Kitchen knives

Well you don't need a set, so don't let them sucker you into it. Here's all I think one really needs

6-8 inch chef's knife
serrated slicing knife (double duty for bread and carving)
paring knife
boning knife

There's all sorts of options for price, but if you spend a little bit of money you can have some stuff that will last forever. Check out Henckel, Wusthof or Global. If you want to go a little cheaper Chicago cutlery has some good high carbon steel stuff for less money. Old hickory knives are great and will last forever. Go check out a retail store where you can handle some of these knives to see what you like and then head to the internet for more research. William Sonoma usually has a good selection as does Bed Bath and Beyond.

Look for things you would look for in any other sort of knife in terms of fit and finish. It's a very personal choice, and there's good options at all sorts of price points.
 
If you want something special and have some extra coin to spend try googling Tom Krein or Daniel Koster. You may have to get on a waiting list, but both men do beautiful work.
 
Had some surface rust issues on some Chicago from wallyworld some time ago. I would not rule out the brand though; it was the entry level stuff in my poorer days. Since then have had great experience with them. Henkels are SWEET, but you will pay for them. So if going that route just buy the individual pieces you need, don't go 300+ on a set.
 
cmdionne said:
Well you don't need a set, so don't let them sucker you into it. Here's all I think one really needs

6-8 inch chef's knife
serrated slicing knife (double duty for bread and carving)
paring knife
boning knife
Click to expand...

I agree. I almost only use my 8" chef knife. I am making a parer to fill the need for something small for apples and such. If the chef is designed decently you shouldn't need anything else for 90% of your work. Save your money and buy one really nice chef knife (maybe a custom, I also like Shun).

Bread knives and steak knives work fine regardless of cost. Just get something that looks good. Steak knives see so much abuse on ceramic plates the steel doesn't really matter. If you keep the chef knife sharp, it will cut bread just fine too.

For carving meat, I don't like serrations. They tear the meat, releasing juices. Your chef will do fine for most stuff. I really like the design of single-bevel sashimi knives for slicing, though.

Cleavers are also a choice. They can chop through bones that would stop a chef knife (like duck). They are a specialty blade, though.

Phillip
 
I'd like to thank everyone for their replies. I am in agreement with only needing a few knives.
I'd like to buy an American brand. My resent experience with Kershaw (a good one) makes me wonder about them. Are there other American made Kitchen Cutlery that I should consider before I plunk down some coin?

Thanks

Van
 
Warther makes very nice high carbon knives for the kitchen. Made entirely in the US...a very nice set can be put together inexpensively. http://www.warthers.com/

I would also recommend the Calphalon Katana series for a non US make. With 33 layers of stainless surrounding a VG-1 core these are some of the best production kitchen knives available at reasonable costs.

You can also watch the knife makers forum here, right now there is a very nice custom set for sale.
 
Mongo1958 said:
What's a nice set of kitchen knives go for and what would you recommend?
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Hands down, the best "bang for the buck" in the kitchen cutlery world is the Forschner line (made by Victorinox). Specifically the Firbrox (plastic handled) knives. They're targeted as much as the food service industry as home use, so they're not the fanciest looking knives. However, you won't find anything in the same price range to compare. And if you do want something a little fancier, they do also often wooden handles (at a slight premium).

The Forschner knives almost always end up winning Best Buy honors from America's Test Kitchen tests (the guys behind Cooks Illustrated magazine), along with numerous other places.

These things are great knives.
 
Warthers are a good American made knife. You will want to put a sharper edge on them and make sure to wipe them down after use with a litle mineral oil. (Warthers are subject to pitting if you don't dry and wipe down with mineral oil.)
 
Cooks Warehouse has a good selection to choose from, with various quality lines and prices. It's a good place to browse and get some idea of what's available. They don't, of course, carry every brand. http://www.cookswarehouse.com/productcart/pc/KNIVES-SHEARS-c4.htm

I used Old Chicago for years before picking up a couple of Wusthof paring knives (great knives). My last purchases were Shun. I can't say enough about the Shun. Their not cheap but they are sharp.

I have a wide varity of knives in my block (home made of walnut, vertical style open top box, filled with 12" bamboo skewers. I love it.) I have a
Wenger 7" blade utility knife,
Mundial 12" blade slicer,
J.A.Henckels 6" utility knife,
Joyce Chen 8" Chinese clever,
the two Wusthof paring knives,
a 3.5" Shun, a 6" Shun,
a very sharp generic 8" utility with a stick proof coated blade whose only marking is Made in USA.
some Old Chicago
and a couple of old carbon steel butcher knives

98% of the time, I use a paring knife, utility knife. Now and then I use the others but mostly they just take up space in the knife block.

The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.
 
topher said:
Hands down, the best "bang for the buck" in the kitchen cutlery world is the Forschner line (made by Victorinox). Specifically the Firbrox (plastic handled) knives. They're targeted as much as the food service industry as home use, so they're not the fanciest looking knives. However, you won't find anything in the same price range to compare. And if you do want something a little fancier, they do also often wooden handles (at a slight premium).

The Forschner knives almost always end up winning Best Buy honors from America's Test Kitchen tests (the guys behind Cooks Illustrated magazine), along with numerous other places.

These things are great knives.
Click to expand...

used victorinox knives in the slaughterhouse for years and your getting good steel and ergonomics pennies on the dollar to henkel's for 2 to 3 times the money unless you go for their cadillac line.
If you've got cash the shun line is good
 
While I'm still looking around, I've found a set of blades that I'm leaning towards:
Not high dollar but a good solid set. And it was due to all of you helping me.
Thanks.

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I had a Ken Onion Kaji Fusion chef's knife and it went back to the store. I hated the blade shape and the ergonomics. To each his own. It sure was pretty, though.

IMO, the best value for money out there in chef's knives right now may be the Tojiro DP. Superb knife at a bargain price. Take a hard look at their gyutou. Mine sees heavy, heavy use and is superior to the Shun knife it replaced (which cost over 6x as much).
 
Hi, I have been using nepalese brand knife since 10 yrs. for more deails, log on (( spam ))

goold luck.:)

Thanks,
Steve
 
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Sobriquet said:
I had a Ken Onion Kaji Fusion chef's knife and it went back to the store. I hated the blade shape and the ergonomics. To each his own. It sure was pretty, though.

IMO, the best value for money out there in chef's knives right now may be the Tojiro DP. Superb knife at a bargain price. Take a hard look at their gyutou. Mine sees heavy, heavy use and is superior to the Shun knife it replaced (which cost over 6x as much).
Click to expand...

Always try handling the knives before you hand over cash. Everyone is different and at the end of the day the ergonomics must work for you. Handle fit and knife balance make all the difference between a knife that's a pleasure to use and one that's going to be a PITA

eg I like Mundial scissors but hate the way their knives sit in my hand. Furi's also feel wrong and my Shun's would not work at all if I were a leftie. I like the weight of Wusthof (forged) in a chef knife but find the bolster a bit too bulky. The low end Victorinox feel too light.......

BTW - Shun advise that their chef knife should not be used as a chopper as the edge is very fine - 6000 or 8000 waterstone recommended for touching up edge. Suggest you add a chinese chopper to your list (<$20) - you can even emulate chinese cooks and use it for 80% of your food prep.
 
antonio_luiz said:
Always try handling the knives before you hand over cash. Everyone is different and at the end of the day the ergonomics must work for you. Handle fit and knife balance make all the difference between a knife that's a pleasure to use and one that's going to be a PITA
Click to expand...

I completely agree. It was a generous gift that just didn't work for me. I used the store credit for something else.
 
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