From dicing, carving, cutting, and slicing, every cook needs a decent knife. In fact, a knife with a reliable sharp-edged blade is one of the essential kitchen tools one could ever invest in.
However, finding the best knife can throw up a lot of options. In fact, there are brands around the world that are particular with a specific trait such as designs, sharpness, or materials used. For instance, Japanese knives are one of the regraded best knives, along with German knives.
So, whether you are an everyday house cook or a professional chef, check out these fine knives that you can try and use now.
Wusthof
Wusthof is a German kitchen knife brand that is known for its functional design, durability, quality materials, and innovative manufacturing process. Although there are lots of things to love with this brand, its most noticeable quality is its durability. Its blades are also known to last longer since they are made out of chromium-molybdenum-vanadium steel, which is hardened to a Rockwell hardness of 58.
Moreover, its steel formula, X50CRMOV15, can be seen etched on every blade of the knives. This formula means as follows:
X – Stainless Steel
50- Stands for the 0.5% carbon content that promotes the knives’ sharpness
CR- Stands for Chromium that makes their knives stain resistant.
MO- Molybdenum is also one of the components that also provides stain resistance to their knives.
V- Stands for Vanadium. This component ensures the hardness and edge retention of their knives.
15- is the percentage of chromium used in the alloy.
Aside from that, Wusthof uses a process called PEtec that yields their knives’ edges to make them 20% sharper. The said process also makes their knives’ edge retention twice better than their competitors. Also, their ergonomic handles are made from wood or ultra-durable synthetic material.
Overall, the Wusthof kitchen knife is a type of knife one will never replace easily because of its sturdy and well-balanced characteristics.
Zwilling J.A. Henckels
For over 280 years, Zwilling J.A. Henckels has been one of the oldest cutlery manufacturers in the world. Along with its consistent and innovative approach, the brand becomes the most proven kitchen knife brand.
Interestingly, the blade of Zwilling J.A. Henckels is made out of high-carbon stainless steel. They also used an ice-hardening process called Friodur in order to achieve the edge retention and sharpness of their knives. As well as that, they also make their handles from either synthetic materials or wood such as PakkaWood and Holm Oak.
According to experts, Zwilling surpasses customer’s expectations because of its top-notch quality. As well as that, top chefs like Gordon Ramsey also use the brand in their kitchens.
Global
Global kitchen knife brand has been hailed as a unique kitchen knife because of its all-steel, high-quality, razor-sharp edges, and lightweight characteristics.
From tip to the butt end, Global knives are uniquely made out of all stainless steel with black dimples on their handle for a better grip. Interestingly, the hollows on its handles are filled with sand making the knife balanced, light, and easy to maneuver. Meanwhile, its edges are straight, which are designed to keep it razor-sharp in the long run. Because of these features, Global knives are considered quite expensive. However, in comparison to other knife brands like Zwilling, Shun, and Wusthof, Global knife is pretty cheaper.
Shun
Shun is a well-known Japanese kitchen knife that is notable for its innovative approach to construction and materials. Also, it is known for its exquisite blade patterns and the company’s commitment to maintaining the ancient knife-making tradition.
Shun knives are made from a variety of high-refined super steel, which has a high-carbon content. Furthermore, unlike other brands that have a smooth blade surface, Shun kitchen knives take pride in showing their gorgeous hammered and Damascus patterns. These patterns are not only for aesthetic or artistic purposes, but they also create air pockets to prevent food from sticking.
Like most other brands of knives, Shun’s handles are made out of textured synthetic polymer or woods, such as Tagayasan wood or Pakkawood. In addition, most of their knives’ handles are in D-shape, which provides stability and control.
Victorinox
Victorinox is a cutlery brand known for its sharp-edged blades and comfortable handle for a relatively low cost. Aside from that, Victorinox could also offer their brand’s best-selling Fibrox. Fibrox is the most favorite among chefs since it has a non-slip handle, sharp edges, and hard steel blades.
This brand not only offers one forged knife collection (Grand Maitre), but it can also give you several stamped knives that come with unique features and designs. In fact, most of their knives are stamped, meaning their blades are lighter, thinner, and more flexible. However, these types of knives lack the balance and heft of forged knives.