My husband and I received an Oxo Offset Bread Knife as a wedding present several years ago. We already had a Henckels serrated bread knife, so we weren't sure we would use the new Oxo knife. But it quickly became our preferred serrated knife around the kitchen.

Like the entire line of Oxo Good Grips products, the Offset Bread Knife was designed with ergonomics in mind. The handle is nicely rounded and made of a material that gives slightly, for a comfortable grip. The blade balances nicely in the hand, having a full tang blade. That means that the knife is formed with one continuous piece of metal that extends from the tip of the blade to the end of the handle. This comfort in the hand is particularly important for us, because the knife gets quite a workout in our home. I make almost all our bread from scratch and we must slice it ourselves. Actually, even when we were buying bread, we always bought whole loaves and sliced them up as we needed to. The crusty loaves of bread we like provide some resistance to cutting, so a bad bread knife wouldn't do for us. The Oxo knife has performed very well in our home.

The distinguishing feature of this knife is the offset. The blade does not extend out in a straight line from the handle, but instead takes a little jog downward, so that the cutting edge is lower than the handle. This allows the user to hold cut straight down and completely through bread while keeping the knife parallel to the counter top. In other words, I can rest the knife with the blade touching the counter, and still have plenty of room for my fingers to wrap around the underside of the handle. This makes cutting bread significantly easier than with straight bread knives. As good as the Henckels bread knife was, I often found myself tilting the loaf of bread up off the counter so that it was easier to cut through it. The Oxo knife lets me keep the bread stable, allowing for greater safety.

Another aspect of this knife that makes for better safety is the very small amount of flex in the blade. There are only a few special kinds of kitchen knives that should have flexible blades. In most cases, a thin and flexible blade is dangerous, because if it is not sharp or strong enough to do its job, the user will usually apply more force. And thin, flexible blades under a lot of force have a nasty way of twisting out of control. This is especially important with serrated knives, which will cause much more damage than a straight blade if you accidentally cut yourself with one. The Oxo Offset Bread Knife is sturdy and bends very little indeed from side to side, making it safer even when slicing through thick bread crusts that take some effort to cut.

This knife is apparently not dishwasher safe. This isn't a big deal for us for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we're used to washing many of our knives by hand. Secondly, a bread knife doesn't get dirty all that quickly. Unless I've prepared a bread that contains cheese or olive oil, or other ingredients, the knife just isn't dirty after using it once or twice. Bread is a pretty clean material that actually seems to scrub the knife clean as it cuts through the loaf. We wash the knife about once a week unless it needs it sooner.

Our Oxo Offset Bread Knife has retained its sharpness very well over the years, without ever being sharpened. Serrated knives are a hassle to sharpen, though it can be done with the proper tools. This is a good reason to reserve a bread knife for cutting bread alone. Keeping the blade protected by storing the knife on a Magnagrip holder also helps retain the sharpness. We don't use a knife block in our kitchen. Those who like knife blocks may find it difficult to fit the Oxo Offset Bread Knife into a block, because of the angle of the offset. But as I said, we don't use a block, so I can't be certain.

The best way of judging some kitchen tools is by whether or not you give them any particular thought. We don't think much about our Offset Bread Knife because it never gives us any reason to think about it or to find fault with it. It just does its job well. I like our knife and I would be perfectly willing to recommend it to anyone looking for a good bread knife.

Some of my other favorite kitchen tools:

• Oxo Good Grips Kitchen Tongs - sturdy and safe to use with non-stick pans
• Swing Away Can Opener - the one I kept after trying all the others
• Taylor Instant Read Pocket Thermometer - the most necessary tool for cooking roasts of any kind
• KitchenAid Professional Standing Mixer - a versatile, high-performing, and durable cornerstone of my kitchen
• KitchenAid Santoku knife - a nice intersection of a chef's knife and a utility knife
• Cuisinart Mini-Mate Food Processor - grind those spices or make pesto in a trice
• Endurance Precision Pierced Colander - drains like a dream, and made of stainless steel
• Black & Decker Rice & Vegetable Steamer - takes a licking, keeps on ticking
• Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven - ideal for stews and no knead bread
• Bron Mandoline Slicer - the Cadillac of the kitchen
• Magnabar Knife Holder - extra storage space for my best kitchen tools




Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): gift