Misen Chef’s Knife Evaluate

I’ve examined dozens and dozens of chef’s knives, so I do know a factor or two about what makes a superb one. Certain, there are private preferences—I like a compact deal with—however there are additionally some goal truths: A superb chef’s knife must be sharp, balanced, and simple to make use of. It will get bonus factors if it’s reasonably priced and simple to keep up. With these standards in thoughts, I acquired my palms on the fairly priced Misen chef knife, ran it by means of a litany of assessments, and used it in my every day cooking routine to see if it was any good. 

The Exams

• Edge Sharpness Take a look at: I ran the knife by means of the Edge-on-Up Skilled Edge Tester 3 times and averaged the outcomes to get an thought of the knife’s out-of-the-box sharpness. 
• Paper Chopping Take a look at: After operating the knife by means of the sharpness reader, I used it to slice vertically by means of a bit of paper, noting if it tore or cleanly minimize by means of. 
• Onion Take a look at: I used the Misen to cube an onion, noting if it made clear, neat cuts. 
• Carrot Take a look at: I used the knife to julienne, cube, and chop hardy carrots. 
• Tomato Take a look at: Tomato pores and skin is rubbery, so if a knife is boring, it’ll see-saw throughout it or mash by means of it. I put the Misen as much as the problem by utilizing it to slice and cube an entire tomato.
• Pineapple Take a look at: I used the Misen to trim, core, and cube an entire pineapple to see if it may do it deftly. 
• Normal Use Take a look at: I continued to make use of the Misen chef’s knife for a couple of weeks, noting if it stayed sharp and was versatile. 

What We Discovered

The Misen Chef’s Knife Was Sharp 

Proper out of the field, the Misen was sharp. It took a median of 118 grams of strain to chop by means of the wire on the sting tester, which falls into the “double-edged razor blade” sharpness class in response to this chart. Whereas a sharpness studying isn’t the be-all-end-all, it nonetheless usually signifies a knife that’ll minimize by means of meals readily. And that the Misen did, too: It slid neatly by means of tomato pores and skin, which may trigger bother for a duller blade. Carrots have been dispatched with out cracking, and utilizing the knife to peel, core, and cube a pineapple was clean and exact. 

It’s additionally good that the Misen is made from chrome steel. It’s a superb introductory blade that doesn’t require as a lot care as carbon metal, which is extra brittle and vulnerable to rusting. A blade edge that may be honed again into form is a bonus, too. 

It Has an Achilles Heel

Enter my largest qualm with the Misen: the heel. It protrudes, kicking out and stopping the rock-chop movement quick. For the reason that blade has a powerful curve, it makes it much more jarring when the heel instantly hits the sting of the reducing board—it feels just like the stroke is incomplete. This isn’t distinctive to the chef’s knife; I’ve examined a number of Misen knives and have had the identical challenge.

One other qualm: Whereas I like an extended chef’s knife—I like the 8.2-inch Misono UX10—the Misen’s blade felt gangly. Paired with the protuberant heel, the reducing movement was stilted and off-kilter. I feel it is because it has a barely taller blade, nearing two inches at its tallest level. 

The Deal with Was Snug 

Negatives apart, the deal with was beautiful: compact, modern, and with a matte coating that made it straightforward to grip. It let me really feel extra in management and get good buy even when breaking down a troublesome pineapple. Editor Rochelle Bilow, who has owned and used the Misen, concurs. “The Misen knife’s deal with is likely one of the finest I’ve used—it is grippy sufficient that I can confidently chop and slice, even when my palms are damp,” she says.

The Verdict

The Misen sliced and diced neatly, reducing by means of onions, carrots, tomatoes, and hardy pineapple with out hitching. I favored the composite deal with, which had a matte texture that helped me get a superb grip. Nevertheless, I discovered the chopping movement stilted because of an extended heel, wider blade, and sizable curve. Whereas this can be a respectable knife, at $98, I feel there are different, higher, equally priced choices on the market, just like the Misono Gyuto. That mentioned, in order for you a stable chrome steel blade that’s straightforward to keep up, the Misen is an efficient alternative. 

The Professionals 

The blade was sharp proper out of the field, and deftly chopped onions, diced carrots, sliced tomatoes, and peeled and cored a pineapple. I additionally fairly favored the composite deal with, which stayed grippy even when moist. It has a Goldilocks weight of 8.3 ounces—neither too heavy nor too gentle. It’s a good-quality knife for lower than $100, and its chrome steel blade requires little repairs.

The Cons 

The curve of the blade, its peak, and the massive heel made the chopping movement really feel stilted. The heel hit the reducing board rapidly throughout every stroke, halting the movement instantly—I used to be not a fan.  

Key Specs

• Materials: Santoprene and polypropylene deal with, chrome steel blade
• Blade size: 8.25 inches
• Deal with size: 4.25 inches
• Weight: 8.3 ounces

Why We’re the Consultants

• Grace Kelly is a senior editor at Critical Eats.
• She’s been testing gear, together with tons of knives, for greater than three years. 
• For this overview, she used the Misen chef’s knife to chop, slice, and chop a medley of elements and built-in it into her every day cooking routine.