The Ultimate Utility is a unique knife style developed by Shun. Most of our lines include this style because it is extremely versatile and has proven to be popular with Shun customers. The cutting edge has a “low-frequency” serration that makes the knife perfect for slicing delicate thin-skinned fruits and vegetables.
Exceptional Beauty. & Exquisite Craftsmanship
Thinner blades, sharper edges, and lighter weight gave Shun a high-performance edge that the heavier knives couldn't match.
Don't cut hard ingredients (ice, bone, very tough roots of things like garlic etc.). Don't cut on anything that isn't wood, one of those fancy rubberized cutting boards, or plastic intended for cutting.
Home cooks and professional chefs around the world rely on Shun cutlery for the very best. Beautiful design, premium-quality materials, and meticulous craftsmanship enables Shun to provide superior performance, ease of handling, and a lifetime of service.
Gordon Ramsay
Ramsay likes Henckels knives. This is a German brand known for their toughness and bulky blades.
The Best Celeb Chef's Knife: Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife. The knife that topped our testing is Bobby Flay's favorite, the Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife. The heft and comfort of the handle, sharpness of the blade, and overall balanced proportions made it stand out against the others.
Praised for its ability to slice through both tough vegetables and proteins, the lightweight, stainless steel G-2 is a Japanese knife made similarly to a Samurai sword. It also has a fine-tuned blade that's as sharp as Anthony Bourdain's wit.
If you use your Shun knife correctly, it can provide you with a lifetime of service. Yet using your knife correctly isn't only about how to maintain the edge or how to sharpen the blade; it's also about how you use the knife on a daily basis. Please do not push straight down on your blades.
For most cooks, the trio of serrated, chef's, and paring knife will tackle pretty much any cutting task. Depending on what you prep frequently, though, you might want to add these other knives to your collection. Boning knife: Useful for cutting up, butterflying, or fileting meat, fish, or poultry.
Frequently Asked Questions. Are Shun knives real Damascus? Yes.
Shun knives can chip but that's because of the Rockwell hardness rating. The harder the knife the easier it will be to chip the edge, but it will stay sharp for a longer period of time.
Wood, wood composite and polyethylene boards are all excellent choices. Tile, ceramic, marble, granite, or any kind of glass cutting boards are poor choices and will dull your blade very quickly.
Your Shun is designed for a lifetime of use and can be sharpened again and again. When sharpening, it's critical to make sure the knife is sharpened at the correct 16° angle. But remember, sharpening actually removes metal from the blade, so sharpen only when you really need it.
Durability of the German steel blade on the Wusthof knife is again regarded as stronger and thus more durable. Unlike, the smaller degree on the Shun blade which can be susceptible to the blade chipping, the Wusthof blade can chop effortlessly through a whole pumpkin.
Handcrafted in Japan. In Japan, the blade is more than a tool; it's a tradition.
Gordon Ramsay is known to have a deep love for Japanese steel knives. These lightweight knives are well known for their sharp edges and ability to cut through vegetables, meats, and herbs easily. They can handle any chopping, slicing, or mincing tasks with ease.
The Shun knives are admittedly more attractive than the “all business” German cutlery with which I am more accustom. The blades are SUPER sharp out of the box. They have a very fine edge that only measures 16 degrees. This makes for a super fine edge which will be amazingly sharp.
The last step in sharpening is removing the burr – the hide side of an old leather belt will do, or buy a strop such as this one. A bit of baby oil on the leather will help you get a nice, even covering of the polishing compound. As with most things, you get what you pay for.
We will sharpen your Shun cutlery for free, for as long as you own it. It's as simple as that. You pay for shipping and processing, and our expert sharpening services are FREE. If you live in the area, you may also bring your Shun knives in for free sharpening.
Both the Classic and Premier feature the following: Hand-forged blades with 68 layers of clad steel and a durable VG-Max cutting core. Full tang construction with an ultra sharp 16 degree angled blade.
Carbon steel knives have a reputation of being easier to sharpen than stainless steel blades, plus they stay keen for longer. When you start to notice more cutting resistance as the knife dulls over time, a whetstone is the ideal choice to get it razor-sharp again.
Description: Julia Child called this 20-inch-long knife, with its serrated, stainless steel blade and rosewood handle, her “fright” knife. She wielded it in several of her early, televised cooking shows to great comic effect, memorably tapping each of the “Chicken Sisters” with its blade (“Miss Broiler! Miss Fryer!
“In his top gear picks for Williams Sonoma, the celebrity chef [Bobby Flay] recommended the Shun Classic Western, which is hand-crafted in Japan. 'I pretty much use a chef's knife for everything and Shun is one of my very favorite brands. '”
One of our longtime favorite Western-style chef's knives is the Wüsthof 8-Inch Classic Chef's Knife, which is super-sharp and easy to handle. Invest in it and it will serve you well for years to come. For an editor-favorite, Japanese chef's knife, we recommend the Misono UX10.