If you could only have one knife, what would it be?

[lph]

Santa is coming in a couple months and I would like to slowly upgrade from our Chicago Cutlery, one or two pieces at a time every year. If you could only pick one knife, what would you start with? What brand and why? Thanks for your ideas!

 

[gnubee]

Victorianox 10 inch Chefs Knife. They are good quality, reasonably priced and are thinner than some of the other top knives. Especially important in slicing thicker vegetables.

They stay sharp well and yet are easy to touch up.

I like Henckels but they are heavier, thicker and after a while in the Kitchen will tire you out.

If going for a Knife like a cleaver where weight is an asset I'd go with the Henckel.

 

[meat hunter]

Have always wanted Henckels. Bought our first set last year, basic set for the kitchen. Not the top of the line Henckels, but they are more than durable, hold an edge far better than any other knife I have had to date, and priced right.

 

[chefrob]

forshner/victornox are good knives.....go 12 inch. i have owned 4 star henkles for many years and they are the best of all lines from henkles and of all brands as well. that being said i love my forshners just as much. the single most important thing i can say is how does the knife feel in your hand?

 

[rickw]

Another vote for the Forshner/Victornox but I would go with the 10 or 8 inch. I have a set of Bokers that are pretty nice for the money too. They keep an edge really well and don't break the bank. I must say though our steak knives are Forshner and they are amazing for the $$$.

 

[tndawg]

This might sound weird, but my favorite knife in the house is my Rapala fillet knife! It cuts meat very well, slices through tomatoes and other veggies like butter, and trims fat with surgical precision. That is my most used knife by far!

 

[bbq engineer]

I have a basic Henckels set too, and I love it. Last year, when Linens and Things was going out of business, Mrs. Engineer loaded me up on the Henckels Twin Professional knives, and they are without a doubt the best knives I have ever used. I have hunting buddies that raise their eyebrows and say how scary sharp they are.

I have since found the Henckels Twin series of knives in places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls (low cost stores), give a drive by in the houseware sections if you have one of these stores, because you just might pick up a heck of a deal.

 

[guvna]

i have a ton of knives and i've got a full set of 5 star henkel's. i've been professionally cooking for about 9 years. i also own a couple of shun pieces. but i must tell you that my 8 inch forshner is my go to. what a great knife... i own a few 10 inch french knives that are good for production cooking, but they're just too big to use at home. my forshner is the only knife i own with a blue handle too, making it easy to see amongst an ocean of black-handle knives. i have actually been recommending this knife to my chef friends, but most already own one. i pretty much use it for everything. really... you should go and play with one, i think you'll like it.
-guvna

 

[eman]

i think if i was just limited to one cutting implement it would have to be a good sharp hatchet. can cut meat, seperate bones and joints also can cut wood to cook it over.
But for knives ,I'll stick w/ my wustofs.

 

[meat hunter]

Not weird at all. Now that you mention it, I use my Rapala knife for lots of cutting in kitchen. I agree, it slices thru tomatoes like butter, and I cannot remember the last time I sharpened it. In fact, I don't think I ever have... I even used it last year to gut my daughters deer as I misplaced my hunting knife. I just went and pulled it out of the knife slot in the wood block, it still shaves the hair off my arm...I wonder what kind of steel its made from?

 

[66galaxie]

I use my Wusthof Classic 8" chefs knife for 90% of what I do.
And Like some others say, how does it feel in your hand?
BTW, I love a good filet knife too!

 

[jamesb]

Only one? That would be hard, but I would start with a Wusthof Classic 8" or better yet, a 10" Chef's knife. I have an assortment of knives and at home, these are the ones that get the most use... I also use a fish fillet knife for trimming briskets, slicing comp ribs etc.

 

[mballi3011]

I havea good selection of kitchen knifes at home also but not as many as James. But my best knife is a Henkal twin serious. I use it more than any other knife in my collection. It's a 8" chef knife and this is the work house but I have another henkal twin that I only bring out when I need something really sharp don't think for a minute that the other Henkal in not sharp it is very sharp. But this knife would take a finger not just a nail. So my vote is another one for Henkal Twin serious. This knife is the work horse of my Kitchen and it cuts everything like butter and has never let me down over 3 years.

 

[zopi]

If I can only have one knife, I will stab someone until I can have more...

MY favorites are the cheap tramontina santokus from Sam's club...use it until it won't hold an edge and canx it...12 bucks gets you more..

Also have a 6" henckels santoku I adore for close board work...

 

[jirodriguez]

I have an old Gerber Balance Plus 8" chef knife, was made before Henkle bought Gerber. Is by far the best knife I have ever used. Henkle downgraded the quality of the steel for the Gerber knives when they bought them, because at the time the Gerber knives were better than the high end Henkles.. lol...

.

They hate sharpening my knife at the knife store, because it is essentialy made out of tool steel which is very hard. Pain in the rear to put an edge on, but once it has an edge it will hold it for a good 2 years with regualar sticking to keep it uncurled.

But a few years back I lost my right hand pinky (and Im right handed) so I lost about 15-20% of my gripping power. I discovered the OXO Pro series knives. They are precision cast - not stamped or forged. They are not as good as a forged knife, but the handles are awesome!! and they do a decent job for holding an edge. Plus at $28 or less per blade, it's hard to go wrong.

 

[bman62526]

Great Thread! You see, come Christmas time - the wife kicks my ass all around the house begging for gift ideas for me...I never really come up with any.

However, this thread just reminded me that I REALLY need a good knife or two for cutting/carving meat, and also trimming spares into SLC ribs, chopping veggies, etc. However, I don't know squat about knives - what brands are good, what type of knife does what, etc.

Soooo - considering that the TYPE of knife is probably more important than the brand name - what type of knife do I ask for?

Chef's knife? What's another one?

Like I said, I'm not too technically minded when it comes to these things....I too find that a good filet knife is great for - just one example - cutting the bone out of a pork shoulder. Therefore, I'm not interested in having a knife for every single situation imaginable - just a couple good ones.

So what two types are the best for all purpose cutting and also chopping of vegetables?

Thanks!

 

[zeeker]

Cutco 9-1/4" French Chef. The best ever...

 

[jirodriguez]

Your 8" chef knife is your kitchen work horse, can be used for 90% of all cooking. For a 2nd choice I would get yourself either a 8" utility knife (long thin tappered blade - kinda like a slicer), or a good slicer/carving knife.

 

[scarbelly]

Because we teach a cooking class to 4H kids I have about 25 knives of various sizes and styles. A mix of high end Forshner and Henckels.

I am planning to retire next year and help a friend with one of those shops where you go and cook several dinners up and take them home and freeze them. When I do that I will finally get my Shun Rikon Ken Onion knife ($300) due to the amount of prep work I will be doing. I used one one time and it is the most comfortable knife I have ever held. That is the key to buying a knife - what feels best in your hand

 

[herkysprings]

Wusthof Grand Prix 8" - definetly my kitchen work-horse. I use an iron on it alost weekly, and sharpen once a year at least.

Basically a good 8-10" chef knife that feels good in your hands will get most jobs done. This includes holding the handle (you need the right size for your hand, and shape) and also the position of holding the knife closer to the blade.

I like the Grand Prix over classic because it has a smoother feel in my hands.

After Chef knife, and paring or utility knife, and then serraded (bread) knife is common. However because we all handle so much meat / bones, a filet knife would also do.