A Review of the J.A. Henckels Brand of Knives
One cutlery company that has its beginnings in Solingen, Germany is Zwilling J.A. Henckels. Created in 1731, the company has offered the world many “firsts”, including the first stainless steel blades, multi-purpose kitchen shears, forged knives with molded handles and hybrid forged knives. Henkels is also esteemed as one of the most decorated cutlery manufacturers in the world. It appears that after 278 years of existence, Henckels Four Star Knife Sets could be called the sharpest knives in the block.
Product Descriptions
As suggested by their logo – a modern representation of the star sign of Gemini – all Henckels knives have been designated with the word “Twin” followed by the series name then individual nomenclature. You’ll find eleven Twin series – 1731, Cermax M66, Select, Cuisine, Four Star II, Pro “S”, Five Star, Four Star, Gourmet, Signature and Grip Parers – and one more product line comprised of cleavers and dicers. All of these knives are made in Germany, except the Cermax M66 knife series which is manufactured in Japan.
The majority of Henckels knives are constructed of high-quality German high-carbon, no-stain steel blades, which are then ice-hardened to enhance their cutting edge retention and resistance to corrosion. This is hardly news as the company invented the Friodur ice-hardening system for forged knives. Conseqently, if you are contemplating the purchase of a Henckels knife set, you will enjoy the advantages of German craftsmanship with global standards.
Advantages
The good thing about Henckels Four Star Knife Sets is the many types available to customers from the homemakers to the world-class chefs. In turn, a range of budgets are served by its low-end products in the Twin Signature series to the fairly expensive knives included in the Twin Cermax M66 series. Fortunately, the quality of materials employed and the construction method employed are comparable with every knife sold by this company.
The high-end knives that make up the Cermax M66 Henckels series moves like a laser through any ingredients. Cermax knives are able to cut, slice, julienne, chop and mince more efficiently than any other knife of similar quality. Furthermore, the weight and balance of Cermax knives are ideal; to the degree that expert chefs are quickly showing preference for the Cermax M66 as opposed to, say, nearly equivalent knives over at Wusthoft.
Even this manufacturers’ stamped steel knives such as the Twin Signature collection are excellent balancing acts between price and craftsmanship. Apparently, more than two centuries of making knives is bound to pay off!
Disadvantages
Especially in cases where you purchase your knives on the website, make sure that you are getting what you requested and paid good money for. There will be occasional complaints of the product descriptions of a Henckels knife set that failed to correspond with the items shipped.
Next there is the issue of reputation. Because Henckles now produces budget-priced knives that sometimes, emphasis on sometimes, don’t satisfy expectations, the other top quality knives suffer from the other’s failures. This is much like the parable of some bad apples spoiling the complete bunch.
In conclusion, the selection of a Henckels Knife Set often is settled by two things: your cooking style and the size of your bank account. Usually, you will be forced to sacrifice either price or quality but with Henckels knives, the dilemma is made easier.
