4 Hen and Rooster Kitchen Knives for New and Seasoned Cooks

When new to a craft, you must invest time to get good at it. Mastering a craft requires you to spend days practicing it and gradually becoming better at it. What if you had more than 170 years to hone your skill? The knife maker Hen and Rooster hails from Solingen, Germany, and started making fixed blade knives in 1845.

Knife enthusiasts and professional chefs know the brand for producing cutlery according to passed-down techniques. The company logo with an image of a hen and a rooster became known as a mark of quality craftsmanship. Even antique Hen and Rooster knives bear this logo. Today, you can enjoy this fine quality by buying any of these Hen and Rooster kitchen knives.

Which Hen and Rooster Kitchen Knife Is for Me?

Hen & Rooster HRI020-BRK 2-Piece Ceramic Paring Set

What to Love

• Comes as a pair. You cannot do without a paring knife when working with fruits as part of food prep. A paring knife makes quick work of fruits and vegetables due to how compact the knife is, from butt to tip. Hen & Rooster thought a peeler would be handy in such situations, so it included one with the Hen & Rooster HRI020-BRK 2-Piece Ceramic Paring Set.
• Light as a feather. Chopping, slicing, dicing, and peeling are among the many tasks that you have to own a capable paring knife for. These tasks involve a lot of wrist movement, which would take a toll on your wrists when using knives with heavy blades and handles. Using this Hen & Rooster paring knife feels natural because of its light ceramic material.

What to Hate

• Not dishwasher-safe. When you're done cooking and dining, you'd want to rest and relax as soon as possible. Doing the dishes would have been a huge burden without your dishwasher. Chuck the dirty dishes and utensils and let the machine do the work. Unfortunately, this paring knife set from Hen & Rooster isn't dishwasher-safe and must be washed by hand.
• Feels like a toy. The best asset of this paring knife can be one of its weaknesses. The ceramic the blade is made out of makes it lightweight. However, as a result, you won't feel its heft as you use it. It feels like a toy rather than a piece of kitchen equipment. If you have children around, keep this away as they can easily mistake it for a toy.

Our Verdict

Despite possibly becoming a hazard for small children, the Hen & Rooster ceramic paring set will be a great addition to your kitchen. Considering how a paring knife is used, its significantly light weight is a great asset. While you can't put them in a dishwasher, their small form lets you handwash them quickly and easily. In a nutshell, this fruit-peeling duo gets the job done with no fuss.

Hen & Rooster HRI-057B/G10 Chef’s Knife

What to Love

• Extremely durable handle. Aside from the blade, many consider the knife's handle the most critical part of a knife. What good can the sharpest edge in the world do if no one could precisely maneuver it through meat, fruits, and vegetables? The Hen & Rooster HRI-057B/G10 Chef’s Knife comes with a fashionable and ergonomic handle made from the highly durable G10 resin-based material.
• Made from tough German steel. Widely known for its stellar reputation as a long-time German knife maker, Hen & Rooster takes advantage of homegrown stainless steel. This chef's knife is made of the German 4116 stainless steel, which bears a 56 rating on the hardness scale. The substances that comprise the 4116 stainless blades contribute to making them sharp and resistant to corrosion.

What to Hate

• Doesn't feel as good as wood handles. Despite the advancements in material science, many kitchen enthusiasts and professional chefs still prefer wooden handles over other materials. The G10 grip on this Hen & Rooster chef knife feels like plastic. Its smoothness and glossy surface can make some people uncomfortable using it.
• Loses sharpness over time. Compared to more expensive stainless blades, the German-made 4116 steel fails to retain its sharp edge over a long time. You have to resharpen this knife more frequently than its higher-end counterparts. Better stock up on a decent knife sharpener if you choose to buy this knife!

Our Verdict

The Hen & Rooster chef's knife comes with a competitive price tag compared to its peers. For instance, Victorinox offers their 9-inch chef's knife for $41.99. Meanwhile, the Hen & Rooster offers theirs for $32.26. Its price point, sharp stainless steel blade, and G10 grip make this chef's knife a well-rounded contender amidst its German and Japanese rivals in the market.

Hen & Rooster HRI061BC Paring Knife

What to Love

• Classic and timeless wood handle. Seasoned and professional chefs all have their own personal preferences when it comes to knife handles. However, no one can deny the confidence an excellent wooden knife scale gives you. The Hen & Rooster HRI061BC Paring Knife can lend you a feeling of security with its walnut handle.
• Stays sharp for longer. This Hen & Rooster paring knife has an 8-inch ceramic blade in black finish. Aside from looking sleek, the ceramic blade lasts long without resharpening. Ceramic knives often fare better than their stainless counterparts. In fact, ceramic is next to diamonds when it comes to hardness.

What to Hate

• Brittle and may break by accident. Due to the material that the Hen & Rooster paring knife is made of, the blade may be prone to weaknesses innate to the material. Because of this brittleness, ceramic knives are often not used for cutting frozen meat and similar food items.
• Expensive for a knife of its kind. The Hen & Rooster paring knife does the job it was designed to do—slicing small vegetables and peeling the skin off fruits. However, other paring knives can do it just as well, minus the 20-dollar price tag. Other paring knives are sold for less than half the cost.

Our Verdict

Fans of the widely cherished wooden handle will surely appreciate the walnut scales of this Hen & Rooster paring knife. The handle comfortably fills the hand and provides a firm grip, letting you confidently slice and peel fruits and veggies. However, the ceramic blade is double-edged: it lasts sharp for a long time but is also more brittle than steel blades.

Hen & Rooster HRI053B Kitchen Knife

What to Love

• Resistant to corrosion. This Hen & Rooster kitchen knife comes with a 3.5-inch 4116 stainless steel blade. The 4116 stainless steel exhibits high corrosion resistance, as you can expect from a stainless steel knife. As a result, this kitchen knife can withstand the stresses and elements involved in daily food prep.
• No-frills kitchen knife. Take a quick glance at the Hen & Rooster HRI053B Kitchen Knife. With its straightforward design, you won't mistake it for a knife from a well-known manufacturer with decades of tradition and experience in making knives. The only thing distinguishing it from the rest is the iconic Hen & Rooster logo on the blade and the black ABS handle.

What to Hate

• Cheap-feeling handle. The knife handle of this kitchen knife sets it apart from other Hen & Rooster kitchen knives on this list. Unlike the other kitchen knives, the HRI053B kitchen knife comes with a knife handle made from Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene or ABS polymer. While this material is durable, it feels cheap. It is probably used as a cost-cutting measure by the German knife maker.
• Boring aesthetics. Based on how it looks, you wouldn't suspect the HRI053B kitchen knife as a knife from a venerable knife maker such as Hen & Rooster. Its aesthetics fails to convey the long-standing traditions carried to the present by the company. It would look like your run-of-the-mill kitchen knife if it weren't for the Hen & Rooster logo.

Our Verdict

Do you want to experience using a kitchen knife from a reputable German knife manufacturer? The Hen & Rooster HRI053B kitchen knife might be your most affordable way in. Unfortunately, aside from the Hen & Rooster branding, it has nothing unique nor outstanding going for it. If you want a no-frills kitchen knife, you can find cheaper alternatives from the same materials.

How Do I Take Care of My Hen and Rooster Knives?

Hen & Rooster kitchen knives can widely vary in price, but you should take care of each one nonetheless. So can you keep your blades in tip-top condition? In this section, we will share some dos and don'ts in knife maintenance. If you are new to knives, better grab a pen and paper, and take note. Read on and find out how you can make your blades last longer!

DO

• Hone and sharpen your kitchen knives regularly. Mark the days on your calendar when you must gather your utensils and run them through a knife sharpener.
• Wash them as soon as you are finished using them. Despite its anti-corrosion properties, blades can still rust. Don't take the risk and wash them ASAP.
• Handwash your blades despite them being rated as dishwasher-safe. Gentle washing by hand reduces the risks of your knives getting chipped and scratched inside a dishwasher.
• Dry your blades with a cloth as soon as you are done washing them. Leaving them to air dry can still allow molds to form in the crevices of your kitchen knives.

DO NOT

• Soak them in dirty kitchen water. Food prep and cooking can take a toll on your body and leave you drained. Despite this, never leave your precious blades soaked in water.
• Store them in a knife drawer. Pulling out your knife and utensil drawer can shake up its contents and damage your blades. Use a knife block instead.
• Use them on the countertop. Brittle knives like ceramic knives can shatter when their edges hit a hard surface like the kitchen counter. Always use a cutting board.
• Use the inappropriate knife for the job at hand. Using a kitchen knife for a task it's not set out to be used for can damage it.

Final Thoughts

Founded by Carl Bertram, the venerable cutlery company Hen & Rooster continues to live up to its reputation. Despite multiple handovers and changes in manufacturing techniques, the brand consistently puts competitively priced quality knives into the market. For instance, the Hen and Rooster pocket knives and the Hen and Rooster pink kitchen knives collection have become a crowd favorite.

The 4 Hen & Rooster knives on our list offer good value for your money. No doubt that they deserve a place on your kitchen knife block.

Complement your Hen Rooster knives with knife accessories! See what else you can purchase to make your kitchen experience a breeze by heading to our knife accessories section.