Thursday, November 26, 2009

A Review of the J.A. Henckels Brand of Knives

By Moses Harun

Another cutlery manufacturer which had its beginnings in Solingen, Germany is Zwilling J.A. Henckels. Created in 1731, the company can claim a number of "firsts", including the first stainless steel blades, multi-purpose kitchen shears, forged knives with molded handles and hybrid forged knives. Henkels is also considered one of the most decorated blade makers in any country. It looks as if thanks to 278 years of experience, Henckels Four Star Knife Sets could be regarded as the sharpest knives in the block.

Product Descriptions

In keeping with the company's logo - a simplified adaptation of the astrological sign of Gemini - each of the Henckels knives continue to be designated with the word "Twin" preceeding the specific product line. There are eleven Twin series - 1731, Cermax M66, Select, Cuisine, Four Star II, Pro "S", Five Star, Four Star, Gourmet, Signature and Grip Parers - with another series made up of cleavers and dicers. All of this company's knives continue to be crafted in Germany, except the Cermax M66 knife series which is produced in Japan.

The majority of Henckels knives are formed of high-quality German high-carbon, no-stain steel blades, which are then ice-hardened to increase their cutting edge retention and resistance to rust. This should be anticipated from the enterprise which invented the Friodur ice-hardening process for forged knives. As a result, if you are thinking about investing in a Henckels knife set, you have the assurance of German quality with world-class standards.

Advantages

The wonderful thing concerning Henckels Four Star Knife Sets is the different kinds offered to consumers from the home cooks to the restaurant chefs. In turn, a range of financial situations are served by its low-end products in the Twin Signature series to the fairly expensive knives found in the Twin Cermax M66 series. However, the quality of materials employed and the fabrication method used are consistent with every knife made in these factories.

The top-quality knives that make up the Cermax M66 Henckels product line cuts like a laser through whatever you are cutting. This set of knives can cut, slice, fillet, dice and mince better than any other knife of similar quality. In addition, the heaviness and balance of Henckels' best knives are just right; so much so that expert chefs are quickly leaning towards the Cermax M66 as opposed to, say, comparable products from Wusthoft.

Even Henckels' stamped steel knives like the Twin Signature product line are fair compromises between expense and value. Apparently, more than two centuries of making knives is likely to pay off!

Disadvantages

Especially in cases where you are buying online, be certain that you are receiving what you ordered and used your hard-earned cash for. There have been reviews about the product descriptions in a Henckels knife set that doesn't adequately describe the items shipped.

Next there is the subject of stature. Because Henckles now offers low-end knives that sometimes, emphasis on sometimes, don't satisfy the usual Henckles quality, the other top quality knives suffer from the other's failures. This is much like the case of one or two bad apples tainting the entire bunch.

As a final analysis, the decision about a Henckels Knife Set routinely boils down to two things: your food prep habits and the depths of your pockets. Usually, you will be required to sacrifice either price or quality but with Henckels knives, the decision is made easier.

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