Best all purpose kitchen knife under $50?

GarageBoy said:
I want something to slice and chop primarily. Thanks
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The Spyderco Santoku or homemaker kitchen knives (around 40.00). I seriously doubt you can beat the Rc59-60 MBS-26 steel on these for less than 50.00. Push-cutting carrots and/or cutting the ends off in midair is fun...

There's also the vic Forshner (sp) series, which have a good following...

For bones or frozen, I would NOT use a thin Santoku, I keep a beater chef knife around for that job.

Whatever you get use a poly or wood chopping board. The Santoku is so sharp and thin that it tends to hang/catch the poly on occasion, so I think wood is probably better.
 
Read from Blades_Two, thata Santoku would be a compromised design. I'm gonna pick up a few cheap Old Hickories first
 
I don't know if anyone really expects the santoku (or any other knife) to be a do-all knife. Just because that's where the name comes from, doesn't mean it's a bad design. For chopping up veg, and slicing meat thin it works extremely well. For boning, carving or coring, you use something else.
For coring, I think a paring knife is the way to go, unless you are coring a pumpkin, I cannot imagine why you would want to use a long knife.

ANY "All-purpose" knife would have to be a compromise by definition anyway.

I think an old hickory may be a good place to start. Can't beat a 5.00 carbon steel knife ;) Just keep it sharp and dry...
 
You really need two knives for kitchen all purposes. You need something with an under 4" blade length for paring and close-up point work and you need something with around an 8" blade for slicing and dicing. Your long blade needs nuckle clearance and a slightly curved blade to work on the cutting board. If it has a bit of a point it will be more usefull. Here is one that might work well:
http://premiumknives.com/ShopSite/MAC_Knives_BSC85_Sushi_Chef_8-5_inch.html

If you don't have a cleaver and you insist on cutting bones with your kitchen knife you may want a cleaver as well. If you want to get by without a cleaver you may want a heavier bladed knife like one of the rosewood handled 8 inch chefs knives from Forschner.
 
Buck Vangard. Good shape, similar to a chefs knife. Have used mine for every thing from slicing and dicing to meat to peeling potatoes.Obviously, i'm not into Traditional kitchen knives.
 
I got a chinese Butcher's knife for chopping bones. (Every Asian families has one =D)
What DO you use a paring knife for? I want a full size knife, but I don't like how Henckles balance. Also, where can I get old hickories?
 
GarageBoy said:
I got a chinese Butcher's knife for chopping bones. (Every Asian families has one =D)
What DO you use a paring knife for? I want a full size knife, but I don't like how Henckles balance. Also, where can I get old hickories?
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Paring knife is small and you use it for peeling or coring (plunge into an apple and cut out othe core). For peeling you rest the handle in your hand with the blade UP held with your palm and fingers only. Then you hold the object in your other hand, the thumb on your knife hand rides on the fruit's surface and helps you control the depth of your cut and gives you a little leverage. If you are right handed the fruit would roll to the the right as you peel.


http://www.knivesplus.com/OLD-HICKORY-KNIVES.HTML
 
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