It’s 5:00pm on a Thursday night and Bob is preparing dinner for his family. He is happy as can be in his newly remodeled kitchen, with brand new appliances and a counter full of fresh groceries to prepare his meal with. While attempting to cut the vegetables and meats, the frustration builds as Bob realizes he has taken the time to replace EVERYTHING in his kitchen except the knives. His knives don’t cut anything! He makes the decision; tomorrow, I am going to buy new knives.

Friday morning, Bob sets out on the journey to buy a set of new knives and heads off to the local department store. He looks at a few different options but isn’t sure what to buy. He looks around, walks around but can’t find anyone to help him. So, off Bob goes to find a home store. Here Bob finds a better selection, quite a few choices in fact. A sales person approaches and asks if there is anything that he needs help with. Bob asks a few questions. Which knives do I really need? Which brand is better? Why are there so many different prices? The sales person suddenly looks like a deer in the headlights. There is a rather blank look on his face as he says, “This is a good brand to buy.” Bob asks the salesperson “why?” and that deer in the headlights look comes back. The now frustrated Bob thanks the salesperson for “all his help?” and heads off to possibly find a … KNIFE STORE?

A little research on Saturday morning provides Bob with a local cutlery store. JustKnives101 in Williamstown. Upon walking in the door, the 22 foot wall of cutlery looks intimidating. Too many choices? A young man comes out to greet Bob and asks him what he is looking for today.

This is what Bob learns BEFORE he spent his hard earned dollars….

Before buying kitchen knives, establish your needs.
Cooking some pasta with a salad twice a week makes it hard to justify spending hundreds of dollars on cutlery that will rarely get used. If your household cooks occasionally, maybe you only need one good knife. Look for an offset bread knife. Prices start at $16.95. The serrated edge is virtually maintenance free and the offset handle allows the knife to be used just like a chefs knife. The entire blade is efficient in cutting and there is extra clearance to keep your knuckles clear of the cutting board.

Cooking dinner for the family 4 or 5 nights a week? A good quality 7 pc block set will do the trick. Prices range from $99 to $249. The difference in price is for knives that are manufactured in two totally different ways. The entry level price can get you a good quality stamped blade knife set. Stamped blades are laser cut from large rolls of blade steel. The blades are then handled, finished and finally, the blade is sharpened. Stamped blade knives are generally lightweight and reasonably priced. The higher priced knives are usually made by forging a blade. In forging, a heated block of steel is placed in a forging mold, and then either hammered or pressed into shape with an extreme amount of pressure. This makes for a heavier knife with a denser edge that will stay sharp longer and are generally preferred by professional chefs.

The basic knives included in a 7pc block set are a 3.5 inch paring knife, a 6 inch utility knife, an 8 inch serrated bread knife and an 8 inch chefs knife. Also included is a knife storage block, a sharpening steel, and a pair of kitchen utility scissors. A Carving knife can be added if you have the need for one.

And for the cooking enthusiast, the ones addicted to cable TV cooking shows; the sky can be the limit. Top shelf brands like Wusthof and JA Henckels can provide sets containing from 9 to 26 knives. Sometimes it is better to buy knives one at a time, pick our different knives for different tasks. There is nothing wrong with building a mis-matched collection of knives providing it suits the needs of the chefs that are using them.

The kitchen is quickly becoming the “entertaining room.” Knives from Classe of Italy come in 5 different colors to accent a colorful kitchen. They are using premium wood blocks and their sets are as beautiful as they are functional.

When shopping for knives, or any product that you don’t know much about, take the time to educate yourself.. The internet has become a powerful tool for gathering information before a purchase is made. Shopping for kitchen knives in a cutlery store makes as much sense as buying your next car from a car dealer. You should have a few options in varying price ranges and you should make sure that there will be a good support system to keep your purchase in good condition.

So, What about Bob? He learned a lot about knives and he got exactly what he needed for his kitchen. He learned how to use that “sharpening gizmo thing” as he called it. And he now knows what type of cutting board he should be using, how to wash and care for his knives and how important it is to have them professionally sharpened.

Need help picking out the right set of knives? We are only a phone call away.