[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Kitchen Knives (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 7/19/2015 11:16:13 AM EDT
| I just purchased my first home and want to treat myself to a nice set of knives for the kitchen. What should I be looking at without going ape shit and breaking the bank? |
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I don't know what "breaking the bank" is but I have switched to Shun classic. They aren't high end but they are in the $100-$150 range. For me they are light and well balanced. RAZOR sharp and easy to keep that kind of edge on them if you know what you are doing. I have full sets of Heinkels and Wusthof costing significantly more per knife that collect dust now.
ETA: if that is too much I would say go to a restaurant supply and just pick up the commercial knives that you need. They will typically have food safe plastic handles and carbon/soft stainless blades. These knives are meant to be tough, sharpened a thousand times, and be replaceable without killing a budget. I see them in the $30-50 range and used to use them almost exclusively until AR15.com ruined me with Shun. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Quoted: Wusthof Henkel We have had this set for over 20yrs. Some of the handles have cracked from going through the dish washer (A no no) but they have only needed sharpening 3-4 times over the years. They get the steel often, but used right they will last forever. |
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An excellent quality knife but heavy (relatively speaking) and hard to sharpen if you lose an edge. I would only recommend them for an experienced kitchen cook if they are most comfortable with that style after trying a variety.
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Wusthof Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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I have accumulated an assortment of Zwilling J.A. Henckels Four Star knives and have never regretted the investment. I use the 6" utility knife and 3.5" paring knife so often I don't bother putting them away. For larger work I have the 8" and 10" chef's knives. They stay sharp for a long time and are not too difficult to sharpen (diamonds are your friend.) The bread knife is wonderful too. Go on Amazon and look for something that suits your style and price range. |
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F. Dick Cutlery. Very well priced and in use in thousands of commercial kitchens. Their 11 piece set with a carry roll is ~$377.00.
Add a $20.00 magnetic knife strip to your kitchen wall and your golden. 
They also offer a 10piece set in a counter block for ~ $237.00. Link to F. Dick Retailer About F. Dick Cutlery |
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As a guy who has been single my entire life and spends a lot of time in the kitchen I can tell you that there are really only several pieces of kitchen cutlery that I routinely use and the rest of them usually sit. I mainly use a: 8" chefs knife 10" chefs knife 7" Santoku knife 3.5" paring knife 8" bread knife Kitchen shears (scissors) The Santoku knife isn't really necessary but for some chopping things I like it better than the chefs knife. Steak knives not withstanding those are the only kitchen cutlery pieces that get heavily used. Spend money on a good set of those pieces and you will be good to go.
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I own a set of Henkles 4 stars, and love them. Wustof's are great too. But if those are too rich for your blood, found some Victorinox brand knives at a BBQ supply store in my town. I bought one of their large butcher knives for doing "break down" work. Good steel, easy to sharpen, handles are very comfortable. |
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hard to beat the bang/buck of victorinox :
http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-4-Piece-Knife-Fibrox-Handles/dp/B004IEBTZ4 |
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Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Quoted:
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Don't buy a "set" as you will end up with a bunch of shit you'll never use. Buy individual knives, and buy Japanese. Define "breaking the bank". Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Not if you consider the opportunity cost of the money spent to have and not need. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
| OP, what is "breaking the bank" to you? We have a set of 5 Star heckles that are about 14 years old and work incredible still. We have added 2 Miyabi Fusion knives also. The henckels was a 7 piece set that cost about $400 when purchased. The Miyabis ran about $150 a piece. We will be adding a few more that we would like to get. |
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wusthof for me. I used to have a set of Henkel, but gave them to my mom. They were nice but not what I really wanted - something was 'off'. The I got some Shun and they were fantastic knives, but the handles weren't comfortable for me. Awesome blades though and if they'd fit well I'd still have them. I finally bought a Wustof set and I love it.
Had them for quite a while and I'd recommend buying one of the 8 piece 'sets'. You buy two or three knives individually and the block and you're out as much or more than if you bought a set. I used the paring knife, bread knife, chopping knife, 4.5 inch blade and shears pretty regularly. They keep an edge for quite a while. I don't think they're as sharp as the Shuns, but they keep the edge longer and it's still sharp as shit. |
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Quoted: Victorinox Fibrox Fantastic knives at a very economical price. http://gearpatrol.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/victorinox-fibrox-8-inch-chefs-knife.jpg This |
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This. Bread knife, paring knife, 6-8" chef's knife, you can do 99% of the cutting tasks well with this. Quoted:
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Don't buy a "set" as you will end up with a bunch of shit you'll never use. Buy individual knives, and buy Japanese. Define "breaking the bank". This. Bread knife, paring knife, 6-8" chef's knife, you can do 99% of the cutting tasks well with this. Also agree. Better to spend the same total amount of money on higher quality individual knives than getting a set and sacrificing quality for number. |
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http://www.amazon.com/Ontario-Knife-Co-5-Piece-Hickory/dp/B000M2R6C6
I inherited my grandmothers and great grandmothers knives and these things work just fine. Carbon steel takes and holds an edge. American made. If you take care of them they'll last several generations. Have a few RADA that work good too. Fancy knives won't make the food taste better. 
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I just purchased my first home and want to treat myself to a nice set of knives for the kitchen. What should I be looking at without going ape shit and breaking the bank? There is only one name that fits your budget.....RONCO! Go here LINK and order your set of 25 knives today for $39.95 and you'll get the flavor injector, rocker knife and 50% off shipping! You'll have enough money left over to order the 5500 Stainless Rotisserie Oven, and pocket fishrman. |
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Quoted: http://www.amazon.com/Ontario-Knife-Co-5-Piece-Hickory/dp/B000M2R6C6 I inherited my grandmothers and great grandmothers knives and these things work just fine. Carbon steel takes and holds an edge. American made. If you take care of them they'll last several generations. Have a few RADA that work good too. Fancy knives won't make the food taste better. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71FLbgT1zIL._SL1500_.jpg Good stuff right there, I have my grand parents set I also have a set of 1980's vintage Chicago Cutlery |
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I have a set of Wusthof knives and a set of Ken Onion Shun knives.
The Wusthof set gets sharpened once a year or so and have given great service over 20 years. The Shun knives came impressively sharp, but the blades chip under routine use. The chipping continued until I sharpened them at about 18 degrees per side. They seem to be more durable, now, but I still get little chips now and then. |
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I like the wusthof classic line.
I had a set of henkels and the spines bent under heavy use. Now the wife can use them with reckless abandon (dishwasher, chop bones). I'd written off henkel until I realized there were different tiers of henkel (just like wusthof). Buy once, cry once. I like my wusthof classics. They stay sharp and they should last a lifetime. Just don't leave them wet in the sink or wash them in the dishwasher. |
| I bought my wife a set of Wusthof, they are nice and have held up for the last ten years or so. In the mean time I have also bought a few Victorinox knives and would probably buy them instead if I were doing it over. They don't look as nice on the counter but are good knives. I also recommend some cheap Fixwell knives from Amazon (supposedly the same ones used at Subway). Everyone I've gifted them to love them and buy them for others as gifts. |
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Victorinox Fibrox Fantastic knives at a very economical price. http://gearpatrol.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/victorinox-fibrox-8-inch-chefs-knife.jpg Plus one. |
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as a guy who has close to 50 different kitchen knives personally
all you need is basically 4 knives for things to cook seriously: 1- 6" chefs knife- i love my 6" wusthoff 1- pearing knife- henkels and wusthoff dead even. love both 1- tomato serrated knife- henkels makes a great one like the tip on the henkels more 1- 8" kitchen knife- henkels for me on this one 1- set of kitchen shears. make sure they can be taken apart wusthoff disassembles easily you know what is more important, knowing how to sharpen them and use them properly. please buy proper cutting boars and sharpening stones. |
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I have a bunch of Shun Premier knives and I love them. The inexpensive alternative is the Shun Pure Komachi line. I bought one for work - a bread slicer - and it is very nearly as sharp as my Shun kinves at home. They're brightly colored (for better or worse) but given the blade quality and the price I'd recommend them without hesitation. The Wasabi line is also fairly economical. I'm a big Kershaw fan in general. My EDC folder is a Kershaw Leek, I have a fixed Kershaw hunting knife - and the Shun Premier in the kitchen. It's all great stuff for the money. ETA: search Amazon for "Pure Komachi" or "Shun Wasabi" and you'll find them. They're a bargain IMO. ETA2: http://www.amazon.com/Wasabi-Black-10-Piece-Knife-Block/dp/B002IIECMY/ |
| I would buy the knives you need versus a set which you will find that you may not use all of them that came with he set. I am a huge fan of Shun knives and also have some Wusthof ikon knives. What are your uses for these knives Japanese blades can be very sharp but also delicate where my german blades tend to take more abuse but not be as sharp. |
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In this thread, everyone just tells you to buy whatever they bought. Brand really doesn't matter as long as you keep them sharp and don't treat them like shit. Japanese knives are much harder, sharper, and more brittle than other knives. (they are also lighter) They will chip, if you abuse them, and the best ones are carbon steel, which rusts and corrodes, so they require care, but there is absolutely nothing like them. Also, get an end grain, hardwood cutting board, and never use anything else. Slather it with food grade mineral oil, until it won't take any more, and add a little bit every so often, after that. Get it big enough, a skimpy-ass cutting board is not very useful. |
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Those are fine but be advised that "International" means not made in Germany. Caveat emptor. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Quoted:
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Bought 4 of the J.A. Henckels International "Classic" Paring Knife, 4". These are very sharp. Well worth the money spent. Those are fine but be advised that "International" means not made in Germany. Caveat emptor. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile These are actually made in Spain but are a cut above my other kitchen knives. They have gone up in price $8 each since I bought them. |
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Mix n match!! Any of the main stream knife brands here will work GREAT. They are like firearms, personal preference, especially with the grip and your hand.
Here is what I am using.. the colored ones are for my wife since she is the destroyer of knives. Got ginsu 2000, Zwilling JA Henckels Twin Four Star II 8", Shun classic santoku 7" and paring 4", and a henkels paring knife. 
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