Whether you’re slicing through tough skirt steak or hardy grilled vegetables, you’ll want steak knives in your blade collection. Able to cleanly cut through a variety of dense or delicate foods at the dinner table, they can be just as essential as a chef’s knife. Our favorite affordable set from Material is razor-sharp, comfortable to hold, and well-designed. They were out of stock for most of last year but returned this month and are now on sale, bringing the price down to $88 for a set of four knives with a wooden holder.

Why They Won Our Review

They’re Wicked Sharp

Made of German stainless steel, these knives are truly very sharp. In fact, one of our testers gave an excited “Wow!” while slicing through a thick piece of steak with a Material table knife. Unlike a serrated knife, these blades are straight (our preferred form of steak knife), so they never tug or shred as they cut through food. 

Serrated blades like bread knives have their time and place, but slicing soft meat dishes requires smooth blades that are agile and decisive. We were particularly impressed with its performance on a tender filet mignon, which parted like butter as the Material steak knife glided through. 

They’re Easy on the Eyes

We also like the set’s modern, minimalist design. The straight handles come in various eye-catching colors with fun names (like Willow or Morel) instead of the more classic brown or black with rivets. 

If you’re thinking, “Where will I ever store four more knives in my packed kitchen?” we have good news: This set includes a wooden box for keeping the knives organized and protected when they’re not in use. While the website says these knives are dishwasher-safe, we always recommend hand-washing nice knives to keep them in good condition. 

Do We Recommend It?

Material Steak Knives

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: These knives punch way above their weight. When we tested them, one of our biggest complaints was that they seemed to be perpetually out of stock. That’s why we’re so excited that they’ve been restocked and are on sale to boot. We already thought they were affordable, but now you can grab the set for $88.

Why We’re the Experts

• An Uong is a writer for Serious Eats.
• An has been testing kitchen gear for Serious Eats for over two years.

As a vegetarian, she doesn’t own steak knives, but she may just have to grab these Material knives for crispy tofu cutlets or grilled cauliflower.

When I decided to move to Hawai’i, I had to do some real soul-searching on which pieces of kitchen equipment I could bring in my carry-on. I didn’t have space for anything but the essentials, and even then, I couldn’t afford anything too bulky or heavy. Ultimately, only two pans made the cut: a saucier and a skillet, both from All-Clad’s ultra-lightweight G5 (graphite core) line.

I discovered All-Clad’s graphite core pans last year when I received the saucier as a Hanukkah gift. Since then, I’ve added multiple pieces to my collection. They’ve quickly become my go-to pans, and not just for traveling. Lightweight, quick to heat and cool, and even-heating, the graphite core pans easily outperform other stainless steel I’ve used in the past. 

What Makes All-Clad’s G5 Line Different From Other Stainless Steel Pans?

All-Clad has a few different lines of stainless steel pans with subtle but meaningful differences. All of the pans are constructed from multiple layers (called “ply”) of metal—most commonly three-ply or five-ply. In general, pans with more layers are heavier and more durable; they also take longer to heat up and retain the heat for longer. The type of metal used in the pan’s core impacts the evenness of the heat distribution.

The brand’s basic lines (D3 and D5) sandwich exterior layers of stainless steel with an interior core of aluminum (an effective conductor of heat, but not necessarily food-safe on its own). The copper core collection swaps the aluminum core for—you guessed it—copper, which is lighter and a more even conductor. The newer G5 line features a stainless steel interior and exterior, two inner layers of aluminum for rapid heating, and a graphite core for uniform heat conduction. According to All-Clad, the graphite core is even lighter and spreads heat faster and more evenly than both aluminum and copper. 

All-Clad is the first major brand to debut a pan with a graphite core. The difference is immediately visible on the surface: You’ll notice round indents on the interior of the G5 pans, a honeycomb-like structure that aids in heat distribution. The graphite core also makes these pans significantly lighter than other stainless steel pans. 

Why I Love My All-Clad G5 Pans

Typically, when you’re shopping for stainless steel, you have to prioritize either heating and cooling speed or even heat conduction. But with the G5 line, you get the best of all worlds: lightweight construction, quick heating and cooling, and uniform heat distribution. A girl really can have it all. Let’s break it down further:

They’re lightweight: The graphite core pans are remarkably lightweight and easy to maneuver—a big plus for those lacking upper arm strength like myself. My 10.5-inch skillet weighs just two pounds, 2.5 ounces. That’s nearly a pound lighter than the 10-inch D5 skillet, with an extra half-inch of surface area to boot.

Rapid heat-up: My All-Clad G5 skillet heats up in approximately half the time as another five-ply skillet in my collection. It gets ripping-hot in less than a minute, making the pan ideal for getting a quick, hard sear on scallops, shrimp, or skirt steak. Since the pan heats up so quickly, you can cook on a lower heat and still achieve impressively even browning. If you’re cooking thicker proteins, you’ll want to lower the heat after the initial sear, since the pan will stay smoking hot. 

Temperature control and even heat distribution: Since the pan heats and cools quickly, the user has much more control over the pan's temperature. It’s responsive to even small adjustments in heat. The even heat distribution from the graphite core prevents hot spots, too. This results in a beautifully caramelized, shellac-like crust on meats.

Quick cooling: Once I remove the pan from heat, it cools down faster than other stainless steel pans, which minimizes carryover cooking. This is especially important for sensitive pastry projects, where a few extra seconds on the stove can make the difference between silky-smooth custard and a curdled mess. Due to the lack of hot spots and quick cooling, the G5 saucier is the only pan I’ll use for pastry creams, caramels, and curds. 

FAQs

Are the All-Clad G5 pans nonstick?

Stainless steel pans will never be quite as slick as a nonstick pan, which has been treated with chemicals to create a stick-resistant coating. But like other stainless steel pans, these graphite core pans become almost nonstick when handled properly. Heat the pan before adding butter or cooking oil, cook with plenty of fat, and deglaze the pan with water immediately after cooking to remove any lingering food residue. 

Are the All-Clad G5 pans oven-safe?

The G5 pans are oven and broiler-safe up to 600°F and compatible with any stovetop, including induction cooktops.

How do I clean stainless steel pans?

For daily cleaning, use hot water and a non-scratch scrubber sponge to work at any sticky spots. For a deeper clean, sprinkle the pan’s surface with Bar Keepers Friend and scrub away stubborn stains. For more information, look to our complete guide to cleaning stainless steel.

Why We’re the Experts

• Zoe Denenberg is a chef, baker, and food writer. 
• She currently splits her time between Maui, Hawai’i, where she works as a pastry chef, and Denali National Park, Alaska, where she is the executive chef at a wilderness lodge.
• She brings the All-Clad G5 10.5-inch skillet and 2.5-quart saucier (which she has owned for a year) along on all of her travels. She uses them daily.
  

A party without a shareable appetizer is like Easter without a bunny. And while pre-made puff pastry snacks from the freezer aisle can often do the job (if a bit soggily, at times), a freshly prepared savory tart delivers so much more impact with very little extra effort. With just one sheet of store-bought puff pastry, creamy Brie cheese, a few roasted carrots, and a zippy honey-mustard drizzle, this tart comes together easily for a colorful and delicious dish. It’s a great year-round addition to any party spread, Easter brunch, or even a picnic lunch. 

While carrots are rarely a “main event” ingredient, our Birmingham-based test kitchen colleague Renu Dhar has found a way to showcase them in this savory carrot tart recipe. The key to a crisp crust with a tender carrot topping comes down to just a few critical techniques.

Why Store-Bought Puff Pastry Is Best

Puff pastry is a laminated dough, made by repeatedly folding butter and dough together until the layers are paper thin. When the heat of the oven hits the dough, steam expands from the melting butter. Once baked, you have a light and delicately flaky pastry that is the perfect vessel for holding both sweet and savory fillings. It’s a beautiful thing.

But making it from scratch not only takes time, it's also a pain to do. The temperature of the butter and the dough, as well as the ambient conditions of the room you're in, all need to be just right for the pastry to turn out perfectly. The easiest solution? Don’t make it. 

Instead, start with frozen puff pastry. This allows you to throw it together relatively fast. When properly baked until deep golden and crisp, frozen puff pastry is a powerhouse ingredient, offering a quick foundation for the roasted carrots. We love the buttery flavor of Dufour, but other brands, such as readily available Pepperidge Farm, also work well. 

Whatever brand you choose, well-baked is the key here. Undercooked puff pastry is gummy and bland, and it’s an unfortunately common occurrence. To avoid this, the thawed puff pastry needs to be baked until bien cuit, the French term for “well done” which refers to the deep, dark color on the crust. To achieve this, it requires longer than you’d expect to bake through, drive off moisture, and fully express all its flaky layers.

While many recipes call for par-baking the puff pastry before assembling the tart to ensure proper baking, Renu found that with this tart, this step could be skipped because of the carrots' relatively low water content—they dump less moisture onto the pastry than many other vegetables and fruits used for tarts like this, and thus make it less soggy (that, plus some prep tips I'll discuss below).

Instead she scores and docks the dough right before adding the toppings. Scoring the dough's perimeter with a pairing knife and poking the dough all over with a fork (aka docking) ensures the crust’s edges will puff properly, while the center stays smooth and flat when baking. This saves time and effort, while still achieving a shatteringly crisp crust from edge to edge. 

How to Make a Flavorful Carrot Topping That Won’t Cause a Soggy Crust

The key to ensuring the tart's crust remains crisp relies not only on how the dough is prepared, but also on how the carrots are prepared, and how all the ingredients are layered together. 

First, roast the carrots separately, before assembling the tart. If you were to plop raw carrots onto the raw tart dough and bake it, you’d end up with a tart with browned edges, a soggy bottom and still crunchy carrots. There’s no avoiding this step—those carrots need some alone time in the oven first to ensure that once the tart is assembled and baked, they are fully tender at the same time the cheese melts and the dough cooks through.

While carrots are not a very juicy vegetable, roasting them first still helps to cook off any excess moisture, which could cause the puff pastry to turn wet and prevent it from rising properly. Before roasting, the carrots are tossed with oil, garlic powder, and ground ginger that complements their natural sweet flavor. For visual contrast and a fun presentation, we like to cut some of the carrots into round coins, and some into long strands.

The second tip to ensure a crisp tart is to layer the ingredients with purpose. Start by shingling the Brie cheese across the prepared pastry. Not only does the Brie add creamy, rich flavor to the tart, the cheese also acts as a protective layer to help prevent excess moisture from seeping down into the dough. The cheese is then brushed with a honey-mustard vinaigrette, followed by the carrots. As the cheese bakes and melts, it also anchors the carrots in place to ensure everything comes together into one cohesive bite: The bottom crust is crispy, the carrots on top are soft, and all of it is glued together with delicious melted cheese.

Note that when you're baking the tart, it can be difficult to tell if the underside is crisp just by looking at the top, so we recommend gently lifting the edge of the tart with a spatula and running a butter knife across the bottom to feel for how crisp it is. If still soft, loosely cover the top with aluminum foil and let it bake for a few more minutes until the bottom is crisp.

Once you remove the tart from the oven, let it cool (uncovered—you don't want to trap steam!) for a few minutes before cutting to allow the cheese to firm up slightly. The tart can be served warm, or cooled to room temperature.

Adjust oven rack to lower third position; preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Slice 2 carrots crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds; halve remaining carrots lengthwise.

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss all carrots with 1 tablespoon oil, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger until evenly coated. Arrange carrot rounds and lengths in a single layer, cut side down. Roast until carrots are tender and lightly browned at edges, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes; keep oven on.

While carrots are roasting, in a large bowl, thoroughly whisk vinegar, mustard, honey, remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Drizzle in remaining 2 teaspoons oil while whisking constantly.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll puff pastry sheet into a 13- by 11-inch rectangle. Transfer to parchment-lined sheet. Using a pairing knife, lightly score a border around perimeter of puff pastry, about 1/2 inch from edges. Using a fork, prick pastry at 1-inch intervals inside the border (do not prick the border). Loosely cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to bake.

When ready to bake, arrange Brie slices in an even layer inside scored border of pastry. Arrange carrot rounds and lengths on top of cheese; drizzle and brush evenly with 2 tablespoons honey-mustard mixture. Lightly brush edges of pastry with beaten egg yolk.

Bake until cheese is melted and pastry is deeply browned on edges and crisp on bottom, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Transfer tart to cutting board and drizzle top with remaining honey-mustard mixture and garnish with black pepper and thyme leaves. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Special Equipment

2 rimmed baking sheets, parchment paper

Make-Ahead and Storage

This tart is best served right after baking, but leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. To reheat, transfer to a parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and heat in a 350°F (175°C) oven until warmed through, cheese is softened, and puff pastry is recrisped.