Kitchen Knives

Here's a handmade Bob Kramer chef's you just missed on that auction site...course you would have had to add $7250 just to match the winning bid.
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Mine are Wusthof Trident Classics also and they have a lot of years on them. It really is a personal choice for sizes and shapes and weights. The Japanese knives are getting a lot of respect so they are worth considering.
 
thanks for all the replies guys! I'll have a look at all the suggestions and try to get a better idea of what types of knives my dad wants. Then I'll start pricing everything out.
 
Can't resist posting this. A steal at $580, that leaves plenty for your paring and bread knife.

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I have a Wusthof set and really like it. But I agree with the others the 2 that get the most use are the paring and chef knife.
 
Go with a set of Victorinox/Forschner kitchen knives. You can opt for the wood handles for a nicer touch. Cook's Illustrated did a comparison test of the Forschner against (some $100+) chef's knives from Wustof, Henkels, Global, etc on Handle, Blade, Slicing, Chopping, Mincing, & Butchering . They gave the Forschner top honors. IMO a rare instance where the knives are both cheaper and superior.
 
kycolonel said:
Go with a set of Victorinox/Forschner kitchen knives. You can opt for the wood handles for a nicer touch. Cook's Illustrated did a comparison test of the Forschner against (some $100+) chef's knives from Wustof, Henkels, Global, etc on Handle, Blade, Slicing, Chopping, Mincing, & Butchering . They gave the Forschner top honors. IMO a rare instance where the knives are both cheaper and superior.
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No experts that I know of would consider them superior. Cheaper, yes. Superior, no. The Forschners are very popular with the folks at Cooks Illustrated. Not so popular with people who know knives.

They are a great value to be sure - worth every nickel of the selling price. In the industry they are known as house knives - knives purchased by commercial kitchens for use by people who don't bring their own. As house knives go, they are typical and perfectly adequate. As great cutlery goes - sorry.
 
Perhaps superior was too strong an adjective. I made this statement within the context of the original poster's request for a set within $750. I did not mean that they were superior to every other chef's knife made or those used by professsional chefs, only that they perform as well or better than many (dare I say most) knives that are widely available, and for much less money. So which sets of great cutlery that you or the experts are aware of can you recommend at $750 tops for the set? Also, I know chef's that have choices to use more expensive knives and prefer Forschner, but maybe they are unashamed to use "house" knives.
 
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I cook a lot...more than most people. If you can afford Shun, you'll be very happy. If not, Messermeister would be a good 2nd choice, and the Victorinox line if on a budget. Here's all that you need: 8" chef knife, 3" paring knife, 10" bread knife....and if you still have money leftover: 8" carver & a 5 1/2" santuko. That's it, plain and simple.
 
kycolonel said:
Perhaps superior was too strong an adjective. I made this statement within the context of the original poster's request for a set within $750. I did not mean that they were superior to every other chef's knife made or those used by professsional chefs, only that they perform as well or better than many (dare I say most) knives that are widely available, and for much less money. So which sets of great cutlery that you or the experts are aware of can you recommend at $750 tops for the set? Also, I know chef's that have choices to use more expensive knives and prefer Forschner, but maybe they are unashamed to use "house" knives.
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This expert never recommends sets. For most people they are a waste of money because they include knives the buyer doesn't need and won't use. For me it makes sense to buy a high quality Japanese made chef knife and then add other knives as needed. A high quality Japanese chef knife should cost from about $130 to aroun $350. Beyond that price they become jewelry instead of kitchen tools. My personal favorite Japanese gyutos (chef knives) are from Yoshikane and Masamoto. I'm also fond of Misono and Suisin. Tojiro are a very good value. The Shun are also good but not as good as the ones I mentioned and more expensive than some of them. Global are even pretty good - better than European made knives - and fairly inexpensive compared to them.

After the chef knife I recommend a parer and a serrated bread knife. I like the parers from Kasumi, Al Mar and Mac. I like the serrated bread knives from Kasumi and Mac. Sujis (long slicers) are made by the same folks that make the gyutos. My own favorites are by Masamoto and Misono. After than you can add whatever you use - boners for people who prepare whole poultry, filets for people who prepare whole fish, cheese knives - whatever the buyer actually uses.

One comment. It is a waste of money to buy good quality Japanese cutlery and not maintain it. I only recommend buying them for people who will maintain them. For people who will not maintain them, I recommend something like Forschner. There you go. There's your Forschner recommendation.
 
I advise against buying a packaged set of knives. They always include stupid knives you don't need and won't use. Buy the knives you need and use. This is generally a 8 to 10 inch chef's knife and some parring knives. I like a lot of parring knives.

Look at the knives of Murray Carter www.cartercutlery.com
 
kycolonel said:
Go with a set of Victorinox/Forschner kitchen knives. You can opt for the wood handles for a nicer touch. Cook's Illustrated did a comparison test of the Forschner against (some $100+) chef's knives from Wustof, Henkels, Global, etc on Handle, Blade, Slicing, Chopping, Mincing, & Butchering . They gave the Forschner top honors. IMO a rare instance where the knives are both cheaper and superior.
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I often suggest Victorinox / Forschner (specifically the chef and paring knife) as well. With the exception of the Mora (which may have a better blade than the Victorinox for a similar price), I don’t know of a better bang for the buck option. The Victorinox does perform as well or better than “other” knives because it’s a) less expensive, b) use the same (X50CrMoV15 @ ~52-56HRC) blade steel found in more expensive knives (including some in the Cook’s illustrated review), and c) blade is thinner. The thinner blade gives it a cutting advantage, but here’s the catch…it also makes it roll and dent easily, and wear much more quickly. The blade has a shorter lifespan and lesser number of cuts that I can do before needing to be steeled. In the long haul, you’re likely to wear out several of them vs. one better one.

As for alternatives, Knife Outlets recommendations are good.
 
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