We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. What to Buy Knives The Best Steak Knife Sets Under $100, According to Our Tests Slice through your grilled ribeye like butter with these top picks. By Cindy Brzostowski Cindy Brzostowski Cindy is a writer and editor whose career began in cookbook publishing. An expert in bakeware, cookbooks, and kitchen organization for Food & Wine, she has reviewed over 25 vacuums, 23 steak knives, and dozens of baking tools, such as cookie sheets, silicone utensils, and proofing baskets. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 10, 2024 In This Article View All In This Article Our Top Picks Reviews Our Favorite Steak Knife Set How We Tested Steak Knives Factors to Consider FAQ Other Under-$100 Steak Knives We Tested Our Expertise Photo: Food & Wine / Nick Simpson Because your steak knife can make or break a perfectly prepared ribeye or flavor-packed skirt steak recipe, we’re passionate about buying quality knives to slice through your meat like butter. The great thing is that you don’t necessarily have to spend hundreds of dollars to get a reliable set. After hours of testing popular collections from brands including Material, Messermeister, and Zwilling, we found a handful of steak knife sets under $100 that work just as well or better than their pricier counterparts. Each set that made our list earned high scores on its design, comfort, and cleanability based on its performance during a series of tests. Keep reading to learn more about our favorites, and get ready to fire up your grill. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Material Table Knives at Materialkitchen.com $90 Jump to Review Best Overall Runner-Up: Messermeister Avanta Steak Knife Set at Amazon $70 Jump to Review Best Value: Cuisinart Triple Rivet Collection Steak Knife Set at Amazon $20 Jump to Review Best Serrated: SALE Henckels Stainless Steel Serrated Steak Knife Set at Amazon $60 $40 Jump to Review Best Starter Set: FLYINGCOLORS Laguiole Steak Knife Set at Amazon $40 Jump to Review Best Overall Material Table Knives PHOTO: Material $90 at Materialkitchen.com $90 at The Container Store Pros These knives are equally functional and stylish with their razor-sharp edges and beautiful handles. Cons The only con with these can also be seen as a positive: They’re so sharp that you want to be extra careful if handwashing them. The Material Tables Knives earned perfect scores because of their beautiful matte handles, extremely sharp straight edge, and comfort. In our tests of the best steak knives, we agreed that they feel sturdy and pointed out that "this knife is the right size for most hands and feels very balanced.” Most importantly, their performance is top-notch. “This knife cut through the steak so smoothly — no effort required,” we said. “It can slice through fatty parts and seared crusts with ease.” While these dishwasher-safe steak knives may be the most expensive choice on our list, you get a wooden knife block for storage. There are five handle color options, including a variety pack with four fun colors in one set. Overall, this set is equal parts functional and stylish. Number of Knives: 4 | Blade Type: Straight | Length: 8.75 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes PHOTO: Food & Wine / Bridget Degnan PHOTO: Food & Wine / Bridget Degnan PHOTO: Food & Wine / Bridget Degnan Best Overall Runner-Up Messermeister Avanta Steak Knife Set PHOTO: Amazon $70 $60 at Amazon $70 at Ace Hardware View on Messermeister.com Pros These knives are easy to grip, cut beautifully, and have a full-tang construction for superior sturdiness. Cons The knives might feel too lightweight, and they don't come with a storage box or block. During our tests, the Messermeister Avanta Set received a near-perfect overall score, earning a 4-star rating or above in each category. Featuring pakkawood handles that are pretty but also comfortable to hold, the knives are lighter than they look, but don't let that fool you into thinking they won't perform well: They're still super sturdy and effective. "The knife cut through the steak like butter with minimal effort," we said. Instead of reserving them solely for steak, you can easily use them for other small slicing and chopping jobs, increasing their value even further. You shouldn't put these steak knives in the dishwasher, but we noted that they get clean and shiny with just a quick wash (though you'll want to steer clear of the blade's razor-sharp edge). Another thing to note is that the knives don't come with a storage box, so you'll have to either purchase a magnetic knife block separately or store them safely in a utensil drawer. Number of Knives: 4 | Blade Type: Straight | Length: 10.5 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: No PHOTO: Food & Wine / Nick Simpson PHOTO: Food & Wine / Nick Simpson Best Value Cuisinart Triple Rivet Collection Steak Knife Set PHOTO: Cuisinart $20 at Amazon Pros It's hard to beat the price of these well-balanced, comfortable-to-hold knives. Cons Some people may think they feel too cheap or require too much effort when cutting. Of all the affordable steak knife collections, this set offers the best value considering you get six for a lower price than some other sets' per-knife cost. Along with an ergonomic handle, the knives have a serrated blade, so you'll have to get used to a sawing motion when cutting with them and be prepared to put in more effort, as we noted during our tests. Given their inexpensive price, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that these quite light steak knives feel cheaper than others. That’s also why despite the manufacturer’s handwashing recommendation, you may prefer to take your chances and clean them in the dishwasher. You can use these on virtually any cutting board surface without worrying about dulling them. It does the trick as an everyday set for beginners, college students, or people who don’t want to be too precious with their steak knives. Number of Knives: 6 | Blade Type: Serrated | Length: 7.5 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: No PHOTO: Food & Wine / Taysha Murtaugh PHOTO: Food & Wine / Taysha Murtaugh PHOTO: Food & Wine / Taysha Murtaugh Best Serrated Henckels Stainless Steel Serrated Steak Knife Set PHOTO: Amazon $60 $40 at Amazon $90 at Wayfair $45 at Walmart Pros You can make exact cuts with these knives thanks to their sharp edges, delicate design, and balance between the handle and blade. Cons The knives' smaller grip and simple look might not suit everyone. If you prefer serrated knives, this set is our favorite under-$100 pick. "The narrow blade and serrated edge were very pointy and sharp and easily cut through the slab of New York strip steak," we said. "It took little effort to slice through the tough, grisly parts of the steak." Besides steak, we said they'd use these to cut fruits and vegetables and as bread knives. Those additional uses, plus how many knives you get in the set, make them a great value. While these steak knives are sturdily made, we found they’re more delicate in the hand. In other words, if you have large hands, they might not feel as substantial as you prefer. Since they're thin, we compared them to a surgical tool that can make precise cuts. When you’re done, handwashing is easy, but they’ll survive the dishwasher too. Number of Knives: 8 | Blade Type: Serrated | Length: 11.5 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes PHOTO: Food & Wine / Allison Wignall PHOTO: Food & Wine / Allison Wignall PHOTO: Food & Wine / Allison Wignall Best Starter Set FLYINGCOLORS Laguiole Steak Knife Set PHOTO: Courtesy of Amazon $40 at Amazon $81 at Walmart Pros You can easily control these well-crafted, exceptionally sharp knives. Cons The little crevices in the handle can trap food particles, making them more difficult to clean. If you want to invest in or gift a good starter set, these steak knives are a great option for a few reasons. When tested against a sheet of paper and then on a steak, the knife delivered clean cuts in both cases with minimal effort. Better still, they're not shockingly expensive, despite the sleeker, high-end appearance with curved design and rosewood handles. Since the handles are ergonomically friendly, the knives are comfortable to hold. We liked the flat spot just above the bolster which is great for resting our finger when applying downward pressure to cut. Looking closer at that bolster area, you’ll see small crevices where bits of food can get stuck, requiring more diligent handwashing than some other steak knives. Number of Knives: 6 | Blade Type: Straight | Length: 9.61 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: No The 7 Best Knife Sets of 2024, According to Our Tests Our Favorite Steak Knife Set Out of all the affordable steak knife sets we tested under $100, the Material Tables Knives won the title of our favorite with their fresh look, impressive sharpness, and great feel. Our runner-up is the Messermeister Avanta 4-Piece Set due to their comfort and excellent performance. Food & Wine / Nick Simpson How We Tested Steak Knives We assessed 15 highly-rated steak knife sets under $100 through two separate tests: slicing a standard sheet of printer paper and cutting into a New York strip steak cooked to medium rare. We evaluated each steak knife set based on performance, design, comfort, cleanup, and value. Performance: We used the steak knives to cut a sheet of standard printer paper and a medium-rare New York strip steak. During both tests, we assessed whether the knife could slice cleanly or if it tore through, and how much effort was required for cutting.Design: In addition to performance, we examined the steak knives’ overall design, aesthetic, and size, noting how functional and comfortable they were to hold.Cleanup: We evaluated how easy the knives were to clean by hand, regardless if hand-washing was necessary.Value: To round out their assessment, we also looked at whether the knives were fairly priced for the results they delivered. Factors to Consider Blade Type When we're talking about blade type, we're referring to what kind of edge style the knife has. The two main styles are straight or serrated, although you can find others like dual-serrated when one part of the blade is straight and the other is serrated or micro-serrated when the serrations are extra small. Straight and serrated blades each have their pros and cons. The former requires more frequent sharpening for proper maintenance but delivers smooth, clean cuts and can be used nicely with more delicate proteins, like chicken or fish. The latter is great at handling tough cuts of meat and doesn't require sharpening as frequently but is harder to sharpen when it is time to do so. Material Most steak knives have stainless steel blades since that material can be made super sharp, is durable, and is resistant to rust. You'll also find many steak knives made with carbon steel blades. While they may stay sharper for longer, they're also more prone to rusting, meaning you'll have to be more careful in terms of maintenance. There are even ceramic steak knives, which are lightweight and won't rust but are susceptible to chipping and difficult to sharpen on your own since you'll need a special diamond sharpening tool rather than your standard knife sharpener. Price As with many other kitchen tools, there's a wide price range for steak knives. You can find steak knife sets for as little as $15 all the way up to $600. But a higher price tag doesn't automatically mean a higher-quality or better-performing knife. When considering the price, it's important to look at how many knives you're getting in the set (generally this is either four, six, or eight) to help determine whether it's a good value for the cost. Care While some steak knives may be labeled as dishwasher-safe, it’s always a good idea to hand-wash and dry them to keep them sharper and safer for longer. That’s why a great steak knife compared to a good one should be easy to clean by hand. Another essential part when considering the care of a steak knife is how easy or not it is to sharpen. Regardless of material, all steak knives require sharpening at some point due to dulling from regular usage. How to Sharpen Your Kitchen Knives, According to a Knife Expert Frequently Asked Questions Can you use steak knives for other things? “Absolutely,” says Rashaad Abdool, the executive chef at AAA Four Diamond-rated steakhouse Diplomat Prime in Hollywood, Florida. “If you have a few generic steak knives lying around, you can think of them as smaller utility knives. These can be used efficiently for smaller prepping projects, such as halving cherry tomatoes, cutting cheeses and small meats for a charcuterie board, and trimming fat off meat if it's sharp enough. Although purposed for meat in their original design, steak knives aren't limited solely to this purpose and can be used for most foods you feel comfortable cutting.” How do you remove rust stains from steak knives? Abdool usually sticks with two methods for removing rust. "First, for a knife with only slight rust, I soak it in distilled white vinegar for a couple of hours. Once you remove it, use a green scrubby pad with a touch of soap, and the rust should rub off easily with no issues," he says. "For tougher rust stains, bring equal parts cream of tartar and baking soda and mix them in a small bowl with a bit of hydrogen peroxide until you get a paste. Rub the paste over both sides of the knife and let it sit for one to two hours, then wash it off in the sink, and the rust should be gone." Can you sharpen serrated knives? Abdool says there are two ways to go about sharpening a serrated knife. "If you have a steel or a honing rod and a steady hand, you can run each groove of the serrated knife along it a few times. However, this method is a little more time-consuming," he explains. "For a more straightforward solution, I would recommend buying a knife sharpener that can easily be found online, which also works for serrated knives. However, this is the only knife that I personally would use that for. As a long-time chef, I believe you would find that myself and most other culinary specialists find an elevated level of peace and fulfillment in sharpening all of our knives on a whetstone, no matter how large or small they may be." Other Under-$100 Steak Knives We Tested Strong Contenders Dalstrong Steak Knives ($97 at Amazon) If none of the knife sets above got your attention, we still have a collection we highly recommend. The Dalstrong Steak Knives earned high scores because of how balanced they felt in our hands and how easy they were to slice every part of the ribeye steak. The only thing we didn’t like was their appearance, but that isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker. Umogi Stainless Steel Steak Knives ($30 at Amazon) This knife required barely any effort thanks to its razor-sharp blades. This set has a lot to love, but it lost a few points for its basic design. Those who enjoy hosting or leaving their knives on display might prefer a more attractive knife collection. Misen Serrated Knives ($80 at Misen) This knife set is stylish and easy to clean; however, we weren’t impressed by its sharpness. When cutting a medium-rare steak, we had to use a sawing motion, which tore the meat a bit. What Didn't Make the List We tested 15 steak knife sets under $100, and some sets did not meet our standards because of their design, performance, sharpness, or overall value. The sets that didn't ace our tests include the AmazonBasics Premium Kitchen Steak Knife Set, the Henckels Steak Knife Set, the Oneida Flight Steak Knives, the Trudeau Laguiole Steak Knives, and the Victorinox Swiss Army Classic Set. Our Expertise Cindy Brzostowski is a writer and avid home cook who has previous experience in cookbook publishing. Her writing has been featured in Allrecipes, Blue Apron, The Kitchn, and EatingWell among other publications. For this piece, Food & Wine editors tested 15 different steak knife sets under $100 in their kitchens at home to find the top ones. 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