The Only 3 Knives You Actually Need in Your Kitchen

Summary

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The Wirecutter Show: "The Only 3 Knives You Actually Need in Your Kitchen"

Podcast by The New York Times | April 15, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the essential kitchen knives everyone truly needs, demystifying knife-buying and knife-care for home cooks. Hosts Kyra Blackwell and Ben Fruman are joined by Leslie Stockton, senior Wirecutter kitchen writer with two decades of professional cooking experience. The episode covers which three knives are truly necessary, how to choose the best for you, insider tips for buying and maintaining knives, and common care mistakes to avoid—all delivered with the show’s signature blend of expert advice and relatable banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How Many Knives Do You Really Need?

[05:44]

• Essentials: Leslie Stockton insists most people only need three knives:
  • Chef’s Knife: The versatile workhorse for most tasks—chopping, slicing, even deboning.
  • Paring Knife: For trimming, peeling, and small item prep.
  • Serrated (Bread) Knife: Best for bread, tomatoes, and hard squashes.

“At the very least, have three knives.” —Leslie Stockton [05:44]

2. Knife Sets vs. Buying Individually

[07:16]

• Pros of Sets: Include storage blocks; everything matches.
• Cons: Often padded with “filler” knives you don’t need; tend to be more expensive for less useful items.
• Expert Advice: Skip the big sets unless you’re very attached to matching knives and the block.

“If it’s very important to you that all of your knives match, get the set. I wouldn’t though.” —Leslie Stockton [07:31]

3. Chef’s Knives: What Makes a Good One?

[09:18, 09:33, 10:17]

• Wirecutter’s Longtime Top Pick: Mac MTH80 8-inch Chef’s Knife—universally popular among testers of all skill levels.
• Why? Well-balanced, comfortable for various hand sizes, versatile edge.
• Key Insight: Knife feel is very personal. Testing before buying is best if possible.

“Everyone that I have made use this knife… I don’t think I’ve ever found anyone…that didn’t love the Mac MTH80.” —Leslie Stockton [09:37]

4. Western vs. Japanese Knives

[10:27 – 14:37]

• Western (German/European) Knives:
  • Heavier, curved blades (good for rocking chops), usually double-beveled.
• Japanese Knives:
  • Lighter, often single-beveled, thinner & flatter blades (good for push-pull slicing). Special left-handed options are needed for some styles.
• Hybrid Example:
  • Mac MTH80—a western-style Japanese knife. Combines best of both: versatile, even-beveled, and good balance, with enough curve for rocking and thinness for precision.

5. How to Choose & Test a Knife in Store

[15:16 – 18:38]

• Sharpness: Factory edge should be excellent—check it!
  • Techniques: Lightly run thumb perpendicular to edge, examine in light for imperfections.
  • “The factory edge is arguably the best and longest lasting edge that you might get on your knife. If it doesn’t start out with a great edge, don’t even bother.” —Leslie Stockton [15:36]
• Comfort & Balance: The knife should feel “right” in your hand; this is subjective.
• Don’t Settle: Ask to examine several copies of the same model before buying.

6. What Should you Spend?

[19:06 – 21:12]

• Starter Option: Victorinox 8-inch Chef’s Knife – around $50, durable and comfortable, great for first kitchens, camping, Airbnbs.
• Upgrade Option: Mac MTH80 – about $155, lasts for decades if maintained.
• Other Good Picks: Tojiro Classic (around $120), Wüsthof Classic Ikon (good for rocking cuts, about $150+).

“You can get a really good knife for around $50. Not like the prettiest knife, but, you know, the Victorinox 8 inch chef's knife…” —Leslie Stockton [19:12]

7. Costs and Importance of Paring and Serrated Knives

[21:30 – 23:58]

• Don’t overpay! Victorinox paring knives cost as little as $12 each (cheaper in multi-packs).
• Mercer Millennia bread knife (serrated) is $17 and excellent.
• For bread knives, curved edge and pointed serrations are best, especially for crusty loaves.

“You really don’t need to spend much at all. In fact, our top pick costs $17, which is a Mercer Millennia.” —Leslie Stockton [23:11]

8. Summary of Key Knife Types

[24:22]

• Chef’s knife: Spend the most here.
• Paring knife: Light, cheap, and practical.
• Bread/serrated knife: Look for curved, pointed serration—not expensive.

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Taking Care of Knives: Do’s & Don’ts

9. Knife Care Common Mistakes: Quiz and Corrections

[27:20 – 29:41]

• Never submerge knives in water overnight: It can damage and dull them, and can be unsafe.
• Never automatically throw away a chipped or bent knife—professionals can repair.
• Drawer storage is fine if you use blade sleeves or a dedicated drawer block.
• Never put good knives in the dishwasher; heat and moisture can ruin the handle and edge.

“The heat from the dishwasher really damages the handle.” —Leslie Stockton [29:12]

10. Signs Your Knife Needs Sharpening

[29:50 – 30:41]

• If it can’t pierce a tomato skin, it’s overdue for sharpening.
• A dull knife is more dangerous—a sharp knife is predictable.

“It’s a difference between a scalpel and a chainsaw.” —Leslie Stockton [30:26]

11. Sharpening vs. Honing

[31:06 – 33:41]

• Honing Rod: Does NOT sharpen—just realigns the microscopic teeth on the edge. Should be used every time you cook.
• Sharpening: Removes metal to restore edge; needed less frequently, best done by professionals or with a home sharpener.
• Tip: Beginners should hone with the rod tip-down, not “in the air.”

“If there’s only one thing your listeners take away from this, it is a honing rod will not sharpen your knife.” —Leslie Stockton [31:06]

12. Serrated/Bread Knife Care

[33:42 – 33:53]

• Don’t hone or sharpen—just replace after many years of use, since they’re inexpensive.

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Purchasing & Maintenance Tips

13. Professional Sharpening: How and Where?

[33:59 – 36:20]

• Ask how a shop sharpens knives before handing them over (stones and water wheels are best).
• If they use a basic Chef’s Choice home sharpener, consider buying one for yourself—it’s more cost effective.
• For really thin or expensive knives, occasional professional sharpening (esp. on stones) is ideal.

14. When to Replace a Knife

[36:20]

• If it can’t hold an edge even after sharpening, it’s done.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Over-complicating Knives:
  “Six steak knives? I’ve never needed six steak knives in my life.” —Leslie Stockton [08:33]

• On Testing Knife Sharpness in a Store:
  “First off, I wait for the clerk to look away and I shave the hair on my arm.” —Leslie Stockton [05:51, 16:09]
  “You’re wild for that.” —Kyra Blackwell [16:25]

• On Knife Preference:
  “Like, how do you find a spouse? You just know.” —Leslie Stockton [18:03]

• On Bread Knife Selection:
  “You want medium spaced serrations...If you’re cutting a lot of crusty bread, you want pointed serrations because the pointed serrations are going to really dig into that crustiness.” —Leslie Stockton [23:58]

• On Sharpening Frequency:
  “If you want to send your knives to someone who uses, like a home knife sharpener, great, do it. I think it is much more convenient for you to just have that thing in your home and sharpen them yourself.” —Leslie Stockton [35:17]

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Key Timestamps

• 05:44 — Leslie’s three essential knives
• 07:16 — Knife sets: pros and cons
• 09:18 — The Mac MTH80 knife and what makes it special
• 10:27–14:37 — Western vs. Japanese knives explained
• 15:16–18:38 — How to test a knife in store
• 19:06–21:12 — What to pay for good knives
• 21:30–23:58 — Best budget paring and bread knives
• 24:22 — Recap: What to spend on each knife
• 27:20–29:41 — Knife care: common mistakes & quiz
• 31:06–33:41 — Honing vs. sharpening: myths busted
• 33:59–36:20 — Professional sharpening: how, where, and when

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Practical Takeaways

• You only need three knives: Chef’s, paring, serrated.
• Buy quality, not quantity—especially for the chef’s knife.
• Don’t overpay for paring or bread knives; budget picks excel.
• Test knives in person if possible; comfort and balance are personal.
• Store knives safely (e.g., block, drawer sleeves).
• Hand wash good knives, never soak or dishwash.
• Hone daily, sharpen as needed—learn the difference.
• Replace when an edge can’t be restored—it’s time for a new knife.

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Closing Note

The episode closes with Leslie’s pro tip for spring grilling: buy lamb t-bones at Costco—they’re a steal compared to most stores.

“Year after year. The deal of the century.” —Leslie Stockton [37:19]

Wirecutter’s latest guides and all knife recommendations are available at nytimes.com/wirecutter or in the show notes.

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Transcript

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[Ben Fruman]

Let's say you are in that kitchen store. You're in a nice little local kitchen store and you're trying out knives. They've opened the case for you and you're holding the knife in your hand, and they don't have an onion or a carrot or something for you to chop.

[Leslie Stockton]

First off, I wait for the clerk to look away and I shave the the hair on my arm.

[Kyra Blackwell]

No, you don't.

[Ben Fruman]

You got hair on your arm. I think you should go big and just do your legs. I'm Christine Cyrclassette.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm Kyra Blackwell, and you're listening to the Wirecutter Show.

[Ben Fruman]

Kyra, I want to talk about your kitchen. Okay, let's get into it. Do you have a knife set or what's your knife situation?

[Kyra Blackwell]

You're going to be very proud of me. This is the one thing in my kitchen that I do have and I am very proud of. I have a real Japanese knife set. And the only reason it's a nice knife set is because my dad gifted them to me when I graduated from college.

[Ben Fruman]

Oh, that's a nice gift.

[Kyra Blackwell]

It was a really lovely gift. So I have a Shun Japanese knife set. It's very nice. It's got five knives all in total, and I love them.

[Ben Fruman]

Oh, that's lovely.

[Kyra Blackwell]

What about you?

[Ben Fruman]

I have some pretty nice knives that I've accumulated over the years. They're kind of a hodgepodge. I don't have a set, but I am going to admit that I don't think I take great care of them. I don't sharpen them enough. And I have lots of people using knives in my house, including my kids. So someone was recently in my kitchen and mistook a piece of slate for a cutting board and started cutting on it. So I know that knife is not doing very well.

[Kyra Blackwell]

We're not naming names.

[Ben Fruman]

No, we will not be naming names, but I do think it's probably time to sharpen them.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, I will say even though I love my knives, I have never gotten them professionally sharpened and I'm feeling a little bit lost about it. I think that we have the right person to talk to us about.

[Ben Fruman]

We absolutely do. We are bringing back Leslie Stockton, who is one of our most senior kitchen writers at Wirecutter. She knows a ton about knives. She has worked in professional kitchens for many, many, and she wrote our guide to chef's knives. So she has tested a ton of knives with a bunch of people. So she's gonna really fill us in on everything you need to know about the basic knives that you should have in your kitchen, how to take care of them, how to shop for knives so that you'll be really happy with them.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I can't wait to hear what Leslie has to say about all the things I'm doing wrong. So after the break, you're gonna hear from Leslie Stockton Beautiful Foreign.

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[Kyra Blackwell]

Welcome back. With us now is Leslie Stockton, who's a senior staff writer on the kitchen team who spent 20 some years working in professional kitchens, developing recipes and testing gear. She's also previously been on this podcast to talk about butter pies and Thanksgiving cooking gear.

[Ben Fruman]

Leslie, welcome back.

[Leslie Stockton]

Hey, thank you. It's good to be here.

[Ben Fruman]

We love having you here.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Love having you here.

[Leslie Stockton]

Let's chat.

[Ben Fruman]

Let's chat. And we are going to talk about something you and I have worked on in the past, which is knives. I've edited some of our knife coverage. And I remember working with you on this and realizing I didn't know anything about knives. And my, my kitchen knives were terrible. So let's start at the very beginning. How many knives do you think you really need to have to get all the things done in the kitchen?

[Leslie Stockton]

I will say at the very least have three knives.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay, and which are those?

[Leslie Stockton]

All right, so that's your chef's knife, which is your classic looking kitchen knife from cartoons, you know, or like Psycho or like Psycho or Clue, you know. And that's gonna do most of your tasks. Like, I can debone a chicken with a chef's knife. I can also cut up a bunch of vegetables, a bunch of apples for a pie. It does most of the things that's gonna be your main knife. The second knife is a paring knife. And it's really nice to have a paring knife if you just want to trim some radishes or you wanna cut up something small as a snack.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Can you remind me what a paring knife looks like?

[Leslie Stockton]

It's that small. It has about like a 3 to 4 inch blade, little handle, you know, very, very small. Yeah.

[Ben Fruman]

Whereas a chef's knife is usually like 8 inches long.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah, an 8 inch chef's knife is the best for most home cooks.

[Ben Fruman]

And then what's that third knife?

[Leslie Stockton]

A serrated knife. A serrated knife is great for cutting. It's usually called a bread knife. It's also good for.

[Ben Fruman]

I cut my tomatoes with a serrated knife.

[Kyra Blackwell]

This is the one with the teeth, basically.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah, I like to break down large, hard squashes with it.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I literally only use my serrated knife for bread.

[Ben Fruman]

I think that's perfectly fine too.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah, that's fine too.

[Ben Fruman]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Good to know, though. So a paring knife, a chef's knife, and a serrated knife.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So I know Generally at Wirecutter, our rule of thumb is don't buy a pre made kit or set of a lot of things. But knives feels a little bit different. Do you recommend getting a knife set?

[Leslie Stockton]

I feel like that's a personal choice.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay.

[Leslie Stockton]

Pros for a knife set, it comes with a knife block. Knife storage is usually tough for folks. So a knife block is a big wooden thing that sits on your counter with slots in it that holds the knives and it keeps the knives from banging up against each other, getting dull, just from being stored in a drawer. Yeah, but there are other ways to store knives. That's not the only way, but I think that's an appeal. If it's very important to you that all of your knives match, get the set. I wouldn't though.

[Ben Fruman]

But on the, on the con side, isn't it true that manufacturers or retailers often sort of cheap out on certain elements of the set? You know, you might get a decent chef's knife, but they might be sort of cutting corners on some of the knives that you're getting in that set. Right?

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah, you're probably. You're gonna get filler knives.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, I just feel like those sets always have more knives than I ever need. There's a lot of knives in those knife sets. It's definitely more than three.

[Leslie Stockton]

Oh, definitely more than three. And then you have what, six steak knives? I've never needed six steak knives in my life.

[Ben Fruman]

So take it or leave it. Do what feels right for you. But you definitely don't need a whole set to have ample ability in your kitch. I want to focus in a little bit on the chef's knife. So this is arguably like the most important knife to have and maybe the place to spend the most money if you're going to invest. There are so many different styles, different price points of chef's knives. I think if you were walking into like a Williams Sonoma or a nice kitchen store, you might be a little overwhelmed by all of the choices. We've had a. It's. What is.

[Leslie Stockton]

It's the Mac MTH80.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay. MTH80 has been our reigning pick for a long time. Do you think that this is just like universally a great knife for everyone, or is it kind of like you need to get a chef's knife in your hand to see if it feels right?

[Leslie Stockton]

Yes, and yes.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay.

[Leslie Stockton]

Everyone that I have made use this knife. And I've had a lot of people come and chop a lot of vegetables because it's is very important that people of different skill levels, sizes it's important to me that they all use the knives. I don't think I've ever found anyone in my years of conducting these huge panel tests that didn't love the Mac MTH80. It's not polarizing at all like some knives. Like the global knife is like, polarizing because it has that stainless steel handle that's like dimpled. And people either love it or they hate it.

[Ben Fruman]

I am a lover of your love knives. I. They are the right size for my hand. They feel good. I always reach for that in my knife kit. But the Mac knife, that is our main.

[Leslie Stockton]

Everyone loves it.

[Ben Fruman]

Everybody loves it. People might be familiar with the fact that there are Japanese style chef knives and there are what we call maybe like German or European style. What is the difference between those two and what is the Mac?

[Leslie Stockton]

So the Mac is what is called a western style Japanese knife.

[Kyra Blackwell]

What does that mean?

[Leslie Stockton]

So let's go back to what's the difference between a western style and a Japanese knife. A western style chef's knife usually has a riveted handle, right? So you can see the rivets in the handle. And when you're talking about like the higher end ones, they have what is called a full tang. And the tang is the piece of metal that the handle attaches to. You don't need a full tang, but that is a characteristic of like, especially a German knife.

[Ben Fruman]

And people might be familiar with like a Wusthof, a Wusthof or a Henckel,

[Leslie Stockton]

you know, even a Sabatier. And they market that as like, it's a full tang. It is quality, but it really doesn't.

[Ben Fruman]

Doesn't really matter that much.

[Leslie Stockton]

It doesn't really matter that much. And it makes the handle heavier, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It all comes down to comfort. Now also, western style knives have like a more curved cutting edge which is more conducive to like a rocking motion when you chop. Like if you keep some part of the blade in contact with the cutting board at all times. That's chopping with a rocking motion.

[Ben Fruman]

And is the actual blade like how it's sharpened?

[Leslie Stockton]

Yes.

[Ben Fruman]

Different on, on these western sides?

[Leslie Stockton]

Yes. So, all right, so the edge, the blade and the edge are two different things, right? The blade is the metal that you see and the edge is what you cut with, and that is what is ground to a sharp point. With European knives, it's called an even bevel, which means each side of that edge is ground to the same angle.

[Kyra Blackwell]

They seem like they look a little thicker.

[Leslie Stockton]

They Are definitely. And the blade is also. The blade itself is also thicker. Right. Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Versus Japanese knives, I found just tend to be like, they're like really, really thin.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

But sometimes. And we'll talk about sharpening later in this episode, but sometimes when I've peruse getting my knives sharpened because they are Japanese style, the sharpener will ask if it's a single or a double edge.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yep. A double bevel edge is what you would see in a western style knife. Right. Both sides of that edge are ground at the same angle. An uneven bevel is. So the, the, the Japanese knives, one side of the edge is ground to a much more acute angle. Now here's the great thing about Japanese knives. Or not so great, to be quite honest. If you're left handed, you need to buy a left handed knife. Ah.

[Ben Fruman]

Where that's not really a consideration for western style knives because they have that even.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah. It's the same on both sides.

[Ben Fruman]

And, and just to go back a little bit to the difference between these styles. So presumably with the Japanese style, besides the, the uneven bevel, the. You said that the western style has more of a curve in the blade. So is it a flatter blade?

[Leslie Stockton]

Yes. Also a Japanese knife is flatter. With a Japanese chef's knife, which is called a gyutu, you want to do like a push pull where you bring the knife up off the board.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So is it safe to say for people who aren't professional chefs or just, you know, novices in the kitchen, it would be a better bet to go with a western style knife.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay.

[Leslie Stockton]

Or a western style Japanese knife.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay, so what does that mean? So if it's western style Japanese, I'm presuming it's some kind of hybrid between.

[Leslie Stockton]

It is a hybrid. So like let's take the Mac MTH80. It is a knife with a riveted handle and a full tang.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay.

[Leslie Stockton]

It has not as severe of an arc in its edge, so it's a little flatter and it has an even bevel.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So you can do a little bit of the rocking. It's easier to sharpen.

[Leslie Stockton]

It's great for both cutting styles.

[Ben Fruman]

I see.

[Kyra Blackwell]

It's more. It's just versatile. Right?

[Leslie Stockton]

It's versatile. And people with large hands put this, you know, before they started cutting, like, I know, I'm just knock my knuckles on the board. I'm like, yeah, I would love to see if you do. And they're like, oh my God. I don't. People with large hands still got great knuckle clearance, which can be an issue.

[Ben Fruman]

Which can be an issue with some Japanese knives. Right. Is that knuckle clearance? Why? Maybe people with bigger hands might prefer something like a Wusthof. A German. German style, western style knife.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yes. And it all depends on how you hold the knife. Right. If you are holding it with your knuckles down, you are probably gonna need a western knife, which gives you more space there.

[Ben Fruman]

Clearance.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So then can we just talk about. So you know kind of what you're looking for. You're going to a store to test out knives. How do you know which knife is the one? What, like, do you have a regimen that you go through when you're testing knives where you're like, okay, like my knuckles are cracking against the cutting board or it just doesn't feel right, it's too heavy. It's too.

[Apple Card Announcer]

Like, what is.

[Leslie Stockton]

Should we start with universal?

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yes.

[Leslie Stockton]

Start with sharpness. Okay. The factory edge is arguably the best and longest lasting edge that you might get on your knife. If it doesn't start out with a great edge, don't even bother.

[Kyra Blackwell]

But how do you get sharpness on a knife?

[Ben Fruman]

Yeah, like, if you're. Let's say. Let's say you are in that kitchen store, you're in a nice little local kitchen store and you're trying out knives, they've opened the case for you and you're holding the knife in your hand, like, and they don't have an onion or a carrot or something like tomato.

[Leslie Stockton]

Well, first off, I wait for the clerk to look away and I shave the hair on my arm. No, you don't.

[Ben Fruman]

The hair on your arm. I think you should go big and just do your legs.

[Leslie Stockton]

You know, you just like pull up

[Ben Fruman]

your sleeve and you just do like

[Leslie Stockton]

a little shave to see how close it can get.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Desi. You're wild for that.

[Leslie Stockton]

I don't. You can like run your thumb lightly, like perpendicular to the blade. You can also, if you hold the knife blade up with the butt of the handle towards you and just like look down and look how it catches the light. You will see imperfections in that blade, if they exist. Like, the light will like catch like a nick or any sort of like toothiness going on or any sort of unevenness in the blade. So if you go buy a knife in person, ask to see a few of the same knife. Like, this is the knife I want. Can I see three of this knife and examine them and look and see, like, make sure that edge is straight. Make sure there's no like, little nicks or whatever. Get a Good one.

[Ben Fruman]

Yeah. Don't just take the first knife they hand you. Right?

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah, exactly.

[Ben Fruman]

I love that. Yeah.

[Leslie Stockton]

Okay.

[Ben Fruman]

Because you will presumably see different imperfections in these three different knives. And you choose the one you think that looks the least imperfect.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay, so that's great. So you look at the blade. Maybe shave a little fur off your arms. Don't do that.

[Kyra Blackwell]

We're gonna have everybody in the store just shaving themselves. Okay.

[Leslie Stockton]

Or like, ask them if they'll let you cut a piece of paper.

[Ben Fruman]

Right. Okay.

[Leslie Stockton]

Or ask, like, how can I test this edge? Do you have a way for me to test this knife? I need to know if it's comfortable

[Ben Fruman]

and then how should the handle feel? Like, when do you know to Kyra's point that you found the one?

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah, it's. If you get to test a few of them, you just know.

[Ben Fruman]

Like, how do you find a spouse? You just know.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah, you just know. You know. You just know. What, what, what? Like feels best. And I'll add balance to that too, because people will say, oh, it's perfectly balanced. I'm like, for whom? Some people say, like this, perfectly balanced. And they'll like, balance the knife, like where the blade meets the handle and it'll just sit there perfectly. I'm like, well, yes, it's balanced like that. But some people like a knife that's more handle heavy and some people like a knife that's more blade heavy. Again, that, like, that's personal preference.

[Ben Fruman]

So it's. There's no perfect knife for everyone. You might like a knife that I don't like. It's all individual, which is why, ideally it'd be great if you can go try them out, right?

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah.

[Ben Fruman]

But if you don't have a store that you can go to or whatever, or you don't want to overthink it. The Mac is pretty good.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yes. And I will add, the knives that we recommend have been the favorites of so many testers throughout the years. So many.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So you probably can't go wrong. Well, I want to talk about price. Like, how much should you expect to spend on a really good knife?

[Leslie Stockton]

So you can get a really good knife for around $50.

[Kyra Blackwell]

What?

[Leslie Stockton]

Not like the prettiest knife, but, you know, the Victorinox 8 inch chef's knife is. I mean, if you're outfitting your first kitchen, if you want a knife for camping, if you have like an Airbnb, like gear kit and it's still sharp and it's still, like, comfortable.

[Kyra Blackwell]

And what if you want to spend a Little more. Let's say this is your forever home knife.

[Leslie Stockton]

There are two. There's the Mac, which is my all time favorite.

[Kyra Blackwell]

How much does that cost?

[Leslie Stockton]

That's a dollar one hundred fifty five.

[Kyra Blackwell]

That's still not.

[Leslie Stockton]

That's not. It's not.

[Ben Fruman]

When you consider it will, if you take care of it, it should last you decades, right?

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah. And it's the only knife that we recommend and I feel like I need to mention this, that has a dimpled blade and I'm just going to go on the record and say it does nothing.

[Ben Fruman]

So it's not a reason.

[Leslie Stockton]

It's not one of the reasons why we recommend it.

[Ben Fruman]

For people who might be confused by what this means, like it's little indents inside of the blade.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah. That have been like laser etched out. And it's supposed to create air pockets between, you know, your blade. So food doesn't stick to the blade, does Nothing. For about 120 you can get a Tojiro Classic, which is another Japanese knife. It's like eight and a half. So it's a little longer. It's like a tiny bit longer and it has like kind of like a wider blade. Like it's kind of good for scooping and the blade is all itself is like thinner than the Mac. It's a good knife. It used to be $80 and now it's like 120. So I have to rethink that. I need to get my hands on it again. Let's see if I can. Everything's gone up.

[Ben Fruman]

Yeah.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah, everything's gone up. Wusof classic icon 8 inch chef's knife. If you want a German knife with a more curved edge, you really like that rocking motion when you cut, then that's what you should get. Classic Icon.

[Ben Fruman]

We just established that when you're thinking about these three basic knives that you should always have that the chef's knife is where it's worth spending the money. What about the paring knife and the serrated slash bread knife? Do you need to really put the money there or can you get by with a cheaper knife in this category?

[Leslie Stockton]

I love a cheap paring knife. I do the Victorinox Rein, a quarter inch paring knife with a plastic handle, nice thin blade. You can just get one or you can buy a pack of like two or three. And the price comes down dramatically per knife when you do that. I think I have too many of these. I love them though. You don't need to spend a lot on a paring knife. I like a Lightweight paring knife. Cause a lot of times I'm using it in hand.

[Ben Fruman]

The first Victorinox paring knife I used was actually from my dad's fishing boat, his commercial fishing boat. We had all of these little, we call them red vickys. And they're red handle, serrated, but they're, they're the size of paring knife. And I now have some of those in my kitchen from the boat. We've probably had them for over 20 years. And that's the knife I have my kids cut with.

[Leslie Stockton]

I love the Victorinox serrated. They are small knives.

[Ben Fruman]

So great. And like, they are really, really great for kids who are like, I had my kids at 4 using those knives, like, cutting. Actually, my 10 year old just made a beautiful Greek salad this week With.

[Leslie Stockton]

With that knife.

[Ben Fruman]

With that knife, yes. I use it to open Amazon boxes. I use it for everything.

[Leslie Stockton]

I know.

[Ben Fruman]

Yeah.

[Leslie Stockton]

No, it's isn't. You can even get a three pack of the regular paring knife. The three and a quarter inch serrated, and then like the longer rounded.

[Ben Fruman]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Leslie Stockton]

They call it the serrated utility knife. You can get that three pack. It's kind of awesome.

[Ben Fruman]

And these knives are like, they're so cheap.

[Leslie Stockton]

They're like so cheap on Amazon. One Victorinox paring knife is $12 at Williams Sonoma. A pack of two is $12.

[Ben Fruman]

Oh, wow. What about this serrated knife? How much do you need to spend on that?

[Leslie Stockton]

You really don't need to spend much at all. In fact, our top pick costs $17, which is a Mercer Millennia. You really don't need to spend a lot. You don't need a fancy handle, you don't need forged steel. Like, if you want it, go for it. But the most important things about a serrated knife that will really make your life easier is like, you want medium spaced serrations. You don't want them like super close together. This is for a bread knife. If you're cutting a lot of crusty bread, you want pointed serrations because the pointed serrations are going to really dig into that crustiness, grab onto it and like start doing the work.

[Ben Fruman]

And what about. I've seen these serrated knives. Some of them have like a slightly curved edge, while some of them are really straight. What is that?

[Leslie Stockton]

I only recommend curved edge.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay.

[Leslie Stockton]

Serrated knives because they are so much more versatile.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay. So we just learned a lot. I'm gonna do a quick little recap.

[Leslie Stockton]

Okay.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Basically, it sounds like you really need to put your most focus in your chef's KN spend the most money here because it's the knife that you're probably gonna be reaching for the most in your kitchen and it will do the job. So a Western style knife is going to have a thicker blade and an even bevel.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yes.

[Kyra Blackwell]

And then a Japanese knife is going to be flatter and thinner, whereas a Western knife is curved.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yes.

[Kyra Blackwell]

And if you want to pair or like build yourself your own little knife kit, then you should also focus on a paring knife and a serrated edge knife in a bread knife.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay, we're going to take a quick break and when we're back we're going to talk about the things you may not have known about how to properly care for your knives, which is maybe just as important as what we just covered. We'll be right back.

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[Ben Fruman]

more than 800 exquisite objects handcrafted by over 400 craft artists from 70 countries around the world, brought together and framed by light on the beautiful island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy. This is Homo Faber 2026, an island of Light, an international celebration of contemporary craftsmanship, running from the 1st to the 30th of September. Artistic director Ez Devlin, the British artist and designer puts the work of master craft artists in the spotlight through immersive installations. Visit homo f.com to book your tickets for Homo Faber 2026 An island of Light welcome back. Now that we know the basics about knives, let's talk about how to properly care for them. Leslie, this is where I sin the most in my kitchen. I probably do not take care of my knives the way that they should be taken care of. So we are going to play a quick game of now. You know you have actually come prepared a little test for us.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Right.

[Ben Fruman]

Maybe this will reveal something about our characters. Let's see what we know and where we have gone wrong in the past.

[Leslie Stockton]

Okay. True or false? If your knife is really, really dirty and gunky, it's okay to submerge it in hot soapy water overnight.

[Kyra Blackwell]

No.

[Ben Fruman]

No. I'm going to say no.

[Leslie Stockton]

That is false.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay, false.

[Leslie Stockton]

Correct.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Why then?

[Ben Fruman]

And why?

[Leslie Stockton]

Well, one, it's just dangerous. And two, dangerous cause you might reach

[Kyra Blackwell]

in there and cut yourself.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah. But also, like, water can, like, seep in between the handle and like, the rivet or the tang, it can, like, get mildewy. It can also cause your blade to rust or tarnish. Just don't do it.

[Ben Fruman]

Got it.

[Leslie Stockton]

Many reasons noted. Noted damages like a chipped edge or a bent tip are basically unfixable, and you have to throw it away.

[Kyra Blackwell]

False.

[Ben Fruman]

False. I think it's salvageable.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, but you should probably pay somebody to do that.

[Leslie Stockton]

Oh, you can't do that yourself.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Send that out to a professional.

[Leslie Stockton]

There is no good way to store a knife in a drawer.

[Ben Fruman]

False. I store my knives in a drawer. And you can do it in two ways. I'm gonna get extra credit. Are we ready?

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Leslie Stockton]

I feel like you already, like, you

[Kyra Blackwell]

edited her guide on this. That's cheating.

[Ben Fruman]

I should let you answer because I

[Kyra Blackwell]

was gonna say false unless you have a sleeve for each of your individual knives.

[Ben Fruman]

I think that is one answer.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Right.

[Ben Fruman]

Is a sleeve like a little plastic sleeve? I have the wooden insert that goes in a drawer that has little slots. So it's basically like a block. But it's just you rest your knives in these little slots inside my drawer.

[Leslie Stockton]

That's also a good way to do it. True or false. Go ahead and throw your knife in the dishwasher. As long as it's on the top, top rack, it's okay to put your knife in the dishwasher.

[Kyra Blackwell]

False.

[Ben Fruman]

I'm going to say false.

[Leslie Stockton]

That's false. Yeah, well, the heat from the dishwasher really damages the handle.

[Ben Fruman]

I'm going to admit something. I know that this is not something that is okay to do for your knives, but. And I Don't do it with my expensive chef knives. But I do it with my Victorinox barring knife.

[Leslie Stockton]

I also do it with my Victorinox pairing knives because like, they're easy to sharpen. And we'll, we'll. It's like, whatever, they're cheap, they're easy to sharpen. Like that's.

[Ben Fruman]

So maybe the lesson here is also follow these rules definitely for your expensive knives, but as the price goes down, maybe you can just make your own choice there.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah, okay. Y.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay, okay.

[Kyra Blackwell]

But I have learned that I haven't been a great knife parent, I think.

[Leslie Stockton]

I mean, we all slip up. Don't worry. Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

But what are some really clear signs that your knives are just in deep,

[Leslie Stockton]

deep despair if you can't even get close to piercing a tomato skin?

[Kyra Blackwell]

Oh, I'm there.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Oh, I'm there.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah. Get em sharpened. Get em sharpened. Cause when you think about it, like, it's just not safe. Yeah, that thing can slip off the tomato skin and then you can cut yourself and, and can I get a little graphic? Sure. Cutting yourself with a sharp knife versus a dull one. It's a difference between a scalpel and a chainsaw.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Ooh, that's nice.

[Ben Fruman]

So somewhat counterintuitively, a sharper knife is going to be a safer knife.

[Leslie Stockton]

It's a safer. It's a clean cut. It's a safer knife.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay, we are going to get, get now into some of the nitty gritty about maintaining the edge of your knife. A lot of people who buy a knife set will get a honing rod. It's got a handle. It's kind of a round, long tube that is sort of. It's got some texture on the outside of it. I think a lot of people think that that is used to sharpen a knife. You see it in movies. Like people like, you know, running the knife along the edge. Is that used? Is that really for sharpening?

[Leslie Stockton]

If there's only one thing your listeners take away from this, it is a honing rod will not sharpen your knife. It does not shave away metal what a honing rod does. Can we get back to knife edges?

[Ben Fruman]

Sure.

[Leslie Stockton]

So you look at a knife edge, it looks smooth, but in fact there's these microscopic teeth at the very tip of the edge. And as you cut, like those teeth kind of like get out of alignment. They're used. Like some of these, they just kind of like bend out of place. And what a honing rod does is that when you run it along a honing rod, it lines those Little microscopic teeth. Right back up, and then voila, it feels sharper.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay. It's not actually sharpening the edge.

[Leslie Stockton]

It's not showing.

[Ben Fruman]

It's not grinding away back into place. So they will cut more effectively. Right.

[Leslie Stockton]

Sharpening your knife grinds away metal to create a new edge. Honing your knife realigns those little microscopic teeth.

[Ben Fruman]

So how often should someone be honing a knife using that honing rod before you cook?

[Leslie Stockton]

Every single time.

[Ben Fruman]

Every single time.

[Leslie Stockton]

It's just like, swipe, swipe, swipe, swipe. Done.

[Ben Fruman]

How do you know, though? The thing I'm always. That sounds like so much work.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Sure.

[Ben Fruman]

But the thing I'm always a little concerned about when I use a honing rod is that I'm gonna actually dull the knife. How do you know you're doing it at the right angle?

[Leslie Stockton]

It feels sharper.

[Ben Fruman]

And also, like, once you've done it, the knife feels sharper. If it doesn't feel sharper, you know, you haven't really honed it properly.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah, but okay. If you're scared of honing in the very beginning when you're learning how to hone your knife, don't do it with, you know, the honing rod in your hand, and you're pulling the knife down

[Ben Fruman]

towards your hand, which I think is what most people think of. Like, that's where. That's what you see people.

[Kyra Blackwell]

And it also. It makes me feel like a samurai,

[Leslie Stockton]

and I like that, and I do it because I'm awesome.

[Ben Fruman]

Yes, but you're also very experienced.

[Leslie Stockton]

I'm also very experienced. So when you're just starting out, put the tip of the honing rod on the cutting board, Put your hand on the handle, and then put the edge of your blade on the honing rod. And, you know, three pennies. Let's try three pennies of, you know, of an angle away from the honing rod. Right. And then just.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Just drag it down the rod.

[Leslie Stockton]

Just pull it. Pull it down.

[Kyra Blackwell]

You're kind of doing like a cello motion.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yes. You know, pull it down each side.

[Ben Fruman]

You do have some imagery in your eyes and your chest. Chef's knife guide, which we will link in the show notes. That really does show.

[Leslie Stockton]

There are lots of gifts. Yeah, there's so many gifts.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay, so even though a honing steel only hones, it doesn't sharpen. You definitely still need one in your knife set because you need to use it every single day.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yes.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay. So is it okay to use a honing steel on a serrated knife?

[Leslie Stockton]

No.

[Ben Fruman]

I mean, the truth. The truth with serrated knives, isn't it that you kind of like, you can't really sharpen them and eventually you'll have

[Leslie Stockton]

to replace them and it's fine because, like, they're so. They're useful for so many years. That's. I mean, that's the whole point of the story.

[Kyra Blackwell]

My other knives, though, I do know, need professional work because again, it's been about 10 years, and I've never, ever sent them out to get professionally sharpened before. There is a little boutique general store on my block that advertises that they will sharpen knives, and I've been really, really interested in that because it's so convenient. Would you recommend that? I know that a lot of different shops around the country have this service, but where. Where do you recommend people send their knives off to be sharpened?

[Leslie Stockton]

First of all, I would ask them how they're sharpening it.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay.

[Leslie Stockton]

Because if they're just using like a chef's choice home knife sharpener, just get yourself a chef's choice knife sharpener, because you're gonna pay for that over and over again. If you just send it to them for them to use that thing like a home knife sharpener, what would you

[Ben Fruman]

prefer that they be using? How would you want them to be sharpening the knife?

[Leslie Stockton]

I will only send my knives out to someone who uses a water wheel and. Or Corrine. It's a Japanese knife and kitchen store in downtown Manhattan, and they sharpen on stones.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay, so then for the rest of us, Leslie,

[Leslie Stockton]

I had to get it

[Kyra Blackwell]

out, y', all, what a normal people do.

[Leslie Stockton]

I had to get it out. I had to get it out. If you want to send your knives to someone who uses, like a home knife sharpener, great, do it. I think it is much more convenient for you to just have that thing in your home and sharpen them yourself.

[Ben Fruman]

If you do not live in New York City and you are not going to ship your knives to Corin here in Manhattan. Any advice on finding someone locally who. Who is doing a decent job?

[Leslie Stockton]

Who.

[Ben Fruman]

Cause surely there are people who can do this in other parts of the world.

[Leslie Stockton]

Definite, Definitely, Definitely Reddit. Who. Who does the best knife sharpening for kitchen knives in our area? And then you just call them. Be like, hey, how do you sharpen your knives? And if they say they use stones, okay, the thinner your blade, I think the more. But you can do both. You can use the home sharpener and then once every 18 months or something, or, you know, a couple years, like, like get a. A new professional edge, put on it.

[Ben Fruman]

One last question. When can you tell that your knife is beyond repair? It's time to give up, get a new knife.

[Leslie Stockton]

If you can't get an edge on it or it won't hold an edge for dear life, like, it will just not hold an edge. Like, you sharpen it, and you're, like, halfway through a tomato, and it's already dull. It's time to get a new knife.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

All right, Leslie. Well, before we wrap, we always ask one final question. What's the last thing you bought that you really loved?

[Leslie Stockton]

It's spring. I went to Costco. Lamb t bones, $9 a pound. Oh, fresh red. Like, oh, my God. I get two packages. I wrap them up, like, two per and freeze them all.

[Ben Fruman]

Oh, love that.

[Leslie Stockton]

And they're delicious. I just need y' all to know that, like, lamb T Bones everywhere else is, like, 18 to $20 a pound.

[Ben Fruman]

Like, this is bonkers.

[Leslie Stockton]

Year after year. The deal of the century.

[Ben Fruman]

Okay.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Wow. Thank you so much, Leslie, for being here with us today.

[Leslie Stockton]

Thank you for having me, Kyra.

[Ben Fruman]

I feel like we. We both learned a lot. I learned so many new things. I even edited that guide with Leslie years ago, and I. I still learned a bunch of stuff.

[Kyra Blackwell]

It seems like there's a lot to say about knives.

[Ben Fruman]

There's so much to say about knives. Okay, so what are you taking away from this episode?

[Kyra Blackwell]

Well, Cristine, you know that I really do love my knife set. I have not been sharpening them at all. It sounds like I probably should be sending them to Corin, but I think I might just end up getting a knife sharpener for one of our guides and doing it at home myself.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yeah.

[Ben Fruman]

And our main knife sharpener, the. The Chef's Choice, it does have a setting for Japanese knives, so I would imagine it probably won't be as perfect as if you sent it to Corrin or a really good knife sharpener, but

[Kyra Blackwell]

I am not a perfectionist.

[Ben Fruman]

Yeah. And it's going to cost you a lot less, so. So that's great.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Ben Fruman]

I think it's time for me to get a new bread knife, a new serrated knife. Mine is. It's flat. I want one. One with the curved edge. And the Mercer one that we recommend is so cheap. I. I feel like 17. Yeah. Why not? So I think that's on my list.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I love. Okay. We both have some really good takeaways this time. If you want to find out more about Wirecutter's coverage or if you want to check out any of the products Leslie recommended Today, go to nytimes.com wirecutter or find a link in the show notes. That's it for us until next week. Thank you so much for listening. The Wirecutter show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel. Engineering support from Maddie Mazziello and Nick Pittman. Today's episode was mixed by Katherine Anderson, original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Alicia Katherine Anderson, Rowan Nimisto and Diane Wong. Cliff Levy is Wirecutter's deputy publisher and general manager. Ben Fruman is Wirecutter's editor in chief. I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[Ben Fruman]

I'm Christine Cyrclassette.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Thanks for listening.

[Leslie Stockton]

Am I getting too cheffy when I say to supreme and Orange? Yes, you are.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yes.

[Leslie Stockton]

Yes.

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