Getting a Good Comfortable Grip on my Kitchen Knives!
Written: Jul 11 '07 (Updated Aug 09 '07)
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Pros: versatility in the knives provided, sharp no-stain blades, comfort grip handles, excellent knife block
Cons: knives must be hand washed (but I wash my knives by hand anyway)
The Bottom Line: An excellent knife set for you or as a gift. I've written detailed reviews about each of the knives.
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| dlstewart's Full Review: Oxo Good Grips 14-Piece Professional Knife Set |
The time had come for a new knife set. I read reviews, did my homework, and my final decision came down to an impulse buy. Sometimes life just works that way! My impulse purchase of the Oxo Good Grips 14-Piece Professional Knife Block Set proved to be a great one.
Description
This knife set comes in a sturdy cardboard carton with the knives and wooden knife block well protected. It was almost like a puzzle pulling the individual pieces from the larger carton.
The Oxo Professional Knife Series features sharp, stainless steel blades that are hardened for strength. The blades are “no-stain” so that food stains do not adhere to them. Each knife has a full tang to ensure proper balance. The knives also have the soft, non-slip comfort grips for which Oxo is known.
I have been using this set for about a year and have been writing reviews of the individual knives. At the bottom of this review, I have included a link to each knife review so that, if you wish, you can read more detail of the pieces and how they have performed.
This set comes with:
Knife Block – Constructed from hardwood with a natural finish, this knife block has 8 slots for knives plus one for the sharpening steel. There are also six slots for the steak knives, and a larger hole for an unidentified piece of equipment. The knife block measures 9" high x 5 3/4" wide x 10 3/4" deep. It has a silver oval medallion on the front with the Oxo name.
Paring Knife 3 1/2" – Used for peeling and paring fruits and vegetables
Santoku Knife 4" – A “mini” Santoku blade for chopping and scooping
Utility Knife 5" (serrated) – Great all-purpose knife that Oxo says is ideal for slicing tomatoes and citrus fruit skins without crushing
Slicing Knife 8" – Perfect for slicing meat and poultry
Chef Knife 8" – A large blade for chopping, mincing, dicing and scooping
Bread Knife 8" (serrated) – Great for slicing breads, and Oxo says it also slices large melons
Steak Knives (6) – These knives are for slicing steak and poultry
Professional Sharpening Steel – Oxo recommends this for sharpening their Professional cutlery. A small set of instructions come with the set on how to use this honing tool.
My Experiences
I love this knife set! At first I wasn’t sure how the black rubberized comfort grip handles on the knives would hold up to use. I was especially worried that I would accidentally slice the grips with a knife blade. However, thankfully, that has not happened. The non-slip grips live up to their name. These knives are easy to handle, and don’t slip in my hand. The handles are comfortable, too.
This is a beautiful knife block. So many times I have seen knife blocks where the wood is rough or even gouged. This knife block is sanded smooth and looks great.
This knife set provided an introduction to my first Santoku knife. I had seen them used on cooking shows, but never thought I would own one. This Santoku knife is wonderful, and is excellent at cutting vegetables. I can’t believe how sharp the blade it is. Be very careful using it!!!!! My mother almost sliced her finger off using this knife (no exaggeration). And even though I am very, very careful when using this blade, I once cut my hand. I have a deep respect for this sharp knife blade.
I use all of these knives. It’s a great set with a nice knife variety. The steak knives are handy, too.
Even though I already owned several sets of steak knives, I was glad this set came with six of them to match the other knives. The steak knives look great on the table, and they cut well. If I had one thing to pick on, it would be that the first thing I noticed was how thin and flexible the blade was when compared to other steak knives I have used. I prefer a steak knife have a rigid blade. Another picky thing is that all the other knives that came in this set have a nice silver oval with the Oxo name at the end of the knife handle. Yet the steak knives do not. The end of each knife handle is covered in the black no-slip comfort grip material.
The “no-stain” blades live up to their name. I have used these knives on tomatoes, onions, carrots, cucumber, peppers, rhubarb, turnip, celery, apples, melons, squash, cheese, poultry, beef and fish ... just to name a few foods. I have also sliced a variety of breads and sandwiches using the serrated blades and have been very pleased at the results. The blades have never stained. The waxy coating on turnip has come off on the blades, but with a bit of scrubbing has cleaned off fine.
Remember the odd sized hole in the knife block that I mentioned earlier. I decided that this hole would perfectly accommodate a pair of kitchen scissors. I happened to have a few pairs of scissors in my kitchen drawer and picked a pair that looks great with this set. The scissors sit nicely in this hole, and it’s a convenience having them there. I’m surprised Oxo didn’t provide a pair of scissors to go with this set.
The knife block has slots for eight knives, yet the set only came with six (not counting the steak knives or sharpening steel). That left two open knife slots. Since the set came with a tri-fold brochure of the complete Professional Series line, I had the opportunity to select which two additional knives I wanted to purchase to round out my set. I chose the 6" Utility/Slicing Knife and the 5" Boning Knife.
Other Knives in the Oxo Professional Series
The Oxo website sells the above knives individually, and they also offer additional knives in the Professional Series. These knives include:
Paring Knife 4" – A slightly larger version of the paring knife that comes with this set
Boning Knife 5" – Recommended for removing bones and trimming fat from meat and poultry
Utility/Slicing Knife 6" – Unlike the utility knife above, this does not have a serrated blade. It can be used for slicing and cutting sandwiches, vegetables, etc.
Chef Knife 6" – A smaller version of the Chef Knife in this set
Santoku Knife 6 1/2“ – Oxo describes this as an Asian version of the Chef Knife. It is larger than the Santoku knife that comes with this set.
Cleaning & Care of the Knives
These Oxo knives are not dishwasher safe. The instructions that came with the set say to hand wash the knives and then to promptly dry them. I use Dawn dishwashing liquid in warm water and then immediately (and carefully) dry each knife with a paper towel.
I store these knife in the knife block that came with the set. This not only protects the knife blades but is also a safe way to store knives so that there are no accidents.
The instructions recommend that the sharpening steel be used to hone the knives after each use. I have not done this, and the knives remain incredibly sharp.
Purchasing
I bought this knife set at my local Kohl’s store. The sticker on the box says $169.99. On sale it cost $99.99. At the time I bought them, there was also a $20 rebate. (Note: The Oxo website retails this set for $99.99.)
Summary
I would purchase this Oxo Good Grips Professional Knife Block Set again and highly recommend it. If I needed a nice gift, I would definitely consider this knife set. The knives are sharp, look great on the counter, and I love the comfort grip handles. It’s a winner!
I hope you found this review useful.
Enjoy the day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Please read my other reviews:
Paring Knife – Oxo Good Grips Professional Series
Santoku Knife – Oxo Good Grips Professional Series
Utility Knife (serrated edge) – Oxo Good Grips Professional Series
Slicing/Carving Knife – Oxo Good Grips Professional Series
Chef Knife – Oxo Good Grips Professional Series
Bread Knife (serrated edge) – Oxo Good Grips Professional Series
Boning Knife – Oxo Good Grips Professional Series
Steak Knives – Oxo Good Grips Professional Series
Oxo Professional Sharpening Steel
Copyright 2007 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 79.99
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