Kitchen Knife And Cutlery Reviews

Perhaps the most personal tools in my kitchen are my knives.
Iron Chef Masahiru Morimoto

I wholeheartedly agree with the statement above. After all,
place where I use knives the most frequently is the kitchen,
and one of the major testbed for all of my knives is the same
kitchen, followed by cardboard of course ;)
Gator, late spring in 2004...


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Frankly, the main reason I've created kitchen knives section was the ever-increasing number of emails I receive, asking various questions concerning kitchen cutlery. I guess a lot of visitors assumed that since I had a large collection of combat knives I would be knowledgeable in the area of kitchen cutlery as well. Actually, I thought so too. However, to my disappointment I've soon figured out that combat/hunting knives are way far from good kitchen knives and I had to study the subject (kitchen cutlery) more seriously.
    For one reason or another I still get a lot more field/combat/survival knife questions. Perhaps because the site was kind of specialized ;) Well, things are changing and by now I own over 30 very good kitchen knives and learned a whole lot more too. Since repeating the same thing is not the best exercise ever, I figured it'd be the best to collect all the answers I got to all kitchen cutlery related questions here, more systematic and faster.
    I doubt anybody will argue that kitchen knives are generally the most used knives in the world. Most of the people out there have at least one or more knife in their kitchen. That including those who don't consider themselves knife enthusiasts and those who gasp at the sight of a folding knife. It is a different matter how many, what brand and in what shape those knives are, but the fact is that we all have them. All right, someone may insist on knifeless living, more power to them :) We're talking majority here.
    Judging by the number of questions I receive regarding kitchen knives apparently there is a considerable number of the people out there who want a good knife(ves) in their kitchen. That's of course good news :) Kitchen knives section on my site would be a combined answers to all the questions I've had in past years and may be some additional info you might find interesting or useful. Considering the fact that not all the people who seek the quality knives for their cooking needs are into knives in general, I tried to write this section with non-knife people in mind. Therefore, if you're not new to knives a few things might seem obvious, but believe me those are not obvious for non-knife folks at all, just remember yourself in the beginning ;)
    Being a knife collector and, enthusiast I try to get quality cutlery for my kitchen use. And, not too surprisingly it is not an easy task to accomplish. This page is an attempt to share the info and experience I've gained during my knife collecting/cooking years. I don't collect kitchen knives per-se. I try to buy whatever piece I like, but quite often I order custom kitchen knives built to my taste and requirements. Either way, I use pretty extensively all of the kitchen knives I keep. As I mentioned above, it is not that simple to pick a quality kitchen knife, granted that you care about your kitchen cutlery :) Otherwise, I guess this section is not for you.
    There are so many of them out there. Starting from the couple dollar generic "kitchen knives" in Walmart or Target, and all they way up to 800-900$ sets promising qualities similar to those of the lightsaber. TV shows promoting cook's knives that cut or at least don't mind showman banging them on the steel vise. Anyway, neither high price nor all those shows guarantee that you will get a good knife. I have a few custom kitchen knives with price tag around 1000$ and same type knives for 180-200$. Performance isn't 10 times better, but to me it was worth the price. Eventually you will have to make a choice on what and how much to spend. More reliable way is to do your homework, read the info, thank god we have internet :) Sure, it can be hard to find precise and objective information on the net, but it's definitely achievable. Just check knife related forums and newsgroups. Obviously be cautious, with good info there's a lot of junk and blatant lies.
    Interesting observation - once I've started cooking, I found out real soon that one knife simply won't do. Sure you can do with only one knife too, but not worth the time and efforts. On the other hand, as far as I can tell half of the world is getting by with a single kitchen knife, which no self-respecting knife enthusiast would even call a knife, at least not based on its cutting ability, when the knife spine cuts the same or better as the reminiscent of what once used to be a cutting edge.
    Can you get away with just one knife in the kitchen? Sure you can. For an experiment try peeling a potato with Busse Battle Mistress. Doable, but after one or two you will definitely look for something smaller and thinner. And, most of the time your favorite tactical and survival super blades won't be a match for a quality kitchen knife for food preparation. Combat knives was an extreme example, but again, peeling the same potato or an apple is a lot easier and safer with let's say a small Tojiro peeling knife than 270mm(11") Watanabe Honyaki Gyuto or any other Chef's knife or comparable size. In other words, you have to get the right tool(s) for the job.
    Knives are not the only cutting tools used in the kitchen by the way. One thing that will definitely save your knives, is a good meat cleaver when you need to chop through the bones. Alternatively, use your favorite, toughest combat knife and see if it can be up to the task, but leave chefs or vegetable knives out of it. As a minimum a good peeler would be a useful addition to your cutlery assortment. Since I am no certified chef, I won't discuss other utensils in this section, but will stick to the subject which I am more familiar with. Although I will remind you that a knife is just a knife, not a chisel, screwdriver or a pry bar. Survival or combat knives can do those things as well, but definitely not a thin edged blade of the kitchen knife.
    Based on all the above, this section will cover kitchen cutlery. That includes a few thoughts on the cutlery selection, maintenance, choice, etc. Reviews of the few knives and peelers that I have used. Also, reviews and references to those non-kitchen knives that I have used in the kitchen for testing and for the heck of it ;)

Good quality knives are essential when preparing medium steak and other meats. Whether your prefer a rare steak or your steak medium well done, having the proper well-honed knives to prepare your steak will make it taste all the better.