This knife set furnishes a cook with all essential blades. It includes eight kitchen knives plus eight steak knives for the dining room, a meat fork, a rugged pair of kitchen shears, a 9-inch sharpening steel to keep knife edges aligned, a 19-slot oak block to store everything on the counter, and a knife-skills instruction video to convert any cook, novice or seasoned, into a pro. Classic three-rivet handles with black synthetic grips and full tangs distinguish Pro S from Henckels' other premium knives. Otherwise, this set's knives embody Henckels's renowned knife-making craft. Except for fully forged blades less than 6 inches long, blades and bolsters of Henckels' premier cutlery lines are high-tech welded to combine three types of high-carbon stainless steel into what appears to be a single piece so a knife's parts have distinct, desirable characteristics. Henckels says the welds are even stronger than the steel. The eight high-carbon stainless-steel kitchen knives in the set are a 3-inch parer; a 5-inch serrated utility that's perfect for tomatoes and thin-skinned fruits; a 6-inch straight-edge utility; an 8-inch slicer; an 8-inch bread knife with large scallops for slicing crusty loaves; a heavy cleaver; and both 8-inch and 6-inch chef's knives for rocking through chopping and mincing tasks. The eight steak knives have straight edges for neatly slicing through meat fibers. Though both knives and fork are dishwasher-safe, the knives should be hand washed to protect edges. Made in Germany, this set carries a lifetime warranty against defects. --Fred Brack
What's in the Box
3-inch paring knife, 5-inch serrated utility knife, 6-inch utility knife, 8-inch slicing knife, 8-inch bread knife, 8-inch chef's knife, 6-inch chef's knife, cleaver, eight 4-1/2-inch steak knives, meat fork, kitchen shears, 9-inch sharpening steel, instruction video, 19-slot oak knife block
