Cooking for the holidays is no easy feat (which is why we recommend looking into some of the best places to order Thanksgiving Turkey online).
So, when it comes time to carving your juicy bird, you want the proper tools so you don’t have to think twice. Carving knives, as a result, will be your BFF. (Related: Best meat thermometers).
“Instead of looking like a chef’s knife, which has a big belly, the carving knife is shaped more like a small sword,” Eric Rowse, lead chef-instructor of Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education, told the New York Post. “Besides shape, its usage is different from a chef’s knife. The carving knife is meant to be held up to the item it’s going to cut into, you wouldn’t use it to chop herbs or cut produce as there’s no room for your knuckles.”
To help ensure you have everything next to your serving platter when the holidays arrive, we rounded up the best carving knives to order online, along with putting together an in-depth FAQ section, featuring our team of culinary pros.
The BLACK+DECKER Electric Carving Knife is a budget-friendly pick (less than $25 on Amazon!) and also happens to be a No. 1 Amazon best-seller with nearly 11,500 applauding reviews. Its stainless steel blades are serrated to help saw rapidly and evenly through all of your cuts. Not to mention, they never need to be sharpened. That’s a win.
More, it boasts an ergonomic, comfort-grip handle to allow for more power and control when slicing. One press of its blade release button unlocks the blades for easy removal, too, and you’ll appreciate how the blades are dishwasher-safe for efficient cleanup after your turkey dinner.
The Made In Cookware 9″ Carving Knife is a premium pick for your next kitchen tools stock-up, thanks to its tapered end and point to help glide through your turkey or prime rib. Made in France, its yew wood handle has been forged by a fifth-generation bladesmith and hardened with nitrogen gas (now that’s impressive).
Hailing from a brand we stand behind, this carving knife are full tang and fully forged, meaning “they are crafted from a single rod of stainless steel that extends from tip to handle — resulting in sharper, perfectly balanced blades,” per its product description.
Invest in the Sur La Table Carving Set, a duo that’s only $50 right now and features sleek wooden handles for supreme comfort when slicing your white and dark meats alike. Each piece is constructed from sleek, high-carbon stainless steel, along with aesthetically pleasing pakkawood — both encased in come in an even more glamorous (and practical) acacia wood storage chest.
Though these tools are hand-wash only, rest assured they’ll last for years of slicing and dicing your proteins.
With a name like Viking, you know these tools are going to be A+. Shop the brand’s PProfessional 2-Piece Carving Set. This culinary-grade knife set includes the 8-inch carving knife made from German stainless steel and the 7-inch forged meat fork.
More, they’re fully forged, constructed with an integrated tang — like our Made In Cookware pick — and feature a riveted POM handle.
The All-Clad Carving Knife Set is as fairly priced two-piece set that’s primed and ready for your holiday table. Forged from German stainless steel, each blade is cryo-hardened with liquid nitrogen to enhance its sharpness and rust-resistance.
Additionally, each piece is ground to a 26-degree cutting edge, making them ideal for creating paper-thin slices. However, they’re tough and durable enough to resist chipping, especially with their fade-resistant handle.
Ahead, our team of culinary experts dish out the deets on carving knives to ensure you know how to properly use them — and why they’re an investment worth making.
First things first, what exactly is a carving knife, and what attributes does it have? Rest assured, our culinary pros define this tool in basic terms.
“A carving knife is a long, narrow knife with a very sharp blade and extra pronounced tip,” Belle English, Williams Sonoma test kitchen and culinary director, told The Post. “It is used for beautifully slicing meat, traditionally, off the bone for serving.”
This type of knife is generally accompanied with a carving fork, English adds, which is an oversized two-prong fork that you hold in the opposite hand as the knife to stabilize the protein while slicing.
As Rowse puts it, all carving knives are slicing knives, but slicing knives are not carving knives.
“Basically, a carving knife is designed to slice more complicated proteins containing bones, and a slicer is for large boneless cuts,” he further explains. “A slicing knife is usually longer than a carving knife at 12+ inches, though they can be found down to 10 inches, and a slicing knife has a rounded tip.”
What’s more, where a carving knife looks pointy and angry, a slicer has a smile. “Slicers are usually dimpled (granton-edged) to prevent the protein adhering to the blade, but some carving knives have them,” Rowse adds. “The carving knife still has the length to slice meats like turkey breast and pork roasts, and the slicer is going to be for big roasts; imagine trying to slice into prime rib with a paring knife.”
“You should use a carving knife when slicing and serving poultry, beef, pork and lamb,” English lists.
Specifically, a carving knife is meant for getting cooked meat off of the bone and separating joints. “The thin blade and narrow body make it more maneuverable along the bone with a sharp edge to slice through skin and meat without tearing, and the pointed tip allows the cook to get in between the joints to cleanly separate them,” Rowse notes. “An eight- to 10-inch carving knife is good for large whole roast chicken (three to five pounds), pork roasts, bone in loin, shoulder or ham.”
Like all knives, it’s important to maintain its sharpness using a honing steel before each use. Then, depending on amount of use, get the knife professionally sharpened once or twice a year.
“Some other general knife sharpness tips that apply to your carving knife include not dishwashing them; Only hand wash with soap and hot water, then be sure to dry off completely before storing,” English advises. “Dishwashers are too harsh on your knife and will shorten its lifespan and sharpness significantly.”
Also, pay attention to sharpness. “If you find yourself having to saw or put too much pressure on your knife to slice, you need to sharpen it!” she adds.
Rowse has three top tips to maintaining carving knife sharpness, too:
- First, You want to always immediately clean (hot soapy water), then dry and store your knife when not in use. Preferably, store your carving knife in a knife block or blade guard, please no drawers full of knives banging around (the leading cause of dull knifes and home kitchen knife accidents).
- Second, you want to always use a knife steal to hone the edge before use.
- Thirdly, don’t cut directly into or hack at bones, metal tables, pans, glass and stone. Provided you do this all properly and don’t drop it, you can maintain the edge for a long time (which should be sustainable, as most people use carving knives for holiday gatherings). If the knife is getting harder to slice with and cuts aren’t as smooth as they used to be, then it’s time to sharpen.
Like most products, doing your due diligence (aka, the research) is important. With carving knives, it’s important to best understand what to look for to ensure you’re picking one out that’s of good quality.
“Number one — and this goes for all knives — make sure the knife is comfortable in your hand,” English recommends. “Is the handle too big or small? Can you get a good grip? And, is that grip comfortable?”
Number two: carving knives come in a few lengths, eight to 12 inches. “Get the blade you feel comfortable with, and also a blade that is in line with the size of the meat you cook with,” she adds. “For example, if you regularly cook big cuts of meat like large turkeys or multiple rib racks, the 12 inch is probably a good idea (as long as you feel like you have good control over it!)”
Additionally, you want quality if you want longevity. “Like a good meal, you need good ingredients.” Rowse notes. “By this, I mean the knife shouldn’t feel flimsy and shouldn’t have a loose handle (danger!). A knife this size shouldn’t feel like you can break it easily. Avoid grocery store knives unless you’re on a game show and you have to purchase literally everything you need in the store.”
Part of quality but still its own category, you want hardened steel; avoid dollar store knives. “To truly know you need to do your research, a safe bet if you don’t really care is to shop reputable brands or artisans,” he adds. “If you buy a low quality, un-hardened knife then it won’t hold an edge and stay sharp which makes its useless and unsafe. Forged knives look nicer than stamped knives but in the case of slicers, there are high quality knives of both varieties.”
As far as carving knives are concerned, only hand-wash with soap and hot water, then be sure to dry off completely before storing. “Dishwashers are too harsh on your knife, and will shorten its lifespan and sharpness significantly,” English said. “If you do not properly and completely dry your knife before storing, your knife will rust.”
When we asked our culinary experts this question, Rowse replied with: That depends on how thin we are talking. Of course, he’s right.
“Fajitas, chicken strips, slicing meat for skewers or stir fry, I’m just using my chef’s knife because of the breathing room for my knuckles (provided one of my chef knives is long enough for what I’m slicing),” he explains. “Slicing bigger cuts for things like minute steaks, thick jerky, or thicker cuts for Korean BBQ, all provided I get it cold enough to be firm, I would use a slicer.”
For Korean BBQ brisket, bulgogi, beef carpaccio or cheesesteak, there are two options, per Rowse: (1) using a commercial electric meat slicer for partially frozen meat (30-second culinary lesson: partially frozen prevents it from shifting during the slice and allows for much thinner slices), and (2) slicing the meat with a long slicer, as thin as you possibly can, then using a meat mallet to get it the rest of the way.
“With your dominant hand, choke up on the blade right where the handle meets it (this is called the bolster),” English begins. “Then rest your bent forefinger flat against the far side of the blade, tucking slightly under, and your thumb securing the blade from the near side.The rest of your fingers should be tucked underneath your grip, away from the blade.”
With the other hand, place the carving fork in the piece of protein wherever it needs stabilization so that you have maximum control.
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