My manager at work alerted me to an amazing knife deal and I managed to score 8 Ken Onion Shun knives and the honing steel for almost 65% off retail price.  I would never buy these knives at full retail cost, that’s just crazy, but the deal was too good to pass up.

The set included the following Ken Onion Series Shuns:

6″ Chef Knife
7″ Santoku
4″ Chef Knife
5″ Serrated Utility Knife
9″ Slicing Knife
3″ Paring Knife
Boning Knife
Bread Knife
Honing Steal

Although the set did not include the spotlight-hogging 8″ Chef Knife that every one has been raving about, I was fine without it. It’s just too much knife for most of us who solely cook at home.  The title of kitchen workhorse should belong to its 6″ inch brethren.  It seems to be more practical when it comes to everyday kitchen tasks and other mundane chops, yet it still outshines where performance is desired.  The size is just right, and the balance is right on.

The knives are sturdy and much heavier than I thought, reminding me of Western knives such as WÜSTHOF, but still not as heavy.  What’s more important is that it feels good when it’s held.

The handle is designed to be ergonomic in eliminating stress on the hand and wrist, and while it fits well in the palm of the hand, it doesn’t matter to me because I hold the knife by pinching the bolster with my thumb and index finger.  For those who use the pinch-grip method, the curved side bolster makes it extremely comfortable to hold the knife.  It’s the way I learned to hold a knife, and holding it by the handle still feels awkward, no matter how ergonomic it is.

Aesthetically speaking, these knives look great, especially when they glimmer under the light.  I found myself cleaning them almost immediately after use.  They didn’t deserve to be left dirty after delivering such precision on the chopping block.

By far, these are the sharpest knives I have ever used.  So sharp that these put my Globals to shame.  While I was cutting chicken breast after chicken breast, I didn’t have to exert much force and the knife did  most of the work, a true testament to the sharp edge and weight of the knife working in conjunction. There was no resistance from the meat, as if it just gave up on life and let me hack away.

Switching to these knives might be too much of a leap for novice home cooks looking to step up their knife game, but seasoned home cooks who have mastered knife basics will have no time adjusting.  In all honestly, it’s difficult to justify the price, as most of us would never drop over $1200 for a set of knives.  I only got these because they were on sale.  If you had to get one, go for the 6″ Chef knife if you can find it.

Happy cutting, and watch those fingers!

~ Kin

Well, you did your research and you bought your knives.  Believe it or not, all that research and shopping around you did was the easy part!

It’s now all about keeping them in prime condition for many years to come.  After all, since you’ve dropped a couple hundred dollars or more into a set of great knives, wouldn’t you want to protect your investment?

High quality knives will lose their durability, longevity, and sharpness rather quickly if they are not properly cared for.  I have put together a list of Do’s and Don’ts, and a few options in keeping your knives sharp to guide you in the right direction.  So let’s get started.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Knife Care

Do’s

• Do use a knife block or magnetic strip to hold the knives
• Do hand wash your knives with warm, soapy water and dry them off immediately
• Do keep them sharp!  If you don’t know how to keep the knives honed, take them to a professional knife sharpener at least twice a year.
• Do only use knives for their intended purpose!  Don’t use it to cut through bone if it wasn’t made to cut bone, don’t use it to cut cardboard…you get the idea.
• Do use a sturdy and level cutting board and chopping block
• Do have easy access to a first aid kit, just in case
• Respect your knives

Don’ts

• Don’t store your knives with the rest of your utensils
• Don’t use your finger to test how sharp the blade is
• Don’t  leave knives in the sink after use
• Don’t put your knives into the dishwasher
• Don’t use a knife unless the blade and handle are completely dry!   You do want to keep your fingers, right?

Knife Sharpening

No how matter what brand or type of knife, the edge will not stay sharp forever.  There are a few options when it comes to sharpening your knives.

Honing Steels – The most common tool to keep knife edges in tip-top shape is the honing steel.  Most knife sets containing 10 pieces or more will most likely include one.

Whetstones – The whetstone is suited for more experienced knife users.  The stones comes in different types of grit, from course to fine.  Whetstones will provide sharper edges than those from honing steels, but takes more skill and patience to use.

Electric Knife Sharpeners – Another route to look into is an electric knife sharpener.  I’m not big on these because the edges on different brands of knives do not conform to a standard specification.

If you’re uneasy about sharpening your own knives, you can always take it to a professional knife sharpener.

How To Sharpen A Knife With A Honing Steel and Whetstone

Don’t forget to buff up on your knife knowledge!  Knife Knowledge 101!

One up your kitchen germ warfare arsenal with the germ eliminating knife block.  It just takes 20 seconds for the UV-C light to eradicate 99.99% of the food bacteria and viruses from your cutlery.  You can set your mind at ease at its effectiveness because it uses the same technology that hospitals use to kill surface bacteria on instruments.  Good enough for an operating room, good enough for the kitchen.

This high-tech kitchen gadgetry will cost you $39.95

Hammacher Schlemmer via DVice

I’m in the market for a new chef knife. Well, it’s not like my chef knife is old. It’s that I don’t even own one, never did. Before I moved out of my old place, I was using my former roommate’s Wustoff knife set. It was a great, but I really want something else besides Wustoff. When I finally got my own place a couple of months ago, I bought a Chinese meat cleaver when I was in Queens. It was supposed to be my one and only all purpose cutting tool. It’s a great cleaver, but, I need something more precise and easier to weld. It’s just not doing it for me anymore. I like to chop fast and evenly, and the cleaver doesn’t always allow me to do that. I’ve narrowed my choices down to the Global Chef Knife and the Shun Chef Knife. Knowing me though, it’s going to take a long time to decide upon the one I want. I spent a year shopping for a flat-panel TV before I decided on the one to purchase. Since I love to cook so much more than to watch television, I hope I don’t take too long to decide.