Escali

LB-3000

Nutro

Primo

Stela

KQ909

KQ908

KD-8000

11lb Scale

5lb Scale

Pronto

3817

1250

Enfinigy

This is just what you'd expect from a scale and nothing extra. There are a lot of things I'd love to change about it, but it genuinely nails its bang-for-the-buck intention.

Acids

Aprons

Chef's Knives

Chili Oils

Cookbooks

Cooking Utensils

Cutting Boards

Dutch Ovens

Food Storage

Graters

Hand Blenders

Instant Noodles

Instant Thermometers

Kitchen Scales

Knife Sharpening

Knife Storage

Leave-in Thermometers

Oils

Peelers

Plating Utensils

Presses

Saucepans

Saute Pans

Serving Bowls

Sheet Pans

Skillets

Soy Sauces

Spice Grinders

Stockpots

Vinegars

Wearables

BOOS

Amazon

Cookin' Cut Synthetic Rubber Cutting board 

Hinoki Cutting Board

R01 Maple Edge Grain Cutting Board

Cutting Board

Chopping Block

FRK20 Soft Cutting Board

Aptitlig

Finfordela Flexible Chopping Board

Proppmatt Beechwood Cutting Board

Skogsta Acacia Cutting Board

reBoard Recycled Plastic Cutting Board

Edge Grain Cutting Board

Hi-Soft Cutting Board

We love a maple butcher block and this simple, sturdy boi from BOOS fits the bill perfectly for just a hair under $100.

It's mot super grippy, but it's also heavy enough not to slide around very much.

This board hasn’t let me down and although it’s kind of a pain to drag off the shelf, it’s performed super well and makes me feel more confident using higher quality knives than a cheap plastic cutting board ever has. Plus taking care of it has been super simple which is always a nice bonus.

Kramer by Zwilling

Sur La Table

210mm Heavy Cleaver

220mm Chukka Bocho

210mm Gyuto

8" Chef's Knife

180mm Santoku

In my first comparison, 3 knives stood out. This was the biggest surprise of all of them.

See, Zwilling has something of a reputation for... let's say "budget-quality" knives. I suspected they just backed up a dump truck full of money to Bob Kramer's house so they could stick his name and his trademark Way-Too-Tall™ profile on their same old also-ran knives.

Boy howdy, was I wrong.

52100 steel makes all the right compromises for home cooks. It's easy to maintain, easy to care for (for a carbon steel at least), and with this geometry, it fucking flies through anything in its path.

The handle feels so lovely, I don't even mind that it's formica and resin with gaudy gold fittings on the end.

Just sensational all around. 

Great work, Zwilling. Sorry for doubting you, Bob.

I was intimidated by this knife at first because of it's bulky profile, but it's actually very pleasant to use. 

It's weighted toward the front which is great for preventing wrist discomfort, and the blade holds an edge like a champ! 

It is a carbon steel knife, so you just need to make sure you're drying it quickly after washing or it'll rust.

Meiji 10" Chef's Knife

Classic 210mm Chef's Knife

Spartan Ghost Chef's Knife 8"

The 8" Knife

Professional Series 8" Chef's Knife (MTH-80)

Premier Chef's 8"

Everyday Chef's Knife

Classic Ikon 8" Chef's Knife

Förslag 3-pc Knife Set

Rosewood 8" Chef's Knife

French Chef's Knife

Classic Chef's 8"

Vardagen Chef's Knife 8"

Briljera Chef's Knife 8"

Vörda Chef's Knife 8"

365+ Chef's Knife 8"

Pro Le Blanc 8" Chef's Knife

365+ 6" Utility Knife

Birchwood SG2 8" Chef's Knife

Black 5000MCD67 8" Gyuto

G-56 7" Santoku

G-2 8" Chef's Knife

GU-02 8" Asian Chef's Knife

210mm Ginsan Gyuto

Chef's Knife

Graphite 8" Chef's Knife (+ 13-pc set)

8” Brad Leone Signature Series Chinese Santoku Cleaver

7.25" Chef Series

8" Chef Knife

Koh 8" Gyuto

Kanso 8" Chef's Knife

Fibrox 8" Chef's Knife

Classic 6" Chef's Knife

AEB-L is one of my favorite steels: it strikes a great balance between hardness and toughness, and because it's stainless it's quite easy to take care of.

That said, both the handle design and the damascus finish are absolutely horrendous imo. Feels a little on the weeb side too — like the anime equivalent of a chef's knife.

It also just kinda feels goofy. Bob's knives are known for being tall, but expanded to a 10" scale, the blade is absolutely massive.

I like AEB-L, but if I'm shelling out this much money, I'd just go for a KxZ Carbon with its excellent ergonomics and handle.

It's the bigger sibling to my favorite knife the MAC chef series. It's a bit longer than I prefer in a knife, but I still feel confident and it's a reliable daily driver.

Essentially the same form factor as the H&B and the Tojiro Classic, but with a steel that seems more prone to corrosion and a slightly higher price tag.

Can't tell which steel that is because MAC's not saying. Good, not great.

Ninja Foodi

ProBond Nonstick Skillet (11")

Quick-Release Fry Pan (9.5”)

Hybrid Nonstick Pan (10")

Toughened Nonstick PRO Fry Pan (10")

Nonstick Frying Pan (10")

NeverStick Premium Fry Pan (10.25")

Good Grips Pro Frying Pan (10")

Professional Frying Pan (10.25”)

Professional 10" Fry Pan

Unlimited 10" Fry Pan

Professional Nonstick Fry Pan

Wear-Ever Nonstick Fry Pan

Honestly, I"m surprised that this infomercial-y bullshit isn't awful, but it's a lovely surprise. It's definitely not pretty, but it takes one of the worst challenges of nonstick largely out of the equation at a reasonable price.

Dao Vua

Bernal Cutlery

Dao Vua says these knives are hand-forged in Vietnam from the leafsprings of old German cars. That is one of the coolest stories of recycling I've heard AND they're super cheap!

But, they're also really uneven and often warped. I think this could be an interesting starting point for someone who's interested in trying out carbon steel, but only because it's cheap.

Caraway

D3 3qt Sauce Pan

Premier 2.5qt Space Saving Sauce Pan

3-Quart Saucepan

Saucy

2qt Stainless Steel Saucepan

Sauce Pan

Titanium Series Saucier

Eater Series Saucier

Probably my least-favorite sauce pan we've tested. The shape is super modern, but the main handle feels super cheap. I do like most of the lid (the weight, the handle), except for the steam vent which I'd love to see removed and appears in testing to be completely unnecessary.

On top of all that, Caraway is selling it at an absolutely unhinged price point and justifying it with terrible marketing.

Tojiro

It's a little long to be a go-to for those of us with smaller hands, but I do like how light this knife is - weighing in at 199 grams. 

It's stainless steel so it won't rust if you forget to dry it right away and the edge stays sharp for a good amount of time.

The knife formerly known as the "Tojiro DP".

This is what I think the average knife should be. It's not anything special, but it's decent quality and reliable.

Global

I've had this knife in my kit for a little over a decade. It's like a bassist. It's useful and it definitely is nice to have, but it's not the lead singer you count on to get the job done. 

This beefy boi looked pretty promising: it's a heavier, slightly more Western-profiled G-2. Seems like a good way for Global to expand its audience into Zwilling, et al's territory.

It's ultimately just a compromise that isn't adding anything, though.

Up until recently, this was maybe the only knife in the category that both Sarah and I loved to use. It really is a joy AND it's cheap.

This one's a no-brainer if you're looking for your first "nice" knife, you have small hands, or you want a smaller backup.

I thought by now I would find a knife I like more than my MAC, but I haven't. 

It won't win any awards for being beautiful, but it's a good little knife that I can feel confident using every. single. time.

Paulina

Kimchi Raikkonen

Bradan Jackson

Zwilling

Zwilling's not my favorite for a number of reasons, but this Enfinigy (ugh) line is at least interesting in principle, if not practice.

First off, I love that this scale is USB rechargeable. That kind of leap ahead of its competitors feels extremely out-of-character for Zwilling which had me excited.

In use, there are bits of fit and finish that feel pretty nice. I love the aesthetic of the seamless scale and display (although it can be hard to read the display when it's inside the platform).

I haven't torn it apart yet, but it also feels like Zwilling cheaped out on the internals (the stress gauges have a weird "bounce" to them).

This is super close to being best in class, but there are a few issues to work out. Maybe they can firmware update over that USB too?

Jar Scraper Spatula

Talsen Chemicals

99% Lactic Acid Powder

I originally purchased this when working on the Kimchi Raikkonen recipe, but I've been using it constantly ever since.

My favorite use currently is whipping up quick batches of vacuum pickles that take like 5 minutes, taste fully fermented, and keep their super crisp texture.

Teakhaus

A low-cost, nice hardwood cutting board. It's made of a fairly soft teak, so it's relatively gentle on knives (but also gets beat up pretty easily). 

We found that it has a slight odor that can be difficult for those with sensitivity to smells...

I'd love for it to be a little thicker, but I suspect it's thinness is why it's so cheap.

Hitohira

If you have the money, go buy one of these today. This thing is a hidden gem and more people should have them.

Feels like a fucking razor and holds an edge like nothing I've used before.

I love the shape. I love the size. I love the feel. It's not the prettiest knife, but it sure ain't bad. It's simple, useful, and probably a great first carbon steel knife if that's something you're interested in.

Update: The problem is — as with many Japanese knives — they're unique and so they sell out quickly. The link is already dead and it's sold out the manufacturer's site too. Looks like a couple other knife shops have stock and they'll probably change over time. Good luck!

This little baddie is my carbon steel go-to for daily use. 

I love how light this knife is, and the shorter blade and razor edge  gives me the extra confidence I need when tackling a new knife skill.

The only down side is how brittle this knife is, and being that it's carbon steel it does need dried off immediately.

vijay 

Steelport

When we walked into my favorite knife shop, I spotted this on the wall and immediately let out an audible "Oh, wow...". I still feel that way every time I see it. Steelport have made what has to be the most beautiful chef's knife on the market with tons of thoughtful features, a stunning blackened finish, and a price tag to match.

First, this is made of 52100 steel, which is a high-carbon "ball bearing" steel. It's medium-hard and super durable — especially at this thickness. It's a lovely steel to sharpen and maintain and 3 of my 5 favorite knives are made of it.

Really, the only thing stopping this from being my favorite knife is the geometry — it gets just a little too thick at the spine — and I'm at a loss for anything else I don't love about this knife. It's got a hell of a price tag on it, but I've never really met a knife that I thought justified its price better with its materials and design.

I just wish that spine were a *tiny* bit thinner.

Update: I had it thinned by a pro sharpener with a belt and it's now my favorite knife. Pity it takes the extra work, but now I genuinely adore this thing.



It's too heavy for me to enjoy using more than I have to. But it is absolutely stunning.

Hado

This knife, y'all. It's absolutely wild. From stem to stern, it feels and looks amazing. It holds an edge super well and I could swear it takes negative effort to slice through damn near anything.

It's biggest weakness is its biggest strength: its concave bevel. It feels sharper than anything, but it chips easily because it's so thin at the edge. So that means anything tough is really out of the question. You need a dedicated backup if you're ever going to be cutting partially frozen meat or — god forbid — a kabocha squash.

It's the motorcycle of knives: not the most practical, but it feels unlike anything else.

It's light-weight and has excellent geometry. 

It's a little longer than I typically prefer in a chef's knife, but it's so easy to use and light that I hardly notice.

Neon Chef Apron

Beelzebib

Lowboy Apron

Supply Apron

Neon Chef Apron

Utility Apron

Essential Apron

Crossback Apron

Luxe Chef Apron

Bryn

Sarah