Frequently Asked Questions

The "full set"—eight, ten, fifteen knives and accessories, usually fitted neatly in a large block—is a marketing tactic that has been used for decades to sell unneeded and often low-quality knives under the guise of an irresistible discount. While it may look nice on your counter, the reality is that only a handful of those knives will be used on a regular basis. At Seattle Cutlery, we believe in providing functional works of art that provide years of service without wasting your money. As such, our knives are all sold individually so you can put together exactly what you need. When we offer sets, we choose three to six of the most important and commonly used knives to cover the majority of kitchen needs with minimal redundancy. Specialty and task-specific knives can always be added as needed.

There are a lot of knives out there, so it can be intimidating to pick the right one, especially if you're not (yet) an experienced cook. We do put together knife sets to give you a running start with a few of the most important and useful styles, but you can also accomplish plenty with just one or two good, versatile blades.

A chef's knife is the most critical tool for chopping, slicing, dicing, and more. While chef's knives can be found in a few different sizes and styles, most home cooks will opt for a gyuto or French-pattern chef's knife with a 6" to 8" blade. Larger sizes are often preferred by professionals. Another popular variant is the santoku, a Japanese design with a wider bade that excels at chopping produce but is less adept at slicing.

After the chef's knife, the smaller petty knife or utility knife is a good addition to handle most finer tasks that require more precision. The paring knife is another good choice for handheld functions like paring and peeling.

These three types—chef, petty, and paring—constitute the core of most of the sets we offer. Other specialty and task-specific knives can always be added as needed.

Western (namely German) and Japanese knives are each the product of centuries-old knifemaking traditions that have been shaped by the cuisine, culture, and metallurgy of their regions of origin. In Europe, where meat was a significant part of the diet and iron was widely available, knives were made from thick, relatively soft metal that could withstand impacts with bones. In Japan, where produce and seafood were more common and iron was scarce and costly to refine, swordsmiths and knifemakers used harder metal that could be made thinner, hold a more acute edge, and last longer without sharpening. While each knifemaking tradition has borrowed elements of others and benefited from modern metallurgy, their fundamental differences remain: German knives are heavier, thicker, and more resistant to chips and breakage, while Japanese knives are lighter, thinner, and better at holding an edge.

That begs the question: which is better? Like so many other questions, the answer is “it depends.” If you butcher your own meat or treat your knives roughly, a German knife may be a good choice. In most cases, though, Japanese knives will offer a better cutting experience and require less maintenance than their European counterparts. As long as they stay away from bones and hard surfaces, chipping will rarely be an issue for high-quality Japanese knives. That thinking is what led us to shift our focus from German to Japanese knives in the late 1990s, and we haven’t looked back.

That said, you don’t have to choose one or the other! It’s often a good idea to use Japanese knives for cooking and German for butchery and meat-specific tasks. There are also alternatives. French knives are similar to German, but with a lighter, more petite design. Hybrid designs are also becoming increasingly popular, frequently incorporating a hard Japanese blade steel in conjunction with heavier German construction and balance. We offer the Nakiyo Elite and Nakiyo Olive lines in this category.

None of them! Dishwashers are especially bad for wood-handled knives since the heat and moisture causes wood to swell and crack, but even synthetic-handled and all-metal knives will suffer. Although it’s not true that dishwashers are hot enough to ruin a knife’s temper, as is commonly believed, particulates in the detergent will abrade and dull the edge. The knife is also susceptible to impacts with other knives and utensils, and the heat and moisture can promote rust, even on stainless steel. See our knife care page for more information.

We usually recommend whetstones for home sharpening, but specifics will depend on the type of knife. You can visit our care page for more detailed information. Alternatively, you can use a professional sharpening service such as ours.