full-tang blade with one-piece construction
- Comes with a lifetime warranty
- Sharp serrated edges
CONS
- The handle is quite thin to hold
3. Emojoy Steak Knife Set
If four or eight knives are not enough for you, then we recommend checking out the Emojoy Steak Knife Set, which comes with a whopping 16 knives.
Product Highlights
The Emojoy Steak Knife Set boasts outstanding craftsmanship, stunning design elements, cutting-edge technology, and premium materials, all while offering peak performance.
The knives in this set are incredibly sharp and with a full-tang design. The blade is an imported Thyssenkrupp high-carbon German steel, which has been hand sharpened to 16 to 18 degrees on each side and expertly heat-treated.
The five-inch razor-sharp blade offers straight and clean cuts. The blade has been honed to perfection and comes with rock-hollow dimples to ensure that the meat just falls off the blade.
This knife set has been ergonomically designed. The knives come with a beautiful Pakkawood handle that is designed to maximize the knife’s durability and stress tolerance.
What’s to like about the Emojoy Steak Knife Set
The Emojoy Steak Knife Set features excellent knives with the top half of the blade being very slightly serrated. The blade is made from high-quality German steel and ensures that it cuts through steak like butter. The Pakkawood handle is not only designed well but is also quite good to look at.
What’s not to like about the Emojoy Steak Knife Set
What we did not like about this knife set is that it needs to be hand-washed using warm water and mild detergent, instead of cleaned in a dishwasher.
PROS
- Ergonomically designed handle made from Pakkawood
- The blade is high-quality German steel
- Quite sharp and requires minimum maintenance
CONS
- Cannot be washed in a dishwasher
4. Homgeek Steak Knife Set
The Homgeek Steak Knife Set is a decent set of knives that feature a micro-serrated blade. These knives come in a classic design with some impressive features you won’t normally find in steak knives in this price range.
Product Highlights
The Homgeek Steak Knife Set features a micro-serrated edge, which is quite a unique feature of these knives. The company claims that its micro serrations are smaller than several of its competitors.
The blade on the knives is also ultra-sharp. In fact, it has been forged with hand-polished edges at 14 to 16 degrees on each side. Furthermore, it has superfine jagged edges, which adds to the sharpness level of the knives as well.
The blade is made from a high-quality German stainless steel, and it also contains 15% chromium. This amount of chromium makes the blade oxidation- and corrosion-resistant.
Additionally, this high-end stainless steel requires minimum maintenance and remains sharp for a long time. The knife is slightly on the heavier side because the handle is also made from stainless steel. This design makes it more durable than other steak knives.
What’s to like about the ProductName
What’s great about these knives is that they are made from high-quality German steel and a small percentage of chromium. As a result, these knives do not oxidize or corrode. The handle is also made from stainless steel, ensuring that the knives will last for a long time.
What’s not to like about the ProductName
What we did not like about this knife set is that it has to be washed almost right away after using it, or else, the metal can get stained.
PROS
- Made from high-end stainless steel
- The handle is also made from stainless steel
- Designed to survive for years
- Require minimum maintenance
CONS
- Metal can get stained quite easily
5. Flying Colors Laguiole Style Steak Knife Set
The Flying Colors Laguiole Style Steak Knife Set has a nice French savoir-faire minus that high price tag. The knives feature a handle in varying color options, allowing you to go for sophisticated black or brown handles or colorful and playful ones.
Product Highlights
The Flying Colors Laguiole Style Steak Knife Set has steak knives that are nine inches long, which include the handle and the blade. The set includes eight Laguiole style steak knives, and the knives are micro-serrated, offering superior cutting with almost no sharpening needed.
The handles are made from ABS plastic, and the blade is made using high-grade stainless steel. This stainless steel was stamped, ground, and then polished over many quality controlled manual production stages, which ultimately created a fine and long-lasting blade.
What’s to like about the Flying Colors Laguiole Style Steak Knife Set
This Laguiole style steak knife is made using high-quality stainless steel, along with an ABS plastic handle. Both of these materials ensure that the knife is quite durable and long-lasting.
What’s not to like about the Flying Colors Laguiole Style Steak Knife Set
What’s a bit disappointing about this knife set is that the knives can be washed in a dishwasher, but they do not get very clean in there. As such, you will still need to handwash it.
PROS
- Available in multiple colors
- Comes with sharp micro-serrated edges
- Made using premium materials
- Highly durable
CONS
- Doesn’t get washed well in a dishwasher
BUYER’S GUIDE
We have reviewed five of the best steak knife sets on the market, and we believe that at least one among them will perfectly suit your needs. However, if you are still not sure and need to know more about steak knives, don’t worry; we are here to help.
Below, we will provide you with a detailed buyer’s guide for steak knives. This guide consists of all the essential things to know about a steak knife. In fact, it is also the same criteria we used when we chose the top five knives that we reviewed above.
1. Blade Length
The length of the blade is something that you should pay close attention to when buying a steak knife. The length of the blade comes in a variety of options, including five-inch and seven-inch.
The shorter blade will offer better cutting quality. On the other hand, often, you will find longer blade steak knives used in high-end restaurants as they tend to have a more appealing effect when placed on a dinner table.
The shorter blade is the better option as this is much easier to hold and offers much more flexibility. Longer blades tend to be a bit more tough to use and will not always offer clean results.
For those very reasons, we would recommend getting a shorter blade for cutting steaks. Another upside to using shorter steak knives is that they are much easier to maintain if you know how to correctly sharpen the blade.
2. Blade Material
The material of the blade is another aspect of a steak knife that you must not overlook as it can also determine how well the knife will work. Ideally, the best steak knives will have a stainless-steel blade, along with a sturdy handle. The blade will come in three stainless steel materials, which include tempered, cold steel, and hard carbon.
If you are looking for a durable, robust, and long-lasting steak knife, we recommend opting for the cold steel blade. High carbon stainless steel is the lightest in weight among the three. If you want a knife that can be cleaned with ease, then the tempered knife is an ideal option. A steel blade knife also lasts much longer if you correctly sharpen the blade.
3. Blade Type
There are mainly two types of blades when it comes to steak knives: serrated blade and straight-edged blade. Although not as popular as the two, there are also steak knives that are considered micro-serrated. For those who don’t know what a serrated blade is, this features serrations, which are like small teeth. This closely resembles a saw.
Serrated Steak Knife
One of the biggest upsides of serrated steak knives is that they tend to stay sharp much longer. This is mainly because very less of the surface area of the blade makes direct contact with the hard, flat plate you are cutting on. This is typically what dulls a regular knife.
Since the area between these serrations only gets in contact with the meat, the knife will not dull quickly. However, the downside of serrated knives is that they may not offer clean cuts of the meat. Furthermore, when you do have to sharpen a serrated knife, it is not as easy as sharpening a straight-edged knife and also is quite time-consuming.
Straight-Edged Knife
Majority of what we have mentioned above about serrated steak knives is the exact opposite of straight-edged knives. A straight-edged knife has one continuous edge, which means that the sharp part of the blade is always in contact with the meat. This, in turn, means that the knife will get dull quicker.
On the upside, sharpening a straight edge knife is extremely easy. Also, this kind of knife will cut through the meat very smoothly and will give you clean cuts.
Micro-Serrated Steak Knives
The Micro-Serrated Steak Knife is another type of steak knife. Sharpening this kind of knife is quite tough when compared to a straight-edged and a serrated knife. Between these three, we would recommend opting for anyone between the two we mentioned earlier.
4. Handle
While the majority of the emphasis always falls on the blade of a steak knife, the handle is also a factor that you should consider. Thankfully, the handles are not as confusing as the blades.
The steak knife can come in different types of handles. It could either be the same material as the blade itself or it could be made from wooden or a poly/plastic combination. When it comes to choosing the handle of a steak knife, we believe that it is always up to the user’s preference.
Then again, what we found is that steak knives made with the same material as the blade tend to be seamless and performs quite amazingly. That said, if you are looking for a steak knife with a certain style or a traditional look, then a knife with a wooden handle is an ideal choice.
5. Pieces Included in a Set
There is no set number of knives that come in a steak knife set. In other words, a set can come with any number of knives. Typically, the minimum number of knives in a set is four. The knives in the set can either be different from each other or can be the same.
In our expert opinion, we recommend that you opt for a steak knife set that features knives of all different sizes and not just one size. This makes it much more versatile and will also give you options to play around with.
F.A.Q.
1. Which is better serrated or straight blade?
There is no right answer to this question. Depending on who you ask, you will likely get either one of the two as an answer. What we believe is that it is all a matter of choice and personal preference.
We have spoken about both the blades in our buyer’s guide and have listed its advantages and disadvantages too. Regardless of what you choose, what is important is that you take good care of your steak knife and store them properly too. By doing so, you ensure that your blades remain sharp for a long time.
2. Why do serrated knives work better?
In all honesty, serrated knives and straight-edged knives both work great in their way. People tend to believe that serrated knives work better because they are capable of cutting through meat or other types of food much quicker.
Yet, what they don’t realize is that while they do cut much faster than a straight-edged knife, the result tends to be messy cuts, which is something not everyone likes.
3. What brand of steak knives do chefs use?
One of the best knife brands in the world and the one used by several chefs across the globe is Victorinox. This brand is well-known for its knives, especially for their steak knives.
Victorinox uses their very own stainless steel, which is significantly superior to several blade materials used in other high-end knives. Their knives almost take a surgical edge, are easy to use, have an excellent design, and best of all, can be sharpened quite easily too.
4. Where do you place a steak knife?
A steak knife is not something you place in a table setting unless there is a serving of a steak that will require a better cutting tool than a regular dinner knife. In most cases, you will have to replace the steak knife with the dinner knife since the meal will most likely not need two different kinds of cutting tools.
5. Where does steak knife go in table setting?
If you are hosting a formal meal and are serving two different types of food items that will both require slicing, such as fish and steak, you will have to set the steak knife much closer to the plate and the fish knife to the right side of the steak knife.
Also, it is important to note that when you are placing the steak knife in a table setting, you must keep its cutting edge facing towards the plate.
FINAL VERDICT
Those are undoubtedly some of the best steak knives on the market right now and selecting any one of them with the help of the buyer’s guide will leave you fully satisfied. You can be assured that every single one of these knives will efficiently cut through a steak.
Between the five steak knife sets, we personally liked the Messermeister Avanta Fine Edge Steak Knife 4-Piece Set. This knife set is made using premium materials, which ensure that it will be durable and long-lasting. Furthermore, the knife is ergonomically designed and has a very sharp blade as well.
