Kitchen Knives Reviews

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Kitchen Knives Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Kitchen Knives Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	The $90 Chefs Knife Meets the $30 Upstart Editors of Cook's Illustrated Updated Jan. 2007		This article does a great job of thoroughly discussing one of the most fundamental tools for cooking – the chef's knife. All comers are evaluated on cutting ability, blade shape and sharpness, weight, and handle comfort. Editors also make a point of noting that despite common assumptions such as the notion that forged knives are best, personal preferences amongst those handling and testing knives can vary dramatically from person to person. Excellent knives are listed in many different categories -- expensive, inexpensive, forged, etc.
2. Cook's Country >> Details/Subscribe	Inexpensive Chef's Knives Editors of Cook's Country Sept. 2005		Cook's Country is a spin-off of Cook's Illustrated, and though Cook's Country is not available online, some of its test reports are archived on the Cook's Illustrated website. In this detailed, critical test, knives are rated on their ability to chop vegetables and chicken, slice butternut squash and chop parsley. Knives are also evaluated on balance, strength, precision and overall feel. Choosing the best 8-inch chef's knife from among the nine tested models was an easy decision; the Forschner Victorinox Fibrox gets the highest rating and is the best value. The Wusthof Gourmet and MAC Chef's Series knives were also good, but they didn’t equal the Forschners in testing.
3. Consumer Reports >> Details/Subscribe	Kitchen knives: Cutting-edge performance Editors of Consumer Reports Nov. 2005		More than three dozen knife sets are tested by Consumer Reports' editors, including sets made by Wusthof, Henckels and Cutco. Generally, the higher-end sets are rated better in tests that include the level of care required to keep the knives honed, comfort, performance and, of course, price. The article also provides a helpful graphic showing all the parts of a knife.

Kitchen Knives Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Kitchen Knives Ratings Comments on Reviews

4. New York Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	The Subtle Knife Gillian Duffy May 22, 2006		Chef Masayoshi "Masa" Takayama rates the expanding range of available santoku knives. The Shun Classic wins with its excellent layered steel. Of the ten tested knives, the Rachel Ray Furi CoppertaiI comes in last, after Takayama says its balance is off. Testing methods are not discussed, but the prestige of the chef lends a great deal of credibility.
5. The Wall Street Journal >> Details/Subscribe	Making the Cut Kelly Crow July 1, 2005		Five santoku knives are tested here by two chefs. Knives are rated on their ability to slice tomatoes, peppers, onions and fish. Though the Global is the "sexiest" looking, its handle is deemed too slippery. The Henckels Four-Star "dragged" through tomatoes. The Wusthof Classic, with a Granton edge, is rated the best value, and the Kershaw Shun Classic, with a uniquely shaped handle, gets the highest overall rating.

Kitchen Knives Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Kitchen Knives Ratings Comments on Reviews

6. Fine Cooking >> Details/Subscribe	A chef's knife is your most valuable kitchen companion Maryellen Driscoll Oct./Nov. 2005		This review is notable for its good buyer's guide on the anatomy of a chef's knife. Shoppers are advised to test as many knives as possible to find a good fit. Twenty-five forged knives are tested by chopping veggies, but no two testers choose the same five favorites. The magazine lists four favored knives (Chef's Choice Trizor Professional, Friedrich Dick Premier Plus, Messermeister Meridian and Wusthof-Trident Classic), but there are no overall ratings. The other knives tested are not identified. Some Japanese knives are also listed, though we don't know how many were actually tested. The Calphalon Katana, Chroma Type 301, Global and Kershaw Shun Classic are highlighted, but not rated.
7. Which? Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Kitchen Knives Editors of Which? Feb. 2003		Which? is England's answer to Consumer Reports, and testing appears just as thorough. In addition to an outside laboratory, four men, four women and four people with arthritis or other gripping problems were enlisted to test knives. Of the 20 chef's knives tested, about half are not available in the United States, but the two highest-rated models -- the Victorinox Fibrox and the Global G-2 chef's knives -- are easy to find in the U.S. Along with ratings, a buyer's guide and a maintenance guide are included. This article's age keeps it from ranking higher in our chart.
8. Choice.com.au >> Details/Subscribe	Cook's Knives Editors of Choice.com.au June 2004		Choice is the Australian equivalent to Consumer Reports, with similar testing methodology. Both this magazine and Which? have extensive use and care guides for kitchen knives. Male and female chefs, as well as a laboratory, test 18 fine-edged chef's knives. The Global G-2 gets the highest overall rating, though some male testers found the handle a bit short. The Wusthof Classic also receives good scores, though men thought the blade could be beefier. The Mundial 5110-8 ZT and Victorinox Fibrox knives round out the top four. This report is now three years old; we hope to see an update.
9. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	Do You Really Need a Santoku Knife? Editors of Cook's Illustrated July 2004		Recent buzz regarding santoku knives prompts Cook's Illustrated to test ten models against their favorite chef's knife (a Forshner Victorinox). While editors conclude that chef's knives are still more versatile and perform better with tougher jobs (such as cutting bone), they agree that santoku knives can be nice for precision work, such as thinly sliced vegetables. The MAC Superior Santoku is "heartily" recommended as a supplement to -- but not a replacement for -- a traditional chef's knife. The Kershaw Shun santoku knife is also rated better than others. In a related article, editors don't like santoku knives with a Granton (hollow) edge.
10. SmartMoney.com >> Details/Subscribe	Making the Cut Renee DeFranco Nov. 2006		This article offers a business savvy introduction to the $212 million knife industry. For this series of reviews, 8- to 11-piece block sets were tested at New York's Institute of Culinary Education by chef-instructor Sabrina Sexton. Exact testing isn't explicitly revealed in the article. The expensive Furi Pro Ultra (est. $500) is given high marks for pricing and ease of use, while Wusthof Classic Set (est. $300) receives less favorable reactions.
11. Cuisine >> Details/Subscribe	Paring Knives Editors at Cuisine At Home Apr. 2006		A very basic discussion of paring knives is presented here. Although recommendations are made, testing methodology isn't specifically noted. Furthermore, the author isn't identified, so we're not really sure who's doing the testing. At the high end, the Kershaw Shun Classic paring knife gets good marks for ease of use and quality. An inexpensive Victorinox knife is also noted as a good value.
12. GQ Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Knives Out Kevin Sintumuang Sept. 2003		Five models are featured here as tested by GQ staff and by chef Wylie Dufresne of New York's wd-50 restaurant. Aside from the usual garlic dicing, tomato slicing and meat-cutting tests, knives are dropped from a six-story building and wielded at airborne pineapples. Although knives are not ranked, the Wusthof Culinar and Henckels Five Star get glowing praise. The Kyocera Kyotop is said to be too fragile. The Global Heavyweight takes some knocks from Dufresne, who says it isn't well balanced and doesn't hold an edge long enough. The Cutco Petite Chef is good, but feels "factory manufactured." Dufresne says the Cutco knives are dull.
13. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	Illustrated Guide to Kitchen Knives Editors of Cook's Illustrated July & Aug. 2006		This article is a very useful guide for first-time knife buyers because of the illustrations used to show the parts of the knives as well as the careful listing of fundamental considerations when purchasing different types of knives. Reviews are not published here, but they are included elsewhere on the Cook's Illustrated website.
14. Kiplinger Personal Finance >> Details/Subscribe	The Kindest Cutlery Jane Bennett Clark Feb. 2003		Along with general buying advice, Chef Wayne Nish dishes up some more specific preferences among knives. Nish prefers Wusthof Classic and Grand Prix knives for the most part, but he also admires the Victorinox Fibrox stamped series, which he says "appear to be designed by chefs for chefs." Global knives make good slicers, says Nish, because of their thin blades.

Kitchen Knives Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Kitchen Knives Ratings Comments on Reviews

15. Bon Appetit >> Details/Subscribe	Leading Edge Dorie Greenspan Feb. 2006		Here specialty knives are given some discussion. Detailed tests aren't done, so much as new trends in knives are revealed. Not much attention is paid to the pricing of the knives in this high-end round up, but the Furi FX 8-inch East/West Knife (est. $100) is given high marks for being fun to use.
16. About.com	Your First Kitchen Knives Dan Mifflin Not Dated		This short buyer's guide discusses various types of knives, offering suggestions for which shapes you should consider as the basis for your knife collection. No testing is mentioned, and no kitchen knives are recommended at About.com.
17. Good Housekeeping.com >> Details/Subscribe	Infomercial Tests Editors of Good Housekeeping Not Dated		The Good Housekeeping Institute does yearly roundups of stuff sold on TV, including (in separate reviews) Showtime Six Star knives and the Miracle Blade III. The verdict? The Showtime is a hit with home cooks, who say it slices well and is priced right. Professional chefs felt the knives could have better balance. The Miracle Blade III, on the other hand, got dull quickly and led to fatigue.
18. Amazon.com	Cutlery Contributors to Amazon.com As of Apr. 2007		There are a large number of owner-written reviews to be found at Amazon.com. Unfortunately, they are not well organized. Knives are mixed in with sharpeners and cutting boards, and you have to click several times to get to the reviews. Most of the average ratings are in the same range of good-to-excellent, so you only start to get an idea of performance by reading individual reviews. We used the owner ratings at Amazon.com to corroborate picks made in professional reviews.
19. Newsweek >> Details/Subscribe	Sharp as a … Tile? Tara Weingarten Feb. 14, 2005		This short article only covers ceramic knives, which Tara Weingarten says are stronger and stay sharper than steel. No testing is referenced, and none of the knives are rated. We found it odd that the writer does not mention the fragility of ceramic cutlery compared to steel. Kyocera, Summit and URI Eagle are said to be worth a look.
20. Money.com >> Details/Subscribe	Cutting Edges Amy Wilson Oct. 2003		Along with general advice (avoid buying sets, stick with forged blades), a few of "our picks" are listed here. No testing details are provided, however, and there's no critical information, just cursory recommendations for a Kershaw Shun Santoku knife, Wusthof bread and chef's knives, and a Henckels paring knife.
21. Kiplinger Personal Finance >> Details/Subscribe	From Soup to Knives Katy Marquardt May 1, 2005		In this short article, Chef Cate Cora, host of the Food Network's "Kitchen Accomplished" recommends three kitchen must-haves. Rather than buy a fancy knife set, Cora recommends going with a single, good quality chef's knife. Cora likes Global and Henckels knives. No testing or ratings are included here.
22. Epinions	Cutlery Contributors to Epinions As of Apr. 2007		While Amazon offers a significantly greater number of reviews, reviews at Epinions are easier to navigate. This is the best place to find comments for Cutco knife sets. Several of the owners mention family members persuading them to spend the money on these pricey sets, and most seem happy with the overall performance of the knives.