Henckels Four Star Knife Set---I Give It Five Stars!
Written: Jan 19 '03
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Pros: Sharp knives, look nice, bonded handles, block has room to expand
Cons: None, you get what you pay for!
The Bottom Line: Everyone needs a good set of knives. Don't waste money on imitations, this is the set for you!
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| merlot's Full Review: Henckels Four Star Knife Set |
Many years ago for Christmas I received a knife set. It wasn't the fanciest of knife sets but it seemed to work well. Or so I thought! I always knew I was a good cook, but cutting with knives wasn't really my specialty, I figured I was just lame with a knife.
I started cooking more at my mother in laws house and was always impressed with her knives. For the last couple of years I have been telling my husband that I want new knives, good knives. Then this past year at Thanksgiving while at his aunts house I had the opportunity to use the J.A. Henckels knives. I was sold. My mom asked me the next day what I wanted for Christmas. "Good Knives" I told her. "Like Henckles?" she replied. Exactly.
Then I happened to see an ad for Henckels knives in the Sunday paper. I had no idea they were that expensive. I told my husband that I was a little disappointed I really wanted those knives but didn't want my mom to spend that kind of money on me for Christmas. I called my mom and gave her some other choices for Christmas gifts to get me.
Imagine my surprise on Christmas morning. I thought I was done opening gifts from my mom. She got me some really great Yankee candle stuff but she saved the best for last. The J.A. Henckels Four Star Knife Set. It's been a few weeks now and I am totally and completely impressed with this set.
J.A. Henckels Four Star Knife Set is a 7 piece set that comes with a very nice oak block for storing the knives. The block with the knives looks very nice on my counter. I prefer the knives in the block as opposed to the drawers because I don't want little childrens hands fishing around in a drawer with sharp knives. In addition to the block, the set comes with:
3" Paring Knife
5" Utility/Serrated Knife
6" Utility Knife
8" Chef's Knife
Kitchen Shears
Sharpening Steel
The benefits of this set (as listed on the box) are as follows:
•Manufactured with the exclusive Henckels SCT Technology (Sintermetal Component Technology) which means they are sharper and stay sharper longer, they have a more consistent blade angle, and improved resistance to corrosion and pitting.
•High Carbon No Stain Steel
•Ice-Hardened
•Precision Honed
•Laser Controlled Edge
•Balanced Super-bolster
•Full Rat Tail Tang
•Polypropylene handles permanently bonded for seamless accuracy and no gaps
•Sanitizable, hygienic, breakproof, colorfast
•Dishwasher safe
•Fully guaranteed against defects in material and/or craftsmanship
Yeah, I know most of that means nothing to you, me either. What I can tell you is that these knives are sharp. I will go into that more later. The handles are comfortable in my hand, they look nice and I really like that they are permanently bonded. Previous knives I have had had a wood handle, the knife blade was in the handle and after years of use it had come loose on a few knives rendering them useless. That won't happen with these knives.
So, now you know the features but how do they work? These knives are awesome! I knew the first time I used them while cutting a radish that these were going to be my new favorite kitchen tool. While cutting the radish I was able to hold it in one hand and make nice thin slices almost to the opposite end. The radish wasn't flying all over the place like would happen with my old, icky knives.
To show my mom my appreciation I did a little comparison while she was here after Christmas. I took my new knife and was cutting a Hickory Farms Beef Log. I was making nice even slices, until I got my old knives out. The knife was sliding off the top of the beef log and making it difficult to cut.
Some things to remember, while these are stainless steel they can stain if not properly cared for. If you cut anything that is acidic you need to wash the knife immediately or it will tarnish. While the box claims they are dishwasher safe, the care instructions caution against putting knives in the dishwasher, as banging into the other cutlery, pots, or pans can nick the blade edges.
These knives come with a sharpening steel. While I have had my knives only a short time I have not had to sharpen them yet. They recommend sharpening about once/year depending on use. There are some Supermarkets that run knife sharpening specials throughout the year. I highly recommend taking advantage of these specials to keep your knives sharp. Often they will sharpen them for free. My mother-in-law takes them to a booth at the fairgrounds once/year and gets her knives sharpened for $1/each. That's a bargain!
The knives come with an oak block that has slots for 9 knives and one pair of kitchen shears. Since there are 4 knives and the sharpening tool in this set, it leaves room for a few more knives. The slots are long enough to accomodate a variety of knives.
I can tell from using my knives since Christmas that this is a set that will last a long time if cared for properly. I love that the block has extra slots so that I can add other Henckels knives as I purchase them. I will need more because the one Utility Knife is just not enough for me, I need at least 3 of these.
I highly recommend a good knife set. This is one of the finest you can buy. It retails for about $300 and to be honest I have no clue what my mom paid. I have seen this set for about $150 and I am hoping my mom didn't pay much more than that. I highly recommend the J.A. Henckels Four Star Knife Set. It's a set that will last a long time and will impress you as well as look nice!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 199.99
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merlot
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Location: Californina
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