When it comes to kitchen knives, I generally take a sort of one-size-fits all approach. Okay, I've always had a standard 'chef's' knife, and a bread knife, but beyond that, I'm cooking a Hello Fresh recipe card, not auditioning for The Bear.
However, I have been convinced to add another one to my inventory — I mean, it is tomato girl summer, after all. A Parisian concept store called Landline keeps having viral moments with its 'tomato knife', with users on TikTok posting videos of themselves visiting the shop to pick up this specialist kitchen equipment. Livingetc's interiors editor Emma Breislin has even been, and in her own words, "cleared out the store of tomato knives to buy as gifts for people."
Like many people in the comments, I hadn't heard of a specific knife for cutting tomatoes before — and it does sound a little niche, but stick with me. You know when you're cutting a tomato and the knife doesn't quite embed into the skin the first time around, and ends up squashing it and pushing out the seeds and juice? Well, this knife won't do that. As Parisian flatware brand Sabre describes it, tomato knives "ensure clean, even slices while preserving the tomato juice, ideal for achieving perfect presentation every time."
As someone who likes to serve friends fancy-looking charcuterie boards, I was sold, and swiftly invested in a tomato knife, though not, unfortunately, the one from Landline (though maybe next time I'm in the area). Mine was the Fiskars Norr Tomato Knife, bought from Farrer and Tanner, and I've got to say it, it was well worth the £33 investment. It's great for cutting skinned vegetables, but also works just as well for most things in your kitchen, just a little better, in my opinion, as a basic home cook, than an ordinary cutting knife.
The Tomato Knife is not the only thing Landline in Paris is known for, but after it first went viral a few years back, they sold out of stock for a while. It's a small, independent general store that stocks all kinds of sundries, all well-made and specifically plastic-free. It's the sort of store where you can go to buy kitchenware that feels like it's been in your family for generations — metal madeleine trays, linen tea towels, and wonky olive wood cutting boards.
While I couldn't justify the trip to pick up my tomato knife, it's firmly on my list to visit the next time I'm in the city.
What I did discover on my own search for a tomato knife is that not all of them are created equal. Some are simply serrated in that special, tomato knife, way, such as the Fiskars one I purchased, while others have a finer, curved, and serrated blade, and some even have a forked tip for picking up slices of tomato after they've been cut.
Which is best? Well, I picked mine based on good looks, to be honest, but I did dive into the reviews, and the comments, to find out which people rated best. In terms of volume and gushing-ness of reviews alone, I think the winner might be this Victorinox Tomato Knife Set from Amazon, if you can get past the plastic handle (though there is a wooden one on the Victorinox site itself).
A basic buy, but potentially the best-rated on the whole of the internet.
