Favorite Kitchen Knives/Knife Set

intheshaw

intheshaw

Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Messages
163
So I'm looking at replacing my current cheap kitchen knife set with something better. But I really don't know anything about kitchen knives. The set we have currently does the job but they get dull really fast and are already starting to get some serious rust spots on them. I'm wondering what's a good brand of kitchen knives that isn't incredibly expensive but still performs great. Also would it just be better to buy a few of the more heavily used knives and wait to piece together a kit but would be a better kit in the long run?
 
Mine are Murray Carter.

http://www.cartercutlery.com/



The packaged sets just about always are filled with stuff you don't need. Just buy the individual pieces you need and will use. I, for example, like a small paring knife and probably use them when I should have -- according to proper technique -- used a "better" knife. But I just like a little paring knife. So, I had Murray make me ten of them... some people would find that crazy, but it's perfect for me. I don't like to stop just to clean knives, so my set has several of each style I like. That's the way I do it.
 
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Rust spots are not due to the knives being poor but to poor care.

If you use a knife for anything acidic like slicing a lemon or chopping a tomato, that knife needs to be rinsed immediately. It doesn't need to be throughly cleaned instantly, but rinsed well to get the acid off. Knifes should be cleaned up promptly after use with soap and water by hand, never by machine. They need to be dried after cleaning. If you store them in something like a block -- as I do -- let them air-dry after towel-dring for a couple of hours before putting them into the block.
 
We've been using the same set of Wusthof Classic for more than twenty years with no complaints.

Jeff
 
The knives are cleaned promptly after each use and air dried but still gets rust spots. I was looking at the Wusthof and shun knives but wanted to get some opinions on the matter
 
I have 3 Spydercos that get most of my kitchen use. I have a Santoku, serrated utility and paring. I don't really need anything else but I have a long old bread knife with microserrations that works great as well.
 
Forschner kitchen knives are hard to beat for the money. You can go to Knifeworks or other dealers to select individual knives you may need.
 
This is what I've been using lately...50% of its intended purpose.
20101201100_3377-vi.jpg

Fiddleback Forge Woodsman in 1/8 O1 steel...At home in the kitchen and the woods!
Andy's pic
 
I ordered a bunch of knives from Murray Carter, back when he was still in Japan. I have found nothing to equal them in kitchen performance. Great blade configurations, light weight, and insanely sharp.

DancesWithKnives

Edit: I agree that the Forschners are a good value knife.
 
I use Shuns and like them very much, I wouldnt say they are near Murray Carters stuff but good knives none the less.
 
I've got a 10" victornox chefs knife I have had since college. When the handles finally fall off I will rehandle it.
 
I worked in commercial kitchens for about 10 years.

In a vague sort of order:
Wustof
F Dick
Global
Forschners

For the average home cook, all you really need is a 8" chef's knife, a 6" santoku, a decent paring knife and maybe a 10" slicer or bread knife.

Honestly, most commercial kitchens have a big assortment of Dexter Russell knives - big white polypro handles. They are fairly soft and can be steeled back into working shape quickly. When they get too much recurve from sharpening, they get ground down, re-profiled and thrown right back on the line.
 
I like and use Forschner also. It's good stuff for the money. It does seem like I am sharpening it all the time, though. Of course, my wife and I cook pretty much all of our meals so that may be why. I started out thinking we'd only use a few, but we actually use several of them pretty regularly.
 
The Kershaw Shun Wasabi series is really nice and will not break the bank.

Knife sets are for suckers. A basic home cook only needs a few knives.

A chefs, paring, bread and maybe a utility of some sort.

Good Luck.
 
My wife and I enjoy cooking, but really just use 3 knives anymore: a Murray Carter Wabocho, a slightly smaller Murray Carter Kurouchi, and a Bark River Kitchen Utility.

IMGP9500.jpg


All 3 are simply a delight to use. The big fancy stainless Wusthof that we received as a wedding gift mostly sits in the drawer.

Rust is an issue with any carbon steel knives, high-end or low-end. We are fortunate to live in an arid climate here in central Oregon, but we still must rinse the Carters after acidic foods as Gollnick notes above.
 
Shun Elite Chef knife, Victorinox serrated parer, and Kai Wasabi bread knife should cover most everything being cut. The Shun Elite Chef knife is a laser, but isn't as delicate as many other knives with that sort of title. The Wasabi bread knife can also be used as a slicer. The Vic is nothing special, but it's $5 and it works and the serrations let it survive against-the-plate contact.
 
As a cooking enthusiast I have developed a real appreciation for the Messermeister brand of knives, good quality German product.
I also have a few Japanese knives and Chinese cleavers that I really like as well and I still have my old original Kershaw set, there are a few odd balls in the knife drawer also like Sabatier, Kuhn Rikon.
All work well for me.
 
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