The Cook’s Kitchen

It’s easy to get excited about the Share Our Strength knife trio endorsed by Rachael Ray.  First, a portion of the proceeds from the set benefit a great cause - Share Our Strength, which is devoted to fighting childhood hunger in America.  How many knife sets can you feel good about buying for a reason other than their ability to chop?

Second, the knives are seriously high quality, at least for this home chef. They are as sharp as, well, a knife should be.  I loved the shape and size of the weighted, grippy orange handle.  There were no worries about the knife slipping out of my hand.  My only complaint is that the East/West (Santoku) knife is a little shorter than I’m used to.  I think I would prefer the 7-inch blade as opposed to the 5-inch that comes with this set.

Third, they come with a handy dandy carrying case that is perfect for traveling or camping.  Now, this case might not be too useful to me right now, since we have a four month old baby.  However, once she’s ready, we will definitely make the carrying case part of our camping kit!  We wouldn’t need any other knifes and the case is slim and easy to pack, but hard to open.  In this situation, hard to open is a good thing.

So, overall, I’d have to say that even with my bias taken into account, these knives are outstanding.  Add in the fact that you can help out a great cause and this is definitely a worthwhile purchase.

Here are the basics on the knives from cooking.com:

Pioneered by Füri, the East/West knife is a combination of cook’s knife and chopper. Professional high performance food prep knife designed for maximum functionality, for chefs and gourmet home cooks. Füri Rachael Ray Gusto-Grip is made from the finest German CrMoV stainless steel, forged bolster, one-piece with blade, and strong tang for supreme strength. The handle core is made from ultra-tough molded polypropylene (PP), with an injection-molded synthetic outer layer of ‘superior grip’ thermoplastic elastomer (TPE, a durable synthetic rubber). The Gusto Grip handles feature “Furi Guard”, antimicrobial inhibitors incorporated directly and permanently into the Gusto Grip handles. This is done during the manufacturing process, giving the handle an added safeguard against microorganisms that can degrade the handle material over time. The patented* Füri ‘reverse-wedge’ shape handle prevents your hand from slipping forward even when wet or oily. The harder you cut the more the handle of the knife locks into your hand, making it safer and easier to control.

Made from the finest German CrMoV stainless steel for the ideal combination of edge retention, ease of sharpening and corrosion resistance. Gusto-Grip handle design has a tailor-made finger groove with palm control grip creating an ergonomically safe handle. Solid cast stainless steel counterweight mounted at the end of the handle for precision balance.