JA Henckels - German Steel Meets Kai Shun Japanese Artistry

The current centers of fine cutlery and chef knife manufacturing all have one very important thing in common. That is a long history in the art of steel manufacture and they were all centers for their individual countries in the sword making trade. In more recent times these "sword centers" have become "personal grooming" centers as well.

There are many "centers" in several countries; Thiers in France, Scheffield in England and Toledo in Spain are good examples. The two giants in the industry today are Solingen in Germany and Seki in Japan. These two cities host a myriad of knife brands and are home to razor, personal grooming and scissor companies as well.

In Germany several companies the city of Solingen is home to several world famous companies. JA Henckels, Wustoff, Dovo, Boeker, FDick, and Victorinox are all companies of international repute. Many of these companies are directly associated with sword making going back for centuries.

In Seki you will find a similar situation; its craftsmen's centuries old association with the famous "Samurai" sword. When swords were outlawed in 1876 the local smith's turned to cutlery and began producing kitchen knives. Today some of the industry leaders from are Kai, Mac, Kasumi, Kanetsume, Global and a host of American companies whose knives are also made here.

One of the largest companies in Seki is the Kai group. It began in 1908 as a small manufacturer of pocket knives. Along the way it got involved in razor's and personal grooming. Today there are several divisions and it is a giant in the fine kitchen cutlery and chef knife department. Interestingly in 1980 they established a division in Solingen Germany.

JA Henckels, the famous German company of "Twins" fame returned the favor by establishing the Miyabi company in Seki in 2004. Their Japanese line of knives melds the best of German steel making with the beauty and grace of Japanese artistry. The steel smiths of Seki have taken their steel making to an art form, producing much harder steels than their German cousins.

Which is better? There is a trade-off, the high end German made and Japanese chef knives are both beautiful. Both arrive from the factory with very sharp blades. Over time the softer steel knives will dull more quickly than their harder counterparts.

The kicker is this, to sharpen a German steel, 20 degree beveled, knife requires much less effort. Five minutes on a 1000 grit stone, a steel and maybe a strop and you are back in business. Versus the very hard Japanese steel 15 degree beveled, which requires the 1000 grit stone and then a 6000 grit water stone to fine polish the edge and restore its' narrower edge. A professional can do this quickly, an amateur can easily make the knife duller than it was. In fact, most of the Japanese companies recommend that the knife be returned for factory sharpening.

This has been simplified a bit as there are certainly many knives from both Seki and Solingen made with harder and softer steels. Today more than ever before there is so much science an technology in developing steels that each company works to develop the very best product the consumer can buy.

The JA Henckels Professional, the Henckels Miyabi 5000 and 7000 lines and the Kai Shun Classic and Collectors knives are all equally pleasing to my eye. Which one should you get is going to depend more on your taste. With either decision you will indeed get a very high quality set.

Michael Brown, blogs about having fun in the kitchen with emphasis on the chef's knives and gadgets toolbox. Tips and techniques for creating garnishes and making food look pretty. The Cutting Edge Blog at http://greatcookingtoday.com/ A long time chef he loves to share his knowledge about his craft and presenting food in an eye appealing manner.

Top Rated Kitchen Knives Include Wusthof, Henckels, and Forschner Knives

Every day, thousands of people search the Internet looking for guidance on purchasing the best kitchen knives and cooking knives. There are a variety of criteria you can use to determine what would be the best kitchen or chef's knives for your budget and purposes; but, one of the best places to start is with expert and consumer reviews. Generally, you can't go too far wrong if you purchase your kitchen knives from a reputable brand, such as Forschner, Dexter, JA Henckels, or Wusthof kitchen knives; but reading objective evaluations from other consumers and experts, can be extremely helpful.

Buying the right kitchen knife actually involves a lot of different decisions, not the least of which is choosing between a cooking knife that is "forged" versus one that is "stamped". If price is no object, then a forged knife would probably be the preferred choice. Forged chefs knives are generally considered sturdier than stamped knives, but the question is -- are they always worth the extra money? The answer is a definitive, "not always". According to Consumer Reports, "Although the top-rated knives are forged, stamped knives are capable of very good performance." The non-profit consumer education organization points out that stamped knives do not have a bolster and a heel, which do add value to the user experience; but those features probably wouldn't be missed by most people. Visit their web site for a good "crash course" in understanding knife terminology and tips on efficient use and care of kitchen knives.

The four types of knives that Consumer Reports recommends having on hand in a well-equipped home kitchen are a chef's knife, a slicer, a utility knife, and a parer. For home chefs who like to have a kitchen knife for every purpose, there are specialty food preparation knives made for virtually every task in the kitchen. For example, in addition to the multi-purpose chef's knife and carving knife, you can also buy kitchen knives specifically designed for slicing bread, cheese, ham, or fish (fillet knives). There are also shell fish knives, which are more commonly referred to as "clam knives", "oyster knives", or "scallop knives". For cooks looking for a multi-purpose kitchen knife that slices, dices, and minces, a Santuko knife might be a the perfect supplement to a home cutlery supply.

As far as top brand names for the best chef knives and kitchen knives, the Wusthof classic seemed to be the favorite of expert reviewers, although the RH Forschner by Victorinox Fibrox was deemed the best budget knife set. Among the runners up for best kitchen knives were the Henckels Twin Professional "S" and the Henckels Four Star. Henckels Four Star series is one of the most popular lines of kitchen knives on the market, and includes a wide range of carvers, cleavers, boning knives, peeling knives, and steak knives. The Henckels Pro S series also features virtually every kitchen knife imaginable, including sandwich knives, fillet knives, flexible slicers, hollow edge slicers, and serrated utility knives.

It pays to read kitchen knives reviews, like the ones online at ConsumerSearch.com, but if you stick with well-known brand names, such as Victorinox, Forschner, Henckels knives, and Wusthof, you will rarely be disappointed.

About the author: Joel Sussman is marketing specialist with Mountain Media, providing ecommerce services to websites, such as CulteryMania.com, an online source for Forschner kitchen knives, Dexter, Henckels knives, and other name kitchen cutlery.

Kitchen Knife Brands: Spyderco, Victorinox, Arthur Price, Sabatier, Cutco, Ginsu, J. A. Henckels, Wüsthof, Füritechnics, Global

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