I want some decent knives but we're not millionaires yet



the knives

You get what you pay for.

You really don't need all those different knives. Just get a good chef's knife like a Wusthoff or Henckels, because it will do 95% of the kitchen work. $100-140 for a good one, keeping in mind that it will last you for decades. My coworker (I work in a restaurant where I do lots of prep/cooking) has the exact same model of knife that I have, except he bought his like 25 years ago and it's quite worn down but still sharp. It's unlikely that yours will see the same abuse unless you use it all day every day.

Other than that you only need a bread knife (any cheap $5 knife will do fine) a paring knife (another relatively cheap one) and if you do a lot of boning then get a cleaver.

I prefer 10 inch chef's knives over the 8 inch knives because it's a lot easier to get the necessary height to slice larger things like onions and peppers without taking the tip of the knife off the cutting board. Just something to keep in mind.

Quoted: You really don't need all those different knives. Just get a good chef's knife like a Wusthoff or Henckels, because it will do 95% of the kitchen work. $100-140 for a good one, keeping in mind that it will last you for decades. My coworker (I work in a restaurant where I do lots of prep/cooking) has the exact same model of knife that I have, except he bought his like 25 years ago and it's quite worn down but still sharp. It's unlikely that yours will see the same abuse unless you use it all day every day. Other than that you only need a bread knife (any cheap $5 knife will do fine) a paring knife (another relatively cheap one) and if you do a lot of boning then get a cleaver. I prefer 10 inch chef's knives over the 8 inch knives because it's a lot easier to get the necessary height to slice larger things like onions and peppers without taking the tip of the knife off the cutting board. Just something to keep in mind.

+1 for only 1 or two knives.  I use an 8" santoku and I find myself reaching for it in place of everything except a parer on occasion. I also find the tall blade makes it very fast to sweep dice off the cutting board.

Their pots and pans are great.  That is all

Best value in knives right now are the Victorinox Forschner knives - very highly rated by America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated.

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/knife.htm

Get an 8 inch chef's knife, a serrated bread knife, and a paring knife and you'll be set for 90% of everything you'll need.

I've had Wusthoff, Henckels, and the Forschner - I wish I would have gotten the Forschner first and saved myself all that money.

Ahh, the Katana series. I use the santuko(second knife from the bottom, not counting the honing steel) quite a bit at work. It takes a great edge, and holds it pretty well. I prefer Global or Wusthof, but the Calphalon is a great knife. I should specify, the Katanas are great. Some of the other Calphalon knives, not so much...

+1 on the Forschners, though. Good, solid knives at a great price. I still love my Global though

Bag all that shit... You need a smallish knife, a larger knife, a bread knife, and a pair of kitchen/EMT shears. You may, depending on what you fix, want to have a cleaver and a boning knife.

I like Shun, but I'll generally buy the basic so-so brands*, keep them sharp, and then chuck them when they go to shit... I'm not making freakin' sushi.

*I'm talking the baseline Henckles & Victorinox Forschner knives (damn good knives).

I love my one Shun, a Santuko. But, I'm really into using my el-cheapo cleaver. I think I'm going to buy a higher quality one, you watch a lot of these Asian cooking shows (where the people are no shit, full accent, Asian) and it seems they use a cleaver for eveything.

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Quoted: Best value in knives right now are the Victorinox Forschner knives - very highly rated by America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated. http://www.cutleryandmore.com/knife.htm Get an 8 inch chef's knife, a serrated bread knife, and a paring knife and you'll be set for 90% of everything you'll need. I've had Wusthoff, Henckels, and the Forschner - I wish I would have gotten the Forschner first and saved myself all that money.

I've used those Forschners, and while they're great knives for only $30, they won't hold up to hard use like the other brands do. I had one and it didn't hold an edge for very long, but would likely serve well if it wasn't used quite as often.

Globals are some of the sharpest knives I've ever used, but I strongly dislike the handles. They hold their edge extremely well.

Henckels are nice, depending on which model you get the handles can be thin or thick and they take and hold an edge very well.

Wusthoffs are my favorite because they have the best balance of sharpness, edge retention and handle that I've encountered.

Also keep in mind when choosing a knife how thick the blade is, because the thicker ones will give you slightly more trouble when slicing larger items like cabbage.

Quoted: I love my one Shun, a Santuko. But, I'm really into using my el-cheapo cleaver. I think I'm going to buy a higher quality one, you watch a lot of these Asian cooking shows (where the people are no shit, full accent, Asian) and it seems they use a cleaver for eveything.

That's actually probably not a cleaver they use. A traditional Chinese chef's knife looks a lot like a cleaver, but with a thinner blade that's not at all suitable for going through bone, as a cleaver would. Chinese chef's knives are grear for chopping, though, especially large ammounts of herbs and such. They're surprisingly nimble for their size, too. I've seen Chinese cooks use them to de-vein shrimp...

Guys will spend hundreds on a pocket knife they never use, but will cringe on $50 for a kitchen knife they use daily. Buy good knives, you will use them more in one day than that $300 Microtech in a lifetime.

I have Wustoff and Henkles (spelling), 8" chefs, santoku (girlfriend's favorite), bread, 6 inch basic and a paring. Less than $200 new and all I needed. Don't get the block to hold them, just a waste of counter space.

We got them for our wedding.  By far, the sharpest knives I've ever used.  You can hold them blade-up and rest a veggie on them and it will cut cleanly in half.

I once spent 80 bucks on a Wustof blade (8" chef's knife), but the knife I end up using every day in the kitchen is a $2 stamped santoku from the asian supermarket.

Buy quality, but more importantly, buy whatever you feel the most comfortable using.

Quoted: Best value in knives right now are the Victorinox Forschner knives - very highly rated by America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated. http://www.cutleryandmore.com/knife.htm Get an 8 inch chef's knife, a serrated bread knife, and a paring knife and you'll be set for 90% of everything you'll need. I've had Wusthoff, Henckels, and the Forschner - I wish I would have gotten the Forschner first and saved myself all that money.

+1 great knives

I also have several Wusthof Grand Prix knives that are excellent
www.cutleryandmore.com/grandprix.htm

hmmmm  I've got a lot of Commercial cookware (predecesor to Calphalon)  its pretty good stuff, I would trust they put their name of quality stuff, but at the same time I would be leary of just such a tatic to move some not so superior knives just by the use of thier name.  ymmv

Thanks, I'll just get the ones I need and not the whole set then