Kitchen Knives - 3 Tips to Consider Before Buying!

With so many cutlery brands to choose from deciding which ones to consider can seem daunting. To make it easier, take a look below at three tips to get you heading off in the right direction.

1. For Precision Cutting Consider Japanese Knives

Japanese knives are all the rage right now! If you’re interested in chopping and slicing with a lightweight (compared to traditional Western knives) knife containing an ultra sharp blade, Japanese knives are for you. Some of the brands to consider are: Global, Kershaw and Hattori. These manufacturers offer a complete selection of cutlery including Santoku knives, paring, cleavers, fillet, boning and more.

2. For Traditional Heft Consider Western Knives

If you like cutting with a substantial kitchen knife offering balance as well as heft consider German knives such as Wusthof and Henckels. For the best quality choose from collections that feature fully forged knives. Two other Western cutlery makers include: Sabatier (France) and Victorinox (Switzerland). And, as with Wusthof and Henckels, stick with the forged lines for premium quality. If you are looking for more affordable cutlery, take a look at the stamped lines to each of these manufacturers. Typically, these lines are made elsewhere, (China or Spain) not in the respective manufacturers’ country.

3. To Get a Bang for your Buck: Buy Knife Sets and Shop for Sales

If you’re looking to stretch your dollar further without skimping on quality, look for knife sets (such as 3 piece sets) or buy a knife block with versatile cutlery types: chef’s knife, bread knife, utility knife, paring knife, sharpening steel and such included. Buying sets as opposed to individual cutlery can definitely save you money. However, make sure that the sizes and cutlery types included are ones that you will use.

Additionally, if you are looking for a particular cutlery brand, save yourself some money by comparison shopping several kitchenware shops online. There is always the retail price, now look for the sale price. In addition, by spending over a certain amount, shipping will likely be included.

Forged Kitchen Knives Vs Stamped Kitchen Knives

This article will aid you with the pivotal decision of whether you want forged blades or stamped blades for your kitchen knives. There is a lot of misinformation going around when you're shopping for a new set of knives and it can be really confusing when all you want to do is slice or dice in style while preparing your food.

The myth all starts with the idea that forged blades are inherently better than stamped blades. The idea behind this is that forged blades steel molecules are aligned better and therefore give them much better cutting properties. The fact is this used to be true, but no longer is due to updated manufacturing processes. In the old days the only way to make steel was to forge it, now days knife manufacturers just go down and buy the steel pre-made.

This is where the pivotal differences between kitchen knives start to form. The forged blades are heated up again pounded into the shape of a knife, and then ground and sharpened. The stamped or machined blades are cut or ground into the shape of a knife, and then heat treated twice to align the steel structure. The first heat treatment starts at 1400-1900 degrees Fahrenheit, leaving the steel brittle but very hard. The second heat treatment hits the blades at 400-700 degrees reducing both the brittleness and the hardness, but in turn making more durable blades.

As you can see the manufacturing processes are just different which leads to different knives. The forged blades tend to be much softer than the stamped or machined blades, because of the lack of high heat treatment. The benefits to this are that it's much easier to sharpen at home, the knife will have a weightier feel, and you'll have a bolster. The drawbacks are that it won't be quite as sharp as a comparable stamped blade, and it won't hold a comparable edge as long. The Germans who are the primary manufacturers using the forged method rectify this by sharpening to a 22 degree angle instead of a 16 degree used by most stamped manufacturers.

The stamped or machined blade benefits and drawbacks are in reverse of the forged. You'll have a much lighter knife with no bolster, unless welded on, that's extremely sharp, and durable. You may also have a harder time sharpening it at home.

In the end it all comes down to you the consumer, and which knife fits you the best. If you're going to be slicing a lot of heavy vegetables and meats you may find the German forged Wusthof knives to your preference. On the other hand if you do a lot of Asian style cooking the high end stamped Global knives or Shun knives may fit you best.