Chef’s Choice 320 Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener

Amazon.com Review
When your favorite knives start squishing ripe tomatoes instead of slicing them, it's time to sharpen your blades. This knife sharpener is remarkably easy to use on both straight-edge and serrated knives. Simply plug it in, turn it on, and feed knife blades through the stages. The first sharpening stage uses 100 percent diamond abrasive disks to hone the knife's edge while the second stage incorporates polymer disks to polish and strop the edge to hairsplitting sharpness. Straight-edge knives should go through both stages, while serrated blades should only be used in the polishing stage. The internal elastomeric spring guides hold knife blades at just the right angle to the sharpening surfaces, making sharpening easy. The instructions are easy to follow, and maintenance is limited to removing the metal dust shavings from the clean-out tray once a year or so; no lubrication is necessary for the motor, bearings, or sharpening surfaces. Guaranteed (more...)

Shun 8-Inch Steel Chef’s Knife with Scallops

Amazon.com
Offering a graceful elegance, this 8-inch scalloped chef's knife from the Shun Steel line is made with a seamless, one-piece stainless-steel bolster, handle, and end cap. The workhorse of all knives, this chef's knife provides all-around versatility that's great for cleaning vegetables, mincing herbs and chopping meat. The blade is made from VG-10 steel with a high carbon content for a higher density. This allows the steel to be tempered to a Rockwell hardness of 61, and still have the flexibility and strength to take and keep a perfect edge. It's clad in layers of high-carbon stainless steel that protect the VG-10 and give the Shun its Damascus-look pattern, which also helps ensure that foods stick less during slicing and dicing--resulting in faster and easier food preparation. Shun knives rely on traditional Japanese construction methods, including a full composite tang, in order to ensure the best balance. The D-shape of the stainless steel handle is design (more...)

Shun Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

Amazon.com Review
Made from VG-10 stainless steel, Shun knives are specially constructed to be harder, less brittle, but also more flexible than traditional steel formulations. The VG-10 core is then clad with 16 full layers of SUS410 high-carbon stainless steel on each side, for a total of 33 layers. These layers not only protect the VG-10, they create an exquisitely-detailed surface reminiscent of Damascus or pattern-forged steel, the kind once used for Samurai swords. As a result, the knives are simply stunning to look at--much like antique Damascus knives but without their tendency to rust. As an additional benefit, the slight patterning helps slice rather than crush delicate foods and keeps cut food from sticking to the blade. The large 8-inch blade of this Shun chef's knife makes it ideal for versatile slicing, chopping, dicing, and more. Like many Asian-style knives, the knife's handle is especially suited to smaller users. In contrast to the traditional round pro (more...)

Oxo Good Grips Professional 8-Inch Chef Knife

Amazon.com
Ideal for any busy kitchen, this 8-inch chef's knife makes easy work of slicing, dicing, mincing, and chopping. The knife's wide surface allows for convenient scooping of vegetables, herbs, and more, while its sharp, stainless-steel full-tang blade provides proper balance and is stain-proof and hardened for strength. Oxo regularly wins design awards for its Good Grips utensils, which have black ergonomically correct rubber handles that are comfortable to use. The handle on the 8-inch chef's knife also provides that familiar nonslip, pressure-absorbing feel, whether wet or dry. It's contoured to fit the hand snugly while providing a safe, secure grip. This chef's knife carries a lifetime warranty and is dishwasher safe, but washing it by hand with warm, soapy water, and promptly drying is recommended.

OXO Good Grips Professional Cutlery features the perfect balance of professional quality cutting with soft, comfortable grip. Sharp, stainless steel blades (more...)

Chef’s Choice 120 Diamond Hone 3-Stage Professional Knife Sharpener

Amazon.com Review
It may seem like a contradiction, but sharp knives are the safest. With a clean edge, a knife is more predictable and easier to control. If you've purchased a top-of-the-line knife, maintaining the quality of the blade ensures maximum value from your investment. This Chef's Choice knife sharpener performs professional-quality sharpening on any knife, from gourmet knives to hunting knives--even serrated knives can be sharpened with this machine. For top-quality edges, there are two sharpening and honing stages, which use 100 percent diamond abrasives, and a final polishing stage. Each stage uses precision angle guides to create a unique Trizor-Plus edge for maximum sharpness and durability, while a magnetic pad collects residue so the machine is easy to clean and maintain. While a sharp knife is indeed a safe knife, it's wise to use caution with your newly sharpened knives, as they'll be sharper than you expect. --Laura Cuthbert From the Manufacturer For (more...)

October 2, 2009 | Filed Under Best Chef Knife | Leave a Comment

J.A. Henckels International Classic 8-Inch Stainless-Steel Chef’s Knife

Amazon.com Review
A good chef's knife becomes your daily kitchen companion. It's used for everything from prepping steaks for the grill to finely mincing onions, and chances are you'll reach for it every time you cook--so it better be good. This lower-priced line from Henckels is a great value: excellent quality knives with their standard lifetime warranty. There's good balance, and the handles are a shade heavier than other lines, which some cooks will prefer. The 8-inch blade length is the most practical for multipurpose use, and regular sharpening will keep the stainless-steel blade razor-sharp. It's only minimally flexible, which makes it a great choice for vegetables such as potatoes and turnips. While it's dishwasher-safe, unless it needs sanitizing after use with raw meat, it's often easier to hand wash. --Jill Lightner

Classic 31161-201 8" Chefs Knife

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Chef’s Choice Multi-Edge Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener

Amazon.com Review
Diamond abrasives in this tool actually sharpen a knife rather than simply realign its edges, as most sharpeners and sharpening steels do. For right-handers and left-handers alike, it's simplicity itself to use. Grasp the handle and draw a straight-edge blade back and forth through the stage 1 guide 25 to 50 times to coarsely bevel it. Then move the blade to the stage 2 guide and draw back and forth 10 times through finer diamond crystals for the second, fine-edged bevel. Serrated blades go only through stage 2. By turning, rollers demonstrate that a blade is properly straight so it is being beveled at the precise angle required. Lightweight but tough, the sharpener is formed of silver and black plastic. It's 6-1/2 inches by 2-1/4 inches, small enough to take on a camping or hunting trip. --Fred Brack

The Multi-edge is a breakthrough two-stage manual knife sharpener puts an excellent, longer lasting edge on both straight edge and serrated blades. T (more...)

best-chef-knife Chefs Choice Multi-Edge Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener

September 29, 2009 | Filed Under Best Chef Knife | Leave a Comment

Chef’s Choice M130 Professional Sharpening Stations

Amazon.com
Keep household knives in ideal working condition with this simple-to-use electric knife sharpener. Using advanced knife-sharpening technology it sharpens, steels, and strops all brands and types of knives, including straight-edge or serrated, kitchen, Asian-style, sports, and pocket knives, in seconds. The appliance works great for both left- or right-handed users, and it offers an array of sharpening options all in one compact appliance. Three different stages make it possible to obtain a "better than factory" edge quickly and effortlessly. The first stage uses 100-percent diamond abrasives for remedying a dull edge. Next, its super-hardened miniature steel develops a shaving-sharp edge with ultra-sharp microscopic teeth, offering a superior edge "bite". The final stage consists of a revolutionary flexible stropping disk that polishes the edge to hair-splitting sharpness. Using these three stages in different combinations allows for creating custom edges depen (more...)

Shun 7-3/4-Inch Stainless Steel Chinese Chef’s Knife

Amazon.com
Offering a graceful elegance, this 7-3/4-inch Chinese chef's knife from the Shun Steel line is made with a seamless, one-piece stainless-steel bolster, handle, and end cap. Resembling a Western cleaver, the Chinese chef's knife is an all-purpose performer in the kitchen, perfect for cutting and slicing everything from meats to vegetables. The blade is made from VG-10 steel with a high carbon content for a higher density. This allows the steel to be tempered to a Rockwell hardness of 61, and still have the flexibility and strength to take and keep a perfect edge. It's clad in layers of high-carbon stainless steel that protect the VG-10 and give the Shun its Damascus-look pattern, which also helps ensure that foods stick less during slicing and dicing--resulting in faster and easier food preparation. Shun knives rely on traditional Japanese construction methods, including a full composite tang, in order to ensure the best balance. The D-shape of the stainless st (more...)

September 27, 2009 | Filed Under Best Chef Knife | Leave a Comment

Chef’s Choice 300 Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener, White

Amazon.com Review
This electric sharpener is so simple to use that knives practically sharpen themselves. It puts a professional-style edge on any kitchen or sporting knife (except serrated knives). Because magnetic guides hold a blade at the proper angles, no guesswork is involved. You simply grip your knife loosely and pull it lightly through the sharpener's slots without pressing down. Key to this knife sharpener's performance is the two different stages: the sharpening stage and the second honing stage, which polishes the blade to a razor edge. Those two stages create different bevels, putting a "shoulder" on an edge instead of sharpening with a single bevel. The shoulder strengthens the edge so it lasts longer. For each stage there is a pair of slots, and the slots use 100 percent diamond abrasives for hardness. The sharpener measures 7 inches long, 4-1/4 inches high, and 3-3/4 inches deep and carries a two-year warranty against defects. --Fred Brack

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