Whats a good affordable kitchen knife?

I also have a set of Henkels kitchen knives. My wife and I using only plastic or wood cutting boards and still these knives need to be sharpen often.
Recently I bought Spyderco Yang Kitchen Knife, 6" VG10 blade. It is great and you can get it for around $40. I do not know any other knife in this price range with simular or better steel. Usually VG10 kitchen knives at least double price.
 
The ultimate tomato slicing knife is a MAC UK-60 or FK-70:
http://www.macknife.com/original.html
These are extremely thin and made from a harder alloy than German cutlery. This alloy also takes a finer edge than Victorinox blades.

Your primary problem is your cutting board!! Even the cheapest knives I have ever seen do not dull from a round of tomato cutting on a soft cutting board.

If you are cutting on a glass or ceramic surface it is harder than steel and will dull any knife. Throw the Pyrex cutting board away. Get wood or plastic cutting boards. I like to get Cuisineart Prep Boards. They have a lip to prevent juices running on the counter and they nest so that I can keep 4 on hand in a compact space. I buy them at Le Gourmet Chef for a lot less than the list price of $10.00.
http://www.cuisinart.com/catalog/product.php?product_id=47&item_id=85&cat_id=114
 
I would echo others in recommending Victorinox/Forschner! Excellent knives!
If you like/prefer serrated kitchen knives the old Spyderco line of Kitchen knives were also great, but i don't think they make them anymore.
 
Ditto on the Victorinox/Forschners.

We have an 8" chef, and a couple of the 3.25" and 4" (I think) utility knives.
We aren't pros, but the knives were very affordable, came sharp, are easy to sharpen, and comfortable to use.
We intend to get some more soon.

I purchased them after nearly cutting off the tip of my thumb using a dull-ish, whippy, cheap knife which flexed wildly during a cut.

The Vic is about 100x better.
 
Jeff Clark said:
The ultimate tomato slicing knife is a MAC UK-60 or FK-70:
http://www.macknife.com/original.html
These are extremely thin and made from a harder alloy than German cutlery. This alloy also takes a finer edge than Victorinox blades.

http://www.cuisinart.com/catalog/product.php?product_id=47&item_id=85&cat_id=114
Click to expand...

I tried out a couple MAC knives and really liked them. They aren't forged (at least the ones I tried) but are miles above most other stamped blade knives. Cooks Illustrated magazine also likes the ones they tried in their shootouts.
 
I suggest Chicago cutlery. They are fairly mainstream, affordable, with a good lineup of models. I think I have ones with cherry wood handles (might be walnut): stainless, keeps a sharp edge, no bolsters (although there are higher end ones that have those features). I bought several bought back in the eighties - early nineties.

I would hazard to say it keeps a better edge than henckels.
 
sherlockbonez said:
Your edge could be rolling because you're scraping the cutting board after each cut. Do you lift your knife straight up or do you push the tomatos to the side after each cut?
Click to expand...

I actually slice tomatoes horizontal to the board, the knife never touches it.

I agree, Pyrex is a knife killer, but it wont hold bacteria. I will get a bamboo one for vegetables although hopefully I dont get any death spinach :)

Never saw the more economical Shuns...I can only assume the steel might still be soft....My parents still have some Vic paring knives from the stone age, working great. I will check those out too.

That spyderco would be the ticket if it had a wider blade...I hate banging my hand on the cutting board while im slicing.
 
There must be evil gnomes in your house if you can dull a knife cutting tomatos horizontal. Typically the evil gnome is disguised as a spouse or other loved one and they are cutting on a hard surface when you aren't around. I never had any similar problem with Henkels, but I did have to throw away a Corning serving tray that my wife would not stop using as a cutting board. One of my best knives showed up with a totallly rolled edge and I deduced that my son had been carving meat without removing it from a cast iron skillet.
 
Hi... Been doing a lot of cutting with kitchen knives myself lately (currently a student at the Professional Culinary Institute, Campbell Calif.). A lot of good suggestions here for sure... 1. Forschner -- best bang for the buck I agree. 2. would be the MACs which can be pricier but aren't necessarily and these are really nicely made knives. The pro series I have a few of have a secondary grind of 12 deg, and the steel seems to be up to the challenge of that steepness as I sharpen much less than with my other knives. Don't disparage those Henckels either. I like them! My oldest work-horse knife is a henckle 8" chef's knife and there's nothing shabby about it after 20 years with me. Besides that I have a Henckel 7" santoku which, besides my MAC 8" chef's, is my best vegetable knife! I like the Henckels even better than the high end Wusthof's cause they are lighter, though I have to admit the Whusthof handles are more comfortable... I have other knives as well like a Chicago Cutlery 8" fillet that's not bad for larger denser fish...

Bottom line is that you can get a LOT of very sharp and hard working knives for the kitchen at $50 and under, even way under. All comes down to what else you want/need in the way of finish, hi-tech steel, etc. I do not understand your problem with the cutting board. You can wash a wooden one or one of those hi-tec plastic ones in 2 seconds and there's no bacteria problem! Sheesh I've been using ONE board for vegies and meats of all kinds for years without ever making anyone sick. Nothing like a little hot soapy water between meat and vegetable prep to keep things on the up and up. Glass cutting boards are crazy! They ruin knives!

Also... If you are that uptight about bacteria, stay away from wooden handles (like those nice walnuts on the Chicago Cutlery). Most health departments (maybe all by now) will not allow natural wood in a commercial kitchen because of bacteria (note that they do not require glass cutting boards). Stabilized wood is ok as are composit materials... That's the one thing about kitchen knives I've had to get used to... Learn to love those artificial materials...
 
Hi

Global have thin blades but its high.

for value i think its forschner. cheap and plastic handle is hygenic. Easy to sharpen and polish, steel easily too. Easy to wash and quite neglect resistant.

I have never used a pyrex board but if its a rough glass cutting board marketed to resist cuts and resist bacteria, i have used that once and have been used as a wind blocker. Slippery and damages knives faster than one can sharpen.
 
So I'm really intrigued by these Forschner's and I'm considering getting one to try it out - probably a 8" chef since it's my most commonly used.

To those who use them and other comparables often, how is the weight and balance on these? For that low price tag I almost expect it to weigh nothing, which would be bad. I like some heft to my knives, and balance is obviously very important.
 
Tend to be a little forward balanced . if you like heft, think forged blades with bolster would be nicer. German knives tend to be have more heft.

Personally i find them quite light but represents great value and usability.
 
kc2kth said:
So I'm really intrigued by these Forschner's and I'm considering getting one to try it out - probably a 8" chef since it's my most commonly used.

To those who use them and other comparables often, how is the weight and balance on these? For that low price tag I almost expect it to weigh nothing, which would be bad. I like some heft to my knives, and balance is obviously very important.
Click to expand...

Plenty of weight without being heavy. Fits so well in my hand.
I don't believe you can go wrong with one.

I know some peeps on here said using a wooden cutting board
because the can't carry bacteria, but you need to make sure
you're not using a straight grained piece of pine or something.
Those will hold bacteria and you don't want to cut up chicken,
wash it, then cut up your cooked chicken on it. I don't believe
that would be safe enough just by washing it.
Butcher block style boards or bamboo as mentioned a few times would be the best IMO.

Happy Slicing!

mike
 
like their handles too, they have another design called microban that is anti bacterial.

have any one comments on wmf and henckel stamped blades?
 
Please throw your Pyrex cutting board away of just use it for serving cheese and biscuits! They really do ruin knives. Invest in a good quality wooden board and a bottle of mineral oil.

Pity you can't afford a Kershaw/Kai Shun as they are a beautiful knife to use. I have about 60 kitchen knives from since I was at catering college in the late 1960's right up to a full set of Globals purchased 3 years ago. My favourite of all is my Shun Santoku and a couple of customs knives from work.

I wrote a thesis on Wooden boards versus Plastic boards. E-mail me if you would like a copy.
 
+1 for Victorinox / Forschner

Through 10 years of cooking professionally I've owned pretty much every major brand of chef's knife there is. I love shiny new sharp implements, and I love the feeling of pride of ownership for an expensive and beautifully crafted blade.

You have to love those feelings to save up for that 5 star Henckels, when you're starting out in this business. Chained to a counter for 15 hours a day pumping out julienne veg in a cramped sweatbox kitchen (at $6.50 CAD per hour it's cheaper for your indentured ass to do it the hard way than for Chef to shell out for a mandoline). You gotta consume a lot less booze than your body needs at that point, if you're going to afford that knife.

Even now that I make a reasonable living doing what I love, I always come back around to those ugly $40 fibrox handled Vics.

I've never chipped or rolled an edge while cutting squash, or had a rust problem, or snapped the tip, like I've had happen with $150 knives. Or gone off the deep end when some POS migrant prep cook skips town and takes it with him after you forgot and left it on the magnetic knife rack just that once.

They're light and thin bladed, great for fine slicing, precision work, skinning salmon, you name it. I don't buy the concept of needing a heavy, forged, knife for doing heavy veg prep. That's what the heel of your blade is for.

If you live in a big city with a Chinatown, you can find chopping blocks which are a roughly 3" thick cross cut section of a tree, which look sexy and are great for home use. If not, IKEA has wood boards for reasonably cheap, just don't run them through the dishwasher as they split and fall apart.

Good luck to you sir!
 
never use a glass cutting board. that is ridiculous. Cutting against a surface harder than your blade will chip or deform any edge.
 
Victorinox knives are used almost exclusively in meat packing houses. These are the "torture test" centers for knives. Victorinox knives have the right balance of quality and cost.

As far as cutting boards, the jury is still out on the use of wood. There is some evidence of antimicrobial properties in some types of wood but cuts and splits have a tendency to harbor food particles and bacteria that may never receive the benefit of that property. ...and they won't stand up to the harsh conditions of a dishwasher. As previously stated, wood, of any kind, is not allowed in a Federally inspected meat plant. My recommendation is to keep a few polyethylene cutting boards of various sizes handy. These can be placed in the dishwasher where the combination of high temp water and the caustic nature of dishwashing compound will keep them not only clean but bacteria free. Ultra-high Molecular Weight poly is excellent for it's friendly nature to knife blades and ability to be sanitized. I keep several at home, some small ones, a medium sized one, and a large one. I had them made (the material was scrap from anther project) and had a groove milled all the way around, about a half inch from the edge, to keep meat juices from spilling onto the counter. Make sure you get a large one but size it to fit in your dishwasher.
 
bruce said:
As far as cutting boards, the jury is still out on the use of wood.
Click to expand...

I wrote this in response to a UK health inspector who said on an online forum, he had studied microbiology and that plastic boards were better than wood.

As someone who hasn't studied microbiology, here you go. We'll start with three university studies.

http://www.hhp.ufl.edu/faculty/pbird/keepingfit/ARTICLE/BOARDS.HTM

http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm

http://web.utk.edu/~mtaylo29/pages/wood cutting boards.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/london/renewable-energy/mailarchives/greenbuilding2/msg00164.html

and then move onto other food sites.

http://www.antiaginglifeextension.c...icles/kitchen_cutting_boards.asp?a=1563&c=&p=

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/foodscience.asp?foodscienceid=110&bdc=1320

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/cuttingboard.htm

From Wikipedia and copyright free.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutting_board

Materials

Wood

Wood has the advantage over plastic in that it is somewhat self healing; shallow cuts in the wood will close up on their own.

Hard, tight grained hardwoods with small pores, such as hard Maple are best. Good hardness and tight grain helps reduce scoring of the cutting surface and seepage of liquid and dirt into the surface. Red Oak for example, has large pores so it retains dirt, even after washing, making it a poor choice for cutting board material.

Care must be taken when selecting tropical hardwoods for use as cutting boards as many contain toxins or allergens.

Although technically a grass, laminated strips of Bamboo also make an attractive and durable cutting board material.

Plastic

While theoretically more sanitary than wooden cutting boards, testing has shown this is not the case. However, antibiotics can be integrated into the plastic mix. Unfortunately plastic is softer than wood, and does not self heal. Mildew can even form in deep scoring. Semi-disposible thin flexible cutting boards take little skill to transfer their contents to containers.

==============================================

The story behind the U-turn by local Environmental Health Officers (food premises inspectors) was two-fold. The cost of replacing a butchers chopping block from wood to plastic was just over 1000 UK pounds at the time. The American research came out about 6 months before the changeover date and fortunately, many butchers left buying a new plastic butchers block to the last minute. Those that already had them complained that heavy scoring from a meat cleaver could not be removed. With a wood block, the cleaning routine is to clean the block with washing soda and then the block is scrubbed with a 'block brush'. The brush rather than being like a scrubbing brush is actually a metal tined brush with rectangular steel spikes that planes away the wood. That is why butchers blocks are sunken in the middle. After each day, the block was as new and sanitised. As a bonus, the wood sawdust on the floor after cleaning helped to clean the floor and is non-slip. It was proven that the plastic chopping block was unsanitary as meat and blood were festering in the cuts on the block.

As the cost to hotels and restaurants was considerably cheaper (£3.50 for a small board, £5.00 for a large board) many establishements changed over. I threw out my two wooden chopping boards and purchased one small green board for vegetables, one red board for raw meat and a white one for everything else. They need replacing about every 6 months depending on use.

Colour coding in chopping boards is a way of reducing the risk of cross contamination and is widely practised. There are no legal guidelines on which foods should be cut on which colour boards, but the accepted coding system in the UK is this:

Yellow – Cooked meats

Red – Uncooked meats

White – Bread and dairy products such as cheese

Blue – Raw fish

Green – Salad and fruit

Brown – Raw vegetables, definitely those grown within the soil.

Anyway, the upshot is that out of a wooden board and a plastic board, both having been properly cleaned, a wooden board dries quicker and is therefore more hygenic. Wooden board are 'self healing' whereas plastic isn't.

Although EHOs still prefer to see brand new, unscored plastic boards, they don't enforce if you use wood. Butchers use either.
 
Well, Andrew, as one who has studied microbiology (graduate degree in meat microbiology), I still won't use a wooden cutting board. As I mentioned, I don't like low molecular weight poly because of the knife cut issues indicated in the references. High density MW poly, on the other hand, doesn't dull knives, receives fewer and shallower knife cuts (so easier for sanitizing fluids to penetrate), and is dishwasher safe where wood is not. The great equalizer is the dishwasher. Wood doesn't do well for long in one while poly does. If no dishwasher is available, hot soapy water with a cap full of laundry bleach (sodium hypochlorite) and a scub brush will work. All those other methods, including putting wooden boards in the microwave are apologetic measures. Wood – maybe and maybe not, plastic – good to go!
 
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