‘Ring of Fire' Review: World War I, Beyond the Trenches
One of these voices belongs to a member of the French army, one is Austro-Hungarian and the other German. Which uniform each man wears, or in which theater of war he is fighting, is less important than what his experiences have in common with the others. These are but three among the countless troops and civilians whose experiences are viewed with a fresh perspective in 'Ring of Fire: A New History of the World at War, 1914,' by Alexandra Churchill and Nicolai Eberholst.
Popular histories of World War I often reduce the worldwide conflict to two narrow fronts—eastern and western—both on a single western continent, with a primary focus on one of those two narrative boxes at the expense of the rest of the world. 'Ring of Fire' widens that lens and recenters the narrative, turning the conventional, top-down approach on its head. It pulls away from the proclamations of men in corridors of power to focus our attention instead on a bottom-up view of how the war impacted everyday men, women and children—lives lost, homes destroyed, jobs taken, food rationed, travel restricted, speech censored—whether they went to war or the war came to them. Ms. Churchill is a historian and battlefield guide who has hosted documentaries on military and royal history; Mr. Eberholst is a historian and archivist. The two skip past the daily volleys of righteous indignation in July 1914 and take us directly to the streets of the nations headed to war. We see young men in St. Petersburg and Berlin and Paris driven by patriotism to enlist, immigrants in Australia viewing service as a free passage back to Europe, and tribesmen in Africa volunteering for the food and regular income the military promised—with perils of combat paling next to recent famine.
'Ring of Fire' employs words with visual force to show us the opening shots of the war, following Germany's invasion of neutral Belgium, France's first offensive through Alsace-Lorraine, Austria-Hungary's attacks on Serbia, and Russia's bloody clashes with Austria-Hungary and Germany. In contrast to the recurring trope of 'lions led by donkeys,' we are shown armies adapting to modern, industrialized war and the replacement of incompetent field commanders with leaders who proved themselves effective during the war's first trials of combat. And we see the war's global reach, as the first British shot of the war is fired by an African soldier, the first British officer is killed in action in Germany's West African colony of Togoland and the first Australian officer is killed in action in German New Guinea.
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Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
German Kids Go To School With Giant Cones. Here's Why.
Back-to-school season in the U.S. involves a number of fun rituals, like shopping for classroom supplies, picking out a special first-day outfit and taking photos with a personalized sign. On the first day of school in Germany, however, you'll see an even more striking sight. German children mark the transition to school by carrying large paper cones on their first day of classes. The cones — which seem larger than the kids themselves — are brightly colored and sometimes have ornate decorations. But what's the deal with these cones? What's inside them? And where did they come from? We turned to some German cultural experts to find out. What is the school cone? 'A Schultüte ― also known as a 'school cone' or 'cone bag' in some parts of Germany ― is a cardboard container in the form of a pointed cone that schoolchildren carry with them when they start school,' Amrei Gold, head of public relations for North America at the German National Tourist Board, told HuffPost. She noted that German children receive these cones from their parents on their first day of elementary school, which typically occurs around age 6. The Schultüte is very large and can be fully rounded and cone-shaped or appear more like a pyramid on a hexagonal base. 'The school cones are usually filled with sweets and small gifts such as crayons or other school supplies,' Gold explained. 'The name 'sugar cone,' which is common in some areas for the school cone, comes from filling it with sweets.' She joked that perhaps the idea of having to attend school every day for the next 12-13 years requires 'sweetening' with treats and gifts. The Schultüte is also a big photo opportunity, as many kids pose with their cones and sometimes a sign reading 'My First Day of School.' 'The cone has been a tradition for a long time and is an important part of the very first day of school for children in Germany,' said Kirsten Bencker, who works in the language department at the Goethe-Institut in Munich. 'The point of the cone is to highlight the transition from one status to another. This transition is connected with many changes for the child and for the family and this is to be emphasized through a ritual.' Where did this tradition come from? 'The custom of giving school starters a Schultüte on the first day of school has been practiced in Germany since the 19th century, but the roots go even back into the 18th century,' Gold explained. 'Historically it has its roots in Saxony and Thuringia, but is well-known across Germany today.' She pointed to early evidence from the autobiography of Saxon theologian Karl Gottlieb Bretschneider, who began school in 1781 or 1782 and recalled receiving a bag of candy from the schoolmaster. 'Twenty years later, when Johann Daniel Elster started school in Benshausen, Thuringia, in 1801, it is even said that he received a large bag of sugar from the cantor 'according to old custom,'' Gold added. 'Further evidence comes from Jena in connection with the city cantor Georg Michael Kemlein in 1817, Dresden in 1820, and Leipzig in 1836.' Early versions of the tradition involved telling kids that there was a special 'school cone tree' at their teacher's house or on the school grounds. Once the school cones grew big enough, it would be time to pick them and start school. 'The custom became widespread not at least because of a children's book called 'Zuckertütenbuch für alle Kinder, die zum ersten Mal in die Schule gehen' ('Sugar cone book for all children going to school for the first time') by Moritz Heger,' Bencker explained, noting that the 1852 book suggested that teachers pick the cones for their students from this special tree. Edible treats were the dominant contents of school cones at that time. 'In his childhood memories, 'When I Was a Little Boy,' Erich Kästner describes his first day of school in Dresden in 1906 and his 'sugar cone with the silk bow,'' Gold noted. 'When he wanted to show the bag to a neighbor, he dropped it and the contents fell on the floor: He was 'up to his ankles in sweets, chocolates, dates, Easter bunnies, figs, oranges, tartlets, waffles and golden May bugs.'' Although the Schultüte started as a predominately central German tradition, the practice caught on elsewhere. 'Berlin was the first big city outside of the original areas in which school cones became common ― although they were still rare before the First World War,' Gold said. 'Only gradually did the custom catch on in the south and west.' Following the division of Germany after World War II, traditional round cones around 28 inches long were the standard practice in West Germany, while those in East Germany opted for hexagonal Schultüte around 33 inches long. 'Nowadays, the tradition is a widespread tradition in whole Germany and also Austria and the German-speaking part of Switzerland,' Bencker noted. 'The central German regions where it began are also the areas where a very distinctive custom has developed around this school cone ― big family parties, ordering cakes with the name of the children at a bakery for the first day.' How do you put together a school cone? 'While you can buy prefabricated cones at the store, many parents make their own school cones, with or without their children,' Bencker said. 'Generally speaking, children can be very creative in decorating their sugar cones.' Indeed, there are many online tutorials explaining how to make a Schultüte with thick paper products like poster board ― though cardboard and plastic can also be used. These days, there are also more sustainable school cones made of fabric, which can be turned into cushions. 'If the parents are not going to make the school cones, they are either bought ready-made or made by the children themselves in kindergarten,' Gold said, adding that in the past, godparents were often the ones giving kids their school cones. 'The largest manufacturer of school cones in Germany is Nestler GmbH Feinkartonagen in Ehrenfriedersdorf. It produces over 2 million school cones a year.' In addition to the traditional sweets, cones these days may also be filled with school supplies, books or something to play with. Some schools even have guidelines for the maximum size of students' cones, and there might be a designated enrollment day before the first day of classes when children receive their cones and take photos. And the tradition is no longer explicitly limited to the beginning of primary school. 'Today, small cones of candy are sometimes handed out at the transition from elementary school to secondary school or at the beginning of an apprenticeship or study,' Gold said. 'However, they are still primarily associated with the beginning of school.' Of course, if you want to make yourself a Schultüte for no reason whatsoever, who's to stop you? Related... 33 Vintage First-Day-Of-School Photos 21 Hilarious Comics That Sum Up Back-To-School Season 35 Hilariously Real Tweets About Back-To-School SeasonSolve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
How a 'moth-eaten rag' became a war memorial
A small coastal town is home to an unusual World War Two war memorial created by soldiers in memory of comrades who died while prisoners of war (POW). It was made by men from the 4th Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment, who were captured at the fall of Singapore in 1942. They spent more than three years as slave labourers for the Japanese army, much of it at Chungkai camp in Thailand. The centrepiece of the memorial in Leiston, Suffolk, is a union jack, used in the camp during funeral services and brought home by Corp Herbie Bailey after he and the other survivors were finally liberated. In 1952, the veterans transformed the "moth-eaten rag" into a tribute to the POWs of the 4th Battalion who died and to mark the 10th anniversary of their capture. "Sometimes people just refer to it as a flag, but it's not just a flag - the flag is just the centrepiece of a very, very interesting and unusual war memorial," said Taff Gillingham, chairman of the Friends of the Suffolk Regiment. In 1942, the 4th Battalion was among many Allied divisions rushed to defend Singapore, in the wake of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour. After fierce fighting but against impossible odds, the British, Australian and Indian forces were ordered to surrender. Somehow the 11ft by 6ft (3.3m by 1.8m) flag went with the men of the 4th Battalion when they were transferred to Chungkai camp, said Mr Gillingham. This was a POW camp used during the construction of the infamous Burma-Thailand Railway, and today it is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery. About 13,000 Allied prisoners of war died during the railway project, plus an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians, according to the commission. Mr Gillingham said the 4th and 5th battalions of the Suffolk Regiment were about 2,000 strong when they disembarked at Singapore in 1942, but more than a third of them had died by the end of the war. The POWs were allowed to build a little wooden chapel at Chungkai for church services, where the flag rested on its altar. "And every time one of the soldiers died, it was used for the funeral service," Mr Gillingham said. "Starved, beaten and executed for the slightest misdemeanours - the thing that inspires me is their resilience and their ingenuity, making medicines from plants that they'd find in the jungle, for example." Every aspect of the memorial has a specific link to the 4th Battalion, a territorial unit which recruited from the Leiston area. Mr Gillingham said: "The frame is just as interesting [as the flag], in that it's made from wood salvaged from Southwold Pier and the metal frame it sits on was made by the engineering works of Garretts, the engineering works in Leiston, so it was a proper local project. "And the colours behind the flag mean something too - they are the colours of the Pacific Star, the medal that all the Far East prisoners of war were given." Today, it is owned by the Friends of the Suffolk Regiment and is on long-term loan to the town's Long Shop Museum. When the men of the 4th Battalion were liberated at the end of the war, many, including Corp Bailey, continued to serve in the territorials for years, with weekly training and annual camps. Underneath the memorial is a plaque which describes it as "a moth-eaten rag on a worm-eaten pole". It also records how the union jack was "hoisted to the top of the pole in the camp by the men of the battalion who survived three years of living hell". Mr Gillingham said: "It's often said to be the only war memorial based on an artefact brought back from the field, and it's certainly the only one I can think of, but it's a lovely thing because it has a direct connection with the place, and the people, with those who died." A service to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day and the end of World War Two will be held at the memorial at 10:30 BST. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story 'Death railway' soldiers honoured with exhibition Film to tell regiment's 'poignant' war battles 'VE celebrations muted due to Far East prisoners' Related internet links The Long Shop Museum, Leiston Friends of the Suffolk Regiment
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
We tested 8 of the best kitchen knife sets, and only 3 are worth it
The best kitchen knife sets we tested Best kitchen knife set: Zwilling J.A. Henckels Pro 7-Piece Knife Block Set Best budget kitchen knife set: Cuisinart Triple Rivet 15-Piece Knife Block Set Best starter kitchen knife set: Cutluxe Artisan Series 8-Piece Knife Block Set High-quality, supersharp kitchen knives can make culinary tasks easier and safer. Although most home cooks would fare fine owning basic serrated, chef's and paring knives, investing in one of the best kitchen knife sets offers a higher level of versatility to meal-making. Many of these sets are housed neatly in a handsome knife block and provide serious joy for real cooking nerds. But it's important to invest in the right kitchen knife set for your needs and cooking preferences. And since dull knives are more dangerous than sharp ones, we recommend buying a quality knife sharpener too. To help you choose the best, we spent several weeks testing eight top-rated kitchen knife sets. We loaded our cutting board with fruit, veggies, herbs, bread, meat and cheese and chopped, diced and sliced them all to see which blades performed best. In the end, we found three winners any home chef would find to be … er … a cut above the rest. A post shared by CNN Underscored (@cnnunderscored) Zwilling J.A. Henckels Pro 7-Piece Knife Block Set We found the knives in the Zwilling J.A. Henckels Pro Seven-Piece Knife Block Set to be super sharp and durable during testing. They feature ergonomic handles that make slicing and dicing easy. We think these high-quality knives will last a lifetime and suggest you give this kitchen knife set a good look. Cuisinart Triple Rivet 15-Piece Knife Block Set This 15-piece set from Cuisinart is a well-rounded knife set that delivers extremely sharp blades right out of the box, comes with an attractive light-shaded wood block and has a budget-friendly price tag. Cutluxe Artisan Series 8-Piece Knife Block Set The sharpness of this heavy-duty set takes a slight dip compared to our top pick. Still, it's a comprehensive, durable arsenal well-suited for casual to experienced cooks starting a kitchen from scratch. If you're in the market for a set of kitchen knives that are sharp, ergonomic and able to last a lifetime, look no further than this set from Zwilling. It comes with an 8-inch chef's knife, a 4-inch paring knife, a 5.5-inch prep knife and an 8-inch bread knife, as well as shears, a sharpening steel and a 16-slot hardwood bamboo block. Each piece received excellent scores on performance and quality during our tests. One of our favorites in the set was the chef's knife, which uses a wide curved blade that allowed it to effortlessly rock back and forth to mince parsley or garlic or slice onions without lifting the blade off the cutting board between cuts. With an ultra-sharp edge, it rarely required any pressure to cut through whatever we threw at it, and we could nearly drop an entire head of lettuce right through the blade. The chef's knife is typically the most used in a home cook's block, so the fact that this was the best piece in the set shows that Zwilling understands its importance. The block also comes with a four-inch paring knife, which was bigger than most others in our testing pool. The height of the blade seemed quite significant in our hand, nearly twice the width of other paring knives. We thought it was more like a smaller chef's knife. The chunky blade, while sharp, made it hard to do things like hull a strawberry or core a tomato, and it didn't work well for removing the peel from an apple or a potato. It did, however, work better than any of the smaller paring knives in our product pool for chopping smaller foods like garlic or shallots. We did enjoy the utility knife, which sliced cheese and salami with ease, and we found that the serrated knife swiftly cut through angel food cake and a loaf of crusty French bread. Each of the knives in this set is designed with a sloped bolster so users can achieve what's called the 'professional pinch grip,' where the thumb and index finger rest on either side of the blade to provide improved control while cutting. We liked this design choice and found that it made the knives more comfortable when chopping and slicing onions and carrots, and when mincing parsley. Buying a quality set of kitchen knives doesn't mean you have to spend hundreds of dollars, and this 15-piece set from Cuisinart is the perfect example of why. Priced at $130 (but often on sale for less than $100), it offers incredible value for at-home chefs of any skill level. The fact that it also comes in a wood block that looks good on any kitchen counter is a massive plus. CNN Underscored's senior testing editor, Rick Stella, tested this set in his kitchen for several months and walked away so impressed that he heavily considered pitching it not just as the best budget pick but as the best overall kitchen knife set. That idea faded after some side-by-side comparison to the Zwilling set, but the fact remains that this is an excellent set of knives for any kind of at-home chef. What particularly stood out to Stella was just how sharp the knives were right out of the box. They were so sharp that even a small nick from the side of the chef's blade was enough to cut his finger. The cut was nothing serious, but it did prove just how honed the blades were. He also appreciated that the set came with six steak knives. These are often the first things left off many kitchen knife sets, but Stella said that it's something that comes in handy when entertaining guests. These were also quite sharp and have held up to repeated (sometimes daily) use for several months. There's also something to be said about the overall design and aesthetic. Each knife (and the shears) has a pleasant white handle with silver accents that pulls off an elevated style. To top it off, everything is housed in a beautiful light-colored wood block that would look good in almost anyone's kitchen. For those who prefer it, the set is also available in black, with the handles of the knives and shears black and the wood block sporting a black 'Cuisinart' badge. If you're shopping for a kitchen knife set that won't break the bank and also won't be an eyesore, this set from Cuisinart is what you seek. A knife set priced over $300 can be a tough ask for someone just looking to stock their kitchen with the essentials. At half that price, the Cutluxe Artisan Series Eight-Piece Knife Block Set provides a hefty starting kit that feels solid, performs well and looks more expensive than it is. It wasn't the cheapest set we tested, but it was the best bang-for-your-buck standout. Housed in a massive acacia wood block, the Cutluxe set includes a 3.5-inch paring knife, 5-inch utility knife, 5-inch serrated knife, 7-inch Santoku knife, 8-inch chef's knife, 9-inch carving knife, 10-inch serrated bread knife and a honing rod. It's a gamut of blades that never really felt lacking, as the utility knife, sized between the paring and chef's knives, made it easy to specify roles. If one thing was missing, it was a pair of shears. The Cutluxe knives are heavier and bigger than our top set from Zwilling. Take the paring knife, for example: The Cutluxe lands at 4.9 ounces on the scale, while the Zwilling weighs in at 2.9 ounces. And it's obvious just by looking at them, as the handles on the Cutluxe knives are far bulkier. The size didn't bother us during testing, though home chefs with small hands might feel like they're wielding a small sword when breaking out the carving knife. Associate testing writer Joe Bloss deployed this Cutluxe set in his kitchen for months to assess how it performed and how severely its knives dulled over time. A significant decrease in sharpness was never detected. Though they didn't slice through ingredients with the buttery smoothness of our favorite knives and more expensive options, the blades of high-carbon German steel performed well. Casual cooks are the target here; serious home chefs are likely better off reaching deeper into their budget for sharper knives. Looks weren't the primary focus of our testing, but there's no denying that Cutluxe's woodblock stands out among the pool of candidates. It's huge — 13.1 by 2.3 by 16.1 inches when filled — and makes for a countertop statement piece. If you plan on stashing it beneath a cabinet, ensure you have plenty of clearance for removing and replacing the knives. Cutluxe backs this set (and its smaller five- and seven-piece sets) with a lifetime warranty against material and workmanship defects. That confidence means something when you're shopping in this price tier. We spent several weeks testing eight kitchen knife sets, comparing each model using the same criteria, including overall performance, build quality, added accessories and warranty. We also took detailed notes on how specific knives functioned, based on everything from sharpness and materials to heft and hand feel. In some cases, we ordered two of each set so that after spending several days slicing and dicing our hearts out, we could compare the used knives' sharpness to their just-out-of-the-box twins. Here's everything we considered while testing. Performance Chef's knife: This standard tool is made to take on most of the bigger jobs in the kitchen. Its weight makes it easier to chop loads of ingredients in one go, say, for a big pot of soup or to roast a bounty of potatoes and other vegetables. We tested chopping through meat, tomatoes, onions, carrots, herbs and more, noting the knife's design, grip, weight and general feel, and then we noted the ease of drawing the blade through the various food items. Paring knife: A paring knife needs to be nimble and precise, and feel good in the hand. So, for this knife, we cored and peeled apples and tomatoes, then minced shallots and garlic to evaluate its performance and feel. Utility knife: These knives are made to take on all the random jobs that no other knife feels right for — the chef's knife is too big, the paring knife too small. Too many items to list, including tomatoes, cheddar cheese, oranges and salami, were used to test how easily this knife could live up to its name. Serrated knife: Serrated knives are made to cut through things you can't press down and through easily, like crusty baguettes, angel food cakes and cantaloupes. We looked at the ease of cutting through these difficult foods, as well as how thin we could slice something softer, such as a tomato. Build quality and design Quality: We took into account the quality of materials, including blade and handle construction. Feel: So much of handling a kitchen knife depends on how it feels in your hand, so we paid special attention to the weight of the blades and handles, maneuverability, weight distribution and ease of sliding the knives in and out of their blocks. Knuckle clearance: Not all knife handles are created equal, so we measured whether or not our knuckles or fingers hit the cutting board while chopping. General looks: Aesthetics are important, especially for utensils that will sit out on your countertop 24/7. While we realize taste is subjective, we noted our general reactions to how nice they looked. Accessories and warranty Items and their usefulness: Some sets were very simple with just a few items, while others included a full array of steak knives, shears, honing steels, boning knives, slicers and more. We looked at what was offered and how useful those items were. Limited or lifetime warranty: Stuff happens, so we noted warranty information. (Most had limited lifetime warranties.) Forged or stamped Knife blades are either forged or stamped from steel. Forged blades are hammered out of molten metal, while stamped blades are punched out of a large sheet of steel. In general, forged blades are sturdier, are easier to control and hold an edge longer. Between the handle and the blade, they have a bolster, which is a band of metal that strengthens the knife, helps to balance it and protects your hand. Forged knives have a full tang, which means the blade runs through the handle. When you use a forged knife, you can sense that the handle controls the knife. But you will find it heavier to hold, less flexible and more expensive. You may feel a stamped blade is more comfortable to hold and maneuver, especially for tasks like peeling an apple, coring a tomato or working around bones. Choose your style Western-style knives are thick and heavy, as they originated in Europe where cooks prepare a lot of root vegetables and large cuts of meat. They often have a curved blade to make it easy to rock back and forth when cutting and mincing. Asian knives, which were designed to cut fish and make precise cuts, are lighter and thinner, and have blades with a smaller angle. While they're comfortable to work with, they're more delicate and must be handled carefully. Don't even think of using one to hack through a butternut squash or the backbone of a chicken. Comfort You're the one who's going to be using the knives, so it's important that they feel comfortable in your hand, especially if you're going to be chopping and slicing large quantities in one session. Factors like the size of your hand, the type of grip you use and what food you prepare will affect your preference. When you pick up a knife, it should rest comfortably in your palm or between your fingers if you use a pinch grip. The knife should be balanced, meaning neither the handle nor the blade is heavier than the other. Pick up the knife and grip it lightly where the blade meets the handle to see if it will seesaw. A balanced knife will remain level in your hand, while an unbalanced one will teeter down on one side, indicating either the handle or the blade is heavier. A well-balanced knife reduces hand fatigue, especially when cutting a mountain of vegetables, and gives good control, which is especially important when you want to cut precisely, let's say to turn carrots into matchsticks or onions into little cubes. Safe, accessible storage A storage block that sits on your countertop is handy for keeping your knives accessible as well as protecting their blades from being dulled or nicked in a drawer or accidentally cutting you as you reach for them. However, a block eats up counter space and isn't always aesthetically pleasing, especially if it's branded with the manufacturer's name. Blocks designed so that the knife handles point toward you make it easy to grab the one you want but aren't compact. Slim blocks that sit at the back of the counter are less obtrusive but make it harder to remove a knife, as you have to lift them straight up and may have to move the block forward. If you buy knives without a block, we urge you to buy an in-drawer storage organizer like this bamboo one. Another space-saving option is to install a magnetic strip on the wall. But keep in mind that to remove a knife, you either have to lift it straight up or use some force. Don't ignore sharpening We can't say it enough: Nothing is more important than keeping your knives sharp. The most well-balanced, comfortable-to-hold, sharpest-out-of-the-box knives are useless once their blades get dull. If you aren't diligent about sharpening, it doesn't pay to spend much on a knife set. Over time, you'll feel your knives getting duller, so when they no longer easily pierce the skin of a tomato or slice through a sheet of paper, it's time to sharpen the blades. Depending on how much you use your knives, you'll need to sharpen them anywhere from once a month to once a year. We recommend you invest in a handheld, or even better, an electric sharpener that holds a blade at a fixed angle as you pull it through the mechanism, and use it regularly. You can't rely on a butcher's or honing steel to maintain your blade. Caraway 5-Piece Stainless Steel Knife Set This knife set from Caraway is a beautiful five-piece collection that feels good in hand, is incredibly sharp out of the box and comes in six stylish color options. It is a bit spendy, though, and it doesn't come with a block to store any of the knives. We've long been fans of Caraway's kitchen tools here at CNN Underscored, and the same can be said for this five-piece knife set. Though it is expensive at $275 for four knives and a pair of shears, it does prove its worth by offering sharp blades and a gorgeous design. They also perform extremely well, no matter if you're slicing tomatoes, chopping garlic or cutting up some berries. We also appreciated that the set is available in six eye-catching colors, which can match a diverse array of kitchen aesthetics (or other Caraway products if you have them). The quality is top-notch here — if you have the budget. Cutluxe 15-Piece Knife Block Set This Cutluxe 15-Piece Knife Block Set is a great alternative to the eight-piece Cutluxe Artisan Series collection above. It doesn't come with the same premium Acacia wood block (this one's walnut), but it does have more knives and costs less. Although we deemed the Cutluxe Artisan Series eight-piece set as the best kitchen knife set for beginners, this other collection from Cutluxe came in a close second. First, it's a bit less expensive, albeit the quality is not as high, especially when it comes to the wooden knife block. But if you just want to stock an empty kitchen, that's a fine trade-off. This set is durably built and the knives feel solid and weighty in hand. They proved to be ultra-sharp right after we unboxed them too, and they stayed perfectly sharp throughout testing. This set was also in the running for best budget knife set (and it was close), but since the Cuisinart block costs less, we chose that one instead. Hedley & Bennett Chef's Knife Set One of our favorite sets in terms of weight and feel, this trio of chef's knives from Hedley & Bennett is made of Japanese steel and backed by a lifetime guarantee. It nails the basics at a better price than others of the same size too. Our most recent round of testing placed a lot of knives in Bloss' kitchen. and after evaluations, these were the ones he continued to reach for most often. Ergonomic and balanced, Hedley & Bennett's lightweight blades feel almost custom-made in the hand. The weight and size are just right, and they cut through veggies, meats and breads with terrific sharpness. Hedley & Bennett's set features just three blades: a 5.5-inch paring knife, an 8.6-inch serrated bread knife and an 8-inch chef's knife. We didn't award it a winning spot because it's not as fully loaded as other sets with additional knives, but this trio is a rock-solid foundation that the solo chef will rarely need to go beyond. At this price, unfortunately, it doesn't include storage, though you can bundle the brand's magnetic stand for a final cost of $260. Brabantia Drawer Knife Block Plus Knives Encased in a flat block, this drawer-friendly set felt cheap because of its plastic grips. If the ideal weight and feel of a perfect knife inspires confidence in the kitchen, the flimsy plastic grip on this trio did the opposite in our latest round of testing. Don't get it twisted: They performed decently, cutting through bread with zero issues. But this set, which doesn't include a paring knife, felt more like a backup plan to stash away in a drawer than the kitchen staples that never take a break. Brabantia, however, does support its longevity with a five-year warranty. Schmidt Bros. Bonded Ash 7-Piece Kitchen Knife Set Blade performance is adequate with this knife set, though you're likely better off opting for one of Schmidt Bros.' more inexpensive handle materials. Schmidt Bros. has such an expansive collection of knife sets that it was hard to zero in on the best fit for our testing. We landed on this seven-piece set complete with a 4-inch paring knife, 7.5-inch santoku knife, 6-inch utility knife, 8-inch chef's knife, 8.5-inch slicer knife and 8.5-inch bread knife with a magnetic stand. The ash handles on each look handsome and feel comfortable to hold, though knuckle clearance was a bit tight during use. Ultimately, this set was only average in performance while being priced close to our top pick. It could be a better buy in other finishes at lower prices, but in this variant, you're much better off with the elite performance from Zwilling. How many knives come in a kitchen knife set? How many knives come in a kitchen knife set? Sets can consist of as few as three knives or as many as 20 pieces, including an assortment of knives, a butcher's steel, shears, steak knives and a storage block. Don't automatically assume more pieces are better, though. The bigger the set, the more room it requires in a kitchen drawer or on a countertop. What kind of knives do I really need? What kind of knives do I really need? A utility knife, which is a little longer than a paring knife, and shears are items you're likely to use often. Santokus are all-purpose knives that are nice to have, especially for slicing. But you may never use a boning knife, and we consider a sharpening steel of minimal benefit. Ultimately, consider the included tools that come in a certain set and whether or not you need them. What are high-quality kitchen knives made from? What are high-quality kitchen knives made from? Virtually all high-quality knives are made from high-carbon stainless steel. The carbon makes them easy to sharpen and helps them keep their edges while the stainless prevents discoloration and rusting. CNN Underscored thoroughly tests the products in our testing guides and provides full transparency about how we test them. We have a skilled team of writers and editors who have many years of testing experience and ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when relevant to make certain we are testing each product accurately, recommending only the best products and considering the pros and cons of each item. For this article, associate testing writer Joe Bloss, senior testing editor Rick Stella and contributing writers Lesley Kennedy and Sharon Franke put each knife set through several cutting assignments in their kitchen. You should have seen the amount of knife blocks built up in their homes. Bloss, author of this guide's most recent update, is a seasoned product tester across various categories in the home and kitchen, including coffee makers and men's razors.
