Product DescriptionNo kitchen is complete without a quality cutlery set from the very best! In this case, it's this 18-pc. Cutlery Block Set from the Henckels Twin Gourmet line. Each knife is stamped from a single piece of high-carbon stainless steel, honed by hand, and is stain-resistant. These knives are triple-riveted to a contoured polypropylene handle, which is comfortable yet very strong. A special FRIODUR ice-hardening process is used to improve the blade density, which results in a sharper edge. Made in Germany. Lifetime Warranty. This set includes:4-in. Paring Knife6-in. Utility/Sandwich Knife8-in. Chef's Knife8-in. Carver8-in. Bread KnifeMeat Fork5-in. Serrated/Utility Knife9-in. Sharpening SteelKitchen ShearsSuper Block8 Gourmet Steak KnivesInstructional Knife Skills Video
Amazon.com Review
If top-shelf Henckels knives will break your bank, you can still get high-quality performance and construction with the mid-range Henckels Gourmet line. A full-size collection, this 18-piece set thoroughly outfits a chef, as well as eight steak dinner guests. Each Gourmet knife is stamped from a single piece of high-carbon stainless steel, honed by hand, and hardened by the Friodur ice process, for maximum strength and stain-resistance. These knives boast a full tang, which is triple-riveted to a contoured handle made of Novadur polypropylene. This construction is impact-resistant, comfortable to hold, and durable. Complete with its own storage block, the set includes a 4-inch paring knife, a 5-inch serrated utility knife, a 6-inch utility knife, an 8-inch chef's knife, an 8-inch carving knife, and an 8-inch bread knife, as well as a meat fork and eight steak knives. A 9-inch steel for sharpening, a pair of kitchen shears, and an instructional knife-skills video are also included. The set is safe for the dishwasher, but washing by hand is recommended. Henckels includes a lifetime warranty. --Emily Bedard
Customer Reviews
This is a super starter set from Zwilling J.A. Henckels!
I have owned the 18-Piece Henckels Gourmet Knife Set for about 1 year now. I purchased these with some wedding gift certificates that we got when I got married last year. This was an upgrade from a decent Faberware set that I had been using for the 4 years prior. Anyway, this set comes with 18 pieces:
8-inch chef's knife
8-inch carving knife
8-inch bread knife
6-inch chef's knife
6-inch boning/utility knife
5-inch serrated utility knife
3-inch paring knife
eight (8) 4 1/4-inch steak knives
9-inch sharpening steel
8-inch kitchen shears
hardwood storage block
Let me clear up the confusion for the people that don't know...there are actually two Henckels brands. "Henckels International" is the more economical brand, not to be confused with the "Zwilling JA Henckels" brand which is the premium brand. Same manufacturer, different grades of metal, location of construction and quality. You can tell the difference by the look of the logo...the cheaper "International" brand has the one tribal man on the logo, whereas the "Zwilling" brand has twin tribal men on the logo.
The "Gourmet" line is the least expensive of the higher premium sets from the Zwilling JA Henckels brand. It is not forged steel. The blade is stamped. However, the quality is much better than the Henckels International brand of stamped knives. The blade stays sharp for longer periods of use. However, it is probably comparable to the top of the line Henckels International Classic FORGED set. That being said, the price point is about the same for the same number of knives, so it makes sense. The highest end Henckels forged set is the "Professional S" or "Pro S" which costs $200 more than the "Gourmet" for an 18-piece set. Keep in mind that the 8 steak knives from the Pro S line are the same ones that come with the Gourmet line, so you know they are a great quality set.
As a relatively affordable premium set of knives, I have used these knives almost every day since their arrival. I've had to sharpen on occassion, but that's normal. All non-serated knives, you will need to sharpen and hone fairly frequently. (Or at least more frequently than a lot more expensive forged sets.) I do it once every few months with the knives that I use frequently and about once a year for the ones that only get used on occasion. But I also do a lot of cutting with them, so the frequency will depend on how often you use them for cutting tough foods. I cook a lot of meats, including cutting up my own chicken, so that dulls the knives rather quickly. If all you cut are veggies, then your knives won't dull as quickly. That being said, my knives still look and feel as if they are brand new. They are great!!!
They are dishwasher safe, but I don't recommend it because the dishwasher will dull all knives. However, occasionally I toss them in the dishwasher if I have a million things to wash after a dinner party and haven't had any problems.
P.S. I wanted a Santoku knife to add to this collection because I cut a lot of fish for sashimi and sushi. After a lot of examination, I decided to NOT get the Gourmet santoku because it did not have a hollow edge and I wanted a forged knife. I ended up splurging and purchased a Wusthof Classic Hollow Edge Santoku to complete this set. Yes, I know I'm supposed to buy the same Henckels brand for loyalty reasons, but as far as Santoku knives were concerned, I liked the feel and style of the Wustof better. It was a debate between the Henckels Pro S Hollow Edge or the Wusthof Classic Hollow Edge because they were in the same price range and the Wusthof knife won by a hair.
Unbelievable price for incredible quality!
I was lucky enough to get these on sale for 199 and then get 25 dollars off because of an amazon special being run at the time. I actually was just educated by the second review I read here. That review is definitely from a knowledgable knife person, I just knew that I needed real knives and I knew Henkels were the ones to get, I had no idea about the rest, but the knives normally go for over 500 here and after getting them I can see why. I haven't played with all of them yet, and although it's a small feature, I like that Henkels left some empty spaces in the block if you wanted to order a knife separately and I also love that they sit sideways instead of up and down. I no longer have to tell my friends when they help me with dishes to put the knives in with the blades up so they wont dull. Great great buy and wonderful knives!
A Superior Set
This is hands down the best set of knives I have ever owned. This is my second set of Henckel Knives, the first having walked out of my house one afternoon.
Nearly any new knife will seem very sharp. The real question is how long will they keep an edge? These knives retain their sharpness quite well. The carbon steel used is quite good and utterly smooth. The body of the blade is the appropriate thickness for the task. That is some are thinner and more flexible, like the boning knife while others are thicker and more solid, like the chef's knife.
Of course you will need to sharpen knives periodically. I recommend sending them to a professional knife sharpener or, if you are so inclined and skilled, use a specially designed kitchen knife sharpening jig. Remember, dull knives are more dangerous than sharp ones because you use more force and thus are more likely to slip. A chef's knife is sharp enough when it can cut well into meat by simply drawing it across using only the weight of the knife (it should not catch). The "cutting a sheet of paper" trick is just that, a trick and not a good indicator of sharpness.
While the set does include a sharpening bar, I find these require some skill and practice in order to get a both good edge and keep your own blood inside your body.
All knives, including the steak knives have a wonderful balance and handle shape. I have had no trouble with my hand slipping onto the blade. I have medium sized hands and fit well. I also find the handle design to be handsome.
The variety of knives in this set is good, something for nearly every task. I particularly like the large chef's knife and extra small paring knife.
The steak knives are nice in that the upper half and tip have small serrations while the lower half is a smooth blade.
I like the fact that you get both long and short serrated bread knives.
The video that came with my set was well done and quite helpful.
Like any knife set, for long life you should not put these in the dishwasher. It is not that the knives cannot somehow tolerate being immersed in hot water, no. Rather it is simply impossible to prevent something else from hitting blades. That would result in premature wear and harm the actual razor-thin cutting edge. But then this caution applies to all knives so this is not really a limitation of this set.
Though you may be tempted, you should not try to chop firewood with these knives as this will lead to premature wear.
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