Sunday Stove

The Best Carving Knife for Turkey

I earn a commission when you buy through my links, at no extra cost to you. How that worksAmazon prices as of Nov 12, 7:18 AM ET, subject to change. Details

Five carving knives from about $22 to $240, for the Thanksgiving turkey, a smoked brisket or a holiday ham, with two electric ones for people who'd rather not saw by hand.

By Nell Harlan · Updated Nov 12, 202619 knives compared

Set the turkey breast on the board, draw a 12-inch blade toward you in one long pull, and the slice falls over whole with the crackly skin still on top. For that, get the Victorinox: twelve inches long, about $75, and the same knife you'll want for a smoked brisket or the Easter ham. A chef's knife can get you through a roast chicken on a Tuesday, but on a 15-pound bird it runs out of blade halfway across and you end up sawing.

If you carve once a year and don't want to spend $75 on it, the Mercer Renaissance is about $31 and very close. For carving at the table, with a fork to hold the roast, the Wüsthof set is the handsome one (about $240). And if you'd rather let a motor do it, the Black+Decker costs about $22, and the Hamilton Beach comes in a case with its fork for about $31.

See the 5 picks

Top picks

Best overallVictorinox Fibrox Pro 12-Inch Granton Slicing KnifeCheck price on Amazon
Best under $35Mercer Renaissance 11-Inch Granton SlicerCheck price on Amazon
Best carving setWüsthof Classic 2-Piece Carving SetCheck price on Amazon
Best electricBlack+Decker ComfortGrip Electric KnifeCheck price on Amazon
Electric with a caseHamilton Beach Electric Knife SetCheck price on Amazon

At a glance

  1. 1.Victorinox Fibrox Pro 12-Inch Granton Slicing Knifeabout $75
    Best for
    Turkey, brisket and ham
    Blade
    12 in, granton, 1.5 in tall
    Best on
    Turkey, brisket, ham, prime rib
  2. 2.Mercer Renaissance 11-Inch Granton Slicerabout $31
    Best for
    A once-a-year carving knife
    Blade
    11 in, granton, 1.25 in tall
    Best on
    Turkey, ham, roasts
  3. 3.Wüsthof Classic 2-Piece Carving Setabout $240
    Best for
    Carving at the table
    Blade
    8 in, hollow edge, with 6 in fork
    Best on
    Turkey and roasts at the table
  4. 4.Black+Decker ComfortGrip Electric Knifeabout $22
    Best for
    Carving without the knife skills
    Blade
    Serrated, electric
    Best on
    Turkey, roasts, bread
  5. 5.Hamilton Beach Electric Knife Setabout $31
    Best for
    An electric knife that lives in a case
    Blade
    Serrated, electric
    Best on
    Turkey, ham, bread

The best meat carving knives, ranked

1 · Best overall
Victorinox Fibrox Pro 12-Inch Granton Slicing Knife

Victorinox Fibrox Pro 12-Inch Granton Slicing Knife

A long, tall blade with dimples, so slices come off thin and don't cling.

$75.49$87.0013% off
Check price on Amazon
Buy it if

You carve a turkey, a brisket or a ham a few times a year and want one long knife that does all three.

Skip it if

Your cutting board is small. Twelve inches of blade hangs past the edge of a 14-inch board, so pair it with a big carving board.

The best brisket carving knife

Brisket is where this knife shows off. The blade is an inch and a half tall, which keeps your knuckles off the board, and the row of dimples along it lets air in, so thin slices of fatty point come away instead of sticking to the steel. The edge is ground to 15 degrees and the tip is rounded, which is what you want on a slicer (you're pulling, not poking).

The plain black handle is the kind restaurant cooks use, made not to slip in a wet hand. It's not pretty. Honestly, I don't care, and nobody at the table will either once the slices hit the platter. People who own one carve everything with it, from prime rib to homemade bacon, and the one gripe on the edge came from a cook who had to touch it up partway through a big job.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • Twelve inches is awkward in a small drawer, so get a blade guard.
  • It's rated for the dishwasher, but washing it by hand makes it last longer.
12-inch bladeRounded tipNon-slip Fibrox handleNSF certified
2
Mercer Renaissance 11-Inch Granton Slicer
Best under $35

Mercer Renaissance 11-Inch Granton Slicer

A sharp, well-balanced slicer for about $31.

$31.49Check price on Amazon
Buy it if

You want a proper carving knife for Thanksgiving and the holiday ham, and $31 is what you'd like to spend.

Skip it if

You smoke whole packer briskets. An extra inch of blade, on the Victorinox, makes those long slices easier.

Read the full write-up

A cheap knife for carving ham and roasts

The Mercer is an inch shorter and a quarter inch lower than the Victorinox, with the same dimpled edge. On a ham or a turkey breast that hardly matters. America's Test Kitchen liked how sharp it is and how its flex is balanced, and found the handle easy to hold the right way.

Only three buyers have written about it on a restaurant supply site, and one of them singled out how long it holds its edge.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • A small tab under the handle, where it meets the blade, bothers some people.
  • Hand wash only.
11-inch bladeGranton edgeHand washNSF certified
3
Wüsthof Classic 2-Piece Carving Set
Best carving set

Wüsthof Classic 2-Piece Carving Set

A forged 8-inch carving knife and a matching meat fork, made in Solingen.

$240.00Check price on Amazon
Buy it if

You carve at the table, in front of everyone, and you want a knife and fork that look the part.

Skip it if

You mostly slice brisket or big roasts on the kitchen counter. Eight inches is short for that, and the Victorinox does it better for a third of the price.

Read the full write-up

A carving set for the table

At $240 for two pieces, you're paying for a forged German knife with a full tang and the triple-riveted Classic handle, and a 6-inch straight meat fork to hold the bird still while you work. The 8-inch blade has hollow-ground scallops that help slices fall away.

Wüsthof sharpens it to 14 degrees per side and backs it with a limited lifetime warranty. It's made in Solingen. This is the set to buy as a wedding or holiday present, or the one you hand down. If you only care about the slicing, the Victorinox does it better.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • Hand wash only, both pieces.
  • It costs about three times the Victorinox.
Forged blade14° per side6-inch meat forkLimited lifetime warranty
4
Black+Decker ComfortGrip Electric Knife
Best electric

Black+Decker ComfortGrip Electric Knife

Quiet, comfortable in the hand, and it saws through crusty bread too.

$21.84Check price on Amazon
Buy it if

Carving makes you nervous, your wrists aren't what they were, or you want neat slices without learning the long stroke.

Skip it if

You want to carve at the table with no cord running to the wall.

Read the full write-up

The best electric carving knife

Two serrated blades slide back and forth against each other, so you just guide the knife down through the turkey and let it do the sawing. America's Test Kitchen named it its favorite electric knife: it carved meat easily, it was the quietest of the group, and it got through a crusty loaf better than most, which makes it a decent electric bread knife on the side.

The handle is rounded and the start button sits underneath, where your fingers already are. A safety lock keeps it from turning on while it's plugged in. The blades pop out with one button and go in the dishwasher, and since they're serrated, you never sharpen them.

For about $22, I'd keep one in the cupboard even if you own a good slicer. Somebody always wants to help carve.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • Corded, so you'll want an outlet near the board.
  • The case comes only with a different version (EK510B).
Safety lockDishwasher-safe bladesOne-press blade releaseCorded
5
Hamilton Beach Electric Knife Set
Electric with a case

Hamilton Beach Electric Knife Set

Knife, blades and fork packed in one storage case, with a 5-foot cord.

$30.95Check price on Amazon
Buy it if

You want the knife, the blades and a fork kept together between holidays.

Skip it if

Little hands are around. There's no safety lock, which the Black+Decker has.

Read the full write-up

An electric knife with a case and a fork

The storage case is the reason to pick this one: the knife, the blades and a carving fork all snap into it, so nothing goes missing between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The cord is 5 feet long, enough to carve at the table instead of at the counter, and Hamilton Beach puts a 120-watt motor inside. It slices skin-on turkey and chicken cleanly.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • A bit louder than the Black+Decker.
  • The fork is the part you'll use least; a dinner fork holds a turkey fine.
Storage caseCarving fork5-foot cord120 watts

Who this is for

If there's a turkey, a brisket or a holiday ham coming up and you're tired of tearing it apart with a chef's knife, this guide is for you. If you're still working out which knives a kitchen needs at all, start with my guide to the types of kitchen knives. And whatever you carve, a sharp edge matters more than the brand: here's how to sharpen a knife at home, and the knife sharpeners worth owning.

How to choose

Get 11 or 12 inches of blade

A long blade crosses a whole turkey breast or a brisket flat in one stroke, which is what gives you even slices. At 9 or 10 inches, a carving knife isn't much better than the chef's knife you already have.

Look for dimples on the blade

The little hollows along the edge (called a granton or hollow edge) let air between the knife and the meat, so thin slices don't cling. All three hand knives here have them.

Pick a tall blade and a grippy handle

A blade around 1.5 inches tall keeps your fingers clear as you reach the bottom of the roast. And the handle should stay put in a greasy hand, which the Victorinox's non-slip Fibrox handle is made for.

Electric or by hand

An electric knife makes neat slices with no technique at all, and it's the easier choice for anyone with weak hands. A slicer is quieter and has no cord, but it takes a little practice.

What I'd skip

Shun Classic 12-Inch Hollow Ground Brisket Knife

A beautiful knife for about $260, but the spine is thick enough to wedge in the meat, it's about twice the weight of the Victorinox, and the handle gets slippery. The Victorinox slices brisket better for less than a third of the price.

Victorinox Fibrox 10-Inch Slicing Knife

The short, plain-edge version of my top pick. It's too low for your knuckles to clear the board, and without the dimples the meat sticks to it.

Global G-8 Roast Slicer

Sharp, but only 8.5 inches long, with no dimples and a metal handle that slips when it's wet. Not what you want with turkey fat on your hands.

Cuisinart CEK-40 Electric Knife

Loud, warm in the hand after a few minutes, and the squared-off handle digs into your palm. The Black+Decker is quieter and nicer to hold.

How I picked

Blade of 11 to 12 inches (8 for a table set)Dimpled edge so slices don't stickHandle that holds in a greasy handSafety lock and dishwasher-safe blades on electric knivesIn stock on Amazon US

Nineteen carving knives, slicers and electric knives went on my list, priced from about $22 to $260. The blade mattered most: long and tall enough to cross a turkey breast or a brisket in one stroke, with an edge that lets slices fall away. The handle came next. Results come from America's Test Kitchen's slicing knife and electric knife reviews, owner reviews on WebstaurantStore, and maker specs from Victorinox, Mercer, Wüsthof, Black+Decker and Hamilton Beach. Prices are Amazon's on November 12, 2026.

Pinterest pin for The Best Carving Knife for Turkey
Save it for laterPin this guide and find it again when you are ready to buy.Save to Pinterest

Common questions

What is the best knife to carve a turkey?

A long slicing knife with a dimpled edge, 11 to 12 inches. The Victorinox Fibrox Pro 12-inch is the one I'd get, at about $75. If you'd rather use an electric knife, the Black+Decker ComfortGrip is about $22.

What's the difference between a slicing knife and a carving knife?

They do the same job, and most stores use the names for the same knives. Strictly speaking, a carving knife is a little stiffer with a pointed tip, for working around joints and bones, while a slicing knife is longer, more flexible and usually rounded at the tip, for long, thin slices of boneless meat like brisket or ham.

Is an electric knife better for carving a turkey?

It's easier, not better. An electric knife gives neat slices with no technique, which is great if your hands are weak or carving makes you nervous. A sharp 12-inch slicer takes a little practice, but it's quiet and there's no cord across the table.

Can I use a bread knife instead of a carving knife?

In a pinch, yes. A long serrated bread knife will get through a roast, but its teeth tear at the meat and crispy skin instead of slicing cleanly. A long, sharp chef's knife is the better stand-in, and for brisket or a big turkey, nothing replaces a real slicer.

How long should a carving knife be?

Eleven or twelve inches for slicing brisket and big roasts. A shorter carving knife, like the 8-inch one in a carving set, is fine for a turkey at the table, once the breast is off the bone.

The verdict

Buy the Victorinox for the holidays

If you carve a turkey, a brisket or a ham in the kitchen, get the Victorinox Fibrox Pro 12-inch at about $75. If you'd rather carve at the table, with a fork and a knife worth handing down, the Wüsthof Classic set is the one to buy.

Check price on Amazon$75.49

More from Sunday Stove

Knives & BoardsUsuba vs Nakiri, and the Other Kitchen Knives People Mix UpKnives & BoardsThe Best Knife Sharpening Technique at HomeKnives & BoardsThe Best Wood Cutting Boards