Articles about knives
http://www.travisnward.com/work29.htm
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?id=39
http://www.chefsoutlet.com/knifeguide.htm
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/sg_head.asp?order_num=-1&SGFN=sg_cutlery&SKU=-1
Steak Knives:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/spill.aspx?c=112&p=1&viewall=1
CONSUMER REPORTS:
Which blade?Top-notch kitchen knives can cost hundreds, but we found two CR Best Buys that have the edge for value.
Whether you routinely whip up gourmet meals or rarely rise above making sandwiches, good knives are essential kitchen equipment. With them, you can work more efficiently and safely. Without them, even slicing a tomato can be tricky.
To help you hone in on the best choices for your kitchen, we tested 24 sets of knives, judging cutting ability, handle comfort, and balance. Though many sets contained a variety of knives and accessories, we tested only the basics from each: chef's, slicing, utility, and paring knives. Our lineup included knives from well-established makers such as Wüsthof, Henckels, and Chicago Cutlery, as well as new kids in the block from brands such as Tupperware and KitchenAid.
Most of the knives you'll see in department and specialty stores, and most of those we tested, require regular honing and sharpening. But you'll also find "no-maintenance" knives designed to spare you that effort; we tested four sets. Among our findings:
The very best knives don't come cheap. Most of the knives we rated excellent, led by sets from high-end makers Wüsthof and Henckels, cost $200 to $500 for six to eight pieces (usually including storage block and honing implement). But we also found fine choices from less expensive brands, including Chicago Cutlery Metropolitan ($60 for eight pieces) and Farberware Pro Forged ($90 for nine pieces), both CR Best Buys, and Oxo Good Grips MV55-PRO ($130 for seven pieces).
Fine-edged knives that need honing typically perform better than no-maintenance ones. Many no-maintenance knives had trouble with routine tasks, often ripping rather than cutting food.
Forged blades aren't always superior to stamped. Forged knives generally cost more than stamped knives and as a group did better in our tests. Most of the excellent knives are forged. But the stamped Oxo Good Grips MV55-PRO knives were also excellent, and some very good stamped sets beat pricier forged sets.
Handles can be as important as blades. In some cases, handles are largely what differentiate
lines from the same maker. The Grand Prix, Classic, and Culinar lines from Wüsthof are similar except for the handles. The same goes for the Twin Select, Professional "S," Four Star, and Five Star lines from Henckels. The Five Star has a banana-shaped ergonomic handle that our testers found ungainly. That's largely why it scored lower than its brandmates. Before buying any knife, pick it up to see how well it suits your hand. When buying knives as gifts, make sure they can be returned.
NEW LOOKS AND LINES
Most kitchen knives have hard plastic or wood handles. But the stainless-steel craze has hit cutlery. Henckels Twin Select and Wüsthof Culinar--two of the pricier sets we tested--have sleek steel handles. So does the moderately priced Farberware Pro Stainless line. You might think that stainless steel would be slippery or uncomfortable to hold, but our testers didn't find that to be the case. Soft rubber-coated handles, as on the Oxo Good Grips MV55-PRO knives, are another alternative to plastic or wood handles.
Some of the newest entrants in the market bear the names of cookware and appliance makers: Lines from Emerilware (made by Wüsthof), Calphalon, and Cuisinart were launched too recently to test. Viking makes knives too, but they're not widely available and weren't tested.
BLADE BASICS
Forged blades are made from steel that's heated until soft and then pounded into shape with a mechanical hammer. Forging tends to produce a strong, weighty knife with a thick bolster (where blade meets handle) and a full tang (the part of the blade that extends into the handle). Stamped blades are punched from a sheet of steel, creating a relatively thin, light blade.
Forged or stamped, most of the tested knives have a blade made of high-carbon stainless steel. Carbon helps a blade take and hold a sharp edge, while stainless steel helps it resist rust and discoloration.
As for cutting edge, the most obvious difference is between fine-edged and serrated. The latter tend to stay sharper longer; the parts of the edge between the teeth are largely protected from contact with the dulling cutting board.
You'll find serrated knives in most manufacturers' lines; they're often called bread or tomato knives because they're best suited for cutting through soft foods that have a crust or skin. You'll also find that many no-maintenance knives have some form of serrated blade--even the chef's knife, for example, which is meant to perform a variety of cutting tasks. But the serrated knives generally weren't good at things like slicing meats or cutting up vegetables.
TESTING THEIR METAL
You can buy a specialized knife for anything from filleting fish to opening oysters, but the knives we consider essential are the four types we tested. Knife know-how gives details on the types and how we tested them for cutting ability.
Overall, most of the fine-edged knives that require honing cut very well. The best allowed our testers to make precise, uniform cuts and slices with ease.
Among the no-maintenance knives, the winner was the Cutco Classic set. Its chef's and paring knives are fine-edged while its utility and slicing knives are serrated, but even its serrated knives did well. The other no-maintenance sets were judged only fair for cutting.
A blade's ability to resist dulling is most important for no-maintenance knives, which don't receive the honing that helps keep other knives sharp. Our tests showed that most were very good or excellent in durability.
We checked for corrosion resistance with a test that mimics the effects of leaving a knife soiled or wet for long periods. The Ratings note those more likely to corrode. But proper care can minimize the likelihood of such damage. Never soak knives; wash and dry them right after use. Don't put them in the dishwasher, where heat, detergent, or contact with other utensils can do damage.
HANDLE WITH CARE
Handles should be comfortable--not too bulky, and with no bulges or biting edges. They must also provide some heft to counterbalance the blade's weight. Even knives we judged excellent in handle comfort might not suit you, so make sure you're comfortable with a knife's weight and balance before buying.
Textured plastic, rubber, and bare-wood handles provide the best grip for wet hands. But untreated wood handles may deteriorate with age. Some handles are molded on; others are riveted. We found no drawbacks or advantages to either type.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you're the type of cook who knows your julienne from your chiffonade, you might appreciate the superior precision, control, and comfort afforded by the expensive knives that did best in our tests. The Wüsthof Trident Grand Prix knives, $300 for a set of eight, performed flawlessly. Not far behind were the Henckels Twin Select knives, with sleek stainless-steel handles and an even higher price: $500 for seven pieces.
You can get fine quality for far less, however. The two CR Best Buys, Farberware Pro Forged, $90 for nine pieces, and Chicago Cutlery Metropolitan, $60 for eight pieces, are very good choices. And, at $130 for seven pieces, the Oxo Good Grips MV55-PRO knives offer excellent performance and value.
If you prefer no-maintenance knives, Cutco Classic ($80 for two pieces) was very good overall. Much more economical is the Farberware Classic set ($20 for 12 pieces), judged good.
You can buy knives one by one, but sets typically cost a good deal less than the same knives sold singly.
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?id=39
http://www.chefsoutlet.com/knifeguide.htm
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/sg_head.asp?order_num=-1&SGFN=sg_cutlery&SKU=-1
Steak Knives:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/spill.aspx?c=112&p=1&viewall=1
CONSUMER REPORTS:
Which blade?Top-notch kitchen knives can cost hundreds, but we found two CR Best Buys that have the edge for value.
Whether you routinely whip up gourmet meals or rarely rise above making sandwiches, good knives are essential kitchen equipment. With them, you can work more efficiently and safely. Without them, even slicing a tomato can be tricky.
To help you hone in on the best choices for your kitchen, we tested 24 sets of knives, judging cutting ability, handle comfort, and balance. Though many sets contained a variety of knives and accessories, we tested only the basics from each: chef's, slicing, utility, and paring knives. Our lineup included knives from well-established makers such as Wüsthof, Henckels, and Chicago Cutlery, as well as new kids in the block from brands such as Tupperware and KitchenAid.
Most of the knives you'll see in department and specialty stores, and most of those we tested, require regular honing and sharpening. But you'll also find "no-maintenance" knives designed to spare you that effort; we tested four sets. Among our findings:
The very best knives don't come cheap. Most of the knives we rated excellent, led by sets from high-end makers Wüsthof and Henckels, cost $200 to $500 for six to eight pieces (usually including storage block and honing implement). But we also found fine choices from less expensive brands, including Chicago Cutlery Metropolitan ($60 for eight pieces) and Farberware Pro Forged ($90 for nine pieces), both CR Best Buys, and Oxo Good Grips MV55-PRO ($130 for seven pieces).
Fine-edged knives that need honing typically perform better than no-maintenance ones. Many no-maintenance knives had trouble with routine tasks, often ripping rather than cutting food.
Forged blades aren't always superior to stamped. Forged knives generally cost more than stamped knives and as a group did better in our tests. Most of the excellent knives are forged. But the stamped Oxo Good Grips MV55-PRO knives were also excellent, and some very good stamped sets beat pricier forged sets.
Handles can be as important as blades. In some cases, handles are largely what differentiate
lines from the same maker. The Grand Prix, Classic, and Culinar lines from Wüsthof are similar except for the handles. The same goes for the Twin Select, Professional "S," Four Star, and Five Star lines from Henckels. The Five Star has a banana-shaped ergonomic handle that our testers found ungainly. That's largely why it scored lower than its brandmates. Before buying any knife, pick it up to see how well it suits your hand. When buying knives as gifts, make sure they can be returned.
NEW LOOKS AND LINES
Most kitchen knives have hard plastic or wood handles. But the stainless-steel craze has hit cutlery. Henckels Twin Select and Wüsthof Culinar--two of the pricier sets we tested--have sleek steel handles. So does the moderately priced Farberware Pro Stainless line. You might think that stainless steel would be slippery or uncomfortable to hold, but our testers didn't find that to be the case. Soft rubber-coated handles, as on the Oxo Good Grips MV55-PRO knives, are another alternative to plastic or wood handles.
Some of the newest entrants in the market bear the names of cookware and appliance makers: Lines from Emerilware (made by Wüsthof), Calphalon, and Cuisinart were launched too recently to test. Viking makes knives too, but they're not widely available and weren't tested.
BLADE BASICS
Forged blades are made from steel that's heated until soft and then pounded into shape with a mechanical hammer. Forging tends to produce a strong, weighty knife with a thick bolster (where blade meets handle) and a full tang (the part of the blade that extends into the handle). Stamped blades are punched from a sheet of steel, creating a relatively thin, light blade.
Forged or stamped, most of the tested knives have a blade made of high-carbon stainless steel. Carbon helps a blade take and hold a sharp edge, while stainless steel helps it resist rust and discoloration.
As for cutting edge, the most obvious difference is between fine-edged and serrated. The latter tend to stay sharper longer; the parts of the edge between the teeth are largely protected from contact with the dulling cutting board.
You'll find serrated knives in most manufacturers' lines; they're often called bread or tomato knives because they're best suited for cutting through soft foods that have a crust or skin. You'll also find that many no-maintenance knives have some form of serrated blade--even the chef's knife, for example, which is meant to perform a variety of cutting tasks. But the serrated knives generally weren't good at things like slicing meats or cutting up vegetables.
TESTING THEIR METAL
You can buy a specialized knife for anything from filleting fish to opening oysters, but the knives we consider essential are the four types we tested. Knife know-how gives details on the types and how we tested them for cutting ability.
Overall, most of the fine-edged knives that require honing cut very well. The best allowed our testers to make precise, uniform cuts and slices with ease.
Among the no-maintenance knives, the winner was the Cutco Classic set. Its chef's and paring knives are fine-edged while its utility and slicing knives are serrated, but even its serrated knives did well. The other no-maintenance sets were judged only fair for cutting.
A blade's ability to resist dulling is most important for no-maintenance knives, which don't receive the honing that helps keep other knives sharp. Our tests showed that most were very good or excellent in durability.
We checked for corrosion resistance with a test that mimics the effects of leaving a knife soiled or wet for long periods. The Ratings note those more likely to corrode. But proper care can minimize the likelihood of such damage. Never soak knives; wash and dry them right after use. Don't put them in the dishwasher, where heat, detergent, or contact with other utensils can do damage.
HANDLE WITH CARE
Handles should be comfortable--not too bulky, and with no bulges or biting edges. They must also provide some heft to counterbalance the blade's weight. Even knives we judged excellent in handle comfort might not suit you, so make sure you're comfortable with a knife's weight and balance before buying.
Textured plastic, rubber, and bare-wood handles provide the best grip for wet hands. But untreated wood handles may deteriorate with age. Some handles are molded on; others are riveted. We found no drawbacks or advantages to either type.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you're the type of cook who knows your julienne from your chiffonade, you might appreciate the superior precision, control, and comfort afforded by the expensive knives that did best in our tests. The Wüsthof Trident Grand Prix knives, $300 for a set of eight, performed flawlessly. Not far behind were the Henckels Twin Select knives, with sleek stainless-steel handles and an even higher price: $500 for seven pieces.
You can get fine quality for far less, however. The two CR Best Buys, Farberware Pro Forged, $90 for nine pieces, and Chicago Cutlery Metropolitan, $60 for eight pieces, are very good choices. And, at $130 for seven pieces, the Oxo Good Grips MV55-PRO knives offer excellent performance and value.
If you prefer no-maintenance knives, Cutco Classic ($80 for two pieces) was very good overall. Much more economical is the Farberware Classic set ($20 for 12 pieces), judged good.
You can buy knives one by one, but sets typically cost a good deal less than the same knives sold singly.
posted by Alex Navarro at 12:42 PM
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