Farberware 22-Piece Knife Set Review: Daily Use in a Family Kitchen

Somewhere around year three of cooking for six people on a weeknight schedule, I stopped caring about fancy knives and started caring about the one block I could grab from without thinking. The Farberware 22-piece knife block set has been that block in our kitchen for over a year now. Before it arrived, we had a drawer full of mismatched knives, most of them too dull to do anything but spread butter. I would stand at the counter and grab whichever blade was closest, then spend the whole meal fighting it. This set changed that in the first week, because everything sharp was out on the counter where I could see it. It has sat there through school nights, Sunday dinners, and one very messy attempt at a church potluck roast, and it has earned a permanent spot. This is the long-term review I wish I had read before I bought it.

I am Joanna, and I cook dinner for six most nights: my husband Mark, our four kids, and whoever happens to be staying for supper. Eli, Hannah, Caleb, and Ruby all eat what I cook, which means I am chopping something almost every time I turn around. That is a lot of slicing and very little patience for a knife that hides in a drawer. The Farberware set is the one I reach for every single day, so after a year of daily use I can tell you exactly what holds up and what does not.

How I've Used It

I have used this set almost daily for over a year. On a normal weeknight I pull the 8-inch chef knife for onions, peppers, and whatever vegetable is getting chopped for dinner. The 8-inch slicer comes out for roast chicken and for the big Sunday pot roast. The 5-inch Santoku handles smaller jobs like zucchini and cucumbers for the kids. The paring knife lives on the counter for fruit and for the endless task of cutting grapes in half for Ruby. By the time dinner is over, most of those knives have been used at least once.

The six steak knives get used more than I expected. On nights when we have chicken breasts or pork chops, everyone at the table gets one, and they have held up through hundreds of meals. The block sits on the counter between the sink and the stove, so it is always in reach. That is the real test: a knife set only matters if you actually grab it, and I grab this one constantly.

I have also used it for the jobs nobody warns you about. When I volunteered to bring a brisket to the church potluck last fall, the 8-inch slicer did the work. I let the meat rest on the cutting board for twenty minutes, then used long, slow strokes to cut it against the grain. The blade went through the whole flat without dragging, and the slices held together on the platter. I have owned single knives that cost more than this whole block, and none of them made that job any easier. The set has also broken down a whole chicken on a Sunday afternoon and cut a watermelon into wedges for the kids' soccer team, and it has never let me down in the middle of a meal.

A typical Tuesday makes the case better than any description. I started with the 8-inch chef knife to dice three onions and a green pepper for taco night, then switched to the Santoku for the tomatoes so the slices would stay thick enough for the kids to pick up. The paring knife handled the limes, and the 5.5-inch utility knife sliced the block of cheddar for whoever wanted it on top. By the time Mark called everyone to the table, every knife had been used, rinsed, and put back in its slot. Nothing slowed me down, and nothing made me dig through a drawer.

What You Get in the Block

The Farberware 22-piece set includes the knives you will actually use: an 8-inch chef knife, an 8-inch slicing knife, a 5-inch Santoku, a 5.5-inch utility knife, a 4-inch utility knife, a 3.5-inch paring knife, and six steak knives. That is the lineup I reach for every week. The set name says 22 pieces, and it is a complete kitchen drawer in one box. The high carbon stainless steel blades are forged, and the triple-riveted poly handles have a textured, non-slip finish that still feels secure even when my hands are wet from rinsing vegetables. What surprised me most is how complete it feels. There is no moment in a recipe where I stop and think, I wish I had a different knife. The set covers prep, slicing, paring, and table use, which is everything a family kitchen actually needs.

The block holds everything in its own slot, which means the kids can put knives away without me worrying about them jamming a blade into the wrong spot. It takes up a reasonable footprint on the counter, and the item dimensions of about 9.25 x 4.25 x 13.27 inches fit our small kitchen without dominating it. The whole set weighs 4.5 pounds, so the block stays put when I pull a knife out one-handed.

The block is the part I did not expect to matter as much as it does. With four kids in the house, the older two set and clear the table, and they can put a knife back without asking which slot it belongs in. Every blade has its own slot, so nothing rattles and nothing gets jammed against another edge. It stays in the same spot every day, and I have never once knocked it over, even when I am reaching across it for a colander. I will also say something I did not expect: the 5.5-inch utility knife gets as much use as the chef knife in our house some weeks. It is the right size for Hannah to use when she helps with dinner, and it handles sandwiches, cheese, and the endless fruit cutting that comes with feeding four kids. The six steak knives round out the set, and on a night when we have pork chops, all six are on the table before I have finished plating.

How It Performs Over Time

The honest truth is that no knife stays razor sharp with daily family use, and this set is no exception. Around the middle of February, four months in, I was slicing a bag of carrots for a pot of soup and the 8-inch chef knife started catching on the last inch of each carrot instead of gliding through. I ran it over the sharpener for a few minutes, and it was back to normal for the next stretch. The Santoku followed about a month later. That pattern has repeated itself for a year now, and it has never gotten worse, which tells me the steel is holding its own. What matters is that the blades come right back after a few passes on a sharpener, and they have never failed me in the middle of a meal.

The handles are the part I keep checking, because that is where cheap sets usually fail first. After a year of daily use, hand washing, and the occasional accidental drop into the sink, the triple-riveted poly handles show no cracks, no loosening, and no wear. I have had handles on other sets wiggle after a few months, and these have not budged. The textured, non-slip finish still gives a secure grip even when my hands are wet from rinsing vegetables, which matters on a night when I am chopping a bag of onions and my eyes are watering.

The steak knives are the quiet workhorses of the set. They have cut through chicken, pork, and the occasional tough piece of beef without complaint. They are serrated, so they do not need the same sharpening routine, and after a year they still cut cleanly. On a night when we have pork chops, all six go to the table, and I have never had a kid complain that the knife would not cut their meat. For a family that eats meat most nights, that alone is worth the price of the block.

One night in early March, I had a whole chicken to break down for a Sunday dinner and the 8-inch chef knife made the job almost easy. I had watched a video the week before about finding the joint, and the blade went through the skin and the cartilage cleanly on the first try. That is the kind of moment that makes a knife feel like a tool instead of a frustration. It is not a fancy move, but it is the difference between a meal that comes together and one that fights you.

After a year of cooking for six people almost every night, the Farberware set has never once left me standing at the counter with the wrong knife in my hand.

Where It Falls Short

I am not going to pretend this is a set of heirloom knives. The steel is good, but it is not premium, and the blades will need regular sharpening if you cook as much as I do. The block also shows its age if you do not dry the knives before putting them back. I learned that the hard way: for the first few months, I would rinse a knife and slide it straight into its slot, and by spring there were faint water spots on the block around the chef knife slot. A few minutes with a dry towel when I empty the dishwasher fixed it, but it is a habit you have to build.

The 8-inch slicer is a little long for some of the smaller jobs I do. When I am just slicing a couple of tomatoes for sandwiches, I reach for the Santoku instead, because the long blade feels like more knife than the job needs. The 4-inch utility knife does not get as much use as the others, either. On most days, five of the knives in this set do ninety percent of the work, and the rest wait their turn. That is not a flaw, just an honest note that not every knife in a 22-piece set gets equal time. If you are someone who only needs one good chef knife, you might be better served by a smaller set. But if you are feeding a family and want options, this block delivers.

The block is also a commitment of counter space. At 9.25 by 4.25 inches, it takes a real footprint, and if you cook in a tiny kitchen or you already have a stand mixer and a toaster taking up the only open stretch, you will have to decide what earns that space. For us it earns it. For a smaller household or a tighter kitchen, a magnetic strip or a single chef knife might make more sense.

Who This Is For

This set is for the parent who cooks for a crowd on a budget and wants one block that does everything. If you are chopping vegetables every night, slicing a roast on Sundays, and handing a steak knife to a kid at the dinner table, the Farberware 22-piece set will make your life easier. It is also a great choice for a first apartment, a college student, or anyone moving into a place with empty drawers and no idea where to start. I have recommended it to two friends who just moved into their first houses, and both of them texted me a photo of the block on their counters within a week.

It is for the cook who does not want to think about knives. The block keeps everything visible and within reach, the handles feel good in the hand, and the set covers the whole meal from prep to table. If that sounds like your kitchen, this is your set.

Who Should Skip It

If you are a serious home cook who already owns a few high-end knives and wants a set that will hold a razor edge for years, this is not it. The Farberware set is a workhorse, not a showpiece, and the steel will not compete with premium brands that cost several times as much. If you only cook for one or two people and rarely need more than a single chef knife, a smaller set will save you counter space.

And if you refuse to hand wash knives, this set will test your patience. The block and the blades both prefer a rinse and a dry over a ride in the dishwasher. I have made my peace with that tradeoff because the set costs a fraction of what a premium block would, and it does the job every single night. And if you already own a chef knife you love, buying a 22-piece set just for the steak knives is probably not the move.