Flatware has been around virtually forever, and rarely changes shape since it is so well suited to its purpose – how can one really improve upon a knife, fork or a spoon? This dinnerware collection might just represent a bend in a long, historically-straight road.

A tight curve wraps the back end of each piece, forming a slip-on clip out of the stainless-steel silverware handle. Slide it onto the side of a drinking glass, or use it to close a packet of coffee (instead of losing a scoop inside the packet).

For waiters or at dinner parties, this clever cutlery can be attached to the sides of drinks, serving trays or handheld h’orderve dishes for easy access and a free hand – no more spoons and forks slipping off the side between bites. This award winning series was created byIvan Erkic

J.A. Henckels International Henckels Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife with Hollow Edge

• Single 7-inch Santoku knife for preparing meat, fish, and vegetables
• Fine-polished hollow razor edge, ideal for extra thin cutting
• Made of stain-resistant carbon steel that’s hot drop forged for durability; full bolster for balance
• Triple riveted handle surrounds a full tang
• Handwash with mild cleanser; lifetime warranty; made in Spain

Classic 7-inch Santoku knife with hollow edge

How Much Should You Expect to Pay?

The J.A. Henckels International Henckels Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife with Hollow Edge is available on the (manufacturer) website for $ 82.00 but you really should not be paying any more than $ 43.95 for this dinnerware set. The cheapest we have seen it is on Amazon who consistently sell this dinnerware for under $ 82.00.

What’s IncludedWhat Others Are Saying

This J.A. Henckels International Henckels Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife with Hollow Edge has received rave reviews from most of the consumers on the net with (an average of 5 out of 5 from most reviewers on Amazon) and (the manufacturer website) itself.

(Here are some of the comments to date:)

Where Can You Buy the J.A. Henckels International Henckels Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife with Hollow Edge?

You can buy this J.A. Henckels International Henckels Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife with Hollow Edge from Amazon. I can tell when comparing prices with other online merchants, Amazon do currently have the best deal. Click here to view on Amazon.

Read More Reviews

If you want to read more (reviews) for the J.A. Henckels International Henckels Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife with Hollow Edge ,the best place for (reviews from people) who actually use the product is Amazon. Click here to read more.

I’m a fan of the Spanish-made Henckel’s Int’l Classic lines. I have the bread knife and the utility knife as well. I think the major budget concessions (as these are not the high-end German-made line) comes in the size. Classic blades, though full-tang and thrice-riveted, have less steel than comparable brands. This makes them slender and light in the hand. However, less steel is not lower-quality steel, and these blades are incredibly hard and reliable.

This santoku is still large enough to use as a spatula when cutting, delivering onions, mushrooms or other slices or mince to the pan while cooking speedily. It sharpens easily (I use a small stone under running water), and responds well to a steel every few uses. It’s the sharpest blade in my collection, easily slicing up my sponges when I clean it. With care, it won’t do the same to your skin, mostly because of the sturdiness of construction that breeds confident handling. It won’t slide off most vegetables before slicing in, and can even cleave small poultry bones with slow and steady pressure downward (I wouldn’t use it to hack as real cleavers do). This is a precision instrument, not a blunt tool.

This was my first ‘nice’ knife when I was taken in by the Santoku craze, and it was certainly a decent choice. The knife is sharp out of the box, reasonably well balanced, and has pretty good fit/finish. For the type of person who only buys things like veggies and boneless/skinless chicken, etc., that are largely prepared, this knife will probably fit the bill and allow you finish up small amounts of prep work. The real drawback is the length. When you live in the South, you see vidalia onions that are 7″ in diameter. This knife is a bit small to tackle the large veggies. And don’t even think about getting it near hard melons or bone-in meats. Since I got this knife, I’ve expanded my collection quite a bit, even adding some real Japanese steel. But this little blade keeps a spot on my magnetic strip, where it comes out for small tasks or when my wife can’t get me to relinquish the big blade. For most cooks, who need a real omni-tasker knife, I would look for a 9-10″ chef’s knife rather than this.

I bought this knife for .00 at linens and things. I vacillated between this and the version. I made a mistake. When the knife was finally extricated from it’s mega-vinyl prison. I hefted it, felt the edge and examined construction. I got less than I paid for. The feel and look of this knife is similar to those late night TV special knives. “But wait, there’s more… Now how much would you pay?”

It is just a cheap feeling product. Also, the tip of the knife had a pronounced burr on it that I had to hone off.

I am too old to be re-learning that you get what you pay for.

› See all 11 customer reviews…

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Viners

For more great offers on Viners cutlery and dinnerware, try their online shop here

Viners

For more great offers on Viners cutlery and dinnerware, try their online shop here

Viners

For more great offers on Viners cutlery and dinnerware, try their online shop here or click the image below

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 6th, 2010 at 1:52 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Viners

For more great offers on Viners cutlery and dinnerware, try their online shop here

Viners

For more great offers on Viners cutlery and dinnerware, try their online shop here

There are four characteristics you should consider when choosing a kitchen knife: the material, the blade construction, the blade edge and the handle.

The Material

Historically, knives were made from carbon steel, a mixture of iron and carbon. Blades made from carbon steel can be sharpened easily to a razor edge. But, knives made of carbon steel are prone to rusting. And, carbon steel blades can discolor when it comes in contact with acidic foods such as tomatoes and citrus fruits.

Many modern knives feature blades made of stainless steel, a mixture of iron and chromium, with a smaller amount of carbon. Stainless steel blades look beautiful and shiny and resist rust. On the down side, though, stainless steel blades are very difficult to sharpen. So, once these knives lose their original sharpness, you may be locked into using a dull blade unless you want to buy a new knife.

Today, better kitchen knives are made of high-carbon steel. High Carbon Stainless Steel is a higher-grade, stainless steel alloy with more carbon than standard stainless steel. High carbon steel can be easily sharpened, doesn’t rust easily and is resistant to staining and so brings together the best qualities of carbon steel and stainless steel blades.

Knives featuring ceramic blades are relatively new to the market. Ceramic blades are incredibly hard and can maintain a sharp edge for months or even years with little or no maintenance. They are completely resistant to corrosion. However, the sharpness of these types of blades can actually ruin the glaze on dinnerware, so care must be taken to use them only on cutting boards. And, ceramic blades are also easily chipped and can crack into pieces easily if not handled with care.

Blade Construction

Metal knives can be either forged or stamped.

Forged blades are made by heating and shaping a single piece of metal into the form of a blade that is then polished and sharpened.

Stamped blades are made from sheets of metal, cut into the shape of a knife.

Most professionals prefer a forged blade over a stamped blade because forged blades tend to be thicker and heavier than their stamped counterparts.

Edge

A hollow ground blade features a cutting edge that is beveled with a concave shape. This type of edge is created when the knife’s cutting edge is ground starting on the lower half of the blade, with the grind removing a circular area of the blade. The resulting edge is thin and very sharp, but also rather fragile. These types of knives are great for delicate tasks, such as chopping herbs or vegetables, but are not suited for heavier jobs.

Flat ground edges are produced when both sides of the blade are ground to form a taper running from the blade’s spine all the way to its edge. The result is a blade that looks, in profile, like a long, thin triangular shape. Knives with a flat ground edge are heavier, thicker and more durable than those featuring a hollow ground blade.

Serrated & blades feature an edge that is wavy and saw-like. Serrated knives are perfect for slicing foods that are soft on the inside, but crusty on the outside like bread and tomatoes.

Granton blades feature a scallop pattern ground into the edge. This design helps to prevent food from sticking to the blade as the food is cut.

Handles

The handles of kitchen knives can be made from a number of different materials.

Wood handles are beautiful to look at, but can be hard to care for, should be hand-washed and can harbor germs. Stainless steel handles are also beautiful and are the much more durable than wood, and stainless steel is resistant to microorganisms. But stainless can be slippery to use with wet hands and stainless steel handles tend to be very heavy.

Finally, knife handles can be made of plastic or composite materials. While not as attractive as wood and lighter in weight, like stainless, plastic is unlikely to harbor germs and is easy to care for. And, unlike wood, plastic-handled knives can be washed in the dishwasher.

Setting a table properly can be a daunting task. Where does each piece go and what do you need to have on the table for each course? Here I will describe how a table would be set for a meal consisting of a soup course, salad course, entrée and dessert.

Start with the dinner plate. This is the largest piece of the table setting and the one around which everything will revolve. You may place the napkin in a ring on top of the plate.

Next, place the silverware. Forks are always placed to the left of the plate. They are placed in an outside-in pattern based on the order in which they will be used. The first used, in this case, a small salad fork, will be placed on the outside. The dinner knife is set closest to the plate on the right side. Ensure that the cutting edge faced inward. It is appropriate to use a steak knife if the entrée is meat. Next, place the spoons. These are placed in the same pattern as the forks, from the outside in. In our example, the soup spoon would go on the outside and the dessert spoon, which would be used last, would be placed between the soup spoon and dinner knife.

Drinking glasses of any kind are placed above and to the right of the dinner plate.

These are the basics of setting a table. However, you may also wish to include a salad plate, bread plate and butter knife, dessert spoon and fork or a cup and saucer.

A salad plate is placed to the left of the forks. The bread plate is placed above the forks. The butter knife should be placed diagonally across the edge of the bread plate and the handle should be closest to the dinner plate. You may place a dessert spoon and fork above the dinner plate or beside the plate, following the rules stated above for the placement of spoons and forks. Dessert spoons and forks, therefore, would be found closest to the dinner plate, as they will be used last. Finally, a coffee cup and saucer would be placed above and to the right of the knife and spoons.

You have now placed every piece of dinnerware, cutlery and glasses you could need for an informal dinner experience. Now you can sit back and enjoy the food and the impeccable table you have set. Enjoy!

Throwing a formally dinner party doesn’t need to be a stressful occasion. You can really impress your family and friends and make even Miss Manners proud if you know how to host an event properly. And, if you know how to set a formal table, your food will present in a much more appealing way.

There are several items that you will need to set a completed table. Formal dinnerware, along with a complete set of flatware will make for a nice looking table when used along with fine glassware and table linens.

o Dinner plates need to be centered in front of each chair, if using placemats, they should be center in front of each chair with the dinner plates centered on the placemats

o Soup bowls should sit on top of each dinner plate

o Salad plates are placed to the left of and just above the forks or on top of the dinner plate, if there is no soup to be served.

o The bread plate should be placed to the right and slightly above the salad plate.

o You can also bring each course’s plates out with that serving of the meal, so that p each appropriate plate is placed on top of the dinner plate with each specific course. For example, soup bowls are placed and removed, to be replaced with salads plates, etc. Get creative with how you fold your nalpkins and make your table elegant and original!

o Napkins can be placed on the plate, under the forks, or inside the drinking glass.

o Water glasses are placed to the right of the knife. Wine glasses and other drinking glasses areplaced next to the drinking glasses.

o Cups and saucers are put near the knives, or can be brought out after the meal, if coffee or tea are only being served with dessert.

o Silverware that is used first should be the furthest away from the dinner plate so that your guests will be using their flatware from the outside and work towards the plate.

o Forks are placed to the left of the dinner plate; knives and spoons go to the right.

o Knives should be placed with their cutting-edge toward the dinner plate, except the butter knife which should be laid flat on a bread plate.

o Utensils should be about 1/2-inch away from the plate or each other, and they should also be lined up evenly from their bottoms. Each course should have its own utensil, but don’t overdo it.

o Dessert silverware can be originally placed at the table setting if you wish. The dessert fork or spoon should be centered above and parallel to the dinner plate.

And remember to relax and enjoy the company of your friends and family, After all, isn’t that the reason you decided to invite them in the first place?