Cross-contamination is something that not all home cooks are aware of. And one of the common ways that cooks cross-contaminate foods is by using the same knife to cut the veggies and the meat products.
By doing so, they are letting the bacteria’s from the meat get into the veggies, which are not generally cooked for a long time. And trust us; you would not want to suffer from food poisoning like the way our crew did. That is where we found it essential to own the best knife for vegetables.
It did not only eliminate the chances of the cross-contamination occurring in the foods, but we also always ended up with finely chopped veggies with it.
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5 Best Knife for Vegetables Review
When we started doing our research on these, we were bombarded with options. And at the very beginning, things were pretty tough for us, which will be the same for you as well. To make things a bit easier, we have huddled a list of the ones that performed better than the other ones.
1. Mercer Culinary Genesis
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Among all of the options, the best knife for chopping vegetables would be the ones that are capable of offering a higher level of comfort. And this one from Mercer Culinary excels in that factors with flying colors.
One of the factors that make this one stand out the most is the handle.The Santoprene handle has a proper coating on it. That coating ensures a proper grip over the handle, which will enhance the overall comfort. You would be capable of handling large batches of veggies effortlessly.
The brand did not skimp one bit on the quality of the blade either. They have opted for high-carbon steel. And this material is well known for being highly durable. Well, the case is the same for this one. It is stain-resistant and can resist rust exceptionally well.
Additionally, it can resist discoloration reasonably well too. Also, as the tang runs through the entire handle, it should be well balanced. And for being well balanced, the level of control it will offer is going to be praiseworthy. It should be pretty easy to get precise cuts on the veggies.
2. DALSTRONG Nakiri Asian
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Stunning design elements and outstanding craftsmanship are some of the things that make a unit the best vegetable knife. And this offering by Dalstrong checks all of those factors.
The brand boasts about the award-winning design they have implemented in this unit. It has a triple-riveted design, which will ensure a secure overall grip. And the G10 material makes it reasonably durable. The design also aims to offer a higher level of comfort. And it passes in the case of offering comfort with flying colors.
Other than the design, the outstanding craftsmanship of the brand is portrayed with the blade. It is exceptionally sharp. The edges have 14 to 16 degrees on each side. For this reason, the edges should go smoothly into the veggies. In other words, there will be no need to put too much effort into cutting the vegetables.
The build quality of the blade is praiseworthy as well. It utilizes high-carbon German steel. Thanks to the polishing and laminating, it should remain resistant to stains and pretty sanitary throughout the lifespan. There will be no need to put on too much effort into keeping it clean.
3. DALSTRONG Nakiri Shogun Series X
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The manufacture DALSTRONG has some competent offerings to compete for the best vegetable knives position. And this blade that we are going to talk about is one of them.
First of all, the blade is ruthlessly sharp. The edges have an angle of 8 to 12 degrees on each side. And as the brand opted for the 3-step Honbazuke method for the angling, you can expect this one to go through veggies effortlessly. Cutting and preparing vegetables will become an easy task with this.
Even the handle of this offering stands out among the crowd. It utilizes a triple-riveted design to offer the highest level of comfort. The design can also ensure a proper grip, which will offer the maximum level of control over the movements. And with a proper level of control, you should get precise cuts on the foods.
Additionally, the material that the blade is of is AUS-10V steel. This Japanese steel has a 62+ rating on the Rockwell hardness chart. So, you can expect how durable the blade is going to be. Basically, it will offer you an extended service. And it is highly capable of resisting stains as well.
4. TUO Chinese Chef’s Knife
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One of the things we scrutinized before stating the units are recommendation-worthy is the build quality. And this one from TUO has amazed us in that regard. Want to know how? Well, you need to read the review for that!
As we have mentioned, the knife has a proper build quality. This one utilizes German stainless steel for the blade. That blade has gone through a precise tempering process with a high-tech heat process to achieve a higher level of hardness. It will last for ages without showing issues.
Apart from being highly durable, the blade is reasonably sharp as well. The edges have an angle of 18 degrees. For this reason, it should go through most of the veggies smoothly. There will be no need to put too much force or effort into cutting the veggies.
Even the handle features a proper design. The gentle curve on the handle will distribute the weight evenly. As a result, you should get a higher amount of control over the blade. Also, it has an ergonomic design to ensure a reasonably high level of comfort. You should be capable of cutting veggies for hours comfortably.
5. Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Revolution
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Always wanted to try out ceramic knives but never found one that was worth getting? Well, if that is the case for you, take a look at what Kyocera is offering here.
As the label states, the blade is of zirconia ceramic. This proprietary material excels in the case of durability and quality. And thanks to it being ceramic, it will not react to acids that most of the veggies have. It should be highly resistant to stains as well. Worrying about it having weird spots will not be necessary.
The sharpness of the ceramic blade is highly praiseworthy as well. In fact, it is sharper than most of the average steel blades. And that is not all. It can even retain its edge ten times longer than those blades. In other words, the blade will not get dull that quickly. So, there will be no need to resharpen the blade that often.
Additionally, the overall weight of the unit is pretty low. This lightweight nature will make the knife easier to handle. Also, cleaning it will not be a hassle. And the stain-resistant nature of the blade will make it easier to keep clean.
What to Look for Before Buying?
We were unbiased with our reviews, and we are pretty sure that going through them has made the task of choosing one easy. But if you keep some of the crucial points in your mind, that task will become easier. So, without further ado, the factors that should be in your consideration before making a purchase decision are:
Blade
It goes without saying that the blade is the most important component of a knife. Well, the same case goes for the vegetable knives as well. So, the first thing you should consider is the blade. Here, you need to consider the quality of the materials.
Usually, the brands are going to opt for steel. However, the quality of the steel for each of the offerings is not going to be the same. Usually, the Japanese and high carbon steel are better in terms of quality. But there are other types of steel available that are pretty high-quality as well.
Additionally, you will find blades of ceramics. They are sometimes better in quality in comparison to steel. But the main thing that you need to consider is the hardness here. And our recommendation would always stand with the ones that have a higher level of hardness.
Sharpness
Apart from the quality of the blade, consider the sharpness of the blade. Here, the tapering and the angle of the edges are going to play a vital role. The ones with a higher angle on the edges would have a higher level of sharpness. And the higher the level of sharpness, the smoother it will go through the vegetables.
Edge Retention Capability
Considering the sharpness will not be enough. You must also consider the edge retention capability of the blade. Without being able to hold the edge for a long amount of time, the blade will require resharpening from time to time. In other words, it will become dull reasonably fast.
And going through the resharpening tasks is not only a tedious task, but it will also damage the blade. For that reason, we would highly recommend getting the units that have a higher edge retention capability.
Rust and Corrosion Resistance
One thing that is not that common among the options is the ability to resist rust. But this capability is pretty important. It will basically enhance the overall lifespan of the blade. Also, rusts can degrade the overall sharpness of the blade. So, do check whether the blade can resist rust or not.
The same thing is applicable for corrosion. It can deteriorate the overall durability of the steel, which would not be ideal if you want to get extended use out of the knife. For that reason, consider whether the blade can resist corrosion or not.
Stain Resistance
The capability of resisting stains does not go directly with the durability or the sharpness, but it can make the blade look bad. Also, the ones that can not resist stains will require frequent cleaning, which can be tedious.
We are not stating here that you should not clean the blades frequently. Instead, we are basically referring to the effort you need to give to keep the blades clean. And the ones that can resist stains would require less amount of effort.
Handle
Another crucial part of the knives is the handle. For this, the first thing you should consider is the material of the handle. Most are going to utilize G10 material. Some might even opt for other material. No matter what the material is, make sure that it is of high-quality, or else the handle will not last for a long amount of time.
Other than the material, consider the design of the handle. Ensure that it is ergonomic enough to offer a good level of comfort. Without getting an adequate level of comfort, it will become impossible for you to handle large batches. The chances of you facing fatigue will be reasonably high as well.
The last thing you need to consider about the handle is the grip. Make sure that the design can offer a secure grip. If you happen to get something that is incapable of offering a secure grip, you will not be able to get proper control over the blade. And that would result in choppier and inaccurate cuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I wash my vegetable knife in a dishwasher?
It depends. For the ceramic knives, you should always clean the blade manually. If you do put them into the dishwasher, they might start to chip. However, for some of the steel blades, you should be all good. But do check if they are dishwasher safe or not.
- Are all the vegetable knives stain-resistant?
Not really. The ability to resist stain is somewhat related to the material used for the blade. And not all of the brands are going to use the same or the same quality of material for the blade.
- Can I use a vegetable knife to cut meat?
Even if it is possible, we would recommend against it. You should keep separate knives for cutting meats and vegetables because of the chances of the foods getting cross-contaminated. Also, most vegetable knives are not going to be that sharp for handling meats. So, do not use one to prepare meats.
- Should I wash my vegetable knife every time I use it?
Of course. For sanitary reasons, you need to wash the knife after using it and prior to using it. It will lower the chances of your food getting contaminated with harmful bacteria’s.
- How durable are vegetable knives?
As we have mentioned earlier, the durability of these will highly depend on the quality of the materials. The higher the quality of the materials, the more durable these are going to be. However, one of the easiest ways to scrutinize the durability of these would be to check the Rockwell hardness level (if it has any).
The units that will have a higher hardness level will be more durable, while the units with a relatively lower level will be less durable. Usually, these should hover around 50 to 55+ ratings.
Final Words
To get proper cuts on the veggies and to prepare them like a Michelin star chef, you should not settle for anything other than the best knife for vegetables. And each of the units we reviewed is nothing but that. However, our best pick is the Mercer Culinary Genesis. Both the handle and the blade are of high-quality in this one.
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