Kitchen knives!

Comeuppance

Comeuppance

Fixed Blade EDC Emisssary
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Jan 12, 2013
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So, I'm in a position where getting a knife block and a set of knives is reasonable. All of my kitchen knives are very old and have been sharpened by my dad with an angle grinder. I don't really want to waste the time sharpening the cheap POS knives in the block, and I want a new block, and I want new knives.

SO

Where do I start? I don't know the kitchen knife world too well, and the local shops all carry mystery steel sets of varying expense with no good metric for what makes one set better than another other than aesthetics. I'm looking for good blade steel, utilitarian design, and good looks - in that order.

I'll probably pick up a M390 tactical chef knife off Bradford, but that leaves the block and a whole set of knives.

Please, make some suggestions! My current setup is a dull, cheap eyesore and it's an embarrassment as a knife guy.
 
I picked up a nice custom combo set off the forum here from Jeremy Garrison - a Chef's knife and a paring knife in O1 w/ beautiful ironwood handles - that I use everyday so I'd recommend something like that. No mystery steels, great edges, easy to maintain, etc. I also ditched the knife block and got a magnetic wood strip to hang the knives on, it opens up some counter space.
 
Comeuppance said:
So, I'm in a position where getting a knife block and a set of knives is reasonable. All of my kitchen knives are very old and have been sharpened by my dad with an angle grinder. I don't really want to waste the time sharpening the cheap POS knives in the block, and I want a new block, and I want new knives.

SO

Where do I start? I don't know the kitchen knife world too well, and the local shops all carry mystery steel sets of varying expense with no good metric for what makes one set better than another other than aesthetics. I'm looking for good blade steel, utilitarian design, and good looks - in that order.

I'll probably pick up a M390 tactical chef knife off Bradford, but that leaves the block and a whole set of knives.

Please, make some suggestions! My current setup is a dull, cheap eyesore and it's an embarrassment as a knife guy.
Click to expand...


Well there are a lot of directions that you can go in.

You could just get another Block set of functional knives for not too much say $100 or so up to going with the more expensive brands for over $1000 and they really wouldn't be any better than the $100 set, not really.

I will tell you what I use.

I have customs that I use to do the real work, the ones that I really use then for the other stuff like the steak knives, bread knife etc I just got whatever that's not really expensive as IMO they don't really matter anyway. Just got some serrated stuff that works that I don't have to deal with.

Not a Chef Knife guy at all, I have one someplace, but I never use it, never have, I use blades in the 4" to 5" range for 98% of what I do in the kitchen, always have.

That's just my take on it.
 
My opinion is you only really need two, maximum three, kitchen knives, a 'big' chef's knife (a 20cm one - how else do you slice up watermelons?) and a smaller paring knife (10 cm), maybe a 15cm general utility blade. And a breadknife as well I suppose.

I like Global kitchen knives, their GF series of forged knives are pretty decent. Strangely enough they seem to be cheaper here in South Africa than what they are in the States.
 
I agree you don't need a set. A chefs knife and a paring knife is really all you need. If you keep the chefs knife sharp, you don't need a bread knife either. On top of that get a decent set of steak knives. That covers everything really.

As for your wants, I'd highly suggest you take looks out of it and don't worry so much about the steel. I have a 5 dollar kiwi chef's knife that is the best slicer I've ever owned. Ugly as sin and cheap as hell with pot metal steel. No one here would call it sharp. The geometry is super thin however and lends to some serious slicing. I've thought about getting a "nicer" knife but I just don't have any reason to.

If you're getting that Bradford, just add a really good paring knife.
 
Consider the magnetic knife strips that mount on the wall, they're really nice for opening up the counter space that a block would take up. I also highly recommend that you keep a couple hunting / skinning type knives handy in the kitchen, pairing and chef knives are necessary, but for chores that fall in between the two a skinning knife is great. Spyderco makes some really inexpensive and very nice kitchen knives. If you're going to be chefing it up for a large group of people multiple knives are really nice to have, you can have a couple projects going at the same time and not have to worry about sanitizing and cleaning knives, or if you get more than just one person working in the kitchen. Brad.
 
Tojiro DP 210 mm gyuto in laminated vg-10 for $60. Get a set of Opinel paring knives for $14. No need for a block.
 
Personally I have a "real" standard 8" chef's knife. A Wüsthof Classic 8" Chef's Knife and that is exactly what I would recommend. Most chef's prefer their kitchen knife steels soft and tough. M390 is not what I want to have on a chef's knife. Too brittle. If you really want something more exclusive and expensive I would recommend to look at Robert Herder knives. A block is not needed indeed.

And just to be sure, FYI:

[video=youtube;yJ44SxiemMs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ44SxiemMs[/video]
 
Looks like I'll probably end up getting a good VG-10 Santoku and a paring knife of some variety. Thank you, everyone, for your input.
 
You need two important knives and a bread knife(Not reaaaly needed but nice to have. Chefs knife will do all bread and older tomatoes since it will be sharp all the time, right?) A bigger chefs knife and a small paring knife.

You can do 90% with these two tools.

You might want a flexible long (fish) and thin one, and possible something to chop bones with. This only if you want to work on whole carcasses or bigger cuts. If you buy fish filets and standard cuts you will never need them.

You must decide if you like Japanese or German / French style. If Japanese buy a Gyoto and never a Santoku. Unless you are a woman. Then its ok to buy a Santoku. Don't be that guy that sees useless dimples and marketing. A Santoku is the Japanese wifes tool.

Japanese knives are thinner and need proper use to not roll an edge. While they "slice better" the difference is gone after 20 slices.

If you want German / French, I can recommend Wuesthof. 20 CM chefs knife from the series Icon or Classic Icon. These lines can be sharpened to the heel, unlike others in their line. The Xline if you are feeling modern and creative, but I really can't say because I haven't used them. Pick a paring knive of your choice to go with it. Great knifes, easy to keep sharp and to sharpen, good steel and pretty much the standard in pro kitchens all over Europe (Except France). 14\/14 degrees.

20 CM (8 incher) sounds big, but if you use it properly in a pinch grip it is just right.

A block is wasted money and space, you will never need that stuff anyways. Buy a magnetic knife hilder, mount on wall where you slice and dice. That way tney are in reach and you can see them every time you are in the kitchen.

If you like Japanese style, do research. Try not to buy GLOBAL or Porsche design. Looks great but slippery as fawk. The KAI and SHUN stuff is nice, but totally over priced. Same with the German Zwilling (Twin) stuff.

Have fun.
 
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I personally love my henckels twin series knives. I know you can pick up a set of 7 twins and a block for about $200, forged instead of stamped.
 
Despite my disposition for pumping cash into the cutlery industry at every opportunity, it was my lady who was the one to finally invest some dough in the knives that get the most use at home. :o She bought the Shun Classic 7 piece block set (VG-10) on the big river and the blades are a fantastic upgrade over the Old Hickory knives I've been messing with for the last 6 years. Not sure how that stacks up to German/French/whatever but the Shun set certainly does make cooking more enjoyable. I am digging the 6" utility blade a lot. :thumbup:
 
I don't know a lot about knife blocks, I am not sure they are good for your knives in general. As far as new knives, check out Victorinox's line of kitchen knives.
They consistently get great reviews and are very low cost wise. Their 8" Chef's knife and their line of Paring knives are great values as well as great performers.
Those knives will do most of what you need. Add a Santoku, bread (serrated) knife and a long slicer for roasts and turkey etc. and you have it all covered.

I am currently using the Vic 8" Chef, 6" Chef (more of a utility) and the plain and serrated paring knives. I keep the knives in a cupboard with each knife in a BladeSafe protector.

If you like Carbon steel the Old Hickory makes some good butcher/boning knives.
 
The cold steel kitchen classics really impressed me. I like them better than my Heckles Pro s. They are definitely worth a look. the fully serrated utility knife is a beast. For the money they're hard to beat. Theyre pretty tough as well. They have survived 4 years at my parents house and theyre rough on knives. The only significant damage is a melted handle on one of the steak knives because my dad dropped it in the bar b q pit. He keeps it around the garage now since the handle is wonky.
 
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Second on the Victoronox, those things are workhorses. I love the bagel and pairing knife. I use that thing for everything and its easy to touch up and takes a great edge.
 
+1 on the Victorinox. I have the 8 inch Chef's knife, a 3 knife paring set, and their slicer...absolutely love them all. Might add a 6 inch utility in the future.

+ a very big 1 on a magnetic strip instead of a block. Out of the way, less wear on your knives, and let's face it....it looks cooler.
 
The Shun Sora 2-Piece Starter Set (VBS0200) (6 inch Chef's Knife and a 3.5 inch Paring Knife) which goes for a street price of about $100. It's all most people need anyway. It's a terrific value for two high-quality genuine Japanese kitchen knives and they showcase KAI's composite and laminate blades in each knife.

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[video=youtube_share;9Lg2AkkgBqs]http://youtu.be/9Lg2AkkgBqs[/video]
 
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