Posted: 3/31/2008 8:05:25 AM EDT
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Myself and future wife are registering for our wedding and need some advice. I figured with all the food pic's in GD, there gotta be some chefs in here. So, who can recommend some good cutlery? We are looking at knife block sets, preferable with the steak knifes included. |
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I have a set of these: www.wusthof.com/en/classic.asp I love them, they hold a great edge. ETA: Damn I am slow  |
+1 to Cutco. Lifetime warranty too! |
+1 Wusthof w/ Classic Handle JA henckels arn't bad Forschner are also pretty good I perfer Wusthof they are hella sharp but the main thing with getting a knife set is learning how to keep them sharp... Use a Sharpening steel to keep the edge as long as you can and then you need to find a knife sharpener to put the edge back on them. STEEL http://www.metrokitchen.com/product/WU-4462 |
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Agree with the above brands (Wustoff, Henckel). And get forged, rather than stamped. Might as well get a Chef's Choice electric sharpener too. |
Santoku's the best way to go I use that knife all the time screw the chef knife.. |
Those are the bomb but expect to pay for those |
What you need to do now that you have all these brand recomondations go to a kitchen store and put each knife in your hand to feel witch handle style you like the most. |
Forschners are a great buy for the money, F. Dick are also very popular with working chefs. One place which has a good selection For steels (to keep the edges aligned) I like F. Dicks models. While I have a Chef's Choice electric sharpener, I now use an EdgePro Far more control over the edge you put on a blade. |
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Wow, Thanks for the great response. Glad my original choices of Wusthof and Henckels seem to be in agreement with everybody else. The Shun look nice, but I don't think I could ask for people to spend that kind of money. Chef's Choice M130 is already on the registry
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I have a Hattori santoku which is wicked sharp, but the grind on the blade is too shallow to stand up to chopping up chickens and such - as soon as it hits bone the edge folds over. But it's really personal preference, as you can get a Santoku-shaped blade from Henckels or Wusthof with a more traditional German grind.  |
I hope you are not serious... Learn to sharpen your own knives the proper way. Also Kyosera makes some real nice knives. |
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Go to a kitchen supply store and try them out. Avoid buying anything from Williams-Sonoma (too expensive, shitty service, etc.) but they'll have most models available to try, at least. It's a good place to start and there are locations everywhere. I like my Shun Classics. I shop at a kitchen/restaurant supply center (look up your local store) and the prices are as good as anything online plus personal service and immediate pickup. As has already been said, you only need two or three good knives. 8" or 10" chef's, 3" paring and maybe a 5-7" utility. Anything more than that is specialized and only worth it if you will use it a lot. Having a big block of steel does you no good unless you use it. Quality > quantity and all that. As for steak knives, just take the cheap plastic-handled ones that have been hiding in your parents' drawer all these years. I don't know a brand but you know the knives I'm talking about. I have three full sets of the exact same thing in different colors. They work well enough and you can spend your money on more important things. Make the decision right now to buy useful tools that you will use every day rather than display pieces that might get used a handful of times a year. Use this same logic for table cloths, plates, drapes and all the other stuff that goes on wedding registries. EDIT: Chef's Choice is garbage. If you're too shy to ask your guests to spend money on good knives, don't insult them by asking them to waste money on something that actually damages even shitty knives. They take a piece of low-carbon steel, sprinkle industrial ground diamonds on it and then electroless nickel-plate it to get the diamonds to stick in place. They're made thousands to a batch and then held together by a cheap plastic housing. They box it up and sell it for $50 a pop. People get them as gifts and it sits in the drawer, never used. Then again, maybe people do use them to "sharpen" their $20 JC Penny knives, I don't know. Either way it's still garbage. |
| I would go with a set like this "Sharpest Knife on the Market" |
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Wustoff or Henkels, or global/shun/forschener. I'd also advice instead of a block set, see if you can register for just the knives you need. There's a lot of wasted $ in a full set. Here's what our resident Chef Douglas Morris recommends on page 2 of his "ask the chef" thread in the food forum. Ask the Chef "french knife flexible boning knife ridged boning knife a pair of paring knife" I use cheapie steak knives because I abuse them, and would feel bad doing that to good ones. My block has a 8" chefs knife that's used frequently (I believe that's what he refers to as a "french knife", but I could be wrong), 8" Japanese Santoku that's my most used knife, 8" carving knife that's never used, 6" utility that's the wife's favorite, a 5" 1/2" ridged boning knife, and two paring knives that are always used. Someday I'll use the carving knife, but with just me, the wife, and a 1 year old, we don't do big roasts or turkys often, or ever really. Also, don't get a "knife sharpener". Nothing will kill a knife as well as that will. Get a good stone, a good steel, and learn to use them. Lastly, as far as cutco goes, they're the best stamped steel knife I've ever used. I still hate them though. They have no weight, and even when freshly resharpened, they can't hold an edge to any of my knives. I think the handle is weird, but they have a new line that's more standard I believe. If you are looking for good, no maintenance, relatively sharp knives, get them. BUT for the $$ you could have a couple of exceptional knives that if you treat well, will last a lifetime, and do a far better job. And, I do use cutco at least once or twice a week, so I do know what I'm talking about. It's gotten to the point that I always take my Santoku to my in laws (they have cutco) when my wife and I cook there. ETA: Forgot to say what brand I have. I have Henkels 5 stars. |
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I have a set of Henkel knives that I love, but Alton Brown says go Kershaw! I have a few of their hunting knives. Here is a LINK Yeah I know I watch the food network so I am a fruit cake. blah blah, I like iron chef and Alton Brown, that is it. |
Yeah but Alton is pimping his own brand Link (and am sure Rachel Ray is getting a check for her Wusthof Santoku) Alton may be a good TV personality, but his stuff is straight out of Corriher & McGee (whose books explain in far more detail what is happening with food than anything he has put out) Original Iron Chef was perhaps the greatest show in TV history, Iron Chef America is a bad sequel, and Bobby Flay is an idiot. (was that a good enough thread hijack?
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I got a set of Mundail "Future" (all stainless steel) and I really like it. The brushed stainless handle is more "non slip" than wood or plastic, the blades are keeping a good edge, and they're holding up well. I put them in the category of Henkels pro, but cheaper. |
agreed the original iron chef was godly but the America one sucks bawls |
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Wusthof is hard to beat. Forschner/Victorinox are great knives for the money and are recommended by Cooks illustrated.com I have purchased most of mine from CutleryAndMore.com |
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Did not know Alton got in bed with Kershaw, I saw a show he did on Knives years ago, and that is why I suggested them, and my experince with them as hunting knives. The Iron Chef Japan was awesome! I wish I could find a video of that lady judge that use to make all the weird noises when she ate. I know, enough thread hijacking!! |