Top kitchen knives ranked

When it comes to slicing and dicing, a great knife saves you time and trouble. We tested 21 chef's knives, including some from celebrities, rating their cutting prowess on a range of foods as well as their handle and feel. Courtesy of Wusthof Traditional Co-Winner One of just three that excelled at cleanly slicing tomatoes, the Wüsthof Classic 8-Inch ($120, amazon.com) is also expert at slicing and chopping onions, cutting up carrots, and neatly creating thin ribbons of basil.

Courtesy of J.A. Henckels Traditional Co-Winner At less than half the Wüsthof's price, theJ.A. Henckels Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife ($50, amazon.com) cuts no corners on performance, with perfect scores on our onion and basil tests (and near-perfect scores on the rest).

Courtesy of Miyabi Celebrity Winner Befitting an Iron Chef, the Miyabi Morimoto Edition 9-Inch Chef's Knife($120, amazon.com) glides smoothly through steak and makes quick work of onions. Its Asian-style blade is thinner than the traditional ones — less suited for hard veggies like carrots.

Courtesy of Starfrit Celebrity Runner-Up A close second to Morimoto's, Cat Cora's 8-Inch Chef's Knife ($42, amazon.com) gets our vote for value. Its curved blade is easily rocked front to back, so mincing garlic or leafy herbs is almost effortless.

Courtesy of Chicago Cutlery Budget Buy Winner Chicago Cutlery's Fusion 8-Inch Chef's Knife ($20) went cut for cut with the pricier picks, even trumping many at slicing tomatoes. Like the other winners', its blade has a full tang (it extends into the grip) for control.