A two-knife set that covers the bulk of what most home cooks actually do at the bench. The 20cm chef's knife is the workhorse — slicing, dicing, chopping vegetables, breaking down proteins, the engine of any prep session. The 16.5cm utility knife steps in for the smaller, in-between jobs where a chef's knife is overkill but a paring knife is too small: trimming, slicing fruit, working through smaller cuts of meat, and sandwich prep.

If you're starting a serious kitchen from scratch or upgrading from a discount knife block, this is the pair to start with. Most cooks will find these two knives handle 90% of the work; add a paring knife later if you want a third.

The Shun Premier sits a step above the Shun Classic. Both blades have Shun's proprietary VG-MAX cutting core — high-carbon, high-performance steel engineered to hold a sharper edge for longer than standard stainless — clad with 32 layers of Damascus stainless steel each side. What sets the Premier apart is the hammered tsuchime finish across the blade. The shallow indentations act like a series of small hollow-ground cavities, reducing the surface area in contact with the food and helping ingredients release cleanly rather than sticking to the side of the blade.

The edges are hand-sharpened to a 16° double bevel, considerably sharper than the 20-22° edge typical of European knives. The contoured walnut PakkaWood handles nestle naturally into the palm and suit both left and right-handed users. The warmer wood tone pairs particularly well with timber benchtops and traditional kitchens.

Each knife takes more than 100 handcrafted steps to complete. Handcrafted in Seki, Japan. Presented in a Shun gift box.

A strong wedding, housewarming, or milestone gift for a serious cook — or a worthwhile upgrade to a kitchen that's outgrown its starter knives.

Not suitable for cutting through bone or very thick-skinned vegetables. Hand wash only and dry immediately.