High Quality Brand Name Professional Cutlery and More
About Our Brands
If you have found this website, you’re probably a serious home chef who has spent lots of time learning about cookware and knows the major consumer brands like All-Clad and Calphalon. But the names we carry, including Sitram, Victorinox, Dexter-Russell, Paderno, Update, and Sanelli, may not all be familiar to you. While these companies are old school, stable and reliable, their brands are often not seen in typical retail shops, because they have focused on a different market, restaurants and the licensed food service industry. So we want to tell you more about them.
We have provided a brief description of each of our suppliers, so you can judge for yourself the companies that are manufacturing the products we offer you. In addition, we have included a website link to each of them. If you go to their sites, you will notice they all have a vast range of products, far more than we can list. If there is anything there you want, we can probably get it for you at our competitive prices. Just contact us (888-622-8383 or profpots@gmail.com) and we'll get to work for you.
Victorinox/Forschner
Victorinox, a historic Swiss company founded in 1884, created the original Swiss Army knife in 1897 and still produces over 34,000 every day. Over the years they have branched out to produce a wide range of products, including cutlery, timepieces, travel gear, and even fashion items, and are highly regarded for their precision Swiss quality. The company remains family-owned.
We carry Victorinox’s line of NSF-certified professional cutlery. Formerly sold under the R.H. Forschner brand name, in January 2009 the company elected to utilize the Victorinox name exclusively going forward. These knives, with Fibrox® handles to maximize grip, are still made in Switzerland, and are well-known for their quality and value in both professional and consumer kitchens. They have frequently outperformed their more expensive competitors in comparative tests, for example in major cooking magazines such as Cooks Illustrated.
Update is a distributor of a wide range of cookware for the food service industry. The company started out nearly 30 years ago as a small distributor of coffee equipment, and has grown into a leading importer of coffee service equipment. In addition, over time it has added a wide range of equipment for the food service industry, including cookware, barware, pizza equipment, and utensils among others. It is known for the quality and economy of its offerings.
We carry Update’s Super Steel line of stainless steel cookware. This rugged yet attractive cookware is made of 18/8 stainless steel with an aluminum sandwich bottom for even heat distribution. It is heavy and well-finished, and is in our opinion about the best value available in the stainless steel cookware market today. It can be used on any cooking surface, and is induction-ready.
Dexter-Russell is the largest maker of professional cutlery in the U.S. The company traces its roots back to 1818, and introduced the Dexter trade name in 1884. Located in Southbridge, Mass., Dexter-Russell produces the broadest range of professional cutlery, forged and stamped, in the world. The company has the highest reputation in the trade, and their products can be found in just about any restaurant or other licensed food service location.
We carry a new Dexter-Russell model, the V-lo line of cutlery. V-lo knives have high-carbon, stain free blades similar the established lines that the company is famous for, but in addition have a revolutionary, patented, state-of-the-art handle design that offers both comfort and control. The handles are soft-to-the-touch, but offer the maximum in grip and firmness. To us they are the most comfortable handles out there. The blades feature an individually ground and honed edge. These products are made in the USA.
Sambonet Paderno Industrie S.p.A. has been a leading producer of a broad range of high quality professional cookware and kitchen utensils for over 80 years. From its new modern production and laboratory facilities in Italy, Paderno distributes its products to 120 countries. The company has been recognized by a number of international standards organizations, and is ISO 9001 certified. It distributes its products in the US under the Paderno World Cuisine name*.
We carry Paderno's "tri-ply" line of stainless cookware. These are of "clad" or laminated construction, with inner and outer layers of polished stainless steel and a central core of heavy gauge aluminum throughout the pan. This clad construction, similar to All-Clad®, spreads the heat perfectly, and as a result the tendency of foods to burn is lessened and the heat transfer is improved, particularly while being used on gas equipment. The pans have ergonomic hollow handles that are easy to grip and stay cool. They can go directly into the oven and can be washed in the dishwasher. The pans have lipped edges all around for easy pouring. They can be used on all heat sources including induction.
* Note that some cookware sold in North America under the Paderno name is made by another company, Padinox, in Canada. We do not recommend or carry this cookware.
Sitram
Sitram has been a manufacturer of high quality stainless steel cookware in Europe for over 40 years. It manufactures cookware both for the professional and household markets, and is one of Europe’s leading cookware manufacturers. The company now has production facilities in both France and China, with a workforce of 500 people worldwide and a daily production over 80,000 pieces. Sitram cookware can be found in many high-end restaurant kitchens.
We carry the Profiserie line of Sitram cookware. This is their workhorse line of stainless steel cookware, with sandwich aluminum bottoms that are warp-free. Profiserie is appreciated all over the world for its durability, heat diffusing performance, ergonomics and easy cleaning. We also offer Sitram’s Cybernox frypans. Cybernox is a patented, stick-resistant chrome inner coating that gives excellent non-stick performance but yet is harder than steel and will never peel, blister, or warp, and is safe for metal utensils.
The Coltellerie Sanelli S.p.A. knifeworks were founded in 1864 in Premana, a village set in the mountains near Lake Como, famed for its cutlery manufactures. The company is now known all over the world for its many lines of knives. Experience accumulated in more than 130 years producing knives, associated with constant research for ways of applying new materials and solving the problems of user ergonomics, hygiene, and safety, have made Sanelli an industry leader.
We carry Sanelli’s Premana line of professional knives, known by their distinctive green handles trimmed in red. Sanelli research staff studied what professional users really need and designed the Premana collection specifically for them. The blades have a special convex shape providing support when force is needed, and long edge life. The handles ergonomic shape reduces user fatigue while the soft, but slightly textured, surface makes the handle non-slip and much safer to use. The handle is perfectly balanced with the blade, and the knives resist sudden temperature changes (from -40 to +300 F), corrosive agents, and detergents, so they can be cleaned and sterilized in the dishwasher.
