Best value Kitchen Knives

I bought my children Kershaw Wasabi knives to put in a Messermeister travel pack for their beach trips. They are great for the price. I also included lots of other necessities in that pack. If you've ever rented a beach condo, you would very much appreciate having your own kitchen tools.
 
C.S. Graves said:
Maybe I'm alone in this, but I rinse my knives off after I'm done cutting with them.
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Nope. I've just accidentally had a few knives make the wrong trip. :( They survived, though. :o

My collection is slowly changing over to carbon with unstablized wood handles, so cleaning between foods is essential.
 
Hard H2O said:
It's not rust. It's patina.
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Well, patina is also a form of rust, that is early form. Second, i have bunchof carbon and semi stainless knives and I could tell the difference between that patina and what was on the silverware.
Also, chemicals and high temps are still an issue.
Anyway, that was just my HO ;) Obviously you treat your knives as you see fit.
 
Gator97 said:
Obviously you treat your knives as you see fit.
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And you yours.

The main thing to me is that any knife you have in the kitchen should be sharp and maintained as such. If you are looking for value you have to take into consideration how you personally cook and how you personally run your kitchen. I should be spending more on my kitchen cutlery. I use those tools more than my EDC knives. It seems kind of backwards.

The nice thing about lower priced knives is that they may be softer than higher end knives and as such might be easier to sharpen and maintain.

Along with purchasing kitchen cutlery a nod sould be made to how they will be maintained. Be it home sharpening, a local tinker, or sending them out.

If you choose the serrated type and I am in your kitchen I will give you grief. If you choose not to sharpen a non-serrated blade I will bive you grief.

If you come into my kitchen and want to give me the needle because I put my cutlery in the dishwasher then go ahead, I can take it. You will not be able to take me task because they are not sharp.
 
I have two sets of cutlery, I like them both. One I have had for many years, they're Henckels Pro-S line. I've been quite pleased with them. The other set I got a few years ago, they're the knives that were in the kitchen the whole time I grew up: They're from my Mom. I got them when she passed away. They are Old Hickory kitchen knives, and they were given to her by her mother long before I was even thought of. They're made with quality and have given a couple of lifetime's worth of service now, I'm proud to have them.

I wouldn't recommend the Old Hickory line today. They redefine the meaning of the word "crap." Apparently quality control isn't much of a concern to the Old Hickory people today. It's really a shame.
 
Hard H2O said:
The nice thing about lower priced knives is that they may be softer than higher end knives and as such might be easier to sharpen and maintain.
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Yes, but they sharpen so much easier too. So, argument can be made that sharpening is also maintenance, thus the gain in maintenance is really questionable.


Hard H2O said:
Along with purchasing kitchen cutlery a nod sould be made to how they will be maintained. Be it home sharpening, a local tinker, or sending them out.
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Agreed, although washing and wiping them clean is also part of maintenance.

Hard H2O said:
If you choose the serrated type and I am in your kitchen I will give you grief. If you choose not to sharpen a non-serrated blade I will bive you grief.
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I choose serrated knives for bread. As for the sharpening, I do... To 0.25mic edges.

Hard H2O said:
...want to give me the needle because I put my cutlery in the dishwasher then go ahead
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No, absolutely no needles. It was my opinion and not intended to give you a needle ;)
 
Thom and Gator,

The more I read here the more I believe Spark should be petitioned for a kitchen knives sub forum...


After all, edc aside, kitchen knives are used by the majority far more than any other cutting tool. :)
 
I’ve used Globals on numerous occasions. They’re very light in weight, agile and highly maneuverable. Their chefs’ blade shape is inbetween the typical German and French profile (found in most Japanese Gyutos). Their belly is not quite as flat as a Japanese Gyuto / French chef’s knife or as rounded / pregnant as a German chef’s knife. Good for those who haven’t established a strong biased towards either “rock-chopping” (lifting the handle and rolling the knife forward on the blade) or "push cutting" (straight down).

Although I think highly of their cutting performance, their handles don’t work for me. I’m not fond of metal handles in general as I’ve yet to find one that felt secure with wet hands. Global does have pimples and dimples on their handles, which helps a little. In my hands, the handle tends to twist / spin with a hammer grip and feels awkward with a pinch grip. I find myself having to hold them a lot firmer than normal and after awhile my hands cramp. My friend has been using them for years with no issues. I believe Williams Sonoma has or is replacing / discounting them.

Iirc, the Victorinox Fibrox doesn’t cut as effortlessly as the Global, but get’s my vote for bang for buck. It’s butt-ugly, but the blade can take a shaver sharp edge. Edge retention is low, but bounce back easily with a few swipes against a ceramic hone. The Tojiro (from what I’ve read) has the hardest stainless blade for the buck, but is somewhat of a diamond in the rough. The handle, fit & finish, blade geometry, cutting edge varies from below average to unacceptable. Most seems to be able to look past or fix whatever cosmetic flaws with some sandpaper & sharpening stones.

Don’t get more knives than you need. Instead, start out with a few select knives based on the types of things you do most and only add to them as needed. After selecting a Chef’s knife, just get something smaller, and something for breads.

When you need something less cumbersome, more precise than a larger knife. Most choose a Paring knife about 3” long. It excels at delicate precision work, decorative garnishing, peeling and working free hand. Their length is easier to control and safer when doing those intricate cuts. I don’t need the precision of paring knife and prefer the versatility of a Petite which is equivalent to a longer paring knife about 4.5"-5.5".

For breads, I find scalloped edges work better than plain or serrated edges with crusty breads, but the differences between cheap vs elite is just a few extra crumbs. Almost any cheap 10 inch long serrated knife is fine. BTW serrated edges are pita to sharpen, go cheap and throw it away when it dulls.
 
Thanks for all of the replies and advice Gents, I appreciate the efforts taken.
I think I will have to go to my local store and handle a couple of knives mentioned.
I think the advice on buying individual knives rather than a block set is particularly sound.

Cheers

MM
 
If you can sharpen a knife, I recommend Victorinox.

Inexpensive, they take a great edge, but need regular sharpening.
 
I’m married, my kitchen knives suffer. 33 years and I can’t get her to keep them out of the sink. Most of my kitchen knives are old Kershaws and the newer set is J.A. Henckels, given to me for 25 years of service to my day job, not bad knives but they suffer the same fate at the hands of my dear wife.

I have hidden near the kitchen a Kanetsune Gyuto that was an impulse buy from an online knife dealer. It is not very expensive but it holds an extremely sharp edge that is easily maintained and now, don’t throw rotten vegetables but I also have a stash of Old Hickory knives that I use all the time, my wife won’t use them because of the patina :)

I don’t worry too much about the Old Hickorys at $5 to $7, I pick up the ceramic sticks by the dozen and have no trouble keeping these knives extremely sharp, the knife is made with 1095 carbon steel. I’ve not had to throw any away yet. Of course they don’t hold an edge as long as the high tech steels but they do hold an edge. I’ve made a few sheaths and I carry the 4” paring knife when I’m canoeing or fishing. I even have one I put stag scales on, because I can.

It’s a shame but any knife used by my wife will get dull pretty quickly and I have to sharpen it so I actually prefer the ones I can sharpen quickly.
 
hushnel said:
I’m married, my kitchen knives suffer. 33 years and I can’t get her to keep them out of the sink. Most of my kitchen knives are old Kershaws and the newer set is J.A. Henckels, given to me for 25 years of service to my day job, not bad knives but they suffer the same fate at the hands of my dear wife.
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Ouch. Sorry to hear it, guy. :(

Makes me somewhat glad to be single! :D
 
I picked up a few of the Forschener/Victorinox knived based upon recommendations from this site. Very nice knives. They cut well, dull somewhat fast but sharpen easily. The handles are grippy. Price is right.

Side-note: the mention of the Old Hickory knives reminded me of something.
My friend's elderly German parents (they are like parents to me as well) have a bunch of Old Hickory knives. Helen is the chef, and has been for 70 years!

She pulled out a paring knife with a blade that was about 2.5" long. She honed it on the bottom of a ceramic coffee cup. It was pretty sharp. She proceeded to cut a loaf of bread in a kind of spiral pattern. It was impressive: she made a bunch of slices perfectly about 1/2" thick. I have no idea how she was able to do this with the itty-bitty knife! The loaf was about 8" thick.

I asked about the knife and my friend stated that when he was a child (55 years ago!), the knife was an inch or two longer!
Helen chuckled, and agreed that it is shrinking "just like me!" She is 84 years young.

Talk about getting your money's worth...
 
A pretty basic book -

"Knife Skills Illustrated: A User's Manual" by Peter Hertzmann ISBN: 0393061787

caveats - I don't like his sharpening method(s); he only shows one basic hold (pinch grip) which may not suit all uses; book is really only 1/2 the length/content because everything is repeated for lefthand use.

So get it out of the library.

Apparently another book is reputed to be much better -

"The Professional Chef's Knife Kit" by The Culinary Institute of America ISBN: 0471349976

be very careful NOT to confuse with "Professional Chefs Knife" also by the Culinary Institute of America ISBN: 0843621257 (note the missing word "Kit" in the title) - which is just photos, and not an instruction book.

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UnknownVT said:
A pretty basic book -

"Knife Skills Illustrated: A User's Manual" by Peter Hertzmann ISBN: 0393061787.

Apparently another book is reputed to be much better -

"The Professional Chef's Knife Kit" by The Culinary Institute of America ISBN: 0471349976

be very careful NOT to confuse with "Professional Chefs Knife" also by the Culinary Institute of America ISBN: 0843621257 (note the missing word "Kit" in the title) - which is just photos, and not an instruction book.
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Don't forget Chad Ward's "An Edge in the Kitchen: The Ultimate Guide to Kitchen Knives -- How to Buy Them, Keep Them Razor Sharp, and Use Them Like a Pro"

ISBN: 0061188484
 
Hard H2O said:
It's not rust. It's patina.
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Some of mine have rust on them. AUS-6A, too. Nothing patina about it. I don't give my kitchen knives any type of decent maintenance except the edges occasionally. 'Course they go in the dishwasher, and we have hard H2O here;)

btw, I like the smaller utility and paring knives from Forschner, and the rubber handled utility and chef knives from Kershaw. 9900 series, from what I see on a quick google search. I didn't choose them because there was anything particularly great about the knives themselves, but for the handles. I gave some as gifts, and next thing you know, my mother and grandmother bought several for themselves.
 
You'll see old ceramic bowls in antique store and notice that the upper edge is unglased. This was the first crock stick :) It was left that way for sharpening knifes in the kitchen.
 
hushnel said:
You'll see old ceramic bowls in antique store and notice that the upper edge is unglased. This was the first crock stick :) It was left that way for sharpening knifes in the kitchen.
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Most ceramic bowl, plate, cup and mug have unfinished bottoms (edges) which can easily be used for quick sharpening.

I do this often with the bottom of a coffee mug or any crockery at friends' houses

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