Choosing the best all-purpose knife

Do we really need a bread knife, a tomato knife, a sandwich knife, and a cake knife? asked Lisa McManus in Cook’s Illustrated. Or is there one knife that can slice equally well through crusty bread, a club sandwich, a 9-inch layer cake, and large ripe tomatoes? Our panel recently put 12 serrated knives through those four tests. The three winners were, in order:

Wüsthof Classic Bread Knife, 10 Inches ($79.95) Well-balanced, with “deeply tapered pointed serrations.” Even good for left-handed testers, though “not as good for large hands.”

Viking 10-Inch Serrated Slicer ($108) “Lethally sharp forged blade with deeply tapered pointed serrations.” Not too good for lefties or those with large hands.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Victorinox Forschner 10-inch Curved Blade Bread Knife, Black Fibrox Handle ($24.95) Almost as good as the top-rated knife. “Sharp blade and pointed serrations.” Also “good for lefties.”