Swedish Chef Knife review

Review body

The blade design is similar to that of a rocker knife, where the blade is curved, and a "rocking" motion is used to cut food. However, because the Swedish Chef knife doesn't have a centered handle placement, it allows the same precision you'd get with a regular chef's knife. The vertical handle also puts less strain on your hand and less force is required overall since the blade still has that slight curve, which results in less stress on the hand you're using.

About the Swedish Chef Knife

Dimensions: 8" blade, 5" handle Weight: 6 oz. Materials: Stainless steel blade, plastic handle Features: Dishwasher-safe

What I like about the Swedish Chef Knife

It's great at cutting soft foods like bread and tomatoes

I've found this knife especially helpful on soft foods that you'd usually use a serrated knife for cutting, such as bread, tomatoes, or citrus. Serrated knives aren't great when you have one hand because you need to employ a sawing motion in order to use them, and sawing motions don't work if you don't have another hand to stabilize the food you're cutting. Consequently, these softer foods wind up squashed if I try to slice through them using only one hand with equal force being applied across the blade as I might with an apple.

It provides enough leverage for cutting mini watermelons

I was skeptical about one knife being so miraculous that it could convince me to crave entering the kitchen for a reason other than a bowl of Fruity Pebbles. Still, upon unboxing this knife, I found myself running to the store for nothing other than a miniature watermelon. It took less force to slice this watermelon in half than I use to pull on my stubborn Converse.

Usually, the issue I encounter with larger, rounded fruits such as watermelons is rolling because I don't have another hand to hold the fruit in place. This means that if I need to apply pressure as you would with any kitchen knife, the fruit gets away from me and the fruit lands on the floor in a rude, messy splatter. And this leads to another dreaded one-handed task: cleaning.

The blade is sharp right out of the box

The Swedish Chef Knife has an extremely sharp blade that slices easily through the food as you rock the knife across it, leaving you with nicely sliced and unflattened food. As much as I love pancakes and pizza, I've been grateful to enjoy sliced soft foods that haven't been flattened prior to cutting.

What I don't like

This knife is great, but it doesn't solve the issue of cutting produce with pits

Ever since getting this knife, I've been slicing through anything I can find in my kitchen and so far, the only foods that have slowed me down are fruits with pits. Avocados and stone fruit are generally tricky when you have one hand. These remain the only things I'd rather cut with a paring knife than the Swedish Chef Knife because its blade is too long and the vertical handle makes it nearly impossible to rotate the blade around the pit.

Should you buy the Swedish Chef Knife?

Yes, this knife is a must-have for one-handed users

Stone fruit and avocados aside, the Swedish Chef Knife has changed my life in the kitchen. It has given me the cutting dexterity of Edward Scissorhands, an individual who initially gave me pause because I, too, know the pain of uncooperative hands. And while I'm not yet making elaborate food sculptures, I welcome this knife as if it were an extension of my fingers and take pride in my newfound kitchen independence.

You’re on your way to becoming a kitchen master. Take the next step and sign up for Chef's Course. You’ll get weekly tips, tricks, and recipes from top chefs sent straight to your inbox. It’s a whole master course for free.

The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest deals, product reviews, and more. Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

Meet the tester

Chloe Toscano

Contributor

@

Chloe Toscano is a writer focusing on disability awareness and advocacy. Her work has been featured in Allure, SELF, them., Salon, Wired, and more. You can follow her on Instagram at @chloevalentinetoscano and Twitter @ToscanoChloe or read more of her work on her website.

See all of Chloe Toscano's reviews