Bobby Flay's Knife

Bobby Flay's knife is a Shun. When The Kitchn asked celebrity chefs for their favorite chef's knife in 2019, Flay named the Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife, the 8-inch blade Shun now lists as the Classic Western Cook's Knife, and said he uses a chef's knife for pretty much everything. Back in a 2010 Men's Health interview he said the same thing a different way: he uses his chef's knives more than any other tool, his Shun was not an expensive one, and he is not married to one brand because good knives all cut. Since September 2024 there is also a set of knives with his name on it, the Bobby Flay by GreenPan cutlery line. Those are two different things, and this guide covers both.

Below: the exact Shun he picked and how it differs from the regular Shun Classic chef's knife, the GreenPan knife sets and what is in them, a cheaper way to get a Japanese edge like his, how Shun compares with German knives, and how to keep a hard Japanese blade sharp. Each pick has a card where it comes up. For the wider market, the best kitchen knives guide ranks chef's knives from every major maker, and the site's kitchen gear section has the rest.

What Knife Does Bobby Flay Use?

Bobby Flay uses a Shun Classic Western chef's knife, an 8-inch Japanese-made blade with a Western shape, and he has praised Shun as one of his favorite brands in more than one interview. The Kitchn's 2019 piece quotes him on it, and the same article's side-by-side of several celebrity chefs' favorite knives put his Shun first for balance and sharpness; Chowhound and Tasting Table have since reported the same pick. What no source supports is the old idea that he uses one particular Shun on every show: nobody has published a list of the knives on the Beat Bobby Flay set, and Flay himself has said he does not stick to one brand.

The table puts his pick next to the three knives people usually weigh against it: the regular Shun Classic chef's knife, the chef's knife from his own GreenPan set, and Shun's lower-priced Sora. Specs come from each maker; where a maker publishes no figure, the table says so.

Knife	Link to Bobby Flay	Steel and edge	Weight and handle	Best for
Shun Classic 8" Western Cook's Knife	The knife he named to The Kitchn	VG-MAX core, 68-layer Damascus cladding, 22° per side, 60-61 HRC	7.8 oz; D-shaped ebony Pakkawood	Getting the knife he picked; heavier rocking cuts
Shun Classic 8" Chef's Knife	Same Shun Classic line	VG-MAX core, 68-layer Damascus cladding, 16° per side, 60-61 HRC	6.7 oz; D-shaped ebony Pakkawood	A lighter, thinner Shun for fine slicing
Bobby Flay by GreenPan 8" Chef's Knife	His own licensed line (2024)	Stainless with a Damascus-style pattern, hand-sharpened; grade and angle not published	Not published; wood and polymer handle	A full block with his name on it
Shun Sora 8" Chef's Knife	The entry door to his brand	VG10 edge on a 420J stainless upper, 16° per side	Textured polymer handle	A Japanese edge for less

Read the table this way: if you want the knife Flay actually picked, it is the first row, and the second row is the same steel in a thinner, lighter blade. The GreenPan set is a different kind of purchase, a whole block of knives built for his licensed line, and the Sora is the budget route into Shun's steel.

The Shun Classic Western Cook's Knife, Spec by Spec

The Shun Classic Western Cook's Knife is Bobby Flay's knife in its current catalog name: an 8-inch blade, model DM0766, that some retailers still sell as the Western Chef's Knife. Shun's spec page lists a VG-MAX steel cutting core clad in 34 layers of stainless Damascus on each side (68 in all), a 22-degree edge on each side, a blade 2.2 inches tall, a weight of 7.8 ounces, and a D-shaped ebony-finished Pakkawood handle that Shun says suits left- and right-handed cooks. It is handcrafted in Japan.

The 22-degree edge is the detail that sets it apart from the rest of the Classic line, which is ground at 16 degrees. An edge works like a wedge: a narrower angle puts less steel behind the cutting line, so it slides through an onion with less force, while a wider angle puts more steel there, so the edge resists chipping when it meets winter squash, a chicken joint or the board on a hard rock-chop. Shun pitches this knife for exactly those heavier jobs, and the extra height and weight help a cook who likes to rock the blade through herbs and chiles the way Flay's Southwestern food calls for. The Damascus layers are mostly support and looks: the hard VG-MAX core does the cutting, and the softer cladding protects it, adds stain resistance and helps food release from the blade face.

Shun Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife: The Lighter Sibling

The regular Shun Classic 8-inch Chef's Knife (model DM0706) is the better buy for most home cooks who want the Shun Classic look without the Western Cook's extra heft. It uses the same VG-MAX core and 68 layers of Damascus cladding, but the blade is 1.9 inches tall instead of 2.2, the weight drops to 6.7 ounces, and the edge is ground at 16 degrees per side, so it is noticeably keener on tomatoes, fish and thin vegetable work. Shun calls it the one knife you cannot do without, which is marketing, but the specs back up the idea that it is the more all-round of the two.

Choose between them by how you cut. If you chop hard and fast through dense vegetables, or you want the exact knife Flay named, take the Western Cook's. If you slice more than you chop and want a lighter blade for long prep, take the Classic Chef's. The santoku vs chef knife guide covers the other shape choice people face at this point, and the best gyuto knife guide compares thinner Japanese-profile blades if the Classic still feels heavy.

Is Bobby Flay a Shun Ambassador?

No source shows a paid Shun partnership or a Shun "Bobby Flay" signature line; what is on record is a chef who has named Shun as a favorite in interviews over about a decade. Shun's own catalog of series, from Classic and Premier to Sora and Kanso, carries no Flay edition, and the only knives sold under his name come from GreenPan. That matters when you shop. A listing that calls any Shun "the Bobby Flay knife" is borrowing his name, and the knife he described is a standard Classic you can buy from any authorized Shun dealer.

It also explains why he talks about Shun the way he does. In the Men's Health interview he framed the chef's knife as the tool he reaches for most, described his own Shun as a modestly priced one, and told readers not to overspend unless they cut a lot of sushi. That is a cook's endorsement, not an ad read, and it is a good rule for buying any knife on this page.

Bobby Flay Knife Set: The Bobby Flay by GreenPan Line

The Bobby Flay knife set you see at Target, Kohl's and Costco is the Bobby Flay by GreenPan cutlery line, made in collaboration with Flay and launched on September 29, 2024 at Target stores, Target.com and GreenPan's own site, according to License Global. HomePage News describes the wider collection as stainless and ceramic-coated pans, cast iron and enameled Dutch ovens alongside hand-sharpened stainless cutlery, aimed at home cooks at an accessible price.

The flagship is the 13-piece knife block set: a 3.5-inch paring knife, 5-inch serrated knife, 7-inch santoku, 7.5-inch bread knife, 8-inch chef's knife, six 4.5-inch steak knives, kitchen shears and an acacia wood block, with a Light Pakka Wood version of the same set. Smaller pieces sell on their own: a 3-piece set (paring, 6-inch utility and 8-inch chef's knife with sheaths), a 5- and 7-inch santoku pair, a 6-piece steak knife set and a single 8-inch chef's knife with a sheath. GreenPan describes the blades as premium stainless steel with a Damascus design and hand-sharpened edges, the handles as hand-finished wood and polymer, and the care as hand wash only, with a limited lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.

What GreenPan does not publish is the steel grade, the hardness or the edge angle, and its own care page calls the blades thick and durable and says to expect some dulling after heavy use. That points to a softer, tougher stainless than a Shun's VG-MAX: more forgiving of a twist through a chicken joint, quicker to need a hone. So the GreenPan block is the right buy if you want a complete matched set with Flay's name on it, a santoku and steak knives included. If you want the knife he cooks with, buy the Shun.

A Budget Way to Get a Bobby Flay-Style Knife

The cheapest way into the steel Bobby Flay likes is the Shun Sora 8-inch chef's knife, which puts VG10 steel on the cutting edge and a 420J stainless upper on the rest of the blade. The Sora uses Shun's composite blade construction: the two steels are joined into one blade, so you get Japanese hardness where the knife cuts and cheaper, very stain-resistant steel where it does not, with a 16-degree edge and a textured polymer handle instead of Pakkawood. You give up the Damascus look and some heft, not the edge.

Flay's own advice points the same way: he told Men's Health you do not need to spend much on a chef's knife unless you make a lot of sushi. If the Sora is still more than you want to spend, the best Japanese knife brands guide covers makers at lower price points, and the Japanese knife sets guide compares blocks for a cook who wants several Japanese blades at once.

Shun vs German Knives, Briefly

A Shun cuts with less effort than a classic German knife and holds its edge longer, but it is less forgiving of rough use. Shun hardens VG-MAX and VG10 to 60-61 on the Rockwell C scale and, by its own FAQ, each extra point of Rockwell hardness makes the steel about 10% harder and better at holding an edge. Shun's FAQ puts the traditional German edge at 20 to 25 degrees per side on thicker, softer steel; several German makers now grind narrower, so check the box. Harder steel holds a thin edge longer because the edge deforms less with each cut; softer steel dulls sooner but bends instead of chipping, and a few strokes on a steel bring it back.

In practice that means a Shun for a cook who slices with a gliding stroke and hand-washes, and a German knife for a kitchen where the knife gets thrown in the sink and used on bones. The Shun vs Zwilling guide puts the two side by side on steel, weight and edge, and Gordon Ramsay's knives shows how another TV chef moved from German blades to a Japanese Damascus set.

How to Care for Bobby Flay's Knife

A Shun Classic stays sharp for years if you hand-wash it, hone it, and send it back to Shun for sharpening. Shun's FAQ explains why the dishwasher is out: knives get knocked against other utensils during the cycle, many detergents are corrosive to a fine edge, and washing different grades of metal together can leave brown spots on the higher-quality steel that may not come off. Wash it by hand, dry it straight away, and store it in a block, on a magnetic strip or in a sheath.

Honing and sharpening are separate jobs. As you cut, the very thin edge rolls slightly to one side; a honing steel pushes it back into line without removing metal, which is why the knife feels sharp again after a few light strokes. Shun's honing steels carry a 16-degree guide on the handle, which matches the Classic Chef's Knife; hold the Western Cook's at its own wider angle. When honing stops helping, the edge needs sharpening, and Shun sharpens its knives free for as long as you own them: you pay shipping and processing, and the service only covers knives bought from an authorized Shun dealer. Shun suggests most home cooks need it about once a year.

Chipping is the one real weakness of hard Japanese steel, and Shun's FAQ says most chips come from technique: chopping straight down hard, twisting the blade, prying with the tip, or cutting on glass, ceramic or marble. Use a gliding cut on a wood or plastic board and keep the Shun away from bones and frozen food. For food safety, USDA FSIS advises a separate board for raw meat, poultry and seafood and a wash in hot, soapy water after each use. The GreenPan knives follow the same rules: hand wash only, and hone them more often, since GreenPan itself expects their thicker edges to dull with heavy use.

The Rest of Bobby Flay's Knife Kit

Bobby Flay's chef's knife has two partners in his own account: a serrated knife and a cleaver. In the Men's Health interview he said he uses a serrated knife for bread and for very ripe tomatoes, which a straight edge can crush even when sharp, and a cleaver to chop bones for stock or butcher a bone-in pork loin, using its flat side to pound chicken breasts. That three-knife kit, a chef's knife, a serrated knife and a cleaver, is a sensible template for anyone building a set around a Shun.

The serrated slot is easy to fill from either brand on this page: the GreenPan block includes both a 7.5-inch bread knife and a 5-inch serrated utility knife, and Shun sells serrated bread and utility knives in the Classic line. Keep the cleaver work away from the Shun chef's knife, since bone is exactly what chips a 60-61 HRC edge. The best kitchen knives guide picks a bread knife and a paring knife to round out the set.

Which Bobby Flay Knife to Buy

If you want Bobby Flay's knife exactly as he described it, buy the Shun Classic 8-inch Western Cook's Knife. If you want the same Shun steel in a lighter, keener blade for everyday slicing, take the Shun Classic 8-inch Chef's Knife. If you want a full block of knives with his name on it, the Bobby Flay by GreenPan 13-piece set is the one, with the understanding that it is a different class of steel from his Shun. And if you want a Japanese edge for less, the Shun Sora gets you most of the way. Whichever Bobby Flay knife you pick, hand-wash it, hone it, and use Shun's free sharpening if it is a Shun.

More knife guides: Gordon Ramsay knives, Shun vs Zwilling, Miyabi knives review, best Japanese knife brands and best kitchen knives.

Bobby Flay Knife FAQs

The questions that come up most: what knife Bobby Flay uses, what brand of knives he uses, whether he is sponsored by Shun, what is in the Bobby Flay knife set, whether the GreenPan knives are any good, whether Bobby Flay knives are dishwasher safe, and how to sharpen his Shun.

What knife does Bobby Flay use?

A Shun Classic Western chef's knife, the 8-inch blade Shun now sells as the Classic Western Cook's Knife (model DM0766). He named it to The Kitchn in 2019 and said he uses a chef's knife for pretty much everything. It has a VG-MAX core, 68 layers of Damascus cladding, a 22-degree edge per side and a D-shaped Pakkawood handle.

What brand of knives does Bobby Flay use?

Shun, the Japanese brand made by Kai in Seki City, is the one he has named as a favorite. He has also said he is not married to any one brand because good knives all cut. Separately, the knives sold under his name are made by GreenPan as the Bobby Flay by GreenPan line.

Is Bobby Flay sponsored by Shun?

No source shows a Shun sponsorship or a Shun Bobby Flay signature line. He has praised Shun in interviews as a user. The only knife line with his name on it is Bobby Flay by GreenPan, launched in September 2024.

What is in the Bobby Flay knife set?

The Bobby Flay by GreenPan 13-piece knife block set holds a 3.5-inch paring knife, a 5-inch serrated knife, a 7-inch santoku, a 7.5-inch bread knife, an 8-inch chef's knife, six 4.5-inch steak knives, kitchen shears and an acacia wood block. GreenPan also sells a 3-piece set, a santoku pair, a steak knife set and a single 8-inch chef's knife.

Are Bobby Flay GreenPan knives good?

They are a matched block set of stainless knives with a Damascus-style pattern, hand-sharpened edges and wood and polymer handles, covered by GreenPan's limited lifetime warranty against defects. GreenPan does not publish the steel grade, hardness or edge angle and says to expect some dulling with heavy use, so they are a different class of knife from the Shun Flay uses. Buy the set for a complete block with his name on it; buy the Shun for his actual knife.

Are Bobby Flay knives dishwasher safe?

No. GreenPan lists its Bobby Flay knives as hand wash only, and Shun advises against the dishwasher for its knives because the cycle knocks the edge, detergents can corrode it and mixed metals can leave brown spots. Wash by hand and dry straight away.

How do you sharpen Bobby Flay's Shun knife?

Hone it with a steel between sharpenings to straighten the rolled edge, at about 16 degrees for the Classic Chef's Knife and at the wider 22-degree angle for the Western Cook's. When honing stops helping, send it to Shun: Kai USA sharpens Shun knives free for as long as you own them, you pay shipping and processing, and the knife must come from an authorized dealer.