Best quality budget boning knife: Victorinox Swiss Army Fibrox Curved Boning Knife
The Victorinox’s blade is curved, but not so curved that it interferes with precision. The handle is not too fat or chunky; and the textured handle material makes it easy to hold and control without slippage. The blade we tested is fairly rigid (although there is a flexible blade model if you want something with more play), so while it can bend enough to skin a fish or jiggle between joints, it’s also sturdy enough to cleanly cut through meat without wobbling. The price point is also attractive; at less than $30 at the time of writing, it’s a great option for anyone who doesn’t see themselves using a boning knife on a daily basis.
What We Didn’t Like about the Victorinox Fibrox Curved Boning Knife
If you’re new to knifework, it may take some time to learn how to work with a curved blade; however, since the Victorinox’s curve is so slight, the learning curve (ahem) isn’t a very steep one. But it’s also not as easy to sharpen this knife compared to the Wusthof, but if you only use it a few times a month, it shouldn’t lose its edge too quickly.
A boning knife worth splurging on: Shun Premier-Inch 5 Boning Knife
The Shun Premiere is a serious boning knife for serious cooks, so if you think you have the skills and you regularly butcher meat, you’ll like it. The blade is highly curved, which helps improve visibility when held in a horizontal position, like you would when filleting a fish or butterflying a chicken breast (as we said, not as easy to use if you’re using the point to get in between joints). The bolster is thin enough that it doesn’t hurt when you choke up on the handle, making this knife feel like an extension of your hand, giving you excellent control. Out of all the knives we tested, the Shun Premiere was among the most rigid, which professionals will likely see as a plus because it provides stability, but could be a hindrance for those who have never used a boning knife before.
What we didn’t like about the Shun Premier Boning Knife
The things that will make experienced cooks like it so much make it a tough sell for beginner butchers. Rigid blades aren’t as forgiving if you’re filleting a fish, and the steep takes some getting used to for a task like breaking down a whole chicken. It’s also expensive compared to our other two picks, so we’d recommend it as an upgrade to something you already have or potentially as a gift, but not as the first boning knife you ever buy.
How we tested boning knives
When it comes to testing boning knives, you can learn just about everything you need to know by using them to break down a chicken. We started with the basics, removing the white meat sections by slicing around the rib cage and separating the dark meat from the carcass by running the knife through the hip joints. Next, we used the tip of the knife to separate the wings into segments, then cut the meat of the drumettes away from the bone to make chicken “lollipops.” Finally, we turned to deboning. We went back to the dark meat, completely removing the bones from the chicken thighs and frenching the legs.
How we judged boning knives
How heavy is the knife?
The ideal boning knife should be light enough to comfortably maneuver around big pieces of meat with large bones (like pork shoulders), allowing you to easily change position and direction as you go. At the same time, it should have enough heft to break through joints and cartilage without needing to apply a tremendous amount of pressure.
Is the handle comfortable to hold?
Unlike most other kitchen knives, boning knives can be held either overhand and underhand. Not only should they be comfortable to hold in both positions, but it should be easy to shift between the two while working.
What is the blade shape?
Curved knife blades are better for large slabs of meat, making them great for professional kitchens, but not as practical for home cooks, who typically cook with straight blades. Unless you’re regularly breaking down meat every single day, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to quickly and easily adapt your line-of-sight and cutting techniques for a curved blade. Straight blades act as an extension of your arm, allowing you to work the tip around irregular lines with precision. A curved blade requires a little guesswork as you start to use it. That means that if you’re only using it once or twice a month it could take you some time to feel comfortable with it. Consider how often you’ll be using your boning knife, as well as your overall knife skills, before you make your buying decision.
How thick and long is the blade?
A blade should be thin enough to slip between meat, bone and connective tissue without ripping everything to shreds, but not so thin that it feels flimsy and hard to control. In terms of blade length, everything we tested was between five and six inches long. If you’re browsing online, that’s a bit shorter than most things you’ll find labeled as “fillet knives,” so don’t be confused.
Other boning knives we tested
Zwilling Pro 5.5″ Flexible Boning Knife
This knife would be a top contender if it wasn’t for the poorly designed bolster; its sharp angles make it uncomfortable whenever you need to choke up on the handle, and almost painful when changing your grip from overhand to underhand.
Mercer Culinary Millenia 6″ Boning Knife
This is an excellent budget knife, with a textured, ergonomic handle that makes it easy to grip. Maybe that’s why you’ll see it at butcher counters all over. However, its curved six-inch-long blade may make it more difficult for novice cooks to use, for the median home cook. And someone with the knife skills already to use it may want to spring for the Shun upgrade
Dexter Russell 6″ Boning Knife
This knife felt too chunky when compared to the rest of the field. The handle was a bit too bulky to get fully comfortable with and made it difficult to seamlessly change position while cutting.
Steelport 6″ Boning Knife
This is a beautiful carbon-steel boning knife, but not a functional one. Its look is due, in part, to its carbon-steel blade—a beautiful black that takes on a rugged patina that stainless-steel blades can never hope to duplicate. However, the blade is longer than it needs to be in order to break down a chicken or skin individual portions of fish. The Steelport’s handle is too big to offer a real feeling of control and it’s far too heavy to feel comfortable in your hand. If it was marketed as a slicing knife, it would get high marks, but as a boning knife, it fails every test.