This $20 Knife Set Is Ridiculously High-Quality And Will Become Your Everyday Kitchen Tools

This Cuisinart knife set comes highly rated for a reason — and it'll brighten up your kitchen to boot.

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For less than what you'd probably spend for dinner on Seamless, you could equip your kitchen with six seriously amazing knives.

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When I first discovered this rainbow knife set that sells for about $20 on Amazon, the classically trained chef in me was skeptical they’d live up to the hype of 3,000+ five-star reviews. But then I realized they were made by Cuisinart, a brand I’ve pretty much always had positive experiences with in the past. So I picked up a set to serve as backup to the fancy German knives I’ve been using since they were issued to me in culinary school over a decade ago.

The shockingly inexpensive set gives you six of the most useful knives you could ever ask for — including an 8-inch chef knife, 8-inch serrated bread knife, 8-inch slicing knife, 7-inch santoku knife (the Japanese version of a chef knife), 6.5-inch serrated utility knife, and 3.5-inch paring knife, along with matching protective guards for each one. (There's also a “jewel”-colored version of the set, with dulled-down hues for anyone who might want less of a pop in their kitchen gear.)

Don’t let the whimsical colors or price tag fool you, though: As soon as I became acquainted with these knives, I realized that the blades on these things are sharp AF.

Erik Mathes / BuzzFeed

That’s where the blade guards come in super handy, making it safer for fingers as well as the edges of the blades themselves when storing them in drawers. They also make for easy traveling, should you need to tote them to a friend's house, a camping trip, or wherever else.

Plus, they don't just make your cutting board and countertop brighter — they also help to avoid cross-contamination, like when you’re working with raw meat and other ingredients at the same time and you need to remember which knife was being used for what.

Once my set arrived, I realized that these were actually the same knives my coworkers and I have been relying on in our office kitchen for about a year and a half — they’ve served between 30 and 40 employees over that time, and nobody’s ever had a complaint. Beyond start-up company kitchens, though, this knife set is just as perfect for young people just beginning to build up their kitchens as it is for casual cooks at any age who want a solid set of essential kitchen tools without throwing down a small fortune. It also makes for a super-affordable gift that pretty much anyone who ever spends time in their kitchen will appreciate!

(And if you're in the market for an equally affordable cutting board to complement your new knife set, this one for $9.95 comes highly recommended by Amazon customers as well.)

As for the utility of the knives themselves, here's a quick breakdown:

Erik Mathes / BuzzFeed

• The French-style chef knife and santoku knife are ideal all-purpose blades for most kitchen tasks, like chopping onions, slicing chicken breasts, and dicing carrots. Both are lightweight and have comfortable grips, making them great for everyday use; the santoku has a shape that lends itself best to slicing. Having both on hand is especially helpful for minimizing the risk of cross-contamination, since you can use one solely for raw meat and the other for non-meat ingredients.

• The slicer is super sharp and should be used when you need ultra-thin slices from something large, like a roast. It’s more of a special-occasion blade, so break this bad boy out for, say, carving the Thanksgiving turkey (or maybe if you wanna get ~adventurous~ and try your hand at sashimi).

• When it comes to slicing skinned fruits and veggies like tomatoes, peppers, peaches, and eggplants, grab the utility knife; its curved, serrated edge tears right through without crushing or bruising them.

• The serrated bread knife makes for transforming the crustiest baguettes into crostini, and it has glided through many a loaf of glorious ciabatta.

• And the smallest of the set, the paring knife, is perfect for handling small and narrow ingredients, like berries, bananas, salami, and cheese.

In culinary school, they always reminded us to “let the blade do the work" when anyone was using too much pressure — and with these knives, it’s easy advice to follow.

With nearly 3,000 promising five-star reviews, this knife set has won over the hearts of tons of Amazon customers as well:

Amazon / Via amazon.com

"I originally bought these so that I wouldn't have to keep taking my 'good' kitchen knives on camping trips, but to my surprise, I love them so much that I've kept them in the kitchen to complement the knives I already had. They are super sharp, and have a great ergonomic handle. The weight and balance is really nice. My favorite knife of the set is the bread knife, which slices through the crunchiest crust with ease, but also can handle a tender crumb without tearing it up. It's also great to have a second chef's knife as when I'm cooking with someone else — that's the one everyone seems to need the most. I think these would make a great gift for a young person who is setting up their first home; good knives and cutting boards are so useful!" —S. Rudy

"I have been using these knives for a year and a half now, and I must say that they are a great value. In spite of the heavy use, especially of the santoku knife, they still look and cut like new. I have a high-quality set of stainless steel knives that I love, but I find myself reaching into the drawer instead of the knife block to use these knives because they are so good." —Pinko Knitter

"I bought this set over a year ago. I was worried about the price because it was so low that I thought the quality would be subpar. I use the green knife every day and it's just now getting a little dull. I love that these come with blade covers because I have a curious toddler and it makes them safer to keep in a drawer. I love the colors. I am particular about knife handles; I hate thin handles and these have nice thick handles to grip while slicing. I would recommend these knives." —Bonnie C. Baker

Get the six-piece set from Amazon or Jet for $18, or Walmart for $18.99.

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Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity. This product was provided to BuzzFeed free of charge, but we were not obligated to positively review it.