Silly Question....but have to ask

S

sean1999

Joined
Sep 28, 2007
Messages
149
OK, I have to ask this. But first I want to say that I'm a newbie when it comes to knives, so no disrespect to the hardcore knifeknuts on this board.

Are those knives you see in the infomercials considered bottom-of-the-barrel junk in the knife world. I'm talking about Miracle Blade, Ginsu, etc. I'm asking cause I was given a set of the Miracle Blade III knives 5 years ago as a gift.....and have used them like crazy for cutting meat and produce....and they're still pretty darn sharp/cut well.

Also, anyone else on the board have a set of these sort of knives, if so, what's your impression of them? Thanks.
 
my kitchen knives are in the low-med range. i think my chef's type cost around $50 or so. if i did more cooking, i would invest in some higher end stuff.

the infomercial stuff will cut, as knives are designed to do. i think i have some similar stuff in my kitchen.

it comes down mostly to craftsmanship and fit/finish. next time you are at a nice sushi bar, watch the sushi chef slice the raw fish and notice what type of knife he is using. your ginsu probably wouldn't be able to make many of the precise cuts a professional makes.

if you have the opportunity to speak with any professional chefs, or even amatuer chefs, ask them about the knives they use to prep food. most, if not all, likely have pretty high end cutlery. the steel needs to be able to take a very fine edge and hold it. serrations tend to tear rather than truly slice, which is fine for denser foods. but many raw materials require a super fine edge to slice properly and thinly.
 
I think all of us have ended up with a few of those knives. I don't use them for anything I care about, but they're useful for abusive tasks that you don't want to expose your nice knives to. I use mine to cut steaks on ceramic, stir drinks, clean out the garbage disposal, and as a butter knife when all the real ones are dirty.

I don't care to use them for serious cutting because they tend to tear the food. They also just feel light and cheap.
 
sean1999 said:
Are those knives you see in the infomercials considered bottom-of-the-barrel junk in the knife world. I'm talking about Miracle Blade, Ginsu, etc.
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It depends on the user. To those folks who aren't very sophisticated when it comes to knives - which is a lot of folks I know - they look nice, and as a cutting tool, they're adequate for getting the job done.

We just bought a kitchen knife from A.G. Russell, and it outpeforms everything in our drawer. Even our friends love helping out & using it. It's proof that if you spend a little more, product quality & enjoyment of use increases exponentially. From that, folks get the idea that there are nicer things out there.

thx - cpr
 
orca8589 said:
We just bought a kitchen knife from A.G. Russell, and it outpeforms everything in our drawer. Even our friends love helping out & using it. It's proof that if you spend a little more, product quality & enjoyment of use increases exponentially. From that, folks get the idea that there are nicer things out there.
Click to expand...

It's fun having knives nice enough that people cook for you to use them, isn't it.
 
firebert said:
It's fun having knives nice enough that people cook for you to use them, isn't it.
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You bet. What's better is that you can have a conversations about knives with non-knife folk and they get into it too. (I've managed to get one of our friends hooked on good kitchen knives, at least. ;) )

thx - cpr
 
I may get run up a tree or out of town for saying this but we have a Miracle Blade III bread style knife and it isn't for me all that bad. I did manage to lay my finger open one time not being carefull. Our Miracle Blade III definately blows away our other crapy kitchen cutlery. Someday I'll have to break down and actually get something good.
 
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