Kitchen Knives: Cutting-Edge Performance

Alice’s son, a sous chef in Jackson, WY (the Gun Barrel Restaurant—stop in and say hello) never comes home to visit without his collection of knives. (You can take the guy out of the kitchen but... nope, you can’t really take the guy out of the kitchen!) What he tells his mom about knives just happens to echo the latest Consumer Reports research:

Lesser-known and less-expensive brands are being so well made that they’re rivaling the high-end European lines. Japanese designs are a good example. Celebrity TV chef Rachael Ray has helped propel the curved-spine santoku knife into many American kitchens. Japanese brands such as Global and Kershaw have made inroads where the expensive European brands, Henckels, Sabatier, and Wüsthof have reigned for years.

Consumer Reports found a wide range in performance when they tested more than three dozen knife sets. Other findings:

For excellent cutting and handling, the best choices are fine-edged knives, which require regular honing.

The highest-quality knives are expensive. Our four top-rated sets, all with seven or eight pieces, cost $230 to $500. But there are fine choices at the low end of that range. Several sets costing $100 or less were very good overall.

A famous name doesn’t guarantee great performance. The eight-piece Chicago Cutlery Metropolitan set, a CR Best Buy at $60, did better than the Rachel Ray Furi Gusto-Grip and some well-know brands like sets from Wüsthof and Henckels.

Bottom line: The craftsman is only as good as his tools. It pays to shop around and get the best knives you can afford — they make KP at lot more efficient and pleasant.

Click this link to see a Consumer Reports video on the proper care of kitchen cutlery.