If you've spent the money on a high quality set of chef's knives, you know that you've just made a significant investment.
Good quality knives are meant to last for decades or more, and the price usually reflects that. However, it's worth it because you know you have good knives that you'll likely never have to replace. But since you've spent so much money on them, you'll want to keep them looking as nice as possible. Here's what you need to do to keep your knives pretty.
1. Keep Them Dry and Free of Food Debris
This means that you need to always wash your knives immediately after using them, and also dry them right away. This will help them stay sharp and germ-free. They'll also stay shiny this way, and more pleasant to look at.
2. Sharpen Your Knives Every Time You Use Them
Your knife set probably came with a steel, which is a long, round piece of metal that is used to sharpen knives. After cleaning and drying your knives, run them once along the steel, just to give their sharpness a quick boost before putting them away.
3. Only Cut Food With the Knives, and Nothing Else
It's a bad, bad idea to cut things like boxes, paper, and string with your chef's knives. This can cause the blades to become dull, and may even break the blade, since non-food materials are harder and tougher than what the knife was meant to cut. Use lesser quality knives or scissors to cut non-food items.
4. Keep Your Knives Out of the Dishwasher
Dishwashers are not kind to chef's knives of good quality. Detergents can scratch the metal and dull the blade, and the knives can even get broken by being jostled around in the dishwasher while it's running. Always wash your knives by hand even if your knife states that it is is dishwasher safe.
5. Sharpen Your Knives Properly at Least Two Times a Year
This type of sharpening means more than just a quick once-over on the steel. You'll want to get all the knives in the set out a couple of times a year and sharpen them thoroughly and properly with a real professional knife sharpening tool. Some times when you purchase an expensive set of Chef Knives you will receive information on where you can send your knives out for a professional sharpening. Some people disregard this information because it may cost $15+ however, professional sharpening (if you don't know how to do it yourself properly) can help your knife last a lifetime and that is much less expensive than having to purchase knives over and over again.
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Chicago Cutlery has put together the most used kitchen knives, added a knife sharpener and conveniently packaged it in a 17 slot wood block for storage.
Taking up just 14 x 12.7 x 7.5 inches of counter space, you'll have the most popular knives at your fingertips.
While many knife block sets has a few knives that you will find yourself using all the time, this Chicago Cutlery set has included all of the chefs most popular then add a knife sharpener.
| Chicago Cutlery Insignia2 18-Piece Knife Block Set with In-Block Knife Sharpener |
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| Retail Price: $211.00 |
| Amazon Price: $127.00 |
Chicago Cutlery is known for their craftsmanship and quality and this 18 piece set is no exception.
In addition to the quality that Chicago Cutlery is known for there are 2 features of this knife block set that appeals to me.
The first is the fact that they have included 8 steak knives. When you are looking at knife sets in blocks you will find there are are not many that include steak knives. I'm not really sure why, since most of us use them, so why should we have to keep them in a separate box or drawer from our other knives?
The second feature that I like is that Chicago Cutlery has built in a knife sharpener. We usually sharpen our knives on a stone but I don't always have the time to get the stone out of storage, prepare it, use it, clean and then put it away. Sometimes you just want to give a quick sharpening without the hassle. When the knife sharpener is built in it's always there and ready to use.
So what included in the Chicago Cutlery Insignia2 18-Piece Knife Block Set ?
Chicago Cutlery Insignia2 18-Piece Block Set with In Block Sharpener includes 1-each 3-inch Parer, 3.5-inch Parer, 5-inch Boning, 5.5-inch Utility, Shears, 7-inch Serrated Bread, 7-inch Santoku, 8-inch Slicer, 8-inch Chef, 17-slot block with In-Block Sharpener.
Having a Santoku is also a nice touch. If you have not used a Santoku you are in for a real treat.
Santoku knives are so easy to work with since food doesn't stick while you chop or slice.
As with all your good knives remember to hand wash your Chicago Cutlery knives and don't put them into a dishwasher. You'll find that will just a little bit of extra care your Chicago Cutlery knives ( and all good knives) will perform for you year after year, just like they were brand new.
The Chicago Cutlery Insignia2 18-Piece Knife Block Set with In-Block Knife Sharpener makes a great gift or an addition to your kitchen.
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Rachael Ray 3 piece knife set
This 3 piece stainless steel knife set from Rachel Ray makes a nice starter set or an addition to a set that you may already have.
The smallest knife is a 4" paring knife which works well for smaller food preparation tasks such as peeling, coring and trimming.
The next size is the 5" serrated utility knife with a double serrated edge and most cooks use this knife for cutting cheese, tomatoes, and for trimming fat off of pieces of meat.
The largest knife in this Rachael Ray 3 piece knife set is the 6" Santoku Knife. If you are not familiar with Santoku Knives, you will find that the Santoku knife is easy to work with and is very sharp. Santoku is a Japanenese style knife and the term Santoku translates into the phrase - three virtues.
| Furi Rachael Ray Gusto Grip Basics 3-Knife Set |
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| Retail Price: $29.99 |
| Amazon Price: $24.50 |
A Santoku knife is usually thinner (narrower) than a standard cutting knife and the edge is beveled and scalloped. This edging works well in keeping the food from sticking from the knife so that you can chop easily without having food stick to the blade and start stacking up.
The "three virtues" or as i is more commonly phrased "three uses" includes slicing, dicing and mincing. Many cooks find that once they start using a Santoku knife they want to expand and get additional sizes for many of the tasks where they are currently using
other knives.
In addition to the three knives listed about this Rachael Ray 3 piece knife set also includes a plastic storage case.
If you would like to see what customers of this Rachael Ray 3 piece knife set have to say (both negative and positive) about this set just visit Amazon --> Here.
As with all high quality knives, the knives in this set Rachael Ray 3 piece knife set should be hand washed and dried and not put in the dishwasher.
The reverse wedge handles are a nice touch and make holding the knives easier when your hands are slippery.
Rachael Ray has many different knife sets available, in addition to a cookware line, and this smaller set is a good introduction to her products.
Rachael Ray 3 Piece Knife Set
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Knife Block Sets
More and more professional chefs and home cook are opting for knife block sets when they purchase their chef knife sets instead of just placing their knives into a kitchen drawer. 
Although it may seem as like these cooks just want to show off their knife sets, having a knife block set actually has more benefits than just looks.
To understand the popularity of knife blocks you'll have to pretend for a moment that you are a knife. Let's say that you are a knife in a standard kitchen. After you get washed and dried you get dropped into a "silverware bin" in a drawer or simply tossed into a drawer. Each time you open or close the drawer your silverware moves and the blades of your knives hit up against other silverware pieces or against the edge of the wooden drawer.
If your drawer is totally packed (like many are) often a knife will get wedged up against the drawer and makes it hard to close. Picture yourself of a family member pulling and tugging at the drawer to either open or close it. Each time your knives get dinged, bent and scratched.
After a year or so, your knives are no longer as sharp and even if you sharpen them you'll find that they are bent at the tips. If you have purchased ceramic knives you may even find that the tips of your knives have broken off and are laying somewhere in the drawer.
So much for keeping your knives in good condition. Even when they are in the plastic "silverware bins" they still go through wear and tear.
Now take a look at knives kept in knife block sets
The knife (or knives) that are kept in a knife block set get washed and dried just like its counter parts as described above but now this is where the difference comes in. After drying the knife goes into its specific location and remains there until you go to use it again. There is no bumping, scratching or bending. The knife is safe and secure. The knife block set also helps to keep your knives dust free.
Now I think that you are getting to understand why the knife blocks are becoming more and more popular.
If you already have a knife set that you like, you can purchase a knife block on its own. If you do purchase one separately be sure to count the slots to make sure that you have enough slots for your knives. You are also going to want to make sure that the longest slot will be long enough for your longest knife that you plan on putting into the block.
There are so many different types of knife block sets
You'll find knife blocks made from plastic, wood, a combination of materials and recently the introduction of bamboo has really taken off. Since bamboo is a renewable resource it's is also considered eco-friendly which is an added plus.
In addition to knife block sets that sit out on your counter there are also knife block set drawer inserts so that you can store your knives in a drawer but still keep them protected. Again., these block sets can be purchased with or without knives and in several different materials but wood and bamboo are the most popular.
If you have decided that your kitchen needs a new knife block or knife block set we suggest that you take a look at the selection that Amazon has to offer. With Amazon you'll find a wide selection variety and their prices are extremely competitive and often much lower than even you local discount store. With many items there is free shipping, so you don't even have that as an added cost.
Below you will find links to the most popular Amazon pages for knife block sets with each pointing to its own category so that you don't have to scroll and search all though Amazon.
Knife Block Sets with Knives
Knife Block Only
Drawer Knife Blocks
Bamboo Knife Block Sets with and without knives
Insignia2 18-Piece Knife Block Set with In-Block Knife Sharpener
After you start using Knife Block Sets you'll wonder how and why you have not started to use one sooner.
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