Kitchen Reviews

I gotta tell ya...this has been the best "out of the box" knife that I have used in a long time and I have purchased and used every FORGED 8 inch chef's knife from every line of every manufacturer listed here on Amazon. The factory edge was perfectly honed and sharp as a razor right from the get go. Usually I have to use a sharpening steel for a few strokes to reclaim the edge but not this one. Maybe I got lucky but I do love it dearly.
The 4 Star line has been around since 1976 and Henckels knows that we "Pros" love it for it's low maintenance, ease in sharpening, comfortable grip, sanitary design AND price. The blade is classic German in shape, a long, round curve for perfect rockin' and a good weight for heavier work (although in the mid to late '90s they went to a French shape and weight for some reason). This 4 Star can't be beat for dollar value.
This is my 5th one purchased in the last 23 years...the previous ones were all "stolen" by line cooks on the job...'nuf said.

I've been using my Henckel's chef's knife for many years now, and I continue to be impressed with it at every use. The size, weight and balance make it comfortable to use, even for larger "projects" that might cause your hand or arm to get tired with a lesser product. Even after countless uses, the edge remains super sharp, requiring only rare application of the sharpening steel. I found this out the hard way a few days ago with a careless slip of the hand... The heavy duty stainless steel has stood up perfectly to umpteen-bazillion trips through the dishwasher, without the tiniest hint of rust or discoloration.

In short, this is truly a professional quality knife, as is every item in the Four Star, Five Star and Pro-S lines. Yeah, this puppy costs $80 or more, but it's definitely a worthy investment. You really do get what you pay for! Just a word of caution -- stay away from the lower-end Henckel's International line, which is much cheaper but not of comparable quality.

I love to cook, and I've spent a lot of money on cookware. For some reason, however, I continued to buy cheap knives. I guess I always felt that the actualy cookware I was using was so important, that I didn't really understand how having such a good knife would improve things.

Then I got this knife as a gift from a friend who comes over for my cooking a lot. I couldn't believe what I'd been missing! The weight of the knife, combined with such an incredible blade makes 'slicing and dicing' one of the best parts of cooking! This blade has taken everything I've thrown at it effortlessy. I bought a Henkle sharpener to go with it, but it holds its edge so well I don't sharpen it too often.

This kinfe also looks great. Plus, with Henckel quality, you know this will last almost forever.

Pros:
-Holds an edge very, very well
-Solid and heavy - makes chopping so easy
-Well balanced - feels great in your had
-Henkel quality

Cons:
-I only have one! (seriously, I don't have a real con).

I had searched and researched for months debating between All Clad and Kitchen Aid. When I saw the price I couldn't refuse the amazon Kitchen Aid. I love it, it looks good and is a treat to cook with. The handles are comfortable, stay cool and the cookware is not too heavy. I think this is a nice basic set to start with that is not too expensive and will last a life time. Depending on what types of dishes you like to cook mixing up the cookware is also a good idea, a few non-stick pieces, braisers and dutch or french ovens and casseroles may also be a nice addition. Kitchen Aid has limited pieces but what they do not have All Clad does and it too will last forever. Happy cooking!

You can take the cooking quality for granted. They heat fast and evenly. We purchased these over a year ago at this discounted price after we got a new stove. We needed the new flat bottom cookware to go with the ceramic stovetop. They are still beautiful. The inside bottom of the pans will turn slightly multicolored if your teenager cooks on high. I always put a little non-stick spray around the rivets just in case some food got that high - I really don't want to spend my time cleaning them. We do not put ours in the dishwasher because the gleam and we want to keep them that way as much as possible. They are somewhat heavy due to the 5 ply but not too heavy as my wife enjoys them. You'll feel like you have quality in your hands every time you cook with them.

GREAT COOKWARE - nobody who's used it would argue, and I also have some All-Clad pieces - the Kitchenaid actually cooks more evenly! Reviewers have commented about care: my set is over a year old, and still looks great. Why? a) NEVER use steel wool - if it's burned on, soak it. b) I DO dishwash them (they come out fine). c) to remove discolorations (I do this after dishwashing) get a can of Cameo Aluminum and Stainless Steel Cleaner (in the same section as Bon Ami) - sprinkle some directly onto the pan, and wipe it around with a damp sponge. d) NEVER scrub (even with a sponge or plastic scraper) in a back-and-forth manner - go in circles. These pans have a slightly matt finish in the inside to help hide scratches, but it's a swirled finish, not side-to-side (those back-and-forth scratches never come out) To get extra pieces Amazon.comdoesn't carry, check out potsandpans.com. Amazon.com's prices are the best but they only stock about 20% of what Meyer (Kitchenaid's manufacturer) makes for this line!

When I was first married 28 years ago and registering housewares preferences at the local department store, my father teased me about choosing fine china and what he called "throwing china", the everyday stuff. Well, if anybody every throws Fiestaware at you, duck! Good, strong, sturdy stuff.

I have had better luck buying the open stock pieces than buying sets -- the glaze in some of the plates in sets has been flawed. I get both cobalt and periwinkle, and have found that the cobalt shows flaws more readily than the lighter color.

Collecting two colors is fun. There are some colors that I just don't want to eat off of, but blue makes everything look tasty. Cobalt seems to present food more dramatically, but periwinkle makes for a nice "blue plate special" too.

I have occasionally noticed restaurants using Fiestaware, which is an accurate testament to the product's durability.

I have used the same Fiesta Ware for the last 12 years and I have not broken a piece yet! Even when my 2 teenage boys were babies, and doing dishes, a piece may have slipped out of their hands, but nothing was ever broken. This shows how durable the Fiesta Ware really is. I would highly recommend Fiesta Ware to everyone of all ages. I own 3-20 piece settings at the present time and plan on expanding. I like the fact that you can collect all different colors and it looks great! I will be ordering more for when my 2 boys go to college. I plan on ordering my mother a 20 piece set for her birthday. I love it and I know you would toooo!

After spending 6 years as a sous chef and using a variety of knifes, I can asure you that this knife is top notch! The Santoku is the knife of choice for vegetable prep because it is so well balanced for "rocking" and "chopping." For those that grip with your pointing finger onto the blade, the shape of the handle is far better than the 5 star series. The cryogentically cured steel stays sharp for months. In the four years that I've used this knife I have never used anything but a worn steel to sharpen the blade. A "must have" for the serious home cook.

Now that I have the kids helping me cook dinner/chop vegetables etc. I needed another "chef" knife. Rather than duplicate the chef's knife, I got this one and am very pleased. It's narrower blade makes slicing easier, the curve of the blade has a nice rocker motion to it. I think of the two styles I prefer the French Chef's over this one but as a second knife this one is great.

Purchased this knife to complete my knife collection. I'm not a serious (or even a great) cook but I love Henckels Four Star knives and have used them for over 20 years. This knife (as well as the others in the Four Star Collection) is well balanced and very sharp. It makes me want to take cooking lessons so my meager skills can match the knife's potential. My efforts in the kitchen may not taste gourmet but I feel like a chef with this knife in my hand. Marian

KitchenAid is simply the best appliance/kitchen tool maker, bar none. I've cut pizza with other wheels, knives, all sorts of things. Nothing comes close to the cut you get from the KitchenAid pizza wheel! The wheel is nice and big, which keeps your hand farther from hot pizza and steam. It's also super sharp, so it cuts perfectly!! Also, it comes with a nice plastic cover so that when you store it in a drawer, you won't go cutting yourself when you dig around for it! Ingenious! :D I highly recommend!

Fantastic, sturdy & The Hummer of Pizza cutters. After wasting gobs of money on junk Pizza wheel cutters for years, I broke down & bought this gem over a year ago. It is as sharp & perfect as the day I bought it after dozens & dozens of pizza cuts. Totally dishwasher safe, sharp & cuts perfectly every time, unlike our last OXO. Don't hesitate; this is the only one to buy; just like their PERFECT can opener & nearly everything else that Kitchenaid makes.

How many pizza cutters have you bought? Likely more than you wanted to, because they just did not last. They were dull, tranished etc. This is perfect, stay sharp cutters, dishwasher safe and will last and last. I like the finger guard. Nice safety touch. For serious pizza families this is a must!!

My only beef with these mugs is that they're so big. I own the smaller Fiestaware mugs too, and I complained about those being too small, but seriously - I wish there were a middle ground. Though I'd take 'too big' over too small any day. You can have a big cuppa tea or coffee or soup with these things. An excellent multitasker, I've even used mine to store cups of broth in the freezer. These definitely need some sort of tight-fitting lid developed for them for better storage in the fridge or freezer.

brilliant nicely shaped monster mugs. look great, but we still keep reaching for the old regular-style non-fiestaware mugs cause the jumbo ones are often just too much (and we live in texas, where oversized is always better). definitely agree with previous reviewer who wishes there were an in-between size from fiestaware. those little mugs with the pretty but useless ring handles don't work, and the wonderful jumbo mug is overkill for normal use. i'd vote for keeping the design, just scaling it down a bit.

I have these and love them. I'm glad I didn't waste my time with some look-alikes I saw. These are the same quality as the rest of my Fiestaware and match perfectly. I use these for hot cocoa loaded down with marshallows, chili, soup, cereal. It's a bowl, it's a cup. The cup is heavy enough that it can sustain some abuse from daily use and keep you from getting burned by the hot stuff inside. I really love these cups!

I'm sure by now, you're confused by which brand you should choose... is it the Henckels or the Wusthof Santoku? If that isn't your dilemma, skip on down to the next reviewer. I just got the Santoku for a steal of a price... and that is why i went for this over the Wusthof which goes for $5 more (Classic hollow-edge). I was looking at the Wusthof for over a month and was completely impressed w/ the feel and balance. I think the Henckels still comes in just below the Wusthof. There are hundreds of other knife manufacturers in Solingen, Germany... it's only that Henckels spent tons of money on global marketing. Back to the knife... once i got home, I quickly dug for a carrot (tougher to chop) and a cucumber. I tried to chop the carrot like i was banging on a drum... and it chopped fine. As far as the traditional, knuckles out cutting technique, it worked fine. My only advice for you is to definitely try out both knives and look for the most comfortable. You'll notice that one may have a heavy-heel/light-handle feel to it(vice versa)... it is ALL PREFERENCE. I actually got kind of tired chopping the carrots b/c theAlso keep in mind... the hollow edges on the knife really don't make a difference. If anything, it's an aesthetical bonus. So try out the non-hollow edged ones... it may be a few $$$'s cheaper. Also keep in mind, the difference between the Pro 'S', "4-Star" and "5-Star" knives are the handles. I didn't like the "5-Star" knives b/c of the ergonomic handle. Anyone can tell you that you're not supposed to wrap your hands around the whole handle. Instead you should be using your thumb and index to grip the finger guard/bolster. So thus, the Pro 'S' is a good pick, but I'm still going to give the 5-star rating to the Wusthof Classic 7" Santoku.

I bought one of these knives for my wife because she wasn't comfortable with traditional chef's knives, and I didn't like to see her using a pairing knife as a primary kitchen knife. After going to a few different stores and trying out different knives, she decided on the Henckels Pro S 7-inch Santoku. Although I probably would not have picked this knife for myself, I'm now hooked. Here's what I like most: (1) It came with an excellent factory edge. In fact, it was much sharper out of the box than my Global chef's knife. I probably won't use my Global much more until I can get it professionally sharpened. (2) Excellent balance and overall quality. It just feels good in your hand. This is something that everyone needs to try and decide for himself. (3) Versatility. The wide blade is better for scooping up chopped vegetables, herbs, etc than most chef's knives. It is sharp and light enough for relatively delicate work, but long and sturdy enough to handle bigger jobs. (4) Unlike traditional European-style knives, where the blade comes up against the bolster, the entire blade is exposed. This gives you more useful blade space, and is much better for future sharpening (bolsters get in the way of sharpening and stick out once part of the blade has been removed in the sharpening process). The only things I might change are that the 7-inch blade is a bit shorter than I would like, and the handle is relatively small (this is one of the factors that were best for my wife, however). The advice that I would give to anyone purchasing this knife is to please take care of it. Do not run it through the dishwasher, cut on hard glass or marble cutting boards (pure evil), or use any gimmicky home sharpening system. Maintain the edge with a high quality honing steel (a smooth steel is gentlest on the blade), and sharpen only occasionally by someone who knows what they're doing.

If you enjoy cooking Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, or any other Asian foods you will find this knife a joy to use, and a welcome friend in the kitchen.

In the past I've used my Henckel 8" or 6" Chef's knives to prep veggies and meats for stir fry dishes. They did a fine job..but this knife makes the job so much more effortless. Beautiful for thin slivers of meat or all forms of vegetable cutting...slant cut, diced, nituke, jullianne.

One thing I appreciate about this knife is the 7" length and the lighter feel in my hand. It still has the nice balance that you would expect from a Henckel knife, but with a bit less heft. A pleasure to use!

If you love cooking with great kitchen tools...you'll love this one!

L