GHI tip: Always try a knife before buying. A reputable retailer will let you try the knife out on vegetables - always try on tomatoes, as a new sharp knife should cut through easily without resistance. In the lab, our experts put the main knives in each set to work on an array of ingredients, using a variety of chopping skills. To test chef’s knives, they diced onions, sliced cabbages and cut steaks, while they used utility knives to chop mushrooms, shred lettuce and julienne peppers. The tang refers to the unsharpened, unexposed part of the blade that extends down the handle. There are three main tang types:

Carbon steel: The traditional material used for making knives, carbon steel stays sharp for a long time. However, it's prone to rust (seasoning it with mineral oil will help prevent this) and requires more care and maintenance than its stainless steel counterpart. But if you're serious about cooking and not working within a budget, carbon steel is the way to go. Rat tail tang: The blade narrows as it goes through the handle and is commonly welded at its base. Knives with a rat tail tang can come loose over time, making the handle wobbly. Half tang: The blade extends half way along the handle. If too much force is applied, a half tang knife can snap, as only glue is binding the knife and handle. To sharpen knives with whetstones, you need to soak the stones first and keep them wet as you sharpen. Gently pull your knife through the two rotating V-shaped circular steels, and repeat around five times. It's compact, easy to store and often the cheapest sharpening option, but it won't sharpen as finely as other methods.This knife set is comprehensive and versatile, with a blade to match virtually any slicing and dicing task you may encounter in the kitchen. Honing steel is often mistaken as sharpening steel, but it's actually designed to help maintain the edge of an already sharp knife, so don't confuse it with a knife sharpener. Sharpening stones take a while to master, as you need to ensure you’re drawing your knife across the stone at the correct angle; most experts agree 20 degrees is correct. Here's how: They are small rectangular stones, around 20cm by 8cm, with different levels of coarseness. This can range from 0 to 220 (extra coarse) to 5000+ (ultra fine). For most people, one stone with a grain of 1000 and another of 3000 will suffice. Plastic: Plastic handles tend to be smooth and free from grooves that can trap dirt. Some plastic knives are also slightly textured to offer a more secure grip. Keep them well away from heat sources when cooking to avoid melting the handle.

While some brands claim their knives are dishwasher safe, we’d always advise against this to keep them in top condition. Finally, any serrated knives were used to slice beef tomatoes, cube aubergines and cut lemons into wedges. A sharp knife is a safe knife. Those that are blunt or unsharpened require more force to cut, which increases the likelihood of slipping and causing injury. From classic chef’s knives to bread knives, a good quality knife set will cover all bases, so you shouldn’t find yourself having to make do without a key bit of kit at the last minute. In contrast to the rest of the knives in the set, the shears do not seem ergonomic—especially for small hands.

Are expensive knives worth it?

We conducted standard knife set testing when evaluating the Cangshan Oliv set, including common (and often challenging) kitchen tasks suited to each individual knife. From slicing large loaves of bread to delicate cuts of fish, there's an appropriate tool in this set. Although we appreciated that this set comes with kitchen shears (which are always handy to have in a kitchen setting), we were disappointed by their function.

Designed with a sharp serrated edge to easily cut through crusts and rusks. They’re also great for cutting fruits with fibrous skins, such as pineapples. When buying knives online, you’ll also need proof that you're 18 or over. Here are the terms and conditions from the biggest retailers: There’s a lot to think about when investing in a knife set, but comfort is key; every knife should act and feel like an extension to the user's hand.

Which kitchen knives are used for what?

These knives look similar to a paring knife but they have a serrated edge. They’re great for cutting tomatoes and citrus fruits.

The Santoku knife originated in Japan and is a general purpose knife. It has a thinner blade than a chef’s knife and is most effective when dicing, chopping and mincing. Wooden handle: Some pure wood handles will need oiling with a dedicated knife handle oil. Most modern wooden-handled knives have a light clear plastic coating to protect them. When washing, avoid prolonged soaking. Or, hold the handle out of the water and wash immediately.Look after your knives well and they can last a lifetime. It’s important to clean and sharpen them properly, as well as store them safely and securely.