8 Chef-Approved Bread Knives That'll Cut Through Any Loaf
8 Chef-Approved Bread Knives That'll Cut Through Any Loaf
Nothing ruins a beautiful, fluffy loaf of bread like a bad serrated knife. Instead of cutting clean slices, the wrong knife will apply too much pressure, leaving you with a sad, smashed slice. Luckily, theres an easy way to avoid this: investing in a good bread knife.
"The first question that we like to consider when selecting a bread knife is related to the bread you typically eat," explains Jordan Schmidt, co-founder and chief product and creative officer of Schmidt Brothers Cutlery. "The serration on the knife will impact how well it cuts through the density of the bread. If you tend to lean towards hard, crusty breads with thick crusts, we recommend that you choose a bread knife that has micro serrations so that you can really cut into the crust with the fine sharp edges of the blade. If you tend to prefer slightly softer breads like bagels, rye, or challah, we recommend a slightly rounded serration."
So now, we leave you with the absolute best bread knives you can buy, as recommended by professional chefs (and some enthusiastic home cooks!).
1) Schmidt Brothers Heritage Series 8 1/2" Bread Knife
williams-sonoma.com
$79.95
"Bread knives can be used for all types of breads! A more unexpected use for a bread knife is a softer tomato that needs a bit more serration in order to get that clean, fine slice," adds Schmidt. The Schmidt Brothers bread knife features a 8 1/2 inch blade made of German high-carbon stainless steel.
2) Made In Knife Set
madeincookware.com
$119.00
“The Made In bread knife is my favorite. For me it's about feel, weight, and craftsmanship of the steel," says Top Chef Winner Chef Brooke Williamson, Chef/Owner Playa Provisions. "The steel is important in a bread knifebecause of the fact that they're more difficult to sharpen because of the grooves/teeth.”
3) Sai Bread Knife
Global
williams-sonoma.com
$189.95
"I typically pick a bread knife that is lightweight with deep and sharp teeth, which allows clean and precise cuts," says Chef Max Hardy, chef and owner of Coop Detroit. This knife with a three-layered blade of Japanese steel is one of Hardy's favorite to use.
4) Millennia Wide Wavy Edge Bread Knife
Mercer Culinary
amazon.com
$22.24
"For the best utilization, I recommend a sharp knife with deep teeth/tips with harper serrations," Hardy adds. "I use a bread knife when cutting any bread, a bread knife works perfectly when cutting through hard crust bread." This Mercer knife is another (more budget-friendly) pick of his.
5) Ergo Chef Pro-Series Offset Bread Knife
Ergo Chef
amazon.com
$39.99
“Bread knives are one of the most underrated knives. They have their purpose and are relatively inexpensive," says Sharone Hakman, Chef and CEO of Chef Hak’s. "I use my bread knife for breadof course, cakes and large fruits like pineapple or watermelon. I do have a favorite: it's an ergo chef bread knife. Extremely comfortable and durable.”
6) Victorinox Swiss Army Serrated Bread Knife
Victorinox
amazon.com
$40.89
With almost 90% of this products reviews on Amazon being 5-stars, it's clear to say this knife is a crowd favorite. One reviewer notes, "it cuts effortlessly through even the hardest corn-meal infused bottom custs of brick-oven baked artisan bread."
7) Tojiro Bread Slicer
Tojiro
amazon.com
$23.50
We think this Amazon reviewer put it best: "I get it. You're probably thinking, "It's a bread knife, what could possibly be such a big deal?" I thought the same thing too.Then I sliced a loaf of bread with it. And I wondered why the hell I put up with my previous bread knife for so long. Two strokes, and straight through a loaf of crusty bread." Now that's worth celebrating.
8) Miyabi Kaizen Bread Knife
Miyabi Kaizen
amazon.com
$169.95
This Japanese knife is another favorite of Amazon reviewers. "We bake a lot of our own bread and this knife is exceptional when it comes to slicing it," one reviewer writes. "Our previous bread knife basically tore the bread rather than slicing it. Thick or thin slices are child's play." Child's play, people!
Including a pro chef's go-to that's under $25!