The Best Tomato Knife for Your Kitchen

Many many years ago I went into a Sur La Table store and they had a “knife specialist” on staff. I was looking to upgrade a few of my knives. She asked me a bunch of questions regarding what type of food I eat, this was so she could have a better idea as to what type of knife I would need to purchase. 

Lo, and behold I found out that day that you need a special knife to cut tomatoes. More importantly, I found out what makes the best tomato knife. 

The best tomato knife will have a slightly serrated blade. Remember if you use a regular chef’s knife for slicing a tomato, make sure that it is extremely sharp. This will help it cut through a ripe tomato with ease. The tomato is a difficult food to slice cleanly without the help of a good tomato knife. 

If you try to use a flat-edged knife to slice a tomato you might get hurt. The best type of knife to cut a tomato has a serrated blade. The sharp pointed serrated blades will make the initial cut through the tomato skin. Similarly, this allows you to slice through the skin of the tomato without hurting yourself or making a mess.

What’s The Best Type of Knife for Slicing Tomatoes?

Often it comes down to the serrated blade on the knife. If your knife for cutting tomatoes has a serrated edge then it will slice through the tomato skin with ease. Otherwise, if the tomato is a little soft the knife may not penetrate the tomato skin. If you need tomato dicer then you may want to opt for something like a food chopping device.

 Here is our list of the 8 best knives for slicing tomatoes

The Best Knife To Cut Tomatoes

1. Global G-9-8-3/4 inch, 22cm Bread Knife

My all-time favorite knife for cutting tomatoes is a serrated bread knife by Global. Primarily I like it because it is versatile.

Meaning that  I don’t have to have a separate knife for just tomatoes. This knife has been with me for 9 years, and many kitchens. It is the best knife for cutting tomatoes in my kitchen. If taken care of properly, you will never need to replace this high-quality tomato knife. The best tomato knife does not have to be labeled specifically for slicing tomatoes. Sometimes you want to freeze figs in order to preserve them. A tomato knife will come in handy for chopping figs. Since they have soft flesh and might not cut through easily with a straight knife.

The Global brand of knives came into fruition in the ’80s. Each Global knife is carefully weighted during the manufacturing process. Hence, providing the perfect balance. Global knives stay sharp much longer than other brands. Firstly this is due to the fact that they use elements molybdenum and vanadium. Secondly Global uses a straight edge for their knives as opposed to other companies who use a beveled edge. If you have a beveled edge knife you will need to sharpen it more frequently.

Pros:

• Stainless steel.
• Professional chefs swear by this tomato knife/bread knife.
• Works great for lefties or righties.
• It feels lightweight when holding it.
• The best tomato knife.

Cons:

• The price is high.

Check out the reviews below for our pick of the best tomato knife!

Another Great Tomato Slicing Knife!

2. Victorinox 6.7731US1 4 Inch Swiss Classic Paring Knife with Serrated Edge

This small serrated knife is one of the best tomato knives around, which makes sense why it is so popular. Since the blade is short you can get a lot of precision with your cutting.  The Victorinox is my second favorite knife for slicing tomatoes.

In a house with multiple cooks, this will always be the go-to knife. Buy a few of these tomato knives if you live in a multi cook household. This is precisely why this is high up on our list for the best tomato knife.

Pros:

• Low Price point.
• Great gift or stocking stuffer.
• Helps you cut right through a tomato or any other veggie uniformly.
• Versatile.

 Cons:

• This tomato knife is not good for lefties. 

A Handcrafted Serrated Tomato Knife Like No Other!

3. Messermeister Handcrafted Serrated Tomato Knife with Matching Sheath

Messermeister is a modern women-owned knife company that is always looking to make new and innovative products. The difference between this tomato knife and the first 2 picks is that it is labeled as a tomato knife. We love that this is a women-owned company in California. It has carried the title “best tomato knife” for years.

A specialty knife like no other, one reviewer on amazon said that “Even the toughest skinned tomato is no match for this knife”. Chefs report that they used this high-quality tomato knife for 9 months straight and it was still razor sharp! All in all, if you want a knife that was designed specifically for slicing tomatoes, this is our runner up for the best tomato knife.

Pros:

• Comfortable handle.
• Super sharp tomato knife.
• Perfect for slicing heirloom tomatoes.
• Women-owned knife company.

Cons:

• The knife blade has a slant to the left.
• Plastic handle, flimsy.

A Great Pick For A Tomato Cutting Knife!

4. Mercer Culinary Renaissance Forged Tomato Knife

This company has been around for over 30 years. They try to meet the needs of the Chef on a global level. Which is how they decided to try their hand at crafting the best tomato knife. 

Being that a tomato knife is usually serrated, it won’t need sharpening as often as a regular knife.

Pros:

• Sturdy handle.
• Excellent for precision cutting.
• Low Price Point.

Cons:

• Dull out of the package.

High-End Tomato Slicing Knife!

5. Wusthof CLASSIC Tomato Knife, One Size, Black, Stainless Steel

The best high-end tomato knife out there! WÜSTHOF knives are made in a region of Germany that is the steel manufacturing capital of the world. This company is able to use the label “Made in Solingen”, instead of ‘made in Germany”. What this means is that all of the stages of manufacturing have to be completed within the region of Solingen. 

One thing cooks rave about with this tomato knife is the triple-riveted, ergonomically designed Delrin handle. Most importantly,  there is no discomfort when holding it. The reason why this is called the best high-end tomato knife is the fact that it slices through tomatoes and other vegetables like butter. The ripest tomato is no match for this knife.

Pros:

• Razor-sharp.
• Slices bread too.
• You will get months of use out of this knife before you have to sharpen it.

Cons:

• The price is high for a specialty tomato knife.

A Great Choice For A Tomato Knife!

6. Cangshan N1 Series German Steel Forged Tomato Knife

This being a newer company, less than 10 years old, it should not dissuade you from checking them out.  Cangshan expanded into the US market back in 2016. As of 2020, Costco is a recent seller of the Cangshan knives.

Pros:

• The handle is a bit heavier than the other brands of knives. (which might be seen as a pro for some people)
• Great price.
• Excellent balance.

Cons:

• The handle is a bit heavier than the other brands of knives. (which might be seen as a con for some people)

Dumas Tomato Slicing Knife!

7. 32 DUMAS 4.75″ French Serrated Edge Tomato Utility Knife.

The Dumas brand has been around for over 400 years! What?!  Each knife is crafted from a single bar of steel.

Pros:

• Solid tomato knife.
• It sharpens easily.

Cons:

• Not a lot of complaints from reviewers.

Best Little Knife For Slicing Tomatoes!

8. ZYLISS Serrated Paring Knife

The Zyliss is labeled as a paring knife but it will surely do the trick when slicing tomatoes.

If you need an inexpensive knife or a temporary replacement knife, get the Zyliss. With a low price point, it is easily affordable. The soft rubber handle is what many amateur chefs prefer.

Pros:

• Easy to grip for arthritic hands.
• Great to give away as gifts.
• Great for chopping vegetables, especially tomatoes.

Cons:

• The metal from the blade does not extend all the way into the handle.
• Rust appeared, after being in the dishwasher.

What is a tomato knife?

While any knife can be used to slice a tomato, a knife labeled as a tomato knife is often one that has a serrated blade. Each serration on the tomato knife’s blade will make a cut into the tomato skin with very little effort. 

Using a serrated tomato knife allows the cook to cut perfect tomato slices without being a professional chef. A professional chef might not use a serrated tomato knife, instead, they will use their sharpest flat-bladed knife. Just like using a specific tool like a carrot shredder, will help you get the kitchen prep done faster, so will tomato knife.

How to sharpen a serrated tomato knife?

How to sharpen a serrated bread knife? 

Both a tomato knife as well as bread knife will be sharpened in the same way that the video below describes. Even the best tomato knife might need a sharpening every few years.

The great thing about serrated tomato knives is that they do not need to be sharpened as often as a straight-edged knife. The best tomato knife will not need frequent sharpening. 

How do you know when its time to sharpen your tomato knife? It won’t perform as well. Firstly you’ll have to use more pressure when slicing a tomato. Secondly, there will be more food morsels left on the cutting board if your serrated knife is dull.

To sharpen a serrated tomato knife you will need a ceramic honing rod like the one below. 

You must sharpen the serrated tomato knife tooth by tooth. First and foremost the ceramic sharpening rod is placed into each grove at a specific angle between the serrations. Next, it will be slid through each grove a few times. You should be able to see each of the serrated teeth becoming sharper.

Don’t be nervous to sharpen your tomato knife with a ceramic sharpening rod, it is not as hard as it sounds. Sharpening a serrated knife does take a little bit of practice and patience. Learning how to sharpen a serrated blade is much better understood through a video. Watch this tutorial video on sharpening a serrated knife and get sharpening!

5 Things to Consider When Shopping for the Best Tomato Knife

Serrated or straight blade? 

Some Chefs argue that using a serrated knife for tomatoes is unnecessary. Since a serrated knife has many sharp pointed teeth it is easy for an amateur chef to get a perfect tomato slice. If you are a professional Chef then a very sharp non-serrated knife will work just as good. 

The Chef in the serrated knife sharpening video above mentioned that the reason why people use a serrated knife for slicing tomatoes is that they don’t actually own a sharp knife. The best knife to cut a tomato has a serrated blade.

Therefore the decision is up to you as to whether you want to slice your tomatoes with a serrated or straight flat blade. Just remember, that if you choose not to use a serrated knife to slice tomatoes, you will need an extremely sharp knife. A dull one sitting on your knife rack that hasn’t been sharpened in years, literally just won’t cut it. 

Handle

A tomato knife can have a handle crafted from stainless steel, plastic, wood, soft rubber, or any other metal substance that the knife blade is made out of. Most people don’t choose a tomato knife based on the handle. Unless of course, they suffer from arthritis then a smaller knife with a softer handle is desired. A knife that is the best tomato knife will also have a high-quality handle.

Forked Tip

Oftentimes a tomato knife can double as a cheese knife. After each slice is made the forked tip can help the cook pick up a tomato or slice of cheese and move it elsewhere.

Size

A serrated tomato knife can come in many lengths. If you are slicing a lot of large heirloom tomatoes then a larger serrated bread knife like my Global tomato knife pick, for best tomato knife, above is ideal. For example, many brands offer knives that are versatile. Oftentimes, they come in sizes ranging from 5 inches to 10 inches depending on your cooking needs.

Left-handed or Right-handed

Sometimes the serrated blades are beveled on one side, making them easier to use for a right-handed person. With that in mind, my husband is left-handed and he has no trouble with the Global serrated bread knife. This is due to the fact that Global uses a straight edge to make its blade. This is another reason why the Global knife wins our pick for the best tomato knife. It is not beveled in one direction. A few people have reported that the Victorinox serrated knife was not ideal for a left-handed person.

More often then not the left-handed person has come up with a workaround. This allows them to just as easily use a knife that might be geared a bit more to right-handed people.

Can You Use A Bread Knife To Cut Tomatoes?

Yes, you can use a bread knife to cut tomatoes. Usually, bread knives have a serrated blade. A knife with a serrated blade makes it easy to slice through tomatoes.

5 Recipe Ideas that Call for Tomatoes

Everyone knows that if you have a few heirloom tomato plants in your backyard, you’ll have more tomatoes than you know what to do with. Consequently, the entire crop will usually begin to ripen during the last month of the growing season. Below are some recipe ideas, so you get started with your new tomato knife purchase! Any knife from our best tomato knife list will be able to handle your bunker crop of tomatoes.

If you are wondering what to do with a lot of tomatoes from your garden check out this list. My favorite way to utilize a bumper crop of tomatoes is the first recipe below.

• Slice tomatoes into cubes (using the best tomato knife that you have), drizzle with olive oil, and 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary. Bake this in a single layer on a baking sheet. Make sure you choose one of our best bakeware materials that are able to handle baking acidic foods like tomatoes. After it is done baking you can add these flavorful baked tomatoes over pasta. The rosemary is what really turns the diced and baked tomatoes into a gourmet dish. 
• Tomato Lentil Soup. This is super easy to make and can be frozen for healthy lunches.
• Pasta sauce. Cook the tomatoes down into a sauce. After it cools it can be easily frozen.
• Tomato salad. Tomatoes, olive oil, red onions, salt, garlic, and balsamic vinegar. Although this delicious salad won’t use up a huge amount of your tomato crop, it is one of the bonuses to growing your own tomatoes.  
• If you are feeling adventurous make your own ketchup. After choosing one of our best tomato knife picks, get a few canning supplies!

Conclusion

When it comes to choosing the best tomato knife, there are many options out there. Remember that a high-quality serrated knife will last a lifetime. It’s better to invest in the tomato knife that you want upfront, rather than having to buy replacements every few years. Our pick for the best tomato knife is the versatile Global Serrated Knife.