Knives generally are of two types, "fully forged", which are the most
expensive and "stamped", which can be considerably cheaper. Stamped knives
generally look like one thin piece of metal with a handle molded on or
riveted on. Forged knives have a "bolster", the metal becomes considerably
thicker where the blade meets the handle.
Stamped knives can vary greatly in quality. Most lousy knives are stamped
but not all stamped knives are lousy. According to evaluations I've seen
in, say, "Cook's Illustrated", and "Consumer Reports" some stamped knives
can be the equal in quality of expensive forged knives. "Cook's
Illustrated" evaluated bread knives in their July/Aug. 2000 issue, with
their two top choices being a 10" Forschner ($36) and a Lamson 10" offset
($40), list prices. Both are stamped knives, hence their low prices,
versus the $70+ for forged bread knives.
Bread knives also come in the cheaper eight inch length but I think that's
too short to allow sawing back and forth unless all you cut is baguettes or
bread sticks. Offset handle bread knives, which have the handle higher
than the blade, are very practical, they let one avoid hitting one's
knuckles against the table as one cuts, but they're kind of ugly (to me),
and require more storage room in a drawer.
I've been happy with the service and prices at PCD (Professional Cutlery
Direct) http://www.cutlery.com and Cook's Wares http://cookswares.com, to
name two of many possible sources.
Mark Judman <Mark_Judman@colpal.com>