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Why should you spend $20 to $40 for a single place setting when
you can get a whole set at the local Try-N-Save for $27.99? Lots
of reasons if you care about performance and how it feels in
your mouth.
You might spend $250-400 on
a really great set of stainless flatware. Ouch, you might say,
but you'll have this set for at least 15-20 years. If you eat
500 to 700 meals a year at home, you're talking about pennies
per day. You could buy store brands or clip a coupon if you're
that concerned about it, and I guarantee that your store-brand
food will taste better on great flatware.
Stainless flatware has a few
features that can cost more depending on how they are made: finishing,
weight, design, and knife blade.
Finishing
Cheap silverware is
stamped from a thin piece of metal, and has the rough edges smoothed
out on the top and bottom of the piece. Quality silverware is
stamped from a larger piece, but there is extra attention paid
to polishing the fork tines, so they are rounded instead of rough
edged. Also, the bowls of the spoons are polished and smoothed
around the edges. You'll really notice the difference when you
put a well-made flatware piece in your mouth.
Weight
With new drop-forging
techniques, very heavy stainless steel flatware has gotten a
lot more affordable over the years. Yamazaki in particular has
taken advantage of this in patterns such as Bolo and Median.
Drop-forging involves pouring molten steel into molds, rather
than traditional stamping. Better stainless steel flatware overall
will be heavier than their cheaper counterparts, whether its
stamped or forged. Plus, heavier stainless flatware won't bend
when you try to scoop ice cream with it.
Design
Better quality flatware has more effort put into a thoughtful
design, including how deep the bowl is, how the fork tines feel
in the mouth, and how balanced the handles are. It really does
make your food taste better.
Knife blade
The knife blades in your kitchen that you use for food prep are
made with a high-carbon steel blade. The carbon content in the
blade allows it to get sharp and stay sharp. In high quality
flatware, the knife blade is made with a high-carbon steel and
inserted into the handle to make a superior cutting tool. Of
course, the blade is not as sharp as a kitchen knife, nor should
it be. The next step down in quality is when manufacturers make
a knife blade serrated. This is done because the blade isn't
good enough to cut on its own. Cheap stainless flatware has a
larger serrated pattern because without it, the knife couldn't
cut through a pot roast that had been simmering all day.
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