Rostfrei is the maker and Solengen in the area in Germany where it was made. German Stag Horn handled carving sets are pretty common... Usually pretty good quality blades. Somehow I think thes et may be newer than 1945....but am not sure. I have linked to a similar set on ebay so you can get an idea of what they sell for. Linda C Here is a link that might be useful: carving set

Don't buy a set of knives. It isn't a good value, as you'll just end up with a bunch of knives that you'll likely never use. Purchase the knives that you really need as open stock. A good start would probably be a chef's knife (8 or 10 inch, depending on what feels better to you), a bread knife, and a paring knife. Don't buy anything without trying it out. A handle and weight that work for someone else may not feel right to you. I think that quality knives are absolutely worth the money. I'm a sucker for Japanese knives, but there are plenty of good, more affordable options. You definitely don't have to spend a fortune. Check out the Victorinox Fibrox series; quality knives, very moderately priced. Once you get the knives that you need, purchase a storage solution separately, and don't forget to invest in the appropriate honing/sharpening implements, too.

I have a small galley kitchen (well, modified galley; there's a door in one long wall). I have divided my kitchen into the "baking" side and the "cooking" side. The baking side is AWAY from the stove, where the KitchenAid mixer is. I keep all the flour, sugar, cocoa, etc., there. And I keep a complete set (for me, that's TWO sets) of measuring spoons and dry measuring cups, plus spatulas and a whisk, on that end. On the "cooking" end, I keep another single set of measuring spoons and dry measuring cups; a couple of spatulas, and a whisk, plus the knives, grater, etc. The only things, almost, that go back and forth are the glass measuring cups. I keep two 1-cups and two 2-cups, bcs it's actually not unheard of for me to need to measure two completely different things. I keep them on the cooking end, bcs they're used most there, but not at the FAR end, so it's not so many steps to get one if I need to measure 1/2 cup of milk or something. If I had a big kitchen, I'd have several areas (it would be OK for their counterspace to overlap if they are not typically done at the same time--nobody's making lunch while I'm baking) : baking--away from most of the traffic, and not necessarily near the oven itself, but w/ decent counterspace for rolling out dough and laying the cookie sheets--though I quite happily borrow the "cooking" counter area for that. cooking--or "prep," w/ storage for my good cutting board, the knives, etc. making lunches--near the fridge, and w/ big cabinets nearby to stash the juice boxes, and counterspace under the peanut butter. kids making breakfast--not necessarily near the fridge, but w/ the bowls and spoons and cereal boxes near one another. I'd even be willing to buy 2 bowls per person just for breakfast alone in order to store them separately from the other dishes DH making breakfast--he makes toast, so I'd want an area for that, pref. that's not overlapping w/ the kids making breakfast making coffee--probably put this w/ DH's toaster, since that's almost the only time coffee is made, since I don't drink it, but were I someone else, I'd want this on an edge of the kitchen, so that company could make it, or get themselves a pot, without having to enter the kitchen proper. Gadgets: tray dividers: buy two sets and space these closely--no air gaps between items, or it's too hard to wrestle the cookie sheets out from between. I put mine in the deep cabinet over the fridge; I used to have them under the sink. drawer dividers: buy these clips, and 1/4-inch-thick wood, either plywood from the lumber store tha tyou cut yourself, or perhaps precut strips from a crafting-supply place like Midwest Products.

The best bang for the buck in kitchen knives is the Victorinox Forschner line, available at Amazon and elsewhere. These are high quality stainless steel knives with slim blades, good balance, and ergonomic Fibrox (non-slip black plastic) handles. Regularly top rated by Cooks Illustrated. They are made for professional cooks and you'll often see them in a restaurant or butcher. I've had some for 20 plus years and I like them better than my Henckels and similar. The blades are made in Switzerland and will hold a 20 degree per side edge. There are a couple of different sets, which are nicely selected because they include useful and decently large knives. Most sets have a bunch of useless little knives, paring knives and short slicers and so on. I helped a friend pick a set for his wife last Xmas, plus a block to fit, the whole thing cost about $140 and she loves them. We added a 10" chefs which is the most useful knife of the bunch, so make sure your block has enough large slots. Or you could get one of the roll sets and a magnetic holder. These are not the very best knives, but they are better than any knife for up to 3-4X their price. And far better than the knives sold by Wusthof, Henckels, etc (and certainly KitchenAid) for a similar price, which are made in China with clunky thick blades of indifferent steel. The exception to that last sentence is the Dexter Russell knives sold in restaurant supply stores, which are made in the USA and also intended for professionals. I prefer the Victorinox but the Dexters would be my second choice. Whatever knives you get, get a steel and learn how to use it, and get a sharpening machine or learn to use sharpening rods or stones. I'd personally go to a cutlery store and have them show you a rod system suitable for a 10" chefs knife.