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Product Description
Amazon.com
The five knives in this set consist of a 4-inch paring, 6-inch boning, 8-inch chef's, 8-inch bread, and 10-inch slicing. Completing the selection are a 10-inch sharpening steel and pair of kitchen shears. All come with designated slots in the solid hardwood block, angled for quick access. Covered by a lifetime warranty against defects, the cutlery in the set is dishwasher-safe, although washing by hand is recommended.
What's in the Box
8-piece cutlery set. The set consists of: 4-inch paring knife; 6-inch boning knife; 8-inch chef's knife; 8-inch serrated bread knife; 10-inch slicing knife; 10-inch sharpening steel; kitchen shears; hardwood storage block. 8 items total.
From the Manufacturer
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Although Victorinox is known the world over as the creator of the Original Swiss Army Knife, the company started out in 1884 as a cutlery workshop. By the time company creator Karl Elsener delivered his first pocket knife to the Swiss Army, his cutlery business was already booming. Over the next century, Victorinox cutlery became a top-rated choice among professionals worldwide, with over 300 blades to offer.
Victorinox knives have regularly appeared as highly ranked and recommended kitchen tools in Cook’s Illustrated, Men’s Health, The Cincinnati Enquirer, New York Magazine, and Natural Health, just to name a few. In 2009, the company announced a partnership with professional chef, Daniel Humm, of Eleven Madison Park in New York City. In addition, building on the success of its cutlery business, Victorinox has brought all the same quality and expertise to a wider range of products and accessories, including other kitchen tools, pocket tools, watches, luggage, and clothing.
Who is R.H. Forschner?
Victorinox had been a staple in European commercial cutlery for over 50 years when approached by New York’s R.H. Forschner, known since 1855 as a builder of scales for butchers, to be their sole cutlery supplier. The two companies joined forces in 1937, and R.H. Forschner subsequently became North America’s dominant professional brand, as ubiquitous in the bustling meatpacking plants of the Midwest as it is in the gleaming, four-star restaurant kitchens of Midtown Manhattan.
As a division of Victorinox/Swiss Army Brands, R.H. Forschner marketed cutlery under the brand name “RH Forschner by Victorinox” and distributed to the commercial, food service, and retail trade classes. That brand has been considered a top choice of professionals worldwide with over 300 styles of blades bearing the R.H. Forschner name. However, in 2009, in conjunction with Victorinox’s 125th anniversary, the company, Victorinox Swiss Army, Inc., has decided to remove the “RH Forschner” name from all blades. Blades thenceforth only include the “Victorinox” name.
What is a stamped blade?
A stamped knife can usually be identified by the absence of a bolster. Stamped blades are cut into their shapes from cold-rolled pieces of steel and then ground, tempered, and sharpened. Creating them requires many less steps than forging and results in lighter, narrower blades. Some professionals prefer the thicker, heavier forged blades, but many pros, who spend much of their day cutting and slicing, enjoy a lighter knife since it’s less fatiguing and easier to manipulate at speed.
Stamped knives are easier to produce and therefore less expensive. They perform very well and can approach the quality of a forged blade, but not the weight or feel. Victorinox manufactures a complete range of stamped blades with unique, patented Fibrox handles and they are considered among the greatest values in the knife industry.
What knives do I need to own?
Knife choice or selection is determined by many factors--size, function, style, and preference. The most important factor is function. Different knives have different uses. It is important to use the proper knife for a specific task, since proper knife selection and the use of a proper-sized, sharp knife make for safe cutting. General kitchen tasks and the knife to use for them are as follows:
Paring: The most common to own and use, a paring knife is generally for small cutting jobs and peeling of vegetables or fruit. The blade size is usually from three to four inches. Choose the shape and size to fit your hand. Since this is one of the more versatile knives, owning more than one is recommended.
Chef's: The most important tool and essential to every cook, a chef‘s knife is most often used in a rocking method to mince, dice, and chop vegetables and herbs. This one is known as the chef’s best friend.
Slicer: Most commonly used to slice meats, poultry, and seafood, the slicer is an important companion to any host or hostess.
Boning: As its name suggests, a boning knife is used to trim or remove meat and fish from the bone.
Bread: Designed with a special edge, a bread knife makes easy work of cutting through crusty bread, pastries, or any item with a crust and a soft interior.
Fillet: Most often used by pros and seasoned home chefs, the fillet knife is used to fillet meat and fish.
Cleaver: An important addition to any collection, a cleaver is often used to cut or chop through bones.
Santoku: This knife combines the features of a cleaver with a chef's knife. The curved blade helps the rocking motion used for chopping, and the wide blade works well for scooping sliced food off a cutting board and for crushing garlic. The santoku can also be used to slice meat and has a narrow spine for making thin cuts.
Utility: An all-purpose knife often referred to as a sandwich knife, the utility knife peels and slices fruits and vegetables, and even carves small meats.
Shaping: With its curved blade, a shaping knife is great for small precision cuts where control is essential, such as peeling, trimming, or garnishing.
What are the different knife edges and what do they do?
Straight: The vast majority of Victorinox knives come with a straight or fine edge. This means it has a perfect taper along the blade and no serrations. It is designed to cut without tearing or shredding.
Serrated: An edge designed with small, jagged teeth along the edge.
Scalloped: A blade with waves along the edge generally used to cut breads with a hard crust and soft interior, as well as tougher-skinned fruits and vegetables.
Granton: This edge has hollowed-out grooves or dimples on the sides of the blade. These grooves fill with the fat and juices of the product being cut, allowing for thin, even cuts without tearing. Even with the grooves, these are still straight-edge knives and can be honed with a sharpening steel.
How should I care for my cutlery?
After use, knives should not be allowed to soak in water. The best practice is to hand wash and dry them immediately. This is especially true if they have been used on fruit or salty foods, which may cause some staining, even on stainless steel. Most knives require very little maintenance and it is worth the effort to protect your investment.
Though Victorinox knives are dishwasher safe, this is strongly discouraged. The dishwasher’s agitation may cause damage. Additionally, harsh detergents can be harmful and cause pitting and spotting on the blades. The handles may also discolor and develop a white film with constant use of the dishwasher. Plus, intense heat associated with dishwashers is not good for the temper of the blade.
How do I keep my knives sharp?
All quality knives require proper maintenance to keep them in perfect cutting shape. The best of edges will quickly dull if it strikes metal, glass, or Formica. A wooden cutting board makes the best cutting surface. And, if a slip occurs, a proper cutting board is safer for the user. Frequent use of a Victorinox sharpening steel will keep blades in tip top working condition. All straight-edge knives need steeling to keep their edges.
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How to ""Steel"" a Knife
1. Hold the steel firmly in your left hand with the guard positioned to stop the blade should it slip.
2. Hold the knife in your right hand and place on top part of steel as shown.
3. Raise back of blade one-eighth inch.
4. Now, moving the blade only, draw it across the steel in an arching curve, pivoted at your wrist. The blade tip should leave the steel about two-thirds of the way down.
5. Repeat the same action with the Blade on the bottom side of the steel. Always maintain the same pressure and angle on both sides of the steel.
6. Repeat five or six times.
When a sharpening steel no longer does the job, it’s time to take the knife to a qualified knife sharpener who will place a new edge on it. This, along with use of the sharpening steel, will give you many years of sharp, safe blades.
Please note that electric knife sharpeners can be harmful. They have to be used carefully as they remove too much metal, can harm the temper of the blade, and most important can change the factory-applied edge angle.
How should I store my knives?
Safety is the biggest concern of storage, both to the user and to protect the knife's edge. Choices include a knife magnet, knife block, drawer insets, and also individual knife protectors.
Product Description
Customer Reviews
Suddenly, this 70 year old retired chef cut through decades of knife prejudice... the sharpness, balance, thin blade and heft brought joy to my kitchen again... and for a fraction of what I would usually pay! It has been several years since my first Forschner and it is just as good as the one I just purchased.
Last fall we visited Oberlunkhofen, Switzerland, where my mother-in-law continues as chef of the family restaurant at 82 years of age and her 86 year old sister-in-law is the waitress. Her wooden handled knives were of excellent quality but could no longer pass the NSF rules. I purchased a set of H. R. Forschners for her at a Swiss wholesale restaurant supply house... at a price higher than we could have gotten them on Amazon.com! Not only is she a cutlery pro, but she values price and practicality even in gifts. Now she thinks kindly of me as she cheerfully slices through each day.
They don't have the thick back of most quality forged knives (these are stamped). They don't have rosewood handles. They're not made to pimp up your kitchen or match your mixer. They're made for cutting things, and they do this exceptionally well.
The blades are exceptionally shiny steel, very similar to Victorinox's Swiss Army knife. Things don't stick to the blade much. Like Swiss Army Knives, they also have a comparatively thin back and very little 'wedge effect.' This means when you cut things, they don't fly across the room. You don't push. The exquisitely sharp blade just kind of slips down through, leaving even carrots right where they were.
I'd never understood how chefs managed some of the fast cutting they do: now, I get it. I've owned some pretty decent knives before, but these are something else entirely. For the price, if you're serious about sharp, you can't do better.
The deciding factor for me were the comments by professional chefs and butchers on various web sites
including this one.
The problem with purchasing individual knives is that the cases are very expensive (with shipping and handling the mark up over mfg cost must be 1000%?), but you just cannot have sharp knives loose in a drawer. The block is $30+ if you compare the piece part prices, and if you have small kitchen it uses the least space, further away from kids hands, less fiddly than the knife safes as well.
As for what you get in the block set, it has just about the right combination of knives for me, the Santoku
knife fits in one empty slot as well (thanks to reviewer who commented on that). There's a steel included as well
which is essential. The boning knife is longer than the one in my old set, but I don't do use it that much. There's one spare slot for a smaller knife.
These knives are all very sharp, and I'd say the 8 inch chef's knife is the largest I would ever need,
better for heavier cutting, but also OK for fine cutting as well. The 7 inch Santoku is lighter and I like using it-I can see why it's popular, better for potatoes/vegetables but can also handle heavy cutting as well. They both are great for fine chopping using a rocking motion, and with plenty of knuckle room. With a 2 cook kitchen having the two knives in the block seems a good plan. The Santoku has slightly different handle shape than the other knives which may be for Asian style chopping (versus rocking), I'll have to experiment.
As for using in a dishwasher, one Forschner supplier recommends no, the reason being the plastic
cover on the dishwasher rack will be cut and may cause the underlying metal to corrode, not to mention
knife edge wear, and change in blade temper (although I am sceptical about this last one) . If you clean them as you go this isn't a problem.
This is a great price for this set. Read more
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