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Kitchen knives
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Lou Laguiole knife sets
24 place cutlery set Lou Laguiole Jet 18/0 stainless steel cutlery set
In stock
Wusaki Damas 10Cr
Wusaki Damascus santoku knife 10Cr with granton edge 18cm olive wood handle
In stock
Lou Laguiole knife sets
Knife set of 6 LOU LAGUIOLE Jet serrated steak knives, all stainless steel
In stock
Lou Laguiole knife sets
Set of 24 Lou Laguiole Jet Sablé grey 18/0 stainless steel cutlery set
In stock
Models and uses :
Kitchen knives represent a large family of models(Santoku, Chef, office) and uses (cutting vegetables, meats, etc.). To make your search as pleasant as possible, we've classified each of our knives in its respective category.
Some models are typically European (the bird's beak knife, for example), but you'll still find models made in Japan. Conversely, other typically Japanese models, such as the santoku knife, cousin of our chef's knife, can also be found in all European knife manufacturers' ranges. However, a few "exclusivities" remain, such as the Japanese Deba knives designed exclusively for cutting fish.
Steel :
The huge family of kitchen knives on KnifeLeader.eu also features a wide variety of steels used in their manufacture. Traditionally, European knives are made from softer stainless steels, with a maximum HRC of 52 to 58, making them easier to use and less likely to break or chip (you can safely touch a bone), at the expense of a less enduring cutting edge. The use of a sharpening gun is essential to maintain the cutting edge practically between each use, as it diminishes rapidly. So, let's just say that after a sharpening process worthy of a Japanese knife, this level of sharpness can only be maintained for a few cuts. In fact, it is virtually impossible to achieve the cutting edge of a very good Japanese knife, as the steel is too "soft" to be sharpened to such a fine edge. European knives are often used in a more versatile and "brutal" way, not hesitating to come into contact with bones or hard foods. Steels with a hardness of up to 58 HRC offer a very good compromise.
Japanese knives, on the other hand, are made from much harder steel, between 60 and 65 HRC. Some Western-style ranges, however, are made from an excellent molybdenum steel (very often AUS-8) with an HRC of 58-59, which has the many advantages of being rather supple (little breakage), easy to sharpen, stainless, and retaining its edge for quite a long time. The vast majority of damascus knives use the highly reputed VG10 stainless steel, which is very hard (HRC 60-61) and more complex to sharpen. Finally, traditional Japanese knives use carbon steel sandwiched between iron (or sometimes stainless steel). Oxidizable, these knives need to be carefully cleaned (do not soak them, just sponge with soap and wipe dry), but benefit from an excellent compromise between high hardness (often HRC 62) and high purity. The result is a knife that is very easy to sharpen, with little breakage compared to a VG10, and an excellent cutting edge that lasts a very long time. However, it is still important to avoid contact with bones or large edges, to avoid chipping the cutting edge. A sharpening gun is of little use for a Japanese knife, as the cutting edge is maintained for a long time (several months for non-professional use).
