Kyocera Revolution Ceramic Chef’s Knife Review | 7 Inch Blade

Posted on: May 22

Kyocera Revolution 7 inch CeramicCeramic knives present a unique set of tradeoffs. On the one hand, they are sharp, lightweight and stainless. On the other, they are brittle and difficult to resharpen.

Let's take a closer look....

The hardness of ceramic means it can be made very sharp. This Kyocera, for example, will almost certainly be sharper than a high-end Wusthof or Henckels.

Ceramic is also stainless and lightweight. This makes for a very convenient knife -- no rushing to clean it the minute you're done chopping. And it won't produce fatigue after long food prep sessions.

Another great thing about ceramic is that it retains its edge for a very long time. So much so that you'll probably never need to worry about resharpening it. When you do need it resharpened, you'll need a professional since ceramic is tricky to resharpen.

Now for the downsides:

Because ceramic is so hard, it's also brittle. This has two consequences you should be aware of.

First off, ceramic knives can't be made quite as sharp as the sharpest high-end steel knives. The edge just can't be made that thin without breaking.

And second, it can shatter. Drop your ceramic knife on the floor and it's likely to chip or shatter.

This Kyocera knife is a quintessential ceramic blade.

Kyocera has been on the forefront of ceramic knifemaking for quite some time, and the Revolution Series is their latest offering.

The 7" blade is on the smaller size for a Chef's knife but you'll find longer versions available as well.

The handle is a contoured, lightweight, non-slip resin that should be quite comfortable in your hand.

If you're looking for a lightweight, sharp and maintenance-free Chef's knife, this Kyocera is an excellent choice.

If you're looking for the sharpest knife in the block that is guaranteed not to chip or shatter, look at a premium-steel Japanese knife like a Shun Classic.

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Tojiro Knives | DP Series | Budget Japanese Kitchen Knives

Posted on: May 16

Tojiro DP Gyutou

The blade edges are made from a high-carbon steel and molybdenum blend, providing a sharp cutting surface that will hold its edge. Like their more expensive competitors from Shun, their blades are "wrapped" in softer, stain-resistant steel to protect the blade. The Shun's blades are made of a higher-quality steel, but these Tojiro knives should still be remarkably sharp.

These are Japanese knives that need to be cared for as such -- no throwing them in the dishwasher and they need to be stored properly. But throw them a little love and they will pay you back many times over.

So what's not to like? Tojiro knives are a bit hard to find, and they're not available in a set. If not for those caveats, they easily could've been one of the recommended sets in our recent Best Kitchen Knives for Any Budget.

You may find them out of stock, or prices may vary when you're ready to buy. But hunt around just a bit and you'll find this killer bargain of a knife.

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Best Kitchen Knives On Any Budget | Cheap & Professional Chef Knife Set Review

Posted on: May 13

Shun Classic Knives Choosing kitchen cutlery is one of the most important decisions an avid cook can make. Knives are the among the most useful tools in the kitchen, but the range in quality and price varies greatly from one set to the next. Add shady salespeople and dubious marketing claims to the mix and buying knives can feel a bit like buying a used car.

The good news is that a short list of expert tips can help to educate and ensure that you get the best knives for your budget. These tips will no doubt save you a bundle but, more importantly, will help reveal great knives. If you've never used a razor-sharp and feather-light Japanese Chef's knife, be prepared for a real treat.

After I've laid out these tips, I'll apply them to a set of price ranges and make specific knife recommendations. Of course, choosing knives is a personal decision. You'll want to consider your style of cooking, how often you cook and the tasks you frequently perform. But the recommendations should serve as a good starting point -- they're all great knives and are priced appropriately.
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Shun Classic Knives | 7-Piece Knife Block Set | Best $500 Kitchen Knives

Posted on: May 13

CooksDen's Best $500 Kitchen Knives

Shun Classic Knives Shun knives are by no means budget knives. Some consider them synonymous with "expensive". But limit yourself to a small set of essential knives and you'll actually find them worth every penny.

Why? Because Shun has also become synonymous with "quality". All three of the major US cutlery retailers -- Williams Sonoma, Sur La Table and Crate and Barrel -- have pushed out high-end German knives to make room for them. Throw in endorsements from Bobby Flay, Alton Brown and Sarah Moulton and you know they must be something special.

And special they are. The blades are made from razor-sharp VG-10 steel, found only in high-end Japanese knives. They are wrapped on each side by sixteen layers of high-carbon stainless steel. This produces a beautiful Damascus-style blade that features sharpness, edge retention and stain-resistance.

The Rockwell Hardness rating of these knives is 61 -- one of the highest values you'll find in a kitchen knife. This allows the blade to be among the sharpest kitchen blades available on the market.

The handles are black pakkawood, a resin-infused hardwood that, coupled with the handle's D-shape, provides a non-slip grip. Add in the standard "lightweight" Japanese feel and you have knives that won't produce fatigue.

Shun's seven piece set includes all of our recommended "essential" blades: an 8" inch chef's knife, a 9" serrated slicing/bread knife, a 3.5" paring knife and a 6" utility knife. It adds a sharpening steel for honing your edges, kitchen shears and an bamboo block with 11 horizontal slots. Since these knives are so good looking, you might want to consider getting a magnetic strip to display them instead of the block.

The six-piece set is the same as the seven, minus the bread knife. It's also $100 cheaper. The eight-piece set is the same as the seven, but adds another, smaller chef's knife. It's also $100 more expensive. The seven-piece set seems to be the sweet spot, but your needs and budget may say otherwise.

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The Rise and Fall of The Great Kitchen Knife-Makers

Posted on: May 13

German knives are strongFor years, the only name in Kitchen knives were Wusthof and Henckels. Consumers were told that the best knife was one that could withstand the rigors of the kitchen. It had to be heavy, had to have a thick bar in the middle of it to protect the cook's fingers, and it had to be dishwasher safe. And since they were the only game in town, nobody thought twice about it.

This went on for quite some time. These German knifemakers produced a quality product that consumers liked, so there was no real reason to change things.

So when an upstart Japanese knifemaker named Yoshinkin came along offering their quirky Global knives, the Germans paid them no mind. But there was one small problem -- people LOVED Global Knives. They were razor-sharp, light and had no bulky bolster in the middle of the knife to get in the way of cutting and re-sharpening.
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Don’t Buy Too Many Knives | Buying a Kitchen Knives on a Budget

Posted on: May 13

Too Many KnivesIt's natural to"better" it is. And additional pieces are often discounted when added to a set. "Why get the small set when you can get the large one for just a few bucks more?" the thinking goes.

There are a few problems with this logic. First and foremost, most hobbyist chefs do not need all of the knives included in a large set. Having four different paring knives might be useful if you're a professional cook and need to have the perfect tool for every task but, for the rest of us, it's overkill.

The other problem with buying a set loaded up with extra pieces is that those extra pieces are often just "filler". Adding 7 steak knives to a set is a popular way to bulk it up, as is adding a kitchen shears, sharpening steel and knife block.

You may want some of those items but, if you're trying to get the best bang for the buck, focus on getting the best "essential" blades. You can always add those extra pieces later. Those extra pieces are likely to be quite inexpensive when not purchased as part of a set.
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Sharpness Matters More Than Price | Buying Kitchen Knives on a Budget

Posted on: May 13

Sharp Knife EdgeMany hobbyist"new" feel. Do it right and you can extend the life of your knives indefinitely. Learn about maintenance before you buy knives and you can save yourself a ton of money.

If you want great performance from your knives, look for knives that are sharp and will remain sharp with proper maintenance instead of ones that are "maintenance free."

Don't know how to maintain knives? Read on....
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Know Your Steel | Buying Kitchen Knives on a Budget

Posted on: May 13

Forging SteelEver make cookies?"hardness". Hardness in kitchen knives is a good thing -- the harder a blade, the sharper an edge it can tolerate. Just like with cookies, though, too much of a good thing can be overkill. Blades that are too hard can be brittle and prone to breaking or even shattering. Ceramic blades have become less popular in recent years due to their brittleness. Drop a ceramic knife on the floor and you're out your $300.

Hardness is measured on the Rockwell Hardness Scale (HRC). Measurements are typically in the 55-60 range. Some of the sharpest Japanese knives are hardened to an HRC of more than 60, while Wusthof and Henckels knives are typically closer to 55. It might not sound like much, but a few points on the Rockwell scale can make a big difference.

Blade hardness is probably the biggest difference between Japanese and German knives. Japanese knives are hard, sharp surgical instruments. They are razor-sharp but require careful handling. German knives are duller but require less maintenance. See The Rise and Fall of The Great Knife-Makers for more on this distinction.
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Hattori HD Knives | Best $1000 Kitchen Knives | Japanese Steel

Posted on: May 13

CooksDen's Best $1000 Kitchen Knives

Hattori HD Kitchen Knife SetFromShun Classic Knives, the blade is made up of a VG-10 steel core, wrapped by layers of stainless steel. This allows the edge to be extremely sharp, to retain its edge over time and yet still be stain-resistant.

VG-10 is one of the premier steels being used in high-end Japanese knives today. It allows this blade to be sharpened to a Rockwell hardness of 60-61, making it among the sharpest blades available.

What puts these knives over the top, however, is the gorgeous Damascus pattern on the blade. Evoking the image of centuries-old Japanese blade making techniques, the "wave" pattern is a result of the layering used to make the knife. Each blade is also hand-engraved with the Hattori signature. You'll want to store these knives on a magnetic knife strip so they can be seen anywhere in your kitchen.

The handles are made of pakkawood, a resin-infused hardwood that is durable, lightweight and comfortable to hold.

As with all high-end sharp knives, these require a bit of extra care. You should hand-clean them immediately after use, store them in a knife block or magnetic strip, and keep the blades sharp. If you're not prepared to do those extra tasks, these knives are probably not the right choice.

Since Hattori is such a craftsman, these knives can be tricky to find. They're not impossible to track down, but you may find that a vendor has them one week and then has a two-month waiting list the next.

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MAC Professional and Superior Knife Set Review | Best $350 Kitchen Knives

Posted on: May 13

MAC Chefs Knife ProfessionalIt's"http://www.cooksden.com/mac-professional-chefs-knife-8-mth-80-best-budget-chefs-knife/">8" Professional Chef's knife (MAC #MTH-80). It has two features that the Superior Chef's knives don't -- a half-bolster for a better balance and dimples (or "grantons"), to keep food from sticking to the knife.

For the rest of your knives, the Superior series is great. The 7" utility knife (#SA-70) and 5" paring knife (#SP-50) are available at a slight discount as part of a two-piece set. Next up add the Superior Carving Knife (#SB-105), which can also double as a bread knife.

All MAC knives are made of high-carbon steel with Molybdenum and Vanadium for sharpness, edge-retention and stain-resistance. They also include Tungsten Carbide which increases hardness and, as a result, sharpness. These knives are usually hardened to a rating of 60 on the Rockwell hardness scale. This allows them to be among the sharpest knives we feature on this site.

You'll notice that the combined price of our recommended knives is actually closer to $250 than to $350. This is so that you've got some room in case prices have changed and to purchase any other accessories (sharpening steel, and/or magnetic storage strip) you need.

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