Knives... For the Kitchen

[Where's Bruce?]

Cutco...lifetime replacement guarantee, still sharp after 15 years. Bargains on ebay all the time.

 

[Marbles]

Stainless or carbon steel? If you and everyone else are diciplined enough to clean the nife immediately after every use, get carbon steel. My kitchen has stainless as that is not a realistic expectations with my family.

Messermeister Meridian Elite is the brand I recomend. Hinkle and Wusthof are also decent. If you want carbon, hands down the Japanese brands.

I would avoid sets and get each knife individually. Identify the most used knives and get those, then add knives as you find a need.

Look for knives that don't have a full bolster as it gets in the way and reduces usability. Post #2 shows full bolsters. The Messermeisters don't have them.

I find the Santoku gets used more than the chiefs knife, but it is nice having the 10 inch chiefs knife at times.

Get a good sharpening system. Personally I use Shapton whetstones. I no longer find the bread knife useful as a sharp smooth edge is easier to maintain and cuts bread just as cleanly as the serrated edge.

While I have 6 knives (santoku, boning, pearing, chef's, bread, and utility) over 95% of the work is done by the santoku and pearing knife.

 

[Whisky]

Shun

If a knife is "still sharp after X years", it's not being used enough. Therefore inconclusive IMO.

 

[Marbles]

Shun

If a knife is "still sharp after X years", it's not being used enough. Therefore inconclusive IMO.

I have a book on sharpening (primarily tools), the guy states "most people are happy as long as one side of their kitchen knife is sharper than the other." With S90V, M390, and carbon steels being noticeably duller within a week of sharpening and light daily use, I always laugh a little when people claim kitchen knives never go dull. If I can't cleanly slice a tomato or bread with a smooth edged knife then the edge needs work.

The down side of having sharp kitchen knives is you will forever be irritated when helping a friend in their kitchen. My wife makes me pack our knives if she might be helping out in the kitchen now.

 

[Corey Paulsen (teamkabob)]

Plain is fine with me and looking to spend $500-$600 total for now


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@missjordan


I choose to piece mine together and get my own block. Mine are off the counter for now as I have a 2 &4 year old. When the Eli was little he came to me hold a sharp kitchen knife with the blade at his palm. No injuries, but after that they went in the cabinet.

It’s a mix of wustoff classic (2 utility on the left and steal), next are Victorinox that see most of the kitchen and processing work. Meat fork and bread knife are from dexter russel.

with the blocks i bought before with knife sets, I always felt I have knives I didn’t use. If you don’t like the black handles Victorinox makes them in rose wood handles.

I need steak knives next from either Victorinox or I’m looking at cutco for a set

 

[Corey Paulsen (teamkabob)]

I have a book on sharpening (primarily tools), the guy states "most people are happy as long as one side of their kitchen knife is sharper than the other." With S90V, M390, and carbon steels being noticeably duller within a week of sharpening and light daily use, I always laugh a little when people claim kitchen knives never go dull. If I can't cleanly slice a tomato or bread with a smooth edged knife then the edge needs work.

The down side of having sharp kitchen knives is you will forever be irritated when helping a friend in their kitchen. My wife makes me pack our knives if she might be helping out in the kitchen now.

This is true. They reason why my dad gets knives for Christmas and I have extras in a travel roll to take with me.

 

[justinspicher]

My wife and I have had the same Henkle block set we got as a wedding present 20 years ago. I get them resharpened once a year.

 

[JakeMcCandles]

I love to cook, and having good knives makes the process so much more enjoyable. Once you've used good knives, you'll wonder how you ever got by without them.

I've used Cutco, Shun, Wustof and Henckels, among others. All of those are solid, although there is a huge quality range even across those. I'd rank them:

1. Cutco/Shun - Very close at the top of the list. I personally prefer Cutco, as they feel a bit more sturdy. Both have excellent balance, and I don't believe you could go wrong with either. You pay for the quality.

2. Wustof - The Ikon and Classic lines are definitely better than the Gourmet line. Solid knives, good balance, easy to sharpen. Not quite at the level of Cutco or Shun, but a bit lower price point.

3. Henckels - I believe there is also a higher end line by this company, but I'm familiar with their knives you can get at stores like Target. They are a fine middle line knife. There are several that I've used for years (paring knives) that continue to do the job. For the price, they are a good value for the price.

I'd skip any ceramic knives. In my experience, they just do not hold up.

As others have said:
> always hand wash
> buy separately to get the knives you really need, and not all the extras

 

[Jagger0502]

Might be late to the party but I am getting a kitchen knife set “for my wife” from a local blacksmith. Quality is great and I know that my money is going to a good quality hand crafted knife that a guy put a lot of work into locally and they will last the rest of my life. I got to pick the steel and the handles and the types of knives. I am excited to get them soon.

Here is the sketch he drew up for the order.

 

[rbljack]

I just went thru a similar decision process about a month or so ago. I ended up putting together a set using the Victorinox Fibrox Pro knives.

Finally did it! Upgraded knives for the house and meat processing..Victorinox

After numerous years of dealing with less than stellar knives around the house for meat processing, I finally decided to say the hell with it. I didn't draw any tags this year, so I might as well upgrade my knife game. Timing was good too because the wife was complaining about our "crappy steak...

www.rokslide.com

They aren't top of the line, but Im liking them so far. I was able to put together a decent set of kitchen knives, and have butchered 3 animals so far with decent edge retention. Two were wild hogs, and one Whitetail. They seem to be a good value so far. They aren't the most appealing to the eye...but the bang for the buck is there. Good luck in your decision!

 

[psirus7]

The latest cast iron thread brought me here. I’m with teamkabob, kitchen knives are like hunting clothes: you are better off mixing and matching your favorite pieces. We have a mix of Shun, Henckels, and Mercer (the best bread knives).

 

[MarlinMark]

I am wanting to upgrade my kitchen knives but don’t know where to start. I know that i could just jump in the car and go down to any department store and pick out a new knife block kit but I’m looking for something more personal this time around and might purchase knives individually. Anyone have any good brands they recommend? What type of knives are absolute must haves? Anything else i need to consider?


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If you are looking at German knives you should look to get the ones with the twins on the logo. Not the single guy on the logo:
All the knives of Henckels are produced in Germany. The knives carry the TWIN logo. The J.A. Henckels, which is an International brand, originated its entry-level knives in Spain and Asia. These hold a single stick figure logo.

 

[shanew1668]

Wusthof classics stay sharp and solid warranty too.

 

[JayTx]

I just bought Rada knives to replace what we had. My wife bought a Rada chefs knife 6 or 7 years ago for a fund raiser and she hasn't chipped the edge yet and that's saying something. Every other knife she touches it takes a grinder to get past the chips. Not the prettiest but cheap, hold an edge and touch up well.

 

[dmm08300]

Take a look at takamura too, awesome knives, great quality and reputation

 

[Jude]

After using Henkles for 25yrs I wanted to try out a Japanese knife, this is what I bought. I like it and will buy some more.

 

[Buzby]

Victorinox are an outstanding value. I’m convinced I don’t need to spend more than what they cost. I have one of their honing steels too. Great combo and I never have a dull knife.

 

[archp625]

When I was part owner of a sports bar in the early 1980's I bought some 4 star Henckel knives. An 8 in chefs knife a 9 in roast beef knife, boning and pairing knives and a bread knife. They are great high end knives and although very expensive in the 80's a great warranty. A couple of years ago my roast beef knife developed a crack in the handle. I sent it back and the only question was, we don't make the 9 in any more. Do you want an 8 in or a 10 in? They sent me a brand new knife no questions asked more than 30 years after I bought the knife. They're well balanced and hold an edge well. I'm sure today there are a great many more choices and an internet to find them all. Good luck in your search.

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What is the difference between the 4 star and the two man?

 

[SteveCNJ]

What is the difference between the 4 star and the two man?

You would get better information straight from Henkel than from me.

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[archp625]

You would get better information straight from Henkel than from me.

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I did a quick search but couldn't find much. I have to 2 man ones. Now I need to do more research.