Misen Chef’s Knife Evaluation

I’ve examined dozens and dozens of chef’s knives, so I do know a factor or two about what makes an excellent one. Positive, there are private preferences—I like a compact deal with—however there are additionally some goal truths: A great chef’s knife must be sharp, balanced, and straightforward to make use of. It will get bonus factors if it’s reasonably priced and straightforward to take care of. With these standards in thoughts, I obtained my arms on the fairly priced Misen chef knife, ran it by way of a litany of checks, and used it in my each day cooking routine to see if it was any good. 

The Exams

• Edge Sharpness Take a look at: I ran the knife by way 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 Reducing Take a look at: After working the knife by way of the sharpness reader, I used it to slice vertically by way of a chunk of paper, noting if it tore or cleanly lower by way 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 way of it. I put the Misen as much as the problem through the use of 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 might do it deftly. 
• Normal Use Take a look at: I continued to make use of the Misen chef’s knife for just a few weeks, noting if it stayed sharp and was versatile. 

What We Realized

The Misen Chef’s Knife Was Sharp 

Proper out of the field, the Misen was sharp. It took a median of 118 grams of stress to chop by way of the wire on the sting tester, which falls into the “double-edged razor blade” sharpness class in line with this chart. Whereas a sharpness studying isn’t the be-all-end-all, it nonetheless typically signifies a knife that’ll lower by way of meals readily. And that the Misen did, too: It slid neatly by way of tomato pores and skin, which might 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 easy and exact. 

It’s additionally good that the Misen is product of chrome steel. It’s an excellent introductory blade that doesn’t require as a lot care as carbon metal, which is extra brittle and liable 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. Because the blade has a robust 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 situation.

One other qualm: Whereas I like an extended chef’s knife—I really 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’s 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, glossy, and with a matte coating that made it simple 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 arms are damp,” she says.

The Verdict

The Misen sliced and diced neatly, reducing by way of onions, carrots, tomatoes, and hardy pineapple with out hitching. I preferred the composite deal with, which had a matte texture that helped me get an excellent grip. Nonetheless, I discovered the chopping movement stilted resulting from a protracted heel, wider blade, and sizable curve. Whereas it is a first rate knife, at $98, I feel there are different, higher, equally priced choices on the market, just like the Misono Gyuto. That stated, in order for you a stable chrome steel blade that’s simple to take care of, the Misen is an effective selection. 

The Execs 

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 preferred 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 top, and the massive heel made the chopping movement really feel stilted. The heel hit the reducing board shortly 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 assessment, she used the Misen chef’s knife to chop, slice, and chop a medley of components and built-in it into her each day cooking routine.