Like seeing “Solingen” on a blade. Solingen is the Detroit City for cutlery, and there are hundreds of knives to get confused over, ranging from excellent to disposable. Add to this heaps of inaccurate marketing hype that inflates the value of knives from other manufacturers. We checked consumer guides and magazines, talked to chefs and butchers, and came away with a few selections. Even the most highly marketed ones, sold in every type of store except 7-11 came up short against this one company: Messermeister
The story of Messermeister, which means Knife Master, starts with its founder with whom we conversed several times. Bernd Dressler emigrated
SCT was used by a few highly marketed German knife brands and was, to my mind, no more than a fancy way to market a cheaper knife at an astonishingly high price. Instead of utilizing the hot drop, hammer forged knives [in one piece] – which is expensive – the knives were being made in three pieces — much cheaper to produce. The three pieces were then “frosted” with an alloy so that they looked like they are single-forged. We noticed a distressing difference when we sharpened these knives — foremost was the inability to hold an edge. Most manufacturers in Germany were wise enough to have dropped SCT in their knife production, but it is in wide use in China.
Through his in-depth conversations with professional chefs, Bernd engineered some major innovations in manufacturing culinary knives. Some of Bernd’s innovations are now copied by many knife manufacturers. In technical terms, he created the bolsterless heel with an unusual camber and a more refined angle for the blade’s cutting edge. His invention was a semi-bolster and a camber on the edge, replacing a full vertical bolster with a flat camber. In simple terms, his ideas reduced the awkwardness and made cutting more efficient. He also reduced the cutting edge to 15 degrees instead of the 20+degree angle and this significantly improved slicing. Bernd lengthened the handle and designed a greater slant at the heel. You’ll feel how much more comfortable the pinch grip is from Bernd’s sloping design in the bolster. Even the palm grip is more comfortable with his re-engineering of the handle. It just feels and cuts better than anything else you’ve ever used.
Built on the foundation established by Bernd and his brother Bruen, Messermeister is currently owned entirely by his widow and two daughters. They have expanded the brand to include culinary tools, knife accessories, and a selection of Asian knives. I can tell you that their tools are a better quality than many produced by competing brands with fancy ergonomic handles and lousy blades.
The Meridian series has the same quality blade as the San Moritz but with a less expensive handle. Their Park Plaza and Four Seasons series are cheaper stamped knives. Take a look at their Stealth Knife, again one of
You may be interested in their selection of Japanese knives, which for the quality are quite reasonably priced. They are made with an AUS steel alloy and heat treated to 59 HRC (Rockwell Hardness). Both the truly authentic Japanese knives with a single bevel ( Yanagiba, Deba and Usuba) and some modified Western versions are available too. Handles on these are shaped in the Japanese traditional bamboo or Micarta style material. All of this spells quality.
Whether you go through a local dealer or purchase directly from Messermeister, you will find them a remarkably responsive company to deal with. Messsermeister offers free shipping on orders over $49.00 and they send out specials and new products to their subscribers. Go to the
After owning one of the best cooking stores in the US for 47 years, Nancy Pollard writes a blog about food in all its aspects – recipes, film, books, travel, superior sources and food related issues.
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