Best knife sets for key kitchen tasks

A good starting set may include a chef's knife – potentially the most versatile knife – or similar, plus a paring knife for fruit and vegetables and a serrated knife for tomatoes, cheese and soft fruits. Some also come with integrated sharpeners, though for those that don't, you can refer our guide on the best knife sharpeners to buy.

Jump to:

• How we tested knife sets
• Best kitchen knife sets to buy in 2025
• Which knife types typically come in knife sets?
• How to dispose of kitchen knives
• How to sharpen a knife

Best knife sets at a glance

5/5 stars

• Best knife set: JosephJoseph Elevate steel knife set, £130
• Best knife block set: Opinel Parallèle five-piece knife block set, £160
• Best Japanese knife set: HexClad The Essential Japanese Damascus steel knife set, £359

Best of the rest

• Best knife set for under £100: ProCook Professional X50 Contour knife set, £55.20
• Best value knife set: Viners Multi Store nine-piece knife block set, £48
• Best knife set with sharpener: Ninja Foodi StaySharp 5-Piece Knife Block, £169.99
• Best compact knife set: Jamie Oliver Tefal 6 kitchen knives and block, £150
• Best traditional knife set: Sabatier by Stellar kitchen knives in wooden knife block, £115
• Best essentials-only knife set: Circulon chef, utility and paring knife set, £60
• Best knife set for drawer storage: Joseph Joseph 10-piece Multicolour Knife & Utensil Set, £90
• Best investment knife set: Zwilling Pro 7 Piece Ash Self Sharpening Knife Block, £449

How we tested knife sets

Knife sets come in all shapes and sizes – and at a variety of price points too – so we tested a wide range, from simple, budget-friendly sets to premium knife blocks that come with integrated sharpening tools.

Bread knives were put through their paces with crusty baguettes, while paring knives tackled fiddly fruits like cherries. We finely diced onions, carrots and celery for a sofrito to test chef's knives, also crushing garlic cloves under the blades to help assess their strength. If a set came with a Santoku knife, we chopped up fresh herbs, and for those with a carving knife, we carved a small roast chicken.

• Effective cutting: This is key – there’s no point having a beautiful set of knives if they’re ineffective. We wanted knives that cut cleanly and easily.
• Quality: We rated our knives for strength and balance. We also looked for knives that are comfortable to hold and use.
• Range: Taking into account the number of knives in each set, we looked for a good variety.
• Aesthetics: Many knife sets are designed to be on display. We awarded marks for stylish knives and, if applicable, for the appearance of the knife block, too.
• Storage: We looked at whether the knife block was thoughtfully designed to store knives safely and securely.
• Value: The knives we sampled ranged from £8.99 to over £700, and in each case we looked at whether the knife set offered good value for money.
• Sustainability: We awarded extra points to those knife sets that came packaged in recyclable materials and had a lifetime warranty (or could be easily repaired by the manufacturer).

Why you can trust Good Food reviews

Our expert reviews team at Good Food has put a wide range of knife sets through rigorous testing using our trusted matrix format, after which we award each product a star rating.

Everything we test is put through its paces in the Good Food Test Kitchen, which is designed to mirror a typical home kitchen rather than a laboratory-like setting. That means if a knife set performs well in our kitchen, you can count on it performing well in yours, too.

We also never send our reviews to manufacturers or retailers for approval before publishing, and we never accept payment in return for positive reviews.

Best knife sets to buy in 2025

Good Food in partnership with Tower knife set

Available from Amazon (£69.99), Tower (£69.99 – save £7 or 10% with code GOODFOODNEW)

Set contains: Chef's knife, bread knife, carving knife, paring knife and utility knife

Effortless food prep meets sleek design in this five-piece knife set and block, created in partnership with Tower. Each knife is made from high-grade stainless steel with fine-edge blades for precision slicing, dicing and carving. Comfortable ergonomic handles and a sturdy, stylish block make this set ideal for everyday use. Versatile, easy to clean and built to last, it’s a practical and elegant addition to any kitchen.

Available from:

• Amazon (£69.99)
• Tower (£69.99 – save £7 or 10% with code GOODFOODNEW)

JosephJoseph Elevate steel knife set

Available from JosephJoseph (£130), Amazon (£130)

Best knife set

Pros:

• A comprehensive range of knives
• Includes a Santoku knife
• Integrated tool rest for cleanliness
• Safely stores away

Cons:

• None

Star rating: 5/5

The stylish Joseph Joseph Elevate steel knife set includes five useful knives made from Japanese stainless steel and an impressive in-drawer bamboo storage tray. This slips easily into any standard kitchen drawer and keeps knives safely off the counter and away from tiny fingers.

The set's stand-out feature is the clever Elevate system – each knife features an integrated stand to keep the tip off the worktop, ensuring a cleaner kitchen while minimising mess. Thanks to the weighted, ergonomic handle, the knives are safe and secure in the hand.

All the knives were faultless in the test on their respective use; we particularly liked the versatile Santoku knife, which was excellent across the whole test and felt good for chopping and dicing with its gently curved blade. The JosephJoseph set is an impressive selection of knives at a very reasonable price for this quality.

Specifications:

• Set contains: Paring knife (9cm), serrated knife (14cm), Santoku knife (20cm), chef's knife (20cm), bread knife (20cm), bamboo storage tray
• Materials: Japanese stainless-steel blades, stainless-steel handles
• Warranty: 2-year guarantee
• Dishwasher-safe? No

Available from:

• JosephJoseph (£130)
• Amazon (£130)

Opinel Parallèle five-piece knife block set

Available from Selfridges (£160), Farrar & Tanner (£170)

Best knife block set

Pros:

• Well-designed block
• Excellent performance
• Good selection of blades

Cons:

• No utility knife

Star rating: 5/5

Comprising five knives with beech handles, plus a matching beech wood block, this attractive set is one to have out on display – and it's not just eye-catching, it’s well-designed too.

The block has wide slots at the top, cut all the way through to protect the blades, while underneath are silicone pads to keep it sturdy on your worktop. Its choice of knives should also cover most tasks: we felt the only omission would be a utility knife as the paring knife in the set is on the small side.

We used the Santoku for the larger prep jobs that a utility would usually handle, such as slicing tomatoes, which it did well, producing effortlessly thin slices.

All the knives performed excellently in our tests, with the stand-out star being the frighteningly sharp chef’s knife, which went through hard vegetables like they were butter. The only knife in the set that could be sharper was the bread knife.

While it was capable of producing thin slices from a crusty loaf, some sawing was required at the base. Unsurprisingly, wooden handles mean hand washing is a must but otherwise, it’s a great set for keen cooks or those keen to upgrade to improve their repertoire.

Specifications:

• Set contains: Paring knife, chef's knife (20cm), Santoku knife, carving knife, bread knife, knife block
• Materials: Stainless-steel blades, beechwood handles
• Warranty: Lifetime
• Dishwasher-safe? No

Available from:

• Selfridges (£160)
• Farrar & Tanner (£170)

HexClad The Essential Japanese Damascus steel knife set

Available from HexClad (£359)

Best Japanese knife set

Pros:

• Premium design
• Nicely packaged
• Easy to control
• Lifetime warranty

Cons:

• Expensive

Star rating: 5/5

If you're after a quality knife set that will stand the test of time – or you're perhaps looking for a gift – this six-piece set from HexClad should fit the bill perfectly. Each blade is forged from Japanese Damascus steel with a striking wave pattern, and we found them ultra-precise, smooth and easy to control in test.

A honing steel for sharpening is also included in the magnet-sealed box, along with a microfibre polishing cloth for keeping your knives in tip-top condition.

At over £300 this set certainly isn't cheap, but its premium design and lifetime warranty is reassurance enough that when you invest in knives as good as these, you won't need (or want) to replace them anytime soon.

Specifications:

• Set contains: Chef's knife (20cm), bread knife (20cm), santoku knife (18cm), utility knife (13cm), paring knife (9cm), honing steel (23cm)
• Materials: Japanese Damascus steel blades, pakkawood handles
• Warranty: Lifetime
• Dishwasher-safe? No

ProCook Professional X50 Contour knife set

Available from ProCook (£55.20)

Best knife set for under £100

Pros:

• Attractive design
• Ultra-sharp blades
• Comfortable to hold

Cons:

• Some non-recyclable packaging

Star rating: 4.5/5

Simple yet stylish, this three-piece knife set is well balanced and makes light work of various chopping tasks, slicing through tougher veg like celeriac with ease. Its triple-riveted handles are comfortable to hold and we particularly liked the chef's knife, which – at 16cm – is a little smaller than most others we've tested, so slightly less imposing for entry-level cooks.

We felt reassured by the sturdiness and quality of the X50 German steel blades too, which should stand up to frequent sharpening over years to come.

Specifications:

• Set contains: Paring knife (9cm), utility knife (13cm), chef's knife (15cm)
• Materials: German X50 stainless-steel blades, layered resin composite handles
• Warranty: 25 years
• Dishwasher-safe? No

Available from:

• ProCook (£55.20)

Viners Multi Store nine-piece knife block set and sharpener

Best value knife set

Pros:

• Block works as a tablet or phone holder
• Multifunctional set
• Good value

Cons:

• Not as attractive as some

Star rating: 4.5/5

If you like practical added extras, Viners knife block set doesn’t disappoint. It has a built-in knife sharpener at the front, and a pair of scissors in a compartment that can also be used to hold utensils. There’s even a pair of small polypropylene chopping boards at the back, which, when removed, leave behind a holder that’s ideal for your phone or tablet as you cook. We also liked that there was no plastic in the packaging.

Five knives feel like they’ve been designed to suit general everyday use: most are light with good grippy handles, apart from the chef’s knife, which has enough weight in it to be useful when slicing and dicing.

The carving knife sliced our chicken easily, and while the bread knife needed some sawing initially to get it going, it produced a good thin slice, with some crumbs from the crust. We especially liked the chef’s knife, which was excellent at slicing, as was the utility knife, which created thin tomato slices with minimal mess.

The only knife that we found less useful was the paring knife: while it was good at slicing, more delicate prep, such as segmenting out orange slices, was awkward. That said, this is a good all-rounder set for a busy family kitchen.

Specifications:

• Set contains: Chef's knife (20cm), carving knife (20cm), bread knife (20cm), utility knife (12.5cm), paring knife (9cm), scissors, knife sharpener, knife block, two chopping boards
• Materials: Stainless-steel blades, plastic/rubber handles
• Warranty: 10 years
• Dishwasher-safe? No

Ninja Foodi StaySharp knife block 5-piece set

Best knife set with sharpener

Pros:

• Integrated knife sharpener
• Recyclable packing
• Ergonomic to hold
• Incredibly sharp on unboxing
• 10-year sharpness

Cons:

• Large countertop footprint
• No smaller chef's knife

Star rating: 4.5/5

The thing that strikes you when unboxing this knife set is Ninja's bold and instructional box decoration. The second is its size. This is not a knife set for a small kitchen – it requires as much room as a kettle would in both width and depth, primarily due to its unique selling point: the integrated knife sharpener.

It's a bulky but undeniably useful addition, which sits to the right of the knives in the block and is intuitive to us, with a lever that runs the length of the knife blade in a controlled, smooth motion.

Each knife offers an ergonomic handle and has a heft that donates quality, without feeling heavy. It actually gives you confidence when using the larger carving and chef's knives. It's clear to see which knife slots in where as the grooves vary in width.

At 20cm long, the large chef's knife and carving knife give you excellent leverage for chopping through tough ingredients such as a large butternut squash and tough pumpkin skin. The paring knife and utility knife both cut remarkable smoothly, easy to navigate around fiddly fruit stones and tomato skins safely.

It would be nice to have the option of a smaller chef's knife, but the utility knife fulfils the requirements easily. We used the knives for two weeks to test the effectiveness of the sharpener (as the instructions suggest) and found three strokes created a blade that sliced effortlessly through paper.

Specifications:

• Set contains: Chef's knife (20cm), bread knife (20cm), carving knife (20cm), utility knife (13cm), paring knife (9cm), knife block with sharpener
• Materials: Stainless-steel blades, premium plastic handles
• Warranty: 10 years
• Dishwasher-safe? No

Available from:

• Ninja (£169.99)

Jamie Oliver Tefal 6 kitchen knives and block

Best compact knife set

Pros:

• Block has small footprint
• Good-quality knives
• Good range

Cons:

• Not always clear which knife goes where in block

Star rating: 4.5/5

We felt spoilt for choice with this knife block, and when coring and slicing a pineapple – not the most pleasant of tasks – the Santoku, slicing and chef’s knives all coped easily. The chef’s knife is notably weighty so good for heavier tasks. The bread knife was also the heaviest of all those tested and felt particularly solid.

We put the two smallest knives – the 9cm paring and the 12cm utility – through their paces by chopping onion, carrots and celery and both were highly effective, slicing through cleanly. One of these two would no doubt become your go-to knife for most tasks so it really is a matter of personal choice which you prefer.

The block itself is compact and attractive, with six different-sized slots for the knives. These aren’t marked and there were occasions when, replacing all the knives in one go, we were left with the last one not fitting in the remaining slot, meaning we had to rearrange them. But this would only be a problem if you were using several of them at once – plus you would soon get used to which knife goes where.

Specifications:

• Set contains: Paring knife (9cm), utility knife (12cm), Santoku knife (16.5cm), slicing knife (20cm), bread knife (20cm), chef’s knife (20cm), knife block
• Materials: German stainless-steel blades, acacia wood
• Warranty: 2-year guarantee, 15-year repairability
• Dishwasher-safe? No

Sabatier by Stellar set of 5 kitchen knives in wooden knife block

Best traditional knife set

Pros:

• Very effective knives
• Pleasant to hold
• Lightweight

Cons:

• Basic design

Star rating: 4.5/5

Some knife sets are designed for style and to be a focal point of the kitchen. Others – like this one – just get quietly on with the job in hand. This is a straightforward, traditional-looking, unflashy knife set for those who enjoy home cooking and the set contains all the knives you need to accomplish every task.

The wooden block itself is fairly discreet looking, and we found the knives nicely sharp and pleasant to hold. We particularly liked the smallest knife, which is slightly squarer than most paring knives and particularly easy to use. It looked a bit like a cross between a paring knife and a Santoku knife, and was light and easy to manipulate.

We tested the knives on everything from butternut squash and onions to cherries and pineapple. The bigger knives worked their way efficiently through the tougher fruits, while the smaller ones diced everything without much effort. They are comfortable to hold with a ridge between handle and blade to protect fingers from slipping. The bread knife is also short and easy to control, slicing effectively through our baguette.

Specifications:

• Set contains: Paring knife (9cm), utility knife (10m), chef's knife (15cm), carving knife (20cm), bread knife (20cm), beechwood knife block
• Materials: Stainless-steel blades
• Warranty: Lifetime guarantee
• Dishwasher-safe? Yes, but handwashing is recommended

Circulon chef, utility and paring knife set

Available from Circulon (£60)

Best essentials-only knife set

Pros:

• Soft grip handles for comfort
• Relatively inexpensive
• Not too heavy, so a good choice for those with mobility issues

Cons:

• Struggled with tough cuts – more effort needed
• Non-traditional looks won't appeal to everyone

Star rating: 4/5

Part of a three-piece set that includes a chef’s, utility and paring knife. This collection from Circulon stood out for comfort, with soft-grip handles that offer excellent control and stability. The knives felt well balanced in the hand during our test and were easy to manoeuvre, especially when tackling everyday prep like slicing onions and chopping celery.

While the blades are made from Japanese steel and performed well during testing, they aren’t the sharpest, requiring a little more effort when working through tougher ingredients such as root vegetables. However, they still delivered reliable results and are more than suitable for general kitchen tasks.

The knives feature a series of holes in the blades, which help prevent food from sticking, making batch-cooking prep quicker and less frustrating. Though the overall appearance is more functional than stylish, the set is a solid choice for those prioritising comfort and ease of use.

Specifications:

• Set contains: Chef's knife (20cm), utility knife (15cm), paring knife (9cm)
• Materials: Japanese stainless-steel blades
• Warranty: Limited lifetime guarantee
• Dishwasher-safe? No

Available from:

• Circulon (£60)

Joseph Joseph 10-piece Multicolour In-drawer Knife & Utensil Set

Best knife set for drawer storage

Pros:

• In-drawer trays
• Weighted handles so blade doesn't touch worktop
• Utensil set included

Cons:

• Plastic handles feel a little cheap

Star rating: 4/5

There’s a lot packed into Joseph Joseph’s 10-piece set: two in-drawer plastic trays, ideal for the person who dislikes clutter on the worktop, five kitchen knives, and a handy set of utensils. Each of the knives features the company’s signature Elevate design, meaning that the blade is raised up from the surface when not in use. The knives are colour-coded too, ensuring that you can keep one for raw meat and fish, for example.

However, while they’re brilliantly designed and thought out, there’s no getting away from the fact that the plastic handles feel cheap and lightweight compared to others that we tested.

While the larger knives had more weight in the blades and handles of a good length, the smaller ones in this set had short handles and could be impractical for those with larger hands. Plus, while the Elevate design is clever, it can get in the way. For example, the chef’s knife sliced brilliantly, but the projection was an obstruction when crushing garlic with the blade.

We also found the paring knife difficult to use around the curves of an orange as the projection made it hard to see progress.

Specifications:

• Set contains: Paring knife (9cm), serrated knife (11cm), Santoku knife (14cm), chef's knife (16cm), bread knife (20cm), solid spoon, slotted spoon, slotted turner, flexible turner, ladle, two in-drawer storage trays
• Materials: Japanese stainless-steel blades, plastic handles
• Warranty: 2 years
• Dishwasher-safe? No

Zwilling Pro 7 Piece Ash Self Sharpening Knife Block

Best investment knife set

Pros:

• Excellent quality and innovative knife block design
• Includes scissors

Cons:

• Expensive
• Short warranty for the price

The five knives in this set should cover every kitchen task you’d need and the scissors are a welcome bonus, too. The ice-hardened stainless steel knives are full tang (as you would expect at this price point) and are pleasingly weighty in the hand. The slight curve at the bottom of the handle makes them particularly comfortable to hold.

The knives cut effortlessly, with the bread knife gliding through our crusty loaf. We particularly liked the serrated utility knife, which was perfect for cutting anything from tomatoes to grapefruit.

While the black-handled knives with flush rivets look traditional, the knife block itself is clever and innovative. Each knife has its own slot, with an image next to it to show you which one goes where.

The slots for non-serrated knives have integrated ceramic sharpening stones, so they're gently sharpened each time you pull one out or put it back. The ash block is also attractive and sits quite low, so you can easily place it under a cupboard.

Specifications:

• Set contains: Paring knife (10cm), utility knife (13cm), slicing knife (20cm), chef’s knife (20cm), bread knife (20cm), kitchen scissors, ash knife block with sharpener
• Materials: Stainless-steel blades, stainless-steel/plastic handles
• Warranty: 2 years
• Dishwasher-safe? Yes, but handwashing is recommended

Other knife sets tested and rated

• Kuhn Rikon Colori knife and block 6-piece set, £44.95
• Joseph Joseph LockBlock, £179
• Joseph Joseph Elevate knives carousel set, £99.99
• Japanese knife trio, £115

What to consider when buying a knife set

• Intended use: One of the first things to consider when buying a set is whether the selection will meet all your needs. Some smaller sets won’t contain a bread knife, for instance. This might be fine if you already have one, or only buy sliced bread, but it will be an issue for many.
• Quality: Full tang knives – where the blade is a single piece of metal running the whole length and through the handle – is generally thought to be stronger but can be expensive. Half tang knives, where the handle is simply attached to the end of the blade, may be more affordable.
• Storage: Some sets can be kept in the cutlery drawer while others come in a block, in a variety of colours, sizes and styles. Think about how much worktop space a set takes up and whether you prefer a compact design or one that makes more of a statement.
• Safety: This is a big concern, especially for parents. In some of the blocks we tested, the knives projected from the side while others needed to be pulled from the top end, making them harder for young children to remove.

Which knife types typically come in knife sets?

• Bread knife: long serrated knives for bread, rolls and other baked good
• Paring knife: small knives for general tasks, including cutting and peeling vegetables
• Chef’s/cook's knife: wide-bladed, multi-purpose knife
• Carving knife: for meat
• Slicing knife: long bladed knife
• Santoku knife: a versatile Japanese-style knife with indents on the blade, designed for chopping and dicing. You can also use the flat surface to scoop up finely chopped ingredients like herbs and garlic.

How to dispose of kitchen knives

The best way to dispose of knives you no longer need is to pass them on to someone who needs them. If you’re a keen cook, you may want to upgrade your knives but they could be more than adequate for a student or someone setting up home for the first time.

If this isn’t possible, most councils will allow you to dispose of them with your general waste, though do check first. If doing this, wrap them really carefully – put the tips in corks, for instance, or wrap them thickly with newspaper or bubble wrap, secured with tape.

In other areas, you’ll be asked to take them to a recycling site and put them in the scrap metals bin.

How to sharpen knives

Unless your knife is very dull, in which case you’d need a whetstone, the easiest methods are by using a sharpening steel or knife sharpener. Sharpening steels are also known as honing rods: this is because what you’re doing is honing, ie straightening, the blade, to make it more effective at slicing.

Place the rod with its tip on your worktop or a chopping board and the handle pointing at the ceiling. Hold your knife so that the edge of the blade is at a 20-degree angle. Pull the knife toward you while moving down the length of the steel – do not use a sawing motion or apply force. Repeat a few times, then do the same on the other side.

Manual knife sharpeners are usually held in place on the worktop while you draw the knife through each of its slots: most will have options from coarse to fine. For blunt blades, start by drawing through the coarse slot before finishing off with the fine. The fine slot or setting by itself is more like honing the blade and ideal for regular maintenance. You can find more tips from Good Food's Barney Desmazery in our 'how to sharpen knives' guide.

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