You might enjoy watching the many celebrity chefs who perform culinary magic (and, sometimes, mayhem) on TV, but based on the results of our tests of kitchen knives, you'd be better off learning a technique or a new recipe from them than buying the kitchen knives that bear their names.

The video (right) details why knife sets from Paula Deen and Martha Stewart are near the bottom of our ratings of more than four dozen different sets of kitchen knives (available to subscribers) and those from Rachael Ray and the Culinary Institute of America might not be a sharp buy. If you're in the market for new knives as Thanksgiving and the other end-of-year holidays approach—they make a great gift, by the way—read our June 2009 report on kitchen knives and get some of the details of our testing below.

During testing, our technicians chopped carrots, onions, and celery into 1/3-inch cubes with chef and santoku knives and peeled potatoes and apples to see which paring knife can produce the thinnest peelings.

The testers also wielded the slicing knives and santokus against ham, tough-skinned soppressata, and tender, stringy pot roast to see which had the sharpness and control to produce thin slices, and used utility knives on raw sausage, peppers, and onions. (If just the thought of onions brings tears to your eyes, consider investing in these RSVP Onion Goggles.) Beyond cutting performance, the overall scores consider handle comfort and susceptibility to corrosion, among other factors.

So which knives should you buy? The Tramontina Professional L-400/03, $90; Oxo Good Grip Professional, $80; Chicago Cutlery Metropolitan, $60; and Chicago Cutlery Walnut Tradition, $60, performed quite well and don't cost a lot. Spending more will get you even better-performing set of set of forged-steel knives, such as the Henckels Twin Professional "S," $290; Wuesthof Trident Classic #8418, $300, and Mercer Genesis by Mercer M0 30768, $170.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Get a jump on planning for Thanksgiving and watch our video on sharpening your knives.