Whether you are an experienced or a novice when it comes to cooking you need a knife set to use around your kitchen. Before you run out and pick the first knife set that you see there are a few things you should consider before making a purchase. Just like anything else on the market today, there are various features, sizes, qualities, and brands of kitchen knives available.
You can either purchase a set of knives in a package or buy individual knives and put them together to create your own set. Some companies allow you to customize your own knife sets in order to meet your cooking needs.
Consider the different types of kitchen knives and what they do. Then ask yourself if you will use that type of knife frequently. If the answer is yes, then it should be purchased.
Types of Kitchen Knives
The small paring knife is short bladed and used for peeling fruits, potatoes and for dicing almost anything. For most people the paring knife is a must in your knife set. The carving knife is another must have, it is made to carve and cut different types of meats. The bread knife is a long bladed knife that is serrated and it is good for cutting more that just bread.
Steak knives are something every kitchen shouldn’t be without, you need at least 6, if not more. Steak knives are great for cutting every day items as well. The chef knife does a variety of things. It can cut big portions of meat, slice up fresh veggies and everything in between. Most skilled cooks will own at least one chef’s knife.
In order to display you knife set you will need a nice wood block to hold and store all of your knives. The wood block protects all of your kitchen knives and your investment.
The Best Knife Features
The material knives are made from can vary, however for most kitchens carbon steel blades are the best choice because they are both affordable and appropriate. Steel blade knife sets are easy to sharpen and are made to last for many years. For anyone serious about cooking, you should consider ceramic blade knife sets instead. These blades are much sharper, but they must be meticulously maintained.
The tang of a knife is the part of the knife that goes into the handle. A good tip is to look for knife sets that have full tang. This is when the tang goes all the way to the butt of the handle, which is a sign of a good quality kitchen knife set.
The knife handle can be made of a variety of materials. It can be made with plastic, wood and stainless steel. A wooden handle will last for years and is easy to maintain. A stainless steel knife is a bit better than a wooden handle because it will last for several years and will look like new 10 years from the day you purchased it.
A good warranty is a must when purchasing anything, but especially when the product is expensive. Look for at least a one year warranty to protect you from any manufacture defects. A name brand is always a safe choice when purchasing kitchen knives. The best knife sets usually come with the best knife block sets.
When you are shopping for your next set of knives keep these things in mind. Remember to purchase the knives that you will often use. You cannot go wrong choosing a steel blade as they are readily available. Wooden or stainless steel handles are both great picks. Research the name brands of the knife so you know what you are getting. Lastly choose a knife set that has a good warranty to protect your investment.
Benefits of Having a Kitchen Knife Set
Comes with Specific Range of Uses
Having just one knife (the utility knife) in your kitchen brings about difficulties in application, in the sense that this utility knife cannot do the job of others perfectly. For example, using it to cut bread makes the bread rough or you may even end up compressing it. In the same vein, using it to cut meat that has bones in it (such as chicken, turkey, etc.) just brings about unnecessary stress that could have been avoided. By purchasing a knife set which comes with a bread knife, a chef’s knife, an utility knife, a slicer, and a paring knife, all forms of difficulties are solved. Rather than using the utility knife for cutting bread and bony meats as earlier stated, the bread knife and the chef’s knife can be respectively used.
Comes with a Knife Block
Some kitchen knife set comes with a wooden or metal block for storing the knives. These blocks are usually basic and sometimes bogus, but you can always get something better if you feel you won’t be comfortable using it.
Saves Cost
Purchasing kitchen knives individually are usually more expensive than having all in one set. Apart from expenses, purchasing different brand of knives with different colors and design would make your kitchen look awkward. Having a set of knife with uniform design not only fits into the design of your kitchen, but are also capable of lasting longer and saving you some extra cash.
Elegance and Durability
Kitchen knife sets are usually manufactured with the professional environment in mind. Manufacturers are not oblivious of the fact that these knifes are often used in elegant kitchens by professional hands, and as such keep elegance and durability in mind during manufacture. This is why most knife sets usually have stylish looks with additional features such as sleek cases and magnetic knife blocks for storage. Durability is another benefit to enjoy from knife sets as they typically last several years no matter their degree of use.
In order to ease your selection process, three of the best kitchen knife set that you’ll ever find in the market today are discussed below.
Chicago Cutlery Fusion Kitchen Knife Set with Block Review
Looking for well-forged, highly-professional knives, but not sure which ones to buy? One new knife set that has generated a lot of fan following is Chicago Cutlery Fusion Kitchen Knife Set with Block.
To know whether it is the right set for you, read our Chicago Cutlery Fusion Kitchen Knife Set with Block review.
The Chicago fusion knife block set comes with a professional high carbon stainless steel forged blade having black grip that is really comfortable to handle. In order to provide optimum sharpness for precise cutting of all kinds of food, an exclusive taper grind edge technology is adopted on each of the 18 knife pieces in the set. The mixture of carbon with stainless steel makes the knives stronger, harder, and completely resistant to rust. The handles are designed with black cushion for a sturdy grip; and above all, stainless steel are customary for giving metals a sleek, beautiful look.
Main features of this Chicago Cutlery Fusion Kitchen Knife Set include:
- The blades are made from high carbon stainless steel
- The non-slip cushion grip ensures a firm, comfortable grip
- The exclusive taper-grind edge technology provides maximum sharpness to ensure precise cutting and makes sharpening blades easy
- The knives are stain and pitting resistant, thanks to the high carbon stainless steel used
Pros
In our Kitchen Knife Set review we found the following positives:
Good Variety
You can cut all types of foods, including the most resilient and fibrous of foods, using the knives in this set. In other words, if you have this set, you wouldn’t feel the need to use any other knife.
High Safety
The knives in this Kitchen Knife Set with block are very safe to use, thanks to its non-slip grip handle, which not only makes cutting more effective but also minimizes the chances of an accident while cutting.
Long Lasting
Stainless steel is used in this knife set and that’s why the knives effectively resist both rust and pitting. In short, they last a long time, which is another great advantage that came into light during the Chicago Cutlery Fusion Kitchen Knife Set with Block review.
Easy to Sharpen
The Chicago Cutlery Fusion Kitchen Knife Set comes with an excellent sharpening tool. Using it, you can sharpen your knives within minutes.
Cons
Handles are a bit small
If you’ve big hands, you may have some trouble holding the handles used in this Kitchen Knife Set with block.
Loses sharpness quite fast
When the knives were used on a large scale in the Chicago Cutlery Fusion Kitchen Knife Set with Block review, the knives lost their sharpness fairly quickly. However, as in most kitchens knives are not used regularly for a long time and as sharpening the tools is easy to use, this is not likely to prove to be a problem.
All in all, the Chicago Cutlery Fusion Kitchen Knife Set with Block review finds the set offers great utility and is a good investment. It is an excellent and durable kitchen knife set.
J.A Henckels International Kitchen Knife Set with Block Review
Some knife sets are a mixed bag: they have a few pluses but just about as many negatives. On the other hands, some knife sets are a complete package. Buy one of them, and you’ll not need another set for years. Is J.A Henckels International Forged Premio kitchen knife set with block 18-Piece that set?
Read our review to find it out for yourself…
J.A. Henckels knife set is a 18-piece forged premio knife block set including 3 inches paring knife, 5 inches serrated utility knife, 7 inches santoku hollow edge, 6 inches utility knife, 9 inches sharpening steel, 8 inches chef’s knife, 5 inches boning knife, 8 inches bread knife, and a stamped steak knife hardwood block. It comes with a full tang design extending its length and adding a better balance and strength when gripped for all cutting purposes. The triple-riveted ergonomic handle ensures a better control and comfort especially when cutting hard foods. In order to improve style and beauty, the blades are satin-finished and the stainless steel provides for precise cutting, slicing and peeling.
J.A Henckels International Kitchen Knife Set with Block Features
- Full range of knives to meet every cutting need
- Full tang for enhanced balance, strength, and durability
- Triple riveted, ergonomic handles for greater comfort and control
- Stainless steel blades for ensuring precise cutting
Pros
A knife for every need
The J.A Henckels International Forged Premio kitchen knife block sets has a knife for cutting every type of food. You can do just about everything with it—cutting, peeling, slicing, mincing, and chopping vegetables, meat, or fruit—with utmost ease.
Many choices for steak
The J.A Henckels Kitchen Knife Set with Block 18-Piece set comes with as many as 8 knives for cutting the meat. Each and every knife in the J.A Henckels International Forged Premio Kitchen Knife Set with Block 18-Piece has full tang. In other words, the knives are strong as well as durable.
Good balance
You don’t have to worry about any accidental cuts or breakages when you buy the J.A Henckels Kitchen Knife Set. The knives, because they have full tang, are more balanced and have more strength.
Firm, comfortable grip
Triple-riveted, ergonomic handles used in J.A Henckels kitchen knife block sets ensure the grip is both firm and comfortable.
Great Precision
Thanks to the stainless steel blades used, preparing restaurant-style dishes at home is something that you can do easily.
Cons
Awkward paring knife
One not-so-great feature of the J.A Henckels kitchen knife set with block is the paring knife, whose grip is slightly big while the blade is little small. With that said, the knife does the cutting just as well as any other.
Can rust
The knives are not as resistant as to rust as the knives of sets offered by some other brands.
Conclusion
The J.A Henckels International Forged Premio kitchen knife set with block 18-Piece offers many great features: great variety, precise cutting, stylish looks, good stability, and an attractive price tag. It’s less than optimal resistant to rust, however, is a concern. Overall, the set appears to be a good buy, especially if preparing restaurant-style dishes at home is your top priority.
Mercer Culinary Genesis 6-Piece Forged Kitchen Knife Block Set Review
Can less be more? Can this knife set, which has only 5 knives, give you the same multi-functionality as a set with more knives?
To know all you need to know about this set, read our Mercer Culinary Genesis 6-Piece Forged Kitchen Knife Block Set review…
Mercer culinary genesis is a 6-piece forged kitchen knife set designed for those who do not want excess knives in their kitchen. The 6-piece set includes 3-1/2 inch paring knife, 8 inch chef’s knife, 5 inch utility knife, 6 inch boning knife, 8 inch bread knife and a tempered glass block to stand the knives. The knives are forged with German steel which gives them enough impact strength to withstand the forces of cutting while also giving them a stylish look. The knives come with handles made from black Santoprene nonslip material thereby ensuring excellent grip, comfort, and safety when used. The knife set is manufactured in Taiwan, a country known for their extensive use of European technology for the manufacture of most equipment.
Features:
- 5 knives made from single piece German steel
- Tempered glass block
- Nonslip handles for superior grip
- Made using European technology and components
Pros
Great versatility
During the kitchen knife set review we were pleasantly surprised to find that the five knives in this set can be used for cutting almost everything. From chopping vegetables to deboning poultry, you can do everything with the five knives of this set.
No stain blades
The Mercer Culinary Genesis 6-Piece Forged Kitchen Knife Block Set review found that the knives have no stain blades forged from single-piece German steel which is both fine and durable.
The knives used in this kitchen knife set with block are primed for full precision. This is a great feature to have, especially for those amateur cooks who love to prepare restaurant style dishes at home.
Comfortable, firm grip
Each of the knives has a black Santoprene nonslip handle. This type of handle, as we learned in our Mercer Culinary Genesis 6-Piece Forged Kitchen Knife Block Set review, ensures that you have a firm grip on the handle, allowing you to cut foods effortlessly.
Tempered glass block
Unlike many kitchen knife block set, this kitchen knife set comes with a tempered glass block, which protects you from injuries that can occur through accidental touching of the blades.
This feature can prove immensely useful if you’ve young kids in your home and if they use the kitchen independently. Otherwise too this feature can prove really handy, for even an adult cook can accidently run his or her fingers over a knife blade while reaching for it.
Cons
Not a large set
This kitchen knife set with block has only 5 knives in it. While there is almost nothing that you can’t do with these 5 knives, some cooks may prefer a bigger kitchen knife set in their home kitchen.
Conclusion
This is a complete kitchen knife set, as we found in our Mercer Culinary Genesis 6-Piece Forged Kitchen Knife Block Set review. You can do anything and everything with this set in your kitchen. Each knife is quality work and gives precise cutting.
Buying and Choosing the Right knife set for Your Kitchen
There are several types of kitchen knife sets in the market today and they all contain knives in variety of shapes and sizes. While some are used for performing one particular job only, others can be used to perform variety of tasks. The knife set to be purchased depends on several factors such as what you plan to do with the knives, whether or not you want a particular style or design, whether you have a preferred manufacturer or any good one would do, etc. Before setting out to purchase any knife set, here are some questions I recommend you ask yourself. Your answers to the questions would help you determine the kind of knife you need.
What will I do with the knife?
This is arguably the most important question you need to ask yourself before purchasing any kitchen knife because, If you don’t know what you want to achieve with the knife then it’s as good as you don’t need it at all. If for example, your plan is to use it for cutting lots of breads or tomatoes, you should go for a serrated knife blade as it easily pierces through the skin of the tomatoes or the crust of the bread better than the utility knife.
Would I prefer a particular style?
While most people do not care about style and design when purchasing knife sets, others do. These set of people who care about style and design want their kitchen to look uniform and as such are careful when selecting items to be purchased for it. By style, some people look at the colors and design of knife handles while others look at the shape and design on the blade. It all depends on you anyway so just make up your mind on the style you prefer for your kitchen in terms of color, design, and shape before carrying on with the purchase.
What quality do I need and at what cost?
The life of all tools and appliances are dependent on the quality of the materials used in the manufacture of the tool, and the quality also impacts on the price tag placed on the tool. It is best to go for high quality knives whether you cook frequently or not even though cost has to be taken into account. If however, you are capable of bearing the cost, go ahead and purchase the knife because it’ll be better you spend once, than twice or thrice on the same thing. With a lifetime warranty placed on most knife sets today, you can be sure of using the knife for several years under light and harsh conditions without having to replace it for any reason.
How to Care for your Kitchen Knives?
No matter how much quality a tool is made of, basic care have to be taken always to keep it working at its best. Knives are amongst the most important tools in all kitchens and must be properly maintained if they are to last a lifetime. The following are tips to help you elongate the lifespan of your knives.
- Wash and clean your knives immediately after use in order to prevent dried food residue from clogging around the knife which could damage it in the long run.
- Immediately after washing the knife, rinse it in warm running water in order to remove all the soapy residues on it before drying it with a soft towel and placing it in its holder. By drying it, you’ll reduce the possibility of the blade getting rust since air plus water on metal is the recipe for rust.
- Avoid storing your knives in a drawer, because they are likely to hit the sides of the drawer and other utensils thereby causing the edges of the blade to get blunt on time. Rather than placing them in a drawer, get a knife block or something similar that wouldn’t take up much space on your shelve.
- Sharpen your knives periodically to keep them performing at their peak whenever they are needed. You can do the sharpening yourself simply by holding the sharpening steel in one hand, and the knife in the other at 20 to 30 degree angle to the steel. If you find it difficult to do, get someone who can, because you might end up damaging the sharp edges of the knife or blunting it the more.
Knives are really essential tools in the kitchen and optimum care must be taken to keep them working for several years. There are several manufacturers of knives in the world today and three of the best have been highlighted above. You can always count on top knife manufacturers to get quality knives that wouldn’t go bad in the nearest future, but continue to perform their required functions for several decades to come.
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