OT Knives

SheepDog · June 2011

I know the brand and model of knife is as individual as your favorite pair of underwear, but where can one find the best deals on genuine top quality knives? There are so many knock offs out there I'm a little leery about using sites I'm not familiar with. Thanks!

Photo Egg · June 2011

Far from your expert here but you might want to let others know what size and type of knife you would like to purchase or at least what you would like to chop or cut. You will get more specific help. This forum has many knife experts.

SheepDog · June 2011

Kitchen knives in general, I'm in need of the complete set. Maybe not the entire set at once, depending on the price, but eventually.

Lit · June 2011

I am about to get the new Shun Premier 8" chef knife. I would suggest getting a good 8" or 10" chef knife as your first knife and get quality. You can add knives as you go. I have a nice 6" chef knife that I use most of the time.

stike · June 2011

if the house is on fire, and you could only grab one knife, it'd likely be the chef's knife. most maybe 8", some folks like the longer 10".

you need to try them out. go to williams sonoma (don't BUY from them though) and try the cheapest to the most expensive. look for balance, weight, how it feels in your hand. it's a very personal thing.

the wusthofs, henckels, etc. are decent, easily sharpened at home, warranteed, etc. you could do a lot worse than to buy one of them. they are many folks 'first' knives. you learn some knife skills, and then learn to appreciate what you might get if you step up even higher.

make a chef's knife your first, then maybe a slicer or breadknife. the chef's knife can do almost all of it, frankly. although you should grab a decent paring knife too, a short 4" utility knife of the same grade/quality. i personally don't like the santokus. they don't roll as well (to me) as a chef's knife, and seem better for short-roll 'chopping' almost, if that makes any sense

don't buy the first one you see. try them out.

Mainegg · June 2011

Hi, I have the 22 pc wustuf and love them. I did just have an issue with the handles cracking and had to send 15 of them back. But they replaced everyone of them no problem. I would think twice about doing a set of any knife you go with though... I only have these as my husband bought them for me for Christmas a few years ago. I use about 6 of them consistently and the rest are hardly touched. and even then there are three i would really miss.. so think about what you are doing I love the Santoku, the bread knife and the kitchen shears.. then the little bird beak and the steak knifes. you pay a lot for the sets when you looks at using them only here and there.. oh and the sharping steel. not much help I know... I also have to say while my knifes were gone I picked up the white handled ones that Sams sells. not to bad!! and cheep. I think these will travel with me know instead of the wussy's :lol:

Kailas · June 2011

Mainegg wrote:

Hi, I have the 22 pc wustuf and love them. I did just have an issue with the handles cracking and had to send 15 of them back. But they replaced everyone of them no problem. I would think twice about doing a set of any knife you go with though... I only have these as my husband bought them for me for Christmas a few years ago. I use about 6 of them consistently and the rest are hardly touched. and even then there are three i would really miss.. so think about what you are doing I love the Santoku, the bread knife and the kitchen shears.. then the little bird beak and the steak knifes. you pay a lot for the sets when you looks at using them only here and there.. oh and the sharping steel. not much help I know... I also have to say while my knifes were gone I picked up the white handled ones that Sams sells. not to bad!! and cheep. I think these will travel with me know instead of the wussy's :lol:

You're supposed to cut your food the way the President signs a bill. One stroke, switch knives. Another stroke, another knife. Etc...

Carolina Q · June 2011

Get a paring knife?! As far as I'm concerned, the paring knife is worthless. The only time I use mine is when all my steak knives are dirty!

No expert by any stretch, but seriously... I NEVER use it!

Don't buy a "set" in any case, buy what you will use and add to the collection as you go. I do almost everything with either an 8" Chef's or my veggie cleaver... and a $2 peeler from the grocery store (instead of a paring knife). :laugh:

Kailas · June 2011

Carolina Q wrote:

Get a paring knife?! As far as I'm concerned, the paring knife is worthless. The only time I use mine is when all my steak knives are dirty! No expert by any stretch, but seriously... I NEVER use it!

Don't buy a "set" in any case, buy what you will use and add to the collection as you go. I do almost everything with either an 8" Chef's or my veggie cleaver... and a $2 peeler from the grocery store (instead of a paring knife). :laugh:

I beg to differ. Paring knives make excellent box cutters!

Carolina Q · June 2011

WAIT! I gotta go grab some popcorn! brb

Ripnem · June 2011

SheepDog,

Here is a link that lowercasebill gave me when I was asking a similar question. It's a bunch of info to help you decide what you're after.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/26036-knife-maintenance-and-sharpening/

PattyO · June 2011

I've used knives that were upwards of $800 but they are meant for use on the line for 16 hr a day. I use less expensive knives here at home that hold a nice edge and are nicely balanced. Rada. http://www.radacutlery.com/
I'm very fussy about my knives and shapen at each use. The Rada does me fine. I have everything in their catalog. Just love it.

Richard Fl · June 2011

I have managed to pick up about 50 kitchen knives over the years (non-commercial use), Henckels, Oriental, Victorinox, Chicago Cutlery and a few strays. My most used are my carbon steel oriental
(relatively inexpensive) and Victorinox Fibrox. Have tried ceramic, they chip if not careful, I am afraid to toss them on the counter when doing the next project.
I have found the carbon steel hold an edge and I am happy.
IMHO you need to hold the knife and see how it feels. Would you be happy cutting up 15-20 whole chickens, deboneing 6-8 pork butts etc?? I have looked at very eggspensive oriental, $300-$600+ and it does not make me comfortable for the $$$ difference. I would never buy a complete set, most never get used. Buy what you like and will use regularly.

lowercasebill · June 2011

read the link ripnem provided
then google an edge in the kitchen ,, the book by chad ward who worte the e gullet article.
you do not need a full set of knives. do you know what that little bird beak one is for ,, i had to look it up and honestly i have never tournaded a carrot.
you do need a
chefs knife
boning knife
paring knife
bread knife. serrated slicer which should be cheap as it is a throw away item.
chefs knives to go has a large selection and decent prices.
i have an embarrasing array of knives.
you have to consider use, sharpneing , general care. etc
several have recommended shun ,, nice knife but it cannot go in the drawer or it will chip .. feel free to email

Carolina Q · June 2011

bill, WHAT good is a paring knife. this is a serious question, btw. I have one, but find little or no use for it. yet everywhere I look I am told I need a paring knife, but I don't see why.

Bear 007 · June 2011

Ive also have allot of knives, Henckel, Wusthof, Victorinox, and Messermeister,but these are my go to knives.

lowercasebill · June 2011

i use mine for slicing lemons and limes and taking rotten eyes out of taters and such .. some one above said they only use a paring knife when the steak knives are dirty .. well put .. except i like the steak knives to be sharp so i use the paring knive. and remember these are guidelines written by others and are therefore just opinions ,, i also use small knives to trim the fat off ribs i find i have more control takking out those thin pockets of fat with a smaller knive.
paring knive has to be sharp.. and have a point for me ,,

fieroguy · June 2011

SheepDog - Please check out Dexter-Russel knives. In my opinion, they are probably the best quality for the $$$.
Also, they are made in the good old US of A.

I have (and use) Wussies and very old American made Chicago Cutlery (my go-to knives). The newer CC's are made in occupied China.

Carolina Q · June 2011

lowercasebill wrote:

i use mine for slicing lemons and limes and taking rotten eyes out of taters and such .. some one above said they only use a paring knife when the steak knives are dirty .. well put .. except i like the steak knives to be sharp so i use the paring knive. and remember these are guidelines written by others and are therefore just opinions ,, i also use small knives to trim the fat off ribs i find i have more control takking out those thin pockets of fat with a smaller knive.
paring knive has to be sharp.. and have a point for me ,,

Lemons and limes - chef's knife

steak knives dirty... that was me - and it's true!! :laugh:

you trim ribs?! I don't cook ribs often, and even when I do, they don't turn out very well. love good ribs. wish I could DO good ribs.

And as for peeling and eye removal, nothing is better than this. About 2 bucks,

rcone · June 2011

All the expensive knives are fantastic, and do a great job. Although for the price of a 10" chefs knife, you would be able to purchase all of the necessary knives by Dexter Russell. They are all priced between 20 and 40 bucks. They sharpen easily, and hold up to a great deal of abuse. We use them at work, and beat the hell out of them.

Steve

stike · June 2011

if your steak knife is not serated, and is one of those wusthof kind, , then it is pretty much a big paring knife.

my point is you don't want to be using an 8 inch chef's knife on stuff where you want control.

forget i said 'paring knife', and that means we both agree. big chef's knife and a small 'other' utility knife. call it a steak knife or whatever

stike · June 2011

forget what it is called, you agreed a knife that is about 4 inches long is needed in addition to a chef's knife.

quibbling about vocabulary.

why not answer the original poster instead of telling us we're all wrong while agreeing with us at the same time :laugh:

WWSis · June 2011

Sheepdog; I have LamsonSharps (high quality and made in Mass.) and really like them. I took advice of the forum and bought four of the basics to start - as opposed to a set. Like some others, Lamsons offer lifetime sharpening with quick turn-around. My brother turned me on to a variety of sites to search before buying, but I ultimately bought them from knifemerchant.com. They sell pretty much all of the high-end knives.

Pepper Monkey BBQ · June 2011

Hey SheepDog .... If you are looking for something different, I've started dabbling in custom knife making .... I don't make the blades, decided starting with very high quality blades was best ... but do all the handle work and then hand sharpen the blades .... Just another option if you are looking for a good knife but want it to be 100% unique! http://www.etsy.com/shop/mattesoncreations?ref=pr_shop

JM

Carolina Q · June 2011

what?

you are amazing

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Botch · June 2011

Sheepdog, I have a catalog that has pretty decent prices on just kitchen knives, unfortunately I'm on the road and won't get home until the 19th, and I can't remember the name of the place.
Henckel's Four-Stars fit my hands the best, and I bought a 3-piece set from them along with a much larger knife block.
Then, every Mother's Day when kitchenware went on sale, I'd treat myself to another knife (relax, I always remembered Mom too

). The block is now full, and being a "right tool for the job" kinda guy, I use them all (someday I'll post a pic of my handplane and wood chisel collection in my shop).
Good luck!

P.S. I think Amazon would be a fine source, too.

TNT54 · June 2011

For Wusthof, Henckels, etc., I think you just have to keep your eyes open for good deals, which can pop up any place.

For Japanese knives, I’ve been happy with:
Korin (http://korin.com/Brands),
Japanese Chef Knives (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/products.html), and
Chef’s Knives To Go (http://www.chefknivestogo.com/japanese-knives.html).

I like the Misono UX10 knives a lot because of their thin blades, but I probably use Wusthof and Tojiro knives the most because they just feel good to me. A friend has Shun, and they’re nice too. Just depends on what you like.

I agree that an 8" chef knife is the go-to knife in most kitchens, but a close second for me would be my Wusthof Ikon 8" bread knife. You really should have a serrated knife of some sort. After that, a 4" petty.

Finally, I like having a few Globals or other metal-handled knives. I can cut chicken and just run them through the dishwasher.

Some people say a $40 knife cuts as well as a $200 knife, but some people say a Weber kettle cooks as well as a BGE too. Quality usually costs more, but is worth it in the long run.

Good luck,

T.

fishlessman · June 2011

havent had a problem buying from anyone online, i just look for the cheapest price. i use a single bevel global more than any knife i own. this should get a chuckle but ive been looking at the high end ginsu knives for a while, this one might be my next knife
http://www.onlinediscountmart.com/32-105-079061059043-ltc.html

first purchase a chefs knife, second a mag strip to hang it so it doesnt get chipped, third purchase an end grain cutting board to keep the blade from dulling. then pick another knife. actually, get the end grain cutting board first

SheepDog · June 2011

Lots of great information! I guess I should have clarified myself when I said "set." I know I'll never use every knife in a 16 piece set, but more less a chef, utility, and a slicer, plus a good tomato knife. I do have a couple more questions though. Why the bread knife, what's it used for other then bread? Also what about an everyday sharpener? I have an awesome Lansky system that I'll pull out every six months or so to put a true 20 degree edge back on the mediocre knives I have now, but I want something I can run them through real quick before and after the job is done. Thanks once again!

fishlessman · June 2011

when the paring knife is dirty as well, use your pocket knife :laugh: oh wait, you dont carry one :whistle:

BigBadger · June 2011

I have 3 paring knives of differing shape and styles and use them all fairly frequently (daily). I may not say that YOU need them, but I sure like them.

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