Setting the table for steak night

Why serrated wins the table

A table knife works under the worst conditions in the kitchen: a ceramic plate under the edge and a sideways sawing hand above it. A straight edge dulls against that plate in a season. Serrations keep cutting anyway, because the teeth touch the plate while the cutting bevels between them stay off it.

That is why our steak sets are serrated, and why they ask for almost no upkeep. No honing, no pull-through; wash, dry, and back in the drawer.

Why eight is the number

Our steak sets come eight to the box. Six covers the usual table; eight covers the table plus the two guests who always materialise when steak is on. Unlike board knives, table knives are all needed at the same moment, so the spare pair is not padding, it is the buffer that saves a mid-dinner wash.

The colour is the real choice

All three steak sets on our rack are the same eight-knife listing in different handle colours, which is why they share one pool of ratings. The steel, the serration and the count do not change; the table setting does. Black reads classic, cream white sits well with pale plates, pink argues with beige kitchens and wins.

• Match the handles to the plates you own, not the kitchen you plan.
• Count seats plus two. That is your set size.
• Steak knives in a bigger kit count toward its pieces; check the split before buying a separate set.