Best Oyster Knife – To Open Them with Ease!

What are Oysters

Before you learn how to open oysters and how you can pick the right model, let’s first go into details about the food itself.

When someone talks about oysters, they’re talking about shellfish. And shellfish are mollusks, just like octopuses and squids.

What sets shellfish apart from other mollusks is that they have conchs. Or what you would know as shells, hence their species name. But these shells are a little stronger than other mollusks, and it is because they have a hinge.

This hinge is what you need to fight when opening an oyster. And that’s why an excellent oyster knife is critical to do so.

Types of Oysters

Not all oysters are the same, and they could make a big difference in how large and difficult it could be to open. Here are a few types to consider:

Eastern Oyster

Also known as American oyster, it can be medium or large. It is found everywhere from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the US.

If you are in the US, this is the typical type of oyster you’ll find. There are thousands of eastern oyster farms across the coast, and it is one of the sweetest to eat.

Apart from all that, this oyster is super challenging to open.

European Flat Oyster

Also known as the edible oyster, you can find it anywhere from Western Europe to Norway and even the Mediterranean.

This type of oyster is very common all around the world and is farmed practically anywhere on the coasts of the US.

It is the sweetest you can find and is often pretty easy to open. But it is the smallest as well.

Pacific Oyster

Coming directly from the Asian Pacific Ocean, the Pacific Oyster is the faster-growing in the whole world, and people have farms practically all across the globe.

This is also the most abundant species and has a strong taste and texture. It is also the most affordable and easiest to find.

This oyster is also super easy to open, but not as much as European oysters. Yet, you can find it canned, in restaurants, supermarkets, and practically anywhere else.

How to Open an Oyster with Ease

The first thing you’ll need to open an oyster is an oyster shucker tool like the ones below. But even with the best knife, it is crucial to follow the right steps. Here’s what you should do:

1. Pick the thinnest knife you can. Then look for the hinge. This is the part in the back of the oyster. Or in other words, the part that’s not rounded but pointy.
2. Now try to wiggle the knife into the hinge opening. It should be deep enough so you can push slightly for the conchs to open.
3. Before pushing, make sure the knife fits well. You should have enough leverage to move the knife up and break the hinge. Don’t be too strong, though, you may end up breaking the shell.
4. Once the hinge breaks, the shells will open, and you’ll have a ready-to-eat oysters.

There’s the side-opening method as well, but it takes more effort and time to learn. And it could be disastrous if you don’t know how, so try to stick with this method instead.

What to Consider When Buying an Oyster Knife

Before you get an oyster opener tool, you need to learn what to look for. So, before giving our reviews away, you should learn how they’re made and how you can pick the right one:

Handle

The handle makes the whole difference in comfort, grip, and strength that you’ll have when opening an oyster.

We recommend molded handles with rubber. These are the easiest to use and the most comfortable on your hand. Rounded designs are excellent.

You may also go for plastic handles. They won’t be a bad choice, either. Just make sure it comes with a rounded design, so you have proper grip and comfort when using.

Wooden handles are not wrong either. But slick metal is horrible, try to avoid metal handles as much as you can.

Blade Material

After going through the handle, you’ll need to go for the finest blade possible. Of course, it all comes down to durability, strength, and resistance.

Here, you should focus first on the material. You’ll find things like alloy, stainless steel, carbon steel, and ferritic stainless steel.

The best material here would be high carbon steel. It is the hardest you can find and decently resistant to rust and corrosion.

But if you want even more resilience, then go for ferritic stainless steel. It is often found as 420 or 440 steel. It is expensive, though.

Stay away from alloys, if possible.

Blade Size

After going through the material, make sure you get the right size. This is essential because it’ll tell you how easy the knife will be to handle.

We always go for sizes between 2.5 and 3.5 inches. Anything below that or over tends to be too large and complicated to use, or too small and inconvenient. So choose accordingly.

Blade Shape

The shape of the blade also matters. It will tell you how effective or dangerous the knife can be.

For example, pointy blades are not very common but are often easy to get through the shells. However, they can be a little dangerous, especially if you’re opening oysters with your bare hands.

As with round blades, you will be safer when using them. However, getting through the hinge or opening can be harder, mainly because these shapes tend to be a little thicker than others.

You should also remember that some knives are thinner than others, and some pointy knives are sharper than others. So, be careful when choosing.

Knife Guard

Finally, you should decide whether you want a custom oyster knife with a guard or one without it.

The knife guard is where the handle and the blade meet. This part can be pretty helpful to keep your hand from sliding to the blade and cutting yourself.

But still, guards are probably unnecessary if you’re careful enough. Instead, go for handles that come with a bulge exactly where it meets the blade. That will be enough to keep you from cutting your hand.

5 Best Oyster Knives Reviews 2019

After going through all the critical info about oyster knives, it is time to read about the best models out there. Here, we bring 5 high-quality shuckers to consider: