5 Best Carving Knife Sets, According to Our Food Experts
Our Test Kitchen chefs and kitchen gear pros recommend adding one of these knife sets to your kitchen before Thanksgiving.
Expert consulted: Tina MartinezFood Producer
We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.
If you've prepared a stunning Thanksgiving turkey recipe, you don't want to shred the meat while trying to slice it. You could use a chef's knife or a serrated knife to tackle the task, but a carving knife set can make life easier. The sets include a long, sharp knife with a narrow blade that can separate the parts of a bird or maneuver around a ham bone, as well as a carving fork, which helps hold the meat in place and can be used to guide your knife for more even slices.
The culinary experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab teamed up with the chefs in our Test Kitchen to put nine top knife brands to the test. We removed the breasts and legs from turkeys and chicken, then sliced the meat with the skin to assess comfort and performance.
Pros
- Comfortable length and weight
- Sturdy fork
Cons
- Tines of the fork are a little thicker than some others on our list
Wüsthof earned the top spot on our lists of the best chef knives and best knife sets, and we are pleased with the brand's carving set as well.
It's a sharp knife, but it was the length and weight that made it stand out: It's comfortable to use when separating around bones as well as when carving. It cut cleanly through turkey skin. I like that it features a Granton edge, meaning it has hollows that reduce sticking by creating small air pockets that break the friction during slicing. It's an attention to detail that can help make slicing easier.
We also appreciated the fork, which felt sturdy and balanced. The tines taper to a fine point, but they are faceted in a way that makes them slightly thicker, so they are more likely to leave puncture marks in meats.
| Blade material | High carbon stainless steel |
| Blade length | 8 in. |
| Fork length | 6 in. |
| Knife weight | 5.8 oz |
Pros
- Affordable for solid performance
- Narrow fork tines won't damage meat
Cons
- Fork handle is a bit bulky
The price point for this knife set—especially if you can find it on sale—makes it an incredible buy. The 8-inch blade made it useful for breaking down a chicken, and it's flexible, which can be helpful when working around bones. Food Producer Tina Martinez, one of the experts who tested these knives, thought this pick was a little less graceful for slicing, but it cut through poultry skin without tearing it.
The fork is a comfortable length (7 inches) and features a flat design that keeps the tines narrow, preventing damage to your roast or bird. However, I noted that the handle is not integrated in the same way as the others on our list, so it's less smooth and slightly less comfortable to grasp.
| Blade material | Stainless steel |
| Blade length | 8 in. |
| Fork length | 7 in. |
| Knife weight | 5 oz |
Pros
- Narrow blade worked well for breaking down poultry
- Comfortable for those who don't want a heavy knife
Cons
- Fork is heavier than the knife
The narrow blade here worked well for separating the parts of a turkey. It is the lightest knife on our list, so it might be preferred by those with smaller hands or dexterity issues. However, I found it to be well-balanced and comfortable for slicing. The thin blade, with a fine taper, makes it a solid choice for making thin cuts.
The 7-inch fork (5.5 ounces) is heavier than the knife (4.8 ounces); this heft helps you keep the protein in place. It felt manageable, even if you are looking for a lightweight set.
| Blade material | High carbon stainless steel |
| Blade length | 8 in. |
| Fork length | 7 in. |
| Knife weight | 4.8 oz |
Pros
- Gorgeous, functional design
- Sharp and comfortable
Cons
- Expensive
Shun's set is a stunner. It would make a great gift for a serious cook or a meat lover (and a generous one, because it is pricey). The hammered finish of the blade is designed to reduce sticking by creating small pockets of air to break the surface tension. The fork is elegant yet sturdy.
Martinez thought the 9.5-inch blade was a little too long for navigating the cuts required to separate the turkey's parts. But the length can be useful when slicing larger cuts of meat, and the thin, sharp edge is also good for delicate foods like fish.
| Blade material | Alloy steel |
| Blade length | 9.5 in. |
| Fork length | 7 in. |
| Knife weight | 7.6 oz |
Pros
- Performed well in Lab tests
- Built-in safety features help prevent accidental slicing
Cons
- Requires proximity to an outlet
The top pick from our electric knife test is a good choice if you plan to cut a lot of meat—electric knives move through the slicing task quickly. Cuisinart's knife performed well in our Lab tests, including cutting through the skin of roasted chicken without tearing. I even found that it sliced tomatoes cleanly.
We appreciate its built-in safety feature that requires you to toggle a sliding lock before you can start cutting. We also appreciate that the blade-release buttons are positioned on the sides of the handle, making them less likely to be confused with the trigger used for slicing. However, note that this corded model requires you to be near an outlet.
The set includes a carving fork, a bamboo cutting board and a storage tray.
| Blade material | Stainless steel |
| Blade length | Not reported |
| Fork length | Not reported |
| Knife weight | Not reported |
How we test carving knives
The experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab and the GH Test Kitchen roasted and carved turkeys and chicken, then sliced the meat with the skin to assess comfort and performance.
Because different knives work well with different cuts of meat—and because the comfort of a knife is an important and personal factor—we also prioritize the knife's weight, balance, and handle design, as well as the design and tine size of the fork.
What to look for when shopping for carving knives
✔️ Comfort: Your grip on the knife should feel secure, even when working with a juicy cut of meat. We like textured plastic or resin handles for added control, but many of the knives we recommend have polished handles. Therefore, focus on the contours of the handle and the fit in your hand. The knife should be nimble enough to navigate around bones while also being long enough for slicing larger roasts. Also note the weight of the knife: It should feel balanced as well as usable for a longer task, like carving and slicing a turkey.
✔️ Fork: A sharp knife is the only true requirement, but we recommend a set that includes a carving fork. This helps hold the cut of meat in place, assists with making evenly spaced cuts, and can make it convenient to serve the slices. We like those with smooth handles and finely tapered tines.
✔️ Blade: Consider what you'll be carving most. Our pros found that longer blades made it a little trickier to separate the parts of a turkey or chicken. However, if you plan to carve larger cuts of meat, such as ham or a pork roast, you might appreciate the length. We did find that an electric knife makes short work of carving, so it can be a great choice if you slice a lot of meat (or have a large crew and cook several turkeys at Thanksgiving!). They're also helpful if you have limited dexterity, as they speed up and lessen the effort of the repetitive task.
How to use a carving knife
- A carving knife is long with a pointed tip to help you navigate around bones when breaking down meat and poultry. You want to stay as close as possible to the bone to avoid wasting any edible meat.
- If your set comes with a carving fork, use the fork to stabilize the meat. (If it does not, you can use tongs to hold the meat in place.)
- When you are slicing the meat, don't saw back and forth. This will make your slices uneven (and unattractive). Take advantage of the knife's design to create smooth strokes that run the length of the blade to slice your meat: Start with the heel of the knife and pull the blade toward you continuously using gentle downward pressure.
- If your meat has skin, you might need to start by sliding back and forth to avoid tearing it, but then you can pull through with a smooth motion. For large cuts of meat, like ham, you may need to repeat the sliding stroke or push forward to complete the slice.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Deputy Editor Sarah Gregory participated in the testing of these carving knives. She has also tested fish fillet knives and boning knives for Good Housekeeping. She is a graduate of the International Culinary Center (now the Institute of Culinary Education) and has been cooking professionally since 2017.
Food Producer Tina Martinez consulted on the testing of each knife. Tina has more than a decade of experience in the world of food styling for editorial, digital, and television platforms. She develops and tests recipes for Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, and Prevention.
Tina Martinez (she/her) is the food producer for the Hearst Lifestyle Group. Her work for Good Housekeeping includes recipe development and testing as well as food styling. She also brings the Kitchen & Cooking Lab’s expertise to GH’s popular “I Tried It” series, where she tests viral recipes and food trends. She has worked in the food industry since 2007, with experience as a restaurant line cook, culinary educator, and food stylist for editorial, digital, and television platforms. Tina now lives in Westchester with her husband after leaving Brooklyn for a little more suburban greenery. When she’s not cooking, she enjoys discovering local breweries, hiking in national parks, and digging for treasures at thrift stores. Instagram: @tina.d.martinez TikTok: @tinadmartinez
Readers Also Read
90 Birthday Freebies Most People Forget About
Amazon Is Selling a Magical Igloo Tent
The Best Vacuum Cleaners
LEGO's 'Home Alone' Set Isn't Coming Back
