Author: Cole Rayburn
Cole Rayburn
Cole trained at a culinary institute in Chicago before spending several years working in professional prep kitchens, where he developed an almost obsessive interest in blade quality, knife geometry, and the tools that make everyday cooking faster and more satisfying. He now lives in Portland, Oregon, where he writes about everything from Japanese nakiri knives to the best kitchen tongs money can buy — always from a working cook's perspective, never a gear collector's.
We put the entire Henckels Five Star lineup through brutal kitchen testing. From the 6-inch chef’s knife to the roast slicer, here’s our honest.
A cutting board materials engineer explains how to pair a chef knife and paring knife set with the right board for edge preservation, bacteria.
We put five popular flipper knives through a month of brutal daily carry use. D2 steel, G10 handles, and liner locks all got tested. Our top pick.
Learn how to properly sharpen a knife with expert techniques. This guide covers stones, rods, and systems, plus how your cutting board affects.
Learn how cutting board materials affect your knife black edge retention, bacteria resistance, and maintenance. Expert advice from a materials.
Tired of ceramic blades that chip on the first avocado? We stress-tested 5 sets for hardness, edge retention, and real-world durability. Our top.
Learn how to choose and use a J.A. Henckels chef knife from an ergonomics and fatigue analyst. Expert tips on grip, balance, and maintenance for.
We spent a month testing a forged knife and a stamped knife side by side in real kitchen use. Our honest verdict on which edge holds up longer and.
Deciding between two tough outdoor blades? We put a fixed-blade Spyderco up against the featherlight Benchmade Bugout. Hands-on testing reveals.
Two legendary Japanese knife regions, two very different blades. We tested the Seki Magoroku Akane against the Sakai Takayuki Hammered Damascus to.
We put a custom Damascus billet and a pre-seasoned carbon steel pan through a month of real cooking. Our honest verdict on which material earns a.
Standing in the knife aisle, stuck on blade length? We put the two most common kitchen blades through a month of real cooking to settle the 6 vs 8.
Which blade deserves a spot in your kitchen? We spent a month putting a dedicated slicer and a classic chef knife through brutal prep sessions.
Stuck between a German workhorse and a Japanese laser? We tested a lucky charm keychain and a budget knife set to see which actually holds up. Our.
We put two heavy hitters head-to-head: raw 1095 steel blanks for custom knife making versus a full stainless cookware set. Here’s how the high.