Serrated or Straight? A Buyer’s Guide to the Best Steak Knives

A plate of carne asada or a sizzling skillet of arrachera is only as good as the knife you eat it with. Skirt and flank steak are full of long, tight fibers. A good steak knife cuts across them cleanly; a poor one tears the meat, squeezes out the juices and leaves you sawing at the plate. That is why a set of real steak knives is one of the most useful upgrades for anyone who grills at home.

The first decision is the edge. Serrated steak knives have small teeth that grip the crust and keep cutting for years without sharpening. Straight-edged ones slice more cleanly but need a little care. After that it comes down to steel, handle, how many you need and whether they can go in the dishwasher. This guide compares the sets worth buying, using what each maker or listing states, and says so where a detail is not published.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a restaurant kitchen looks for in steak knives, product specifications and the details on each maker’s page or Amazon listing.

Quick verdict: which steak knives to buy

The rest of this page explains the difference between serrated and straight edges, and which set suits the way you eat.

Five steak knife sets compared

Our five standout sets side by side, one for each kind of table, with the edge and care each maker or listing states. All eight sets are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Edge type, care and warranties are as stated by each maker or Amazon listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best steak knives

These eight sets cover the choices that matter at the table: serrated knives that go in the dishwasher and need almost no upkeep, straight-edged knives that slice more cleanly and need hand washing, a Japanese set for special dinners and large sets for big cookouts. Each review gives the piece count, edge, steel, handle, blade length, storage, dishwasher care and warranty as the maker or listing states them, and says “not stated” where nothing is published.

Serrated or straight: which edge is right?

This is the choice that matters most, and neither answer is wrong.

Serrated edges have teeth. The points do the cutting while the scalloped valleys between them stay protected, so a serrated steak knife keeps working for a long time even when it is used on plates and washed in the dishwasher. It grips a crusty, charred surface well, which suits carne asada straight off a hot grill. The downsides: serrations tear the meat a little rather than slicing it, and they are hard to sharpen at home without a tool made for them.

Straight edges slice. They leave a smooth cut face and do less damage to tender meat. They need more care: hand washing, a honing rod now and then and an occasional sharpening. They also dull faster on hard ceramic or stoneware plates. If you already sharpen your kitchen knives, a straight-edged set is no extra trouble.

For a family table where knives go into the dishwasher, choose serrated. For a cook who looks after their knives and wants the cleanest cut, choose straight.

How to choose steak knives

Count. Buy enough for the table you actually set. Four is enough for a couple who entertain occasionally; six or eight covers a family with guests. Sets of eight, like the Zwilling and Henckels, make sense if you host cookouts.

Steel. Most steak knives use a stainless steel that resists rust, such as the X50 and X50CrMoV15 grades named by Messermeister and Made In, or Opinel’s 12C27. Harder Japanese steels like Shun’s VG-MAX take a finer edge but are more delicate.

Blade length. Most sets here are 4.3 to 5 inches. That is plenty for a rib-eye, a pork chop or a plate of arrachera; longer blades are harder to place neatly on a table setting.

Handle and balance. Full-tang, riveted handles feel solid and last. Light plastic handles are easier to wash and cheaper. Wood and Pakkawood look handsome but need hand washing.

Care. If everything you own goes in the dishwasher, choose a set the maker says is dishwasher safe. If the maker says hand wash only, take that seriously; warranties such as Shun’s exclude damage from improper use or maintenance.

Storage. A box or block keeps edges from banging against other cutlery in a drawer. Only the Zwilling set states one here.

How we chose these eight sets

We started from what a table of grilled steak, carne asada and fajitas asks of a steak knife: an edge that cuts across long meat fibers without tearing, a comfortable grip and care that fits the household. We then looked for steak knife sets sold on Amazon in the United States from established knife makers, covering serrated and straight edges, German, American, French and Japanese makers, and a range of set sizes. We checked each set’s stock with Amazon’s product data before writing, and took counts, steel, handles, blade lengths, care and warranties from the maker’s own page where we could reach it and otherwise from the brand’s Amazon listing. Where neither states a figure, we say “not stated”. We left out sets that were down to their last few units when we checked, including Laguiole en Aubrac’s forged sets and some Victorinox and Opinel variants. We did not cut steak with these knives for this guide, and we have not cited published equipment reviews, because we did not read them for this page.

Steak knife questions, answered

What kind of steak knife is best?

For everyday use, a serrated knife is the most practical: it stays sharp longer and usually goes in the dishwasher. For the cleanest cut on a good steak, a straight-edged knife is better, as long as you are willing to hand wash and hone it.

Which steak knife brand is best?

There is no single best brand. Zwilling, Wüsthof and Henckels are known for German-style knives, Chicago Cutlery for affordable wood-handled knives, Made In for French-forged straight edges, Shun for Japanese craftsmanship, Messermeister for full-tang fine-edge knives and Opinel for casual French table knives. Choose by edge type and care first, then by brand.

Are steak knives dishwasher safe?

Some are, some are not. Zwilling’s Twin Gourmet, Henckels’ Razor-Sharp and Opinel’s Bon Appétit+ sets are stated as dishwasher safe. Made In, Wüsthof and Chicago Cutlery say hand wash only. Follow the maker’s instructions; warranties such as Shun’s exclude damage from improper maintenance.

Can you sharpen serrated steak knives?

Yes, but not on a flat stone or most pull-through sharpeners. You need a tapered ceramic rod or a sharpener that states it handles serrated blades. The good news is that serrated knives need it far less often than straight edges.

What are the best steak knives for everyday use?

The Zwilling Twin Gourmet set suits everyday use best: serrated, dishwasher safe and stored in its own box. On a tighter budget, the Chicago Cutlery Walnut Tradition set gives you four full-tang knives, washed by hand.

Our final pick for the steak table

Buy the Zwilling Twin Gourmet set if you want eight dependable, dishwasher-safe knives in a box. Choose Made In for a clean straight-edged slice, Chicago Cutlery for a budget wood-handled set, Shun for special occasions and Henckels when you are feeding a crowd. Whatever you choose, cut on a board when you can and wash straight edges by hand.

Good knives deserve a good steak. See our pick of the best cast iron skillet for steak and the best grill tools for cooking it, and our guide to how to eat fajitas for what to do once it is sliced. For the rest of the kit, see Mexican cooking tools.

Want your steak knives stored in their own block? See our guide to the best steak knife block sets.

On a budget? See our guide to the best cheap steak knife sets.

And if you would rather someone else did the grilling tonight, see the menu or call to order.