The CIA’s Masters Collection Hyde Park 7-Piece Block set was designed by the master chefs on the faculty of the Culinary Institute of America. This non-profit culinary training college has sixty years of experience and gains some financial support by field-testing professional cutlery on-site in training kitchens and the school’s five restaurants in Hyde Park, New York.
CIA’s chefs chose this assortment of seven forged prep knives to cover all the bases in a professional kitchen. Forged from high carbon Solingen no-stain steel, the pattern of the knives isn’t unusual and includes the familiar triple-riveted full tang handle build of most German cutlery. The balance point of the knives is forward of the poly-resin handle for better control and less hand fatigue. Handle shape is comfortable yet straighter and lighter than many modern patterns. Forged bolsters are the modern reduced design, giving the blade more strength without getting in the way.
The set includes one paring knife, a 6-inch boning knife, and a fillet knife not usually found in basic sets. The 8-inch chef’s knife, 9-inch bread knife, and 10-inch slicing knife really are professionally sized — you might find the extra blade length of the set’s main knives unusual at first, but you won’t have to step up to better blades. The bamboo storage block is also an excellent choice, beautiful and durable with the good qualities of prime hardwood but built from slender strips of perfectly fitted and renewable bamboo.
Easily sharpened and maintained, the CIA Masters Collection really does offer something different and better than the usual commercial assortment.
