Looking for the best oyster knife for shucking oysters? You have come to the right place on the web.
When I was younger, I loved eating oysters. However, getting the succulent meat out of the shell was always a painful process. It was only when my mum purchased an oyster knife that I got back to enjoying eating oysters. Now the word ‘shucking‘ means to get rid of the natural hard covering or shell of something that is eaten. In the case of oysters, shucking is effectively removing the meat of the oyster out from its shell.
As you may have figured it by now, a normal knife does not work very well for shucking. Sometimes you cannot pierce through and sometimes you just cannot separate the meat from the shell. Hence, you need a special knife for oyster shucking. In this article, you will find a review of the top 5 knives that you can use to get to the tasty oyster meat.
Reviews of the 5 Best Oyster Knife for Shucking Oysters
OXO 35681 Good Grips Oyster Knife
If you are looking for a simple, cheap yet effective oyster knife, you cannot go wrong with OXO 35681. While this is not an oyster knife for professional use, it can very well be used at home.
The blade of this knife is pointed and made of stainless steel. The bent tip of the blade is very useful to open the tough shells.
The handle of the blade is made of rubber and is ergonomically designed. It has a very good grip. However, since it’s made of rubber, it can get slippery when wet.
Using this knife, you can work through at least a dozen oysters in a couple of minutes. The oyster knife is dishwasher-safe.
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WENDOM Oyster Knife Shucker Set
If you are looking for a perfect gift set for an oyster lover, then this one is the right choice for you. The WENDOM Oyster Knife Shucker set comes with 2 oyster knives and 1 pair of gloves.
The blade is made from top-quality stainless steel. The professional sharpening helps you use the blade for prying open the hard shells and getting to the meat.
The knife handle is made up of plastic but is comfortable to hold in your hand. Shucking oysters comes easily when the grip is good.
To top it off, you also receive a pair of gloves in this shucker set. The gloves are made of high cut resistance material. So even if you are a bit clumsy or the handle gets too wet to grip, the gloves will protect your hands from getting hurt.
You also get a free lemon squeezer that can be a good addition to your kitchen.
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Rockland Guard Oyster Shucking Set
If you are looking for a slightly cheaper oyster shucking set, then consider the Rockland Guard Oyster Shucking Set. This set comes with 1 knife, instead of 2 that comes with Wendom, and a pair of gloves.
The blade of the Rockland Guard knife is made up of stainless steel and is 3.5″ long. The handle is not made up of plastic, instead, it has a rubberized texture. This lets you grip the knife well when you are shucking many oysters at one time.
Now in case, you are still worried about getting a few cuts, there is a pair of gloves with the set. The gloves come in 4 sizes ranging from small to extra large to fit various hands. They are also highly resistant to the sharp blade of the knife. Some customers, however, mentioned that the protection provided by the gloves should be improved.
The knife and gloves are dishwasher safe. In addition, you have a 30-day guarantee. If you are not happy with the set, you can return the set to the vendor.
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Oyster Knife By HiCoup
Most of the oyster knives reviewed in this article come with a rubber or plastic handle. The knife from HiCoup is different. The handle is made of pakka wood. This allows you to handle the knife comfortably when shucking oysters even with wet hands.
In addition, to the pakka wood handle, the knife has what it calls a hand-guard. This is something that I have not seen in many oyster knives. It is effectively added stainless steel that will prevent your hand from moving towards the blade or the shell. In a way, this is good as you can manage to shuck oysters quicker without the fear of getting cuts.
The blade of this knife measures 2.5″ and has a full tang mirror finish and made of thick reinforced high-carbon stainless steel. The dimensions of the knife are such that they provide you the right impact to pierce open the shells.
This knife comes with a pair of resistance gloves that you can wear when shucking oysters. A genuine leather holster is also provided, in which, you can let the knife stay when not in use.
A high-quality knife that comes with a guarantee is going to be an easy buy.
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Victorinox Oyster Knife 2-3/4-Inch Hooked Tip New Haven Style Blade
The name Victorinox is synonymous with the Swiss Army Knife. So, it is not surprising that you have an excellent oyster knife from Victorinox. In fact, you can choose from 4 different styles of oyster knives:
- New Haven
- Providence
- Boston
- Galveston
The blade of this well designed and high-quality oyster knife is made of high carbon steel. Now, given that you can choose your own blade style, the length, and shape of the blade will differ. For small & medium oysters, select the New Haven-style. The tip of the blade is bent a bit for this style.
The handle is made of rubber and is ergonomically designed. You can use the handle even if it gets wet. The knife is also dishwasher safe. So cleaning it is very easy. Just throw it in the dishwasher after you are done shucking oysters.
This is one good shucker that you should consider adding to your kit.
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Buying Guide for the Best Oyster Knife for Shucking Oysters
Now that you have seen the best of the knives available on the market, you may be curious. The knives come in different shapes and sizes. How do you choose the right knife for shucking oysters?
In this buying guide, you will find details that will help you select the right one.
Choose the Right Blade Style
An Oyster knife’s blade is not required to be sharp, but the blade has to be strong. The blades are usually made of stainless steel, which is better than any other material.
The blades should be thicker than the regular kitchen knives. This helps to open the oysters with limited effort from you.
You will come across these common blade styles:
Boston Oyster Knife
This type of knife has a straight narrow blade with a round tip. This style works best when you shuck oysters from the side instead of the hinge.
New Haven Oyster Knife
The tip of the blade is curved upwards in this style of knife. The blade is usually shorter and wider. The New Haven Oyster knife is useful if you prefer to serve your oyster in the shell. The blade does not cause much damage to the shell.
Providence Oyster Knife
This knife has a straight pointed blade with a short wide blade. The knife is useful if most of the oysters you shuck are small or medium-sized.
Galveston Oyster Knife
The tip is rounded and the blade is longer but slightly is wider than the Boston style. You should consider this knife if you are shucking medium or large-sized oysters.
Handle
The blade is the most important part of the knife. However, a good handle can make a world of difference. The right handle should provide you with a firm grip.
Look for those that also do well when wet. Shucking oysters is not a dry job, so a good handle should have water-resistant material. Commonly used material for handles includes rubber, wood or plastic.
Some of the material is naturally slip-resistant. This is another key aspect of the handle. A good handle will help you prevent cuts by stopping your hand from slipping.
Knife Guard
Not all knives come with a knife guard. But this is a good addition to an Oyster knife. A knife guard prevents your hand from slipping during shucking and getting injured.
Whilst not seen in many oyster knives, there are a few knives that come with a guard for added protection.
Versatility
I mentioned the various styles of oyster knife blades a few sections earlier. These knives are meant for specific oyster types.
It is highly advantageous to find a knife that can meet your requirements for the type of oysters you like to eat. An added benefit would be if the same knife can be used for clams.
Aesthetics
A few knives I listed in this article are not only the best oyster knives for their functionality, but are nice to look at too. You may want to shuck oysters in front of your family and friends. At that time, a good looking knife can be a huge boost.
Ease of Maintenance
Oyster shucking is a very messy process. You need a good knife that is dishwasher safe. This can help you clean the knife quickly and get it back in use for the next round of shucking.
Conclusion
Using the wrong tool to open oysters may not only destroy the oyster and leave you hungry but could also injure you. Choosing the safest cookware is something I have written about earlier too.
Choose the right oyster knife for shucking oysters based on this buying guide.
Which oyster knife do you prefer from the list above? Do let me know in the comments section.