Buying a nice knife for home or work use in a kitchen is a daunting task I have found.  You want to make sure the knife is sharp and can keep its edge for more than 3 onions.  You also don’t want the knife to be flimsy or cheap feeling.  There are several good brands out there, however, more and more excellent quality knives are making their debut from previously unknown manufacturers.

So let’s take a look at what is out on the market now!

1 - Hattori 5-pc Japanese Professional Chef Knife Set

Wow! Taking a look at these bad boys makes me drool all over my chef jacket.  Hand forged and claiming an ungodly 63 layers of damascus stainless steel. This 6 piece set includes all the knife sizes that anyone really needs.  Check them out!

2 - Global 10.5′ Forged Chef’s Knife

Global makes some awesome knives.  Their 1 piece all metal design has been a favorite among chefs for years now.  Their blades are known to get sharp and stay that way.  10.5 inches is the perfect length for a chef knife.

3 - Shun Classic 10-Inch Chef’s Knife

Made in Japan with several layers of forged steel, Shun knives are becoming known for their durability and extremely sharp edge.  Often used in sushi preparation, this knife will last many hard working years.

4 - Nakiri 6 3/4" Japanese Professional Chef Knife

This is one of the knives that is included in the first listing, the Hattori 5 piece.  This is the all purpose Chinese/Japanese chef knife that many chefs are getting accustomed to.

5 - Wüsthof Grand Prix II 8-Inch Hollow-Ground

Made in Germany, this new line of Wustof knifes have become a worldwide hit overnight.  The handles have a great feel and the steel stays sharp longer than most knives.  Ask any chef what they have in their knife bag, dollars to doughnuts says most have al least one Wustof knife.

6 - MAC Japanese Vegetable Knife

MAC is another brand of knives coming from Japan that is making a splash among chefs in the U.S.  This lightweight vegetable knife is a Japanese style cleaver made with thin, non-staining steel.  Caution, tomatoes will run from this knife!

7 - J.A. Henckels Twin Four Star 8-Inch

J.A. Henckels knives have been popular for some time among top chefs in the U.S.  This knife is a great all purpose knife for a collection.  Extremely sharp and durable, this knife will last forever.  It is also very comfortable to hold and use.

8 - Mercer Cutlery Genesis 6-Piece Knife Block Set

This is a really cool knife set.  The Mercer knives are top of the line, albeit none of them are very large.  The cool tempered glass holding block makes a great display case for your knives.  Comes with a serrated knife which is a must have for any kitchen.

9 - R. H. Forschner 8-Inch Chef’s Knife

This is a common knife to see in many restaurant kitchens around the country.  The reason for this is that it is cheap, safe because of its non-slip handle, and can be sharp with care.  The blade is a little flimsy as it is thin for a chef knife of this size.  With some work and maintenance this knife will be sharp for you, but without the blade will go dull and will need a good grinding to get sharp again.

10 - Wüsthof Classic 7-Inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife

This is Wüsthof’s take on the Santoku knife.  With a hybrid blade shape of a mix between a French chef’s knife and a Japanese chef’s knive, this is becoming a very popular blade because of its versatility. Featuring a very comfortable handle and a hollow edge blade, this knife makes cutting anything a breeze.

11 - Kyocera 6 inch White Ceramic Chef’s Knife

Ceramic blades are a relatively new concept in the culinary industry.  Kyocera makes several different models, this being one of their larger knives.  These blades hold an edge like you wouldn’t believe.  They are sharp as a razor and stay that way.  The only downfall is that they are a little more fragile than their steel counterpart.  I would say that the pros overcome the cons.

12 - Mercer 8 inch Forged Chefs Knife

Mercer makes a high quality knife and sells them at affordable prices.  This is a great all purpose 8 inch Chef Knife with a ergonomic handle and a German stainless steel blade.  8 inch knives are great when you are on a small cutting board or have some finer cut work to do.

13 - MAC Mighty French Chef’s Knife 9 1/2"

This is one of the finest quality chef’s knives on the market.  The knife blade is made with high carbon Chrome Molybdenum with Vanadium.  This makes the steel somewhat softer, which will require a little more maintenance.  Nothing more than having a steel on hand is needed.  The knife is designed to have a perfect balance and quality that is meant to last forever.

14 - Helen’s Asian Kitchen Chinese 7-1/2-Inch Chef Knife

More and more chefs are learning that a good, lightweight, Chinese cleaver can do about anything.  This is a great example.  Made with High-performance chrome molybdenum vanadium stainless steel, this knife gets sharp!  An all metal design ensures that it is wear and tear proof.

15 - Global 5-1/2-Inch Vegetable Knife

Global knives are known for their awesome look, high quality blades, and comfortable handle grip.  This knife is a great example of all those characteristics.  The handle looks crazy, but once you get it into your hand you will understand the design.  This knife feels like a second limb.  Sharp as ever and made to Global standards, this knife is a winner.

16 - Shun Ken Onion 10-Inch Chef’s Knife

This is a knife that looks so beautiful that you will have a hard time even using it.  It looks like it should be kept in a glass case on a wall. Made in Japan with incredibly strong VG-10 steel once you get the heart to actually use this knife you won’t want to put it down.  A $275 price tag makes this knife the porn star of any knife collection.

17 - Shun Steel 7-3/4-Inch Chinese Chef’s Knife

This is the Cadillac of Chinese Chef’s Knives.  Made with 33 layers of high carbon VG-10 stainless-steel, this knife looks beautiful.  I would recommend you watch your fingers when handling this knife.

18 - MAC Ultimate French Chef’s Knife 10 1/4"

This is the Cadillac of French Chef’s Knives.  Made with a superior Tungsten Alloy and heavy weight bolster, this knife can cut anything like butter.  The edge will get sharper and last longer than any other knife.  This is the secret weapon among many professional Chefs.

Photography: Corkscrew by James Rye

I have uncorked a lot of wine bottles in my days, thousands I am sure. Corks themselves can vary slightly in materials, shapes, sizes, and difficulty of removal. However, Corkscrews tend to come in hundreds of shapes and sizes.

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Videos are able to be found on the internet that cover every topic imaginable. Cooking is no exception. There are some sites who’s sole purpose is to offer videos about cooking techniques while others include them along side recipes. I did a lot of looking around and came up with a nice selection of videos I am sure all of you will enjoy.

Photography: Engleberg Switzerland by Florence3

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Mandolines have become a very useful tool in all types of kitchens. They make it easy to make several uniform cuts in a short amount of time. There are alternatives to them such as Robo-Coup attachments, the ever popular Salad Shooter from the ’90’s, or great knife skills with a lot of patience. I have seen several different models of Mandolins come to market recently, so I thought I would go over a few of them.

A Mandoline is basically a plastic or metal "chute" with a razor sharp blade three quarters the way down to slice whatever you may be forcing down on to it. A Mandoline makes such a great kitchen tool because it allows you to make several cuts both quickly and uniformly. There are also several types of attachments to can use with a Mandoline. You can get attachments that make sharp zig-zag cuts or wavy crinkle cuts. Often times a Mandoline comes with a hand guard. These are useful for protecting your hands from getting sliced, as I have done many times.

Mandolines are actually quite basic tools. The differences among them are the materials that are used to make them and they way they are constructed. You see, Mandolines tend to be abused quite regularly. Also, a well endowed Mandoline will have the ability to adjust the angle at which it stands, and adjust the height of the cutting blade, to make thinner or thicker cuts. Imagine making potato chips from a 50 pound bag of russets. You will almost never find a plastic Mandoline in a restaurants kitchen, it will be made of metal, and treated like gold. A good Mandoline is not cheap, however it is very useful. Here are some Mandolines that I found that are available.

1- Bron Professional Mandoline Slicer

This is the best Mandoline Slicer on the market, hands down. It is made of stainless steel and nothing else. These guys practically invented the Mandoline. This is what restaurants buy and use.

Cost - $150 to $190 (depending on options)

Bron Mandoline on Amazon

2 - MIU Stainless-Steel Professional Mandoline Slicer

If I were to buy a Mandoline for a home kitchen, and didn’t feel it necessary to spend almost $200, I would get this Mandoline. It is mostly stainless steel, comes with a few decent blades. And it doesn’t have the annoying gimmicks built in claiming to make it better than the Bron.

Cost - $60

MIU Professional Mandoline on Amazon

3 - OXO Good Grips Mandoline Slicer

This slicer looks pretty simple to use. The chute is very adjustable, it comes with a hand guard, has a few blades, and at least the plastic is not too thin. However, there is a lot of plastic, so it would probably break if it fell out of my 3 story window. (which is what happened to my last Mandoline)

Cost - $68

OXO Mandoline Slicer on Amazon

4 - Cuisinart Mandoline Slicer

I would not recommend buying this Mandoline. It looks like a joke. If you adjust a Mandoline to a specific cut height, you want it to be just right. Lets say you put a potato on it, with some pressure as is the method for using a Mandoline, and the metal bends a little you will get a messed up cut. Now add some wiggly plastic legs to that and pray that you do not shave the skin off of your palm.

Cost - $40

Cuisinart Mandoline on Amazon.

5 - Benriner Japanese Mandolin Slicer

I like this Mandoline. It is small enough to put in a knife bag, it has an angled blade that seems to cut everything with less force, and it is made in Japan so it must be sharp. This is the type of Mandoline you pull out to do a quick or detailed job. Has a couple blades, and you can rip off the hand guard and throw it away. Good-bye Salad Shooter!

Cost - $37

Benriner Mandoline Slicer on Amazon