The first set of knives you choose from Crate and Barrel should be your last. In fact, our investment quality Wüsthof®, Calphalon® and Shun knives have a lifetime guarantee. What’s the best knife? It’s the one that immediately feels like it was made for your hand. Which is why we offer a range of the “best,” and why we encourage you to come in to our stores and try them out.
Hand-Forged
Hand-forged knives are the highest quality because they are made one at a time by hand. Crate and Barrel has been offering Wüsthof hand-forged knives for over 40 years. Each cutting edge is hand-ground by skilled craftsmen in the knife-producing center of the world—Solingen, Germany. In a process that involves 38 separate steps of hammering, shaping, refining, sharpening, buffing and polishing, a solid sheet of steel is transformed into working art. We also offer Wüsthof stamped knives and Calphalon machine-forged knives of excellent quality at about half the price.
We are very excited to introduce Shun Classic knives from Kai. These amazing razor-sharp knives are hand-forged in Seki City, Japan’s 700-year-old center for samurai swords. Their “ripple” Damascus finish is achieved by hand-forging 33 layers of steel. Blades are hand-stamped, hand-ground to an exceptional 16-degree angle, then hand-polished to seemingly glide through foods.
Full Tang
All of our knives have a full tang, meaning they are made of one continuous piece of steel extending from the tip of the blade to the end of the handle. You can actually see the steel sandwiched and riveted between the handle. This gives the knife superior balance and feel.
High-Carbon Steel
We offer only knives with high-carbon steel blades. They combine the advantages of a finer edge that’s easy to keep sharp and a rust-free, non-staining finish that won’t react to acidic foods.
Which Knives
For every task, there is a knife. The basic knives most cooks need include Chef’s, Paring, Slicer, Bread and Utility. Many of these are available in different sizes for different jobs. For example, there are five sizes of Chef’s knives ranging from 4.5″ to 9″.
Sets or Open Stock
A set of knives will start you off with the basic knives at a substantial savings. Most sets also include a hardwood knife block to store and protect, a sharpening steel and kitchen shears. Many knives are also available open stock, allowing you to create your own cutlery collection for the way you cook. Consider adding specialty knives such as boning knives, tomato knives, peeling knives and cleavers to expand upon a basic knife set.
Santoku
In addition to the essential repertoire, the Japanese Chef’s knife, or Santoku (which translates to “three great things”), is the runaway hot new bestseller for slicing, dicing and mincing.
Basic Cutlery Guide
Cutlery
- Knife Block Set
- Open Stock Knives
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- Chef’s Knife
- Japanese Chef’s Knife
- Slicing Knife
- Carving Knife/Carving Set
- Bread Knife
- Paring Knife
- Peeling Knife
- Boning Knife
- Tomato Knife
- Utility Knife
- Cleaver
- Knife Sharpeners
- Steak Knives (12)
- Knife Storage
