J.A. Henckels International – a major name in cutlery – has mixed and matched blades of multiple cuisines into a 16-piece “East meets West” set of high-quality, fully forged synergy, stainless steel knives that will tackle a wide variety of cutting/slicing tasks.
The set includes an 8″ chef’s knife, 8″ carving knife, 8″ bread knife, 7″ santoku knife, 6″ utility knife, 3″ vegetable knife with kudamono fine edge, 3″ paring knife, set of six 4.5″ steak knives, kitchen shears, storage block with horizontal slots to protect edges, 9″ sharpening steel.
That’s not too much “filler”, which is a good thing, since we don’t usually recommend buying large sets of knives. Always err on the side of getting fewer, higher-quality knives instead of a large set that may contain knives you don’t need. For more on that, see our Best Kitchen Knife Guide.
The stainless steel blades are stain and rust resistant, as well as dishwasher safe, though this cleaning method is not recommended by myself or J.A. Henckels if you wish to keep the set in top condition. The handles are made of POM (polyoxymethylene) – an engineering plastic approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the use of food preperation – riveted to the blade and accented by brushed stainless steel covers. These handles are hygienic and defined as “break proof.” Just in case, a lifetime warranty covers all pieces included in this set.
If you find yourself preparing a variety of cuisines, this might be just what you are looking for. The pieces in this set are not exclusive to one particular style. A set like this provides options in the kitchen that will compliment what your taste buds are craving. The price tag may seem a bit steep to those unaccustomed to buying cutlery sets, but is actually a good deal through the links below. Directly from the manufacturer, this set would be two times more expensive.
All that being set, we’re not big fans of these knives. Henckels’ low-end knives are almost always surpassed by Forschner’s. Forschner makes great knives for the money — check out the Forschner 8-piece knife set for better-quality knives that can be supplemented with steak knives to equal this set. In the long run, you’ll be happy you did.
