Kitchen knives

[oldeboone]

Anyone have a recommendation as to brands and source of good kitchen knives / cleavers etc. Ernie

 

[badmoont2]

Victorinox is a good combination of quality at a reasonable price.

 

[padronman]

Wusthoff is a great knife.  Not as pricey as some but not cheap.  You can find them at Bed Bath and Beyond or Sur La Table (if you have them).

My advice......don't get crappy knives.  They don't hold an edge and don't cut worth a crap.  Life is tooooo short for cheapo products.

Scott

 

[timstalltaletav]

I agree 100%. My mom bought me a set of knives as a housewarming gift. They weren't top shelf but were decent. I spent more time over the years sharpening them than I did cutting with them. Actually looking for a new set of knives myself.

 

[timberjet]

I like Henkle knives. I got lucky and found a whole set at a yard sale one time for 12 bucks. Some people just throw knives away when they get dull if you can believe that.That said, I have some very old carbon steel knives that were my grandmothers and her fathers. I have no idea what brand they were but you want to talk about holding an edge. wow! Does anyone know of new, quality knives like this? 

 

[padronman]

There are a lot of carbon steel knives put now. Look for the wavy lines of the folding on the blade. Not cheap but way worth the cost.

 

[voodoochile]

carbon steel is easier to sharpen than SS

 

[welshrarebit]

I use victorinox. For price and value you can't beat them. I also like their handles the best; If you are using your knive for twelve hours a day it makes a huge difference.

 

[tucsonbill]

I'm kinda partial to Forschner, but I also love my Henkles.

 

[mdboatbum]

 
I like Henkle knives. I got lucky and found a whole set at a yard sale one time for 12 bucks. Some people just throw knives away when they get dull if you can believe that.That said, I have some very old carbon steel knives that were my grandmothers and her fathers. I have no idea what brand they were but you want to talk about holding an edge. wow! Does anyone know of new, quality knives like this? 

There are a lot of carbon steel knives put now. Look for the wavy lines of the folding on the blade. Not cheap but way worth the cost.

I think you're referring to folded Japanese (Damascus style) steel. While the Japanese knives are by all accounts among the best of the best, they're incredibly expensive and most have a much shallower edge angle (16˚or 17˚) requiring special attention when sharpening.

For good old fashioned Carbon steel knives, there are several makers that use good steel and won't break the bank. Old Hickory makes good knives at a really reasonable cost. Chicago Cutlery used to make carbon steel knives, but I think most of theirs are now high carbon stainless and made in the Far East. Sabatier, if you make sure you get the ones made in Thiers, France, makes an incredible knife at a good price. I think the 8" chef's knife is between $60 and $70. They make a full line and you could have the 3 or 4 basic knives you'll use 99% of the time for well under $200. Be careful though, there are a lot of Far Eastern copies out there which aren't the same. Apparently the name Sabatier was never copyrighted, so make sure you're buying from a reputable retailer.

And for what it's worth, Julia Child's 12" Sabatier chef's knife is apparently in the Smithsonian. If it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me.

And if you watch the first couple seasons of "Good Eats", before he got rich and sold his soul to Shun, Alton Brown used Sabatier knives as well.

The first 5 or 6 minutes is all about knives.

 

[pops6927]

I was a professional meat cutter for 35 years and we used 'practical' knives - 6" straight or curved - stiff or flexible - stainless steel (only thing allowed in meat shops now).  Different brands.  I prefer Dexter, Chicago, Victorinox.  I get my knives either at  Ace Mart or Bunzl Koch.

www.acemart.com

www.kochsupplies.com

Be sure to ask for a catalog and get on their mailing lists!

They have a wide variety to choose from.

For knife sharpeners I use Work Sharp.

 

[welshrarebit]

Fors

I'm kinda partial to Forschner, but I also love my Henkles.

Forschner = victorinox

 

[dcarch]

IMHO:

You need a few cheap crappy knives that you can abuse.

And you need a few good knives that you keep sharp just for slicing meat. You don't need a knife in the kitchen that is so sharp you can shave with.

Don't spend your money on very expensive knives, unless you are a knife collector, or a show off or a sushi chef.

And BTW, all those slicing paper and slicing tomato demos are meaningless. Just about any metal can do that.

dcarch

 

[johgre078]

He keels are good but stay away from the ones made in Spain. The difference is stamped in Spain and forged in Germany.
John


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[johgre078]

Sorry meant henckels


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[bags]

I use Wusthof and am happy with the quality.

 

[tc fish bum]

pros use dexter russel, I have an 8 inch e&f lautherjung   a 10 inch wusthy  and a 6 inch solicut utility all german style. japan has some realllllly good blades as well ,I just don't like the feel. for the price wusthof is a good bet, just go with there higher end stuff.

 

[atomicsmoke]

I got Henckels Pro S.

Started with 10" chef's and later got 4" pairing knife. You can handle most jobs in the kitchen with these two. Pick the longest chef's knife you can handle. I like the feel in my hand and balance of the 10".

Later I got a boning/fillet knife (same series) - I think its a 6". Very good for butchering chickens ,turkey prepping butts etc.

I also splurged last year for an 8" and a 10" carving /slicing.

Almost forgot : I also got a santoku but it's not the top model. I rarely use it but my wife likes it (I keep it sharp).

 

[atomicsmoke]

I don't recommend buying sets unless you get them on sale at the same price with the cost of the knives you need (+ the block).

Most of the knives in the sets are not what you really want. Chefs and pairing knives are small, there is no boning knife, carvers. You get high end shears and serrated knives and steak knives. Yes, they look great but a cheap bread knife will be just as good since you can't sharpen it.

 

[bluewhisper]

I have an oddball collection of various brands of knives, most from my parents but also a few of my own.

My two main go-to knives are a little Oneida named the Chickenhawk, because I find it perfect for cutting up a chicken, and a small cleaver that does most of my vegetable work. No brand marking, just "stainless japan" - I like the way it gives me knuckle clearance.

chickenhawk.jpg

• bluewhisper
• Jun 17, 2014

The next step up is MANUFACTURE STAINLESS, good for Asian cooking or halving a chicken

manufacture_stainless.jpg

• bluewhisper
• Jun 17, 2014

I also have a huge Dexter cleaver, very sharp, I'm actually afraid of the thing.