Hang around CooksDen for a while and you'll start to get to know MAC knives. They're fantastic knives and they tend to be about 20% less than other "big name" knives.

We recently reviewed the Mac Superior Santoku knife and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

This Santoku is part of the Professional series, which makes it a small step up from the Superior.

What's the difference? Two things.

First, the Professional has those dimples in the blade. Called "grantons", they help keep food from sticking to the blade.

Second, the Professional has a metal bolster between the handle and the blade. This gives the knife a bit better balance.

Overall, the difference is subtle. You certainly don't need the professional's extra features, but it's only about $20 more so you may decide to go for it.

Either way, you can't go wrong with these wonderfully sharp knives from MAC.

More Info on this Mac Professional Santoku:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

Need a place to store your knives other than a knife block because you're running out of counter space? J.A. Henckels might have a solution for you.

Here's a 13-slot knife tray that's specifically made to fit common sizes for both knives and drawers. It measures 17 x 9 x 2 inches, safe for standard-size drawers. And it can hold 12 different knives, as well as a sharpening steel rod.

It's actually got two different levels, barely noticeable and very convenient. The bottom slots are meant to hold your bigger, thicker kitchen knives, and the top half has six slots to hold your special steak knives.

Before you buy, you might want to check the measurements of the knives you already own, because if your steak knife blades are longer than 5 inches, or your kitchen knife blades are longer than 10 inches, this set won't work.

If it does work, however, this is a great way to protect your knives if you don't want a knife block. And it's convenient for both you and your wallet.

More Info on this In Drawer Knife Storage Tray:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

Find this Henckels Tray on eBay:

JA HENCKELS IN DRAWER DELUXE KNIFE TRAY 12 SLOTS NR US $9.99   0 Bid Auction Ends: 5d 22h 42m Make it yours...

Wusthof 8008 IN DRAWER KNIFE TRAY block fits Henckels US $19.99   Auction Ends: 1d 4h 3m Make it yours...

JA Henckels 13 Slot In Drawer Knife Tray NEW US $48.55   Auction Ends: 27d 5h 19m Make it yours...

A lot of Westerners have fallen in love with the idea of the Santoku.

It's a nice idea -- you've heard about high-end Japanese knife brands and maybe you've even heard about razor-sharp Japanese steel. Why not try a Japanese style blade as well?

There's only one problem with that -- the Santoku was never intended to be the all-purpose utility knife it's become. Sure it's got a place in a well-equipped kitchen, but it really shouldn't replace your go-to Chef's knife.

With that out of the way, let's take a look at this Santoku from KitchenAid. KitchenAid makes decent knives for the money. Not great, but certainly not terrible.

This one features a high-carbon stainless steel blade with "grantons" -- dimples that help keep the food from sticking. The handle is contoured for a sure-grip.

Those are all nice features to have, and the price of this knife is quite compelling. If you've got just a few more dollars in your budget, I highly recommend the Forschner Santoku instead.

More Info on this Knife:

• Click here to find this knife on Amazon.com

Find this KitchenAid Santoku on eBay:

5 Kitchenaid Shears Set Stainless Santoku Herb Free SH US $39.95   Auction Ends: 3d 55m Make it yours...

NEW KITCHENAID 7 SANTOKU KNIFE NONSLIP HANDLE RED US $19.95   Auction Ends: 6d 3h 10m Make it yours...

NEW KitchenAid PINK 7 Inch Blade Santoku Knife NIP US $19.99   Auction Ends: 16d 11h 55m Make it yours...

If you spend much time on cooksden.com, you'll know that we love MAC Knives. We raved about both the Superior and Professional series earlier.

But today, we're going to focus on a single knife -- the Superior Santoku.

It's an amazing value -- you will not be able to find another knife made of these high-end materials in this price range.

America's Test Kitchen, for example, gave it their top overall score in a recent rating.

So what's so great about it? The steel blade is made of an alloy of high-end materials that allow it be made extremely sharp and to retain that edge over time.

Their Santoku knife is an all-purpose Chef's knife with a Japanese shape to it that many people prefer. It's a bit on the small side at just 6.5 inches but that should serve you well if you like a smaller knife.

The high-end steel is not without one downside that must be mentioned. This knife is not intended to be left soaking in water or run through the dishwasher. If you're okay with that, you simply cannot go wrong with this knife.

More Info on this Mac Superior Santoku Knife:

• Click here to find this knife on Amazon.com

MAC makes some incredible knives. They don't have the prominence or the marketing budget enjoyed by more well-known brands like Shun or Wusthof, but their knives are every bit as good.

The Superior series deserves the press it gets for being a great value, but the Professional knives are the ones that go toe-to-toe with the big boys and do quite well.

This MTH-80 is their flagship knife, the 8" Chef's knife that should be the bread-and-butter of any serious cook's kitchen.

The blade is one of the sharpest edges you'll ever encounter out of the box. It's made of a unique high-carbon alloy that includes molybdenum, vanadium and tungsten carbide.

Those ingredients allow it to be very hard and, as a result, very sharp. They also help it retain its edge and provide stain-resistance.

This knife is not meant to be left soaking in water, nor should it go through the dishwasher. If you're willing to put up with that minor inconvenience, then prepare to be extremely happy with this knife.

More Info on this Mac Professional Chef's Knife:

• Click here to find this knife on Amazon.com

If you're looking for a set of inexpensive knives, these ones from KitchenAid are a good, but not great choice.

If you've read our Guide to Buying Kitchen Knives, you know that we advocate buying a small set of high-quality knives instead of a larger set like this one.

You'll get fewer knives if you go that route, but they will be better quality. The Forschner essential knife set, for example, will be sharper than these ones from KitchenAid and will hold their edges better.

However, if you must have a larger set of knives, and you want a matching set with a matching block, and you want to keep the cost down as much as possible, the KitchenAid set is a fine choice.

The knives feature high-carbon stainless steel blades that are well balanced and feel comfortable in the hand.

Customers rave about their sharpness and their feel. They also remind you that these knives shouldn't be put in the dishwasher or they will stain, regardless of what the manufacturer says.

More Info on this KitchenAid Knife Set:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

Find KitchenAid Knife Sets on eBay:

Kitchenaid 14 Pc Fine Edge Cutlery Knife Set Bonus US $74.99   Auction Ends: 28d 11h 37m Make it yours...

KitchenAid Tangerine Orange set of 3 Knives New RARE US $75.00   Auction Ends: 24d 2h 27m Make it yours...

KitchenAid 5 pc Knife Set w Block Pink Cutlery Gadgets US $69.99   Auction Ends: 22d 21h 55m Make it yours...

Note that this is NOT the Henckels International Everedge 13 Piece Knife Set. No, this is the Henckels International Everedge PLUS 13 Piece Knife Set.

So what's the "Plus" for? One word... Carbon. These knives are high-carbon, the set without the "Plus" is not. Carbon is nice to have in a knife. It helps the knife retain a sharp edge. The downside is that high-carbon knives will stain if you leave them in water.

So if you want to soak your knives, get the set without the "plus". If you want a sharper edge, go with this one.

I can't give these knives a top recommendation. They're not terrible, and they're quite inexpensive. But you can get better quality knives for just a little bit more money. I recommend you check out the three essential Forschner Fibrox Knives and then add an inexpensive set of steak knives. True, you don't get as many knives and you don't get a block, but they'll be better in the long run.

If you're dead set on getting a dirt-cheap 13 piece set with matching block, the Henckels are not a bad bet at all. How's that for a ringing endorsement?

More Info on this Henckels Everedge Plus Knife Set:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

Find this Henckels Knife Set on eBay:

Henckels International Everedge Plus 13 Piece Block Set US $49.95   Auction Ends: 21d 11h 43m Make it yours...

JA Henckels intl Everedge Plus 13 Piece Block Set US $74.96   Auction Ends: 2h 23m Make it yours...

JA Henckels Everedge Plus 13 pc Knife Block Set NEW US $29.99   0 Bid Auction Ends: 2d 16h 6m Make it yours...

Every kitchen needs a good pair of kitchen shears. With OXO, known for their comfortable grips and effortless utility, a good pair becomes a great value.

These scissors have a few unique features that set it apart.

First of all, the scissor blades are micro-serrated. This allows for a more precise cut, as well as a secure grip and less slipping. Plus, they're made from hardened stainless steel, so they'll withstand aggressive cutting jobs.

Secondly, the shears come with a handy herb stripper between the grip. It's intended to quickly remove fresh herbs from difficult stems.

Also, as with any OXO product, you've got the comfortable Good Grips handles on your side. They're designed to minimize pressure and cushion your grip so your hands don't hurt after spending all day in the kitchen.

Compare these shears to the Wusthof Come Apart Shears we reviewed recently. Those have a jar opener instead of an herb scissors and are about five bucks more expensive than the Oxo.

You really should wash these Oxo scissors by hand and not throw them in the dishwasher. If that's okay with you, these are a very good value.

More Info on these Oxo Kitchen Scissors:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

Thought all bread knives are basically the same? Compare this Henckels bread knife to the MAC SB-105 Bread Knife and you'll see that they're not.

This knife is made from a lower-quality steel, has a shorter blade and cannot easily be resharpened. Those are some of the reasons we called the MAC "the ultimate bread knife".

And they're nice features, no doubt. But this Henckel's bread knife has a few things going for it as well.

For one thing, the offset handle gets your hand out of the way when slicing a crusty bread. That allows you to use the entire blade when slicing.

This knife is also very sharp out of the box, and not overly expensive. So, while it might not be "the ultimate bread knife", it's a pretty darn good value.

More Info on this Henckels Bread Knife:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

OXO's mandoline is a love-it or hate-it proposition.

Take Cooks Illustrated, for example. They loved it. They gave it their top rating in a recent review. It outranked spendier models from elite kitchen gadget brands.

But several buyers of this mandoline have spoken up and said it's really not all that great. Check the reviews on Amazon and you'll see what I mean.

So what is the truth? It's probably somewhere in between. If you've got some patience, are willing to read a manual and practice a bit with your new gadget, you'll probably find this Mandoline to be a deal at just forty bucks.

But if you're looking for something that's going to cut all types of veggies with the same pressure and motion, and you want it to be easy to clean and to feel rugged and solid, this may not be the unit for you.

We've also reviewed the Zyliss Easy Slicer 2, which gets more love from Amazon customers. You may want to check that out as an alternative to the OXO.

More Info on this Oxo Mandoline:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

Find this mandoline on eBay:

OXO Mandoline Slicer US $.99   1 Bid Auction Ends: 20h 24m Make it yours...

NEW OXO GOOD GRIPS MANDOLINE SLICER US $44.99   0 Bid Auction Ends: 1d 36m Make it yours...

OXO V BLADE MANDOLINE SLICER BRAND NEW US $39.99   Auction Ends: 1d 50m Make it yours...