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Jun 01, 2023

Mercer Culinary Genesis Knife Block Set Review

The Mercer Culinary Genesis Six-Piece Knife Block Set was the best value knife set in my larger tested review of the best knife sets. Ahead, learn more about the easy-grip set and why I loved it. If

The Mercer Culinary Genesis Six-Piece Knife Block Set was the best value knife set in my larger tested review of the best knife sets. Ahead, learn more about the easy-grip set and why I loved it.

If you’re in the market for a sharp, budget-friendly knife set, the Mercer Culinary Genesis ... [+] Six-Piece Knife Block Set is a fantastic option.

Just because knife sets can cost upward of $1,000 doesn’t mean you need to shell out to get a quality collection. Case in point: The Mercer Culinary Genesis Six-Piece Knife Block Set, which retails for less than $200. In my quest to determine the best knife sets, during which I challenged eight top-rated sets to a series of culinary tests in my home kitchen, this sleek set outperformed some of its competitors that cost twice as much, earning it the title of best budget-friendly pick.

While more-experienced home cooks may prefer a more premium set, the Mercer Culinary Genesis would make a great buy for a first kitchen or a beginner home cook, thanks to its durable blades, easy-grip handles and affordable price point. For just $180, you get five professional-quality knives, including the three most essential to any kitchen—a chef’s knife, paring knife and bread knife—plus a utility knife and a boning knife. And whereas most block sets come with a wooden storage system, the Mercer Culinary Genesis set includes a modern, space-saving countertop unit that’s sleek and intuitive to use. Whether you need to chop up a pound of big carrots or peel apples for a pie, these reliable knives are up to the task.

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Knives included: Chef’s knife, paring knife, utility knife, boning knife, bread knife | Materials: Alloy steel, Santoprene thermoplastic rubber | Storage: Vertical tempered glass and beechwood knife block (plus other options)

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Mercer Culinary is a New York–based brand that sells affordable, professional-quality kitchen equipment and cutlery, mainly to the food-service industry. The Genesis six-piece block set, though, was designed with home cooks in mind. The most essential knives in any kitchen are a chef’s knife, a paring knife and a bread knife, and the set supplies classic Western-style versions of each. Featuring thicker, heavier blades than Japanese-style knives, Western-style knives do some of the work of slicing for you by applying their weight to the job at hand. In my testing of the chef’s knife (which measures 8 inches long, the ideal length for most home cooks), I was able to slice through hardy big carrots without any trouble. The paring knife, too, made easy work of peeling and chopping apples. While the bread knife was similarly impressive, in terms of cutting abilities—it sawed through crusty sourdough and Wonder Bread without compromising the integrity of either—I found the actual blade to be impractically short. Measuring in at 8 inches, it wasn’t long enough to reach across the sourdough boule.

In addition to the three essentials, this set includes a utility knife that’s shaped like a long paring knife, making it an excellent tool for slicing wider foods—think a block of cheese or tofu, or round watermelon radishes. There’s also a boning knife in this set, which features a blade that’s curved at the bottom, so you can scrape it up and down a bone to remove the meat. While this is easily the least necessary knife in the set, it’s useful if you do any small butchery or filleting tasks at home. I tried it out by quartering a raw chicken and was impressed by how easy it was to maneuver around and cut between the round leg joints. Plus, the sharp, thin blade made clean work of slicing the breast meat off the bone without any snags.

It’s important to note that this set doesn’t supply a honing steel, which is crucial to maintaining the edge on nonserrated knives. Thankfully, you can pick up a solid honing steel on Amazon for less than $20.

The Mercer Culinary Genesis Six-Piece Knife Block Set on my kitchen counter.

Overall, the Mercer Culinary Genesis Six-Piece Knife Block Set is a fantastic buy for beginner home cooks who are still perfecting their knife skills. The chef’s knife features a large, curved bolster that makes gripping the handle easy and comfortable. Its sloped shape also helps you master the classic pinch grip, wherein you pinch the knife’s blade with your thumb and index finger and wrap the rest of your fingers around the handle. This holding technique is important to master, as it gives you the best control over a large knife for easier, more precise slicing.

And while knife blocks aren’t known to be difficult to use, Mercer Culinary Genesis’ attractive and space-saving block is more intuitive than most. Because the stand is made from glass, you don’t have to guess the blade by the handle. Instead, when you reach for a handle, you know exactly which knife you’re removing from the stand, saving you a little time and lots of frustration. (While I tested the stand made from tempered glass and beechwood, Mercer Culinary also sells the same blades with a stand made from glass and stainless steel, which lines the knives up in a single row for an even easier view.)

While you still need to follow all the standard knife-maintenance best practices—for example, no putting the blades in the dishwasher—the Mercer Culinary Genesis isn’t a high-maintenance set. Made from German high-carbon stainless steel, the blades are extremely durable and resistant to rust and corrosion. Because the knives are each forged from a single rod of steel, they’re stronger and sharper than those that are stamped from a sheet of steel. They are also full-tang, meaning that the metal of the blade goes all the way through the handle of the knife, which further adds to their stability and longevity. Meanwhile, the soft rubber-like coating on the ergonomic handles is made from Santoprene, a highly durable food-safe thermoplastic that can withstand a wide range of temperatures. I can also speak to blades’ longevity. When I enrolled in culinary school over a decade ago, Mercer Genesis knives came in my cutlery kit. And while the knives I used as part of my larger testing were brand-new, to this day, I still use some of my old Mercer Genesis knives, which have held up remarkably well.

Of the eight knife sets I tested, the Mercer Culinary Genesis was the second cheapest. Despite its budget-friendly price, many of the set’s knives outperformed their fancier, more expensive competitors. While this set didn’t perform quite as masterfully as the Misen Essentials Knife Set (my top pick overall) or the Miyabi Artisan Seven-Piece Knife Block Set (my upgrade pick), it earned higher marks than some of its pricier competitors. My biggest complaint with this set is that its bread knife isn’t long enough to cut across a large loaf of crusty bread. That said, I was able to make it work, and the blade’s wavy serration sliced through the hard crust without leaving behind too many crumbs.

Whereas a number of sets I tested included kitchen shears and honing steels, which are valuable non-knife tools, the Mercer Culinary Genesis did not. It was, however, the only set that came with a boning knife. While this blade certainly isn’t necessary, it can be useful if you do a lot of home butchering.

To test the Mercer Culinary Genesis knife set, I put each knife through a set of standard tests in my home kitchen. Because a chef’s knife is the most essential tool in any kitchen, I focused a lot of my testing on that specific blade. After taking a moment to simply hold it in my hand, considering how it felt to grip, I balanced the bolster on my index finger to see if it toppled toward the blade or the handle. (This test indicates whether a knife is balanced.) I then sliced carrots using the classic French technique of rocking the blade across my board, evaluating how quickly and easily I could slice with the knife. Next, I finely chopped a pile of fresh parsley, noting whether the blade bruised the tender leaves or easily minced them. My final test involved carving a roast chicken to see how well I could maneuver the knife between joints to separate a leg from the carcass, and whether I could slice into the tender breast meat without pulling or tearing the skin.

To test the paring knife, I started by peeling an apple, which helped me determine whether the blade was adequately short and sharp. I further tested the precision and thinness of the blade by using it to mince shallots. With the bread knife, I sliced through a loaf of sourdough to see how easily and cleanly it sliced through the hard crust. For my second test, I sliced through a stack of soft Wonder Bread slices, noting whether the knife squished the bread or left behind crumbs. For the utility knife (which is a less essential but nonetheless useful blade to own), I tested it by thinly slicing apples and cucumbers for a salad. And to finish, I tried out the boning knife—the only one I encountered in my larger testing—by butchering a whole raw chicken into quarters.

As a cookbook author, food stylist, recipe developer and home cook, I spend a lot of time with knives in my hands. I started my professional culinary career as a student at the Institute of Culinary Education, where I learned a truly vast array of knife skills. Eventually, I went on to serve as a food editor in the test kitchen for Epicurious and Bon Appétit, during which I tested out innumerable chef’s knives. Before I embarked on my most recent quest to determine the best knife sets, I took a deep dive into the expansive kitchen-knife market, further learning the ins and outs of knife styles, materials and features. In my larger testing of the best knife sets, I also relied on the expertise of three knife pros: Stefano Diaz, owner and head butcher of the Meat Wagon in Kingston, New York; Will Griffin, the artisanal knife maker of W.A. Griffin Bladeworks; and Stephen Chavez, a chef-instructor at the ICE.

To keep your knives slicing sharp daily, you should hone the nonserrated knives—which realigns the blade’s edge—at least every few uses, or ideally after every use. (Chavez actually recommends you do it before and after you use your knives.) Then, about once a year, you’ll need to sharpen your knives. While you can do this at home, the task is best left to the professionals at a kitchen or knife store. If you don’t have a store that offers sharpening services near you, look for a mail-in sharpening service instead.

If you ever lose track of how long it’s been since your knives were last sharpened, pay attention to how much you tear up while slicing onions. Dull knives bruise the tender onion cells, releasing more of the compounds that make your eyes water.

After using your knives, wash them by hand with a gentle sponge or brush (no steel wool on blades!) and dry them immediately after. Then, make sure to store them in a place where their blades are protected—like, for example, the included block. Whatever you do, don’t leave them dirty in a full sink. Not only will prolonged exposure to water and soap degrade the knife, but the blade could also bump against other dishes, damaging its edge. Not to mention, this is also dangerous. No one wants to reach into a full sink and accidentally slice open their hand on a sharp blade.

Mercer knives come with a limited lifetime warranty, meaning they’re designed to last for years and years. Don’t expect them to actually last a lifetime, though. Depending on how much you use them, they should last around a decade or even longer. To ensure their longevity, make sure you care for them properly—that includes washing them by hand, drying them immediately after and protecting their blades.