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What (and who) makes a quality knife?
Home » Kitchen » Cutlery » What (and who) makes a quality knife?The best cutlery sets can last you a lifetime, so it is important to purchase a quality set. In addition, since they may be with you your entire life, purchase a set of knives that have a satisfactory appearance. Remember that while cutlery sets can cost more than five hundred dollars, a particular price or brand name does not guarantee quality, and you can find excellent sets for under one hundred dollars.
The best knives have a strong, sharp blade. Look for a stainless steel blade with a substantial concentration of carbon. Consumer Reports writes that a quality knife blade is sharp enough to cut through a tomato with destroying the tomato in the process. In addition, longer blades give you more blade with which to work, so consider purchasing a long set of knives. The best knives are usually fine-edged blades that require regular honing, but if you don’t want to do much maintenance, look for quality cutlery that requires only occasional sharpening. Remember, however, that all knives will need sharpening; otherwise, even serrated knives will go dull, and you will have to work harder than normal to cut, slice, chop, or dice.
A quality knife will also have a handle that is comfortable to hold, so pick up several kinds of knives and feel the difference. You should also consider the balance of the knife; a chef’s knife should be balanced toward the blade while paring and boning knives should be balanced towards the handle. Finally, look for a handle that has been molded onto the blade.
Functional, quality cutlery will cost approximately twenty dollars per knife while the best cutlery might cost eighty or a hundred dollars per knife. Consumer Reports, however, suggests everything from a sixty-dollar Chicago Cutlery set to a three hundred dollar Wusthof set. Henckels, Calphalon, Tramontina and other manufacturers also produced quality cutlery sets, but choose a set based on the set itself rather than the brand name.
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