OT: Kitchen knives

[rpm]

Looking for new kitchen knives, basic set plus a set of steak knives.
Would like some advice on brands and shopping.

Thanks

[johnnymossville]

http://www.cutco.com/

My Mom and Dad have been using stuff from Cutco for many years and love them.

[dave thompson]

Good knives won't be cheap. Heinkel and Wusthoff are the two brands that are my favorites. The choice of a knife is pretty personal, much like a bike and you have to find the brand that fits you the best. The differences between brands can be great as regards to how they fit and how they handle. You should find a place that stocks a variety of knife brands so you can test drive them and find the one that suits you best.

[rain dogs]

I'm interested in this thread as well, as I am feeling like it is time to invest in quality knives.

I have been told the best for me (someone who cooks regularly/daily and cuts a ton ((primarily veg. diet)) and values quality) are:

Global
Henckels
Wusthof

The biggest question I've been asked is:

Are you interested in sharpening your own knives/getting them sharpened or not ?

[timto]

I picked up a global a couple years ago... i'm from a restaurant family with huge food exposure and the main cook in our household.

This knife is balanced, easy to clean, super sharp (bought a ceramic sharpener too) and easy to sharpen - just a few passes over the ceramic makes it razor sharp. I use it daily. I clean, dry and put it away after each use. I care for it like one would care for a quality tool.

It makes the full tang style knifes (cutco, henckels etc) feel coarse and unrefined and downright clumsy in comparison. At first I felt the knife was too sharp/thin. But now I wouldn't go back. Before we had a cutco set that was sturdy but again now get ZERO use.

My 2 cents.

[killacks]

I've been thinking the same thing as the OP, lately. Wish I had more helpful info. All I really know is that the good stuff costs big $$. I recently bought a Wusthoff Kitchen knife for a wedding gift. Real nice lookin knife. Heads up, Bed, Bath and Beyond carries that brand.

I used a handy 20% off mailer coupon I had laying around. Idk if they distribute those coupons everywhere, but they send them out just about every week here (southern cal).

Sidenote: my old roommate used to sell Cutco knives door to door. Her demo set was real sharp! Not sure about how they hold up, though.

Good luck

[AngryScientist]

a good set of knives can easily last a lifetime. the wife and i got most of ours when we first got married, and they're still like new, they will be far after i'm gone too. the brands mentioned here are all very good, but beware, Henkels and Wustov, in addition to making excellent knives, have lower end consumer knives that are not as well made.

we do not have a matched set at our house. we have a large butcher block that is stocked with individual knives that we like, as opposed to a "groupset".

go to a good kitchen store and put your hands on some quality knives, buy the ones that speak to you.

[tele]

http://www.lamsonsharp.com/

Have a couple of Lamson knives and very impressed. They are local to me: made in the USA. I have some Wusthoff but use the Lamson much more often.

[Ozz]

you will get better value buying individual knivest that you need....with a set you often end up with a couple knives you don't need. Cooks Illustrated just did a review of sets a couple months ago detailing this.

As mentioned, Henckels and Wustoff are both solid brands. Shun, Global, and Miyabi are also very great knives. You really have to find handle that feels good and a blade shape the suits you cutting style.

You only really need:

8" or 10" Chef knife
paring knife
bread knife (if you buy nice bread)
boning knife (if you eat much meat)
Sharpening steel

Once you get these, you can fill in with a slicer, carving fork, santuko

I have mainly Henckels Four Star knives, but also a Shun Ken Onion Chef Knife and a Shun Bob Kramer Chef. The Henckels 8" chef knife and the Ken Onion knife are my go-to knives for 90% of what I do. I would probably use my Bob Kramer more, but the blade is so wide it does not fit in my knife block, so it is not convenient to use. Beautiful knife though.

I have had most of my Henckels for 20+ years.

Shopping now, I would give the Zwilling Bob Kramer Carbon blade knives a serious look....pricey though.

Go to a good cooking store or knife shop and hold a few. Cut some veggies if they let you.... then decide.

[pdmtong]

Our Heinkel set was a major investment years ago and have performed beautifully. This is one area where I think it really is better to view as an investment in tools, and get the best you can afford now instead of going the cheaper route and then buying a second set to replace down the road.

[William]

Originally Posted by dave thompson

Good knives won't be cheap. Heinkel and Wusthoff are the two brands that are my favorites. The choice of a knife is pretty personal, much like a bike and you have to find the brand that fits you the best. The differences between brands can be great as regards to how they fit and how they handle. You should find a place that stocks a variety of knife brands so you can test drive them and find the one that suits you best.

Mrs William gets upset if I touch her Heinkel's!!!




I leave them alone so my Ancestra doesn't go a missing.





William

[torquer]

Originally Posted by timto

(bought a ceramic sharpener too)

Any recommendations or hints on what to look for in a sharpener?
Worth noting that the finest (Serotta-level) knives won't stay that way without sharpening.

[ORMojo]

+1 on buying individual knives.

I have really valued the knowledge & advice at several of our excellent small local cook's shops, and have bought individual knives from most of the makers mentioned above, based on a certain individual knife feeling right in my hand while testing it in the shop.

One of our favorite shops has a cooking class area, and they also use that to allow you to test any of their knives, and many other products. I also like the new sign they put at the knife-testing station a few months ago that says something along the lines of "If you allow your child to play with the knives, we will give them a triple mocha and a cuddly live puppy to take home."

[tannhauser]

My thinking:

10" Japanese chefs knife.

Japanese water sharpener.

Hit the blade lightly every day.

That will get you through almost every task.

[yakstone]

Above stated info on knives is pretty spot on. As noted most brands have the ferrari and the chevrolet edition so beware; there is more to it than just the brand alone.
The bigger piece is how will you keep them sharp. If you are looking for the best way, learn how to use a water stone, next best - an oil stone. Treat the knife as a surgical instrument, use it, wash it, put it away. Knives in sinks inevitably end up losing their edge or worse.
NEVER EVER use an electric powered sharpening device or take your knives somewhere to have them sharpened. Learn to keep them sharp yourself.
Invest in a couple of top quality steels and learn how to use them. You want the super fine models not the ones that look and feel like a file. Your steel will look and feel like it is a smooth piece of polished steel, which it is. Don't fall for the diamond steel line of BS. These only work correctly if you know what you are doing otherwise they will ruin your edge. I would suggest a nice ceramic steel and a super fine stainless steel, nothing shorter than 12", though I prefer 16" or18". After 30+ years as a butcher this is my 25 cents worth.
BTW - more people cut themselves steeling their knives than actually cutting with them. West Germany seems to produce the best knives.