Looking for a good chef's knife or a knife set

[nsafreak]

I've come to realize that the cheap Chefs mate knife set that I purchased a few years back just isn't cutting the mustard, so to speak. And I've decided to actually get at least a decent chef's knife or a good knife set. The only issue is whether to shell out a bunch of cash on just a chef's knife like a Shun DMO706 or if there are actually any decent knife sets that are actually worth the cash. I'm trying to keep it somewhat reasonable since I am by no means a professional chef so about $150 would be my max budget. I do at least have a decent cutting surface with an Epicurean cutting surface that has done quite well over the years.

 

[biostud]

For that kind of money I would go for a single good knife with an 8 inch blade.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

You should also get a decent stone and learn to properly sharpen a blade if you don't already know.
Any of the big manufacturers will make a decent blade, Wusthoff, Henkel, Gerber etc. Get a large enough blade. The old wisdom saying, "it's easy to get a blade too small for the job but, hard to get one too large " is accurate. I recommend a 12" blade. Of course, you'll also need a decent size cutting board. I recommend at least 18 x 24.

 

[biostud]

The old wisdom saying, "it's easy to get a blade too small for the job but, hard to get one too large " is accurate. I recommend a 12" blade. Of course, you'll also need a decent size cutting board. I recommend at least 18 x 24.

It's pretty individual I guess. I have a 6", 8" and 12" And find that I go for the 8" most of the time, since it has the right size for my needs. I find the 12" too cumbersome and the 6" inch too small for chopping.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

I like this as a reasonably priced start to a good set.

http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-Henck...kels+four+star

 

[lxskllr]

I like this as a reasonably priced start to a good set.

http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-Henck...kels+four+star

I like my 4stars a lot. I'd buy more if I needed more. I'd prefer piecing it together myself though. I don't use a steel, and I'd like to see a santoku in there. I'd probably exchange the large chef knife for that.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

It's pretty individual I guess. I have a 6", 8" and 12" And find that I go for the 8" most of the time, since it has the right size for my needs. I find the 12" too cumbersome and the 6" inch too small for chopping.

It's what you get used to. Other than paring knives, I've never owned a blade smaller than 8". Also, the longer the blade usually means the greater the height of the blade over it's length. This aids in using the knuckles of your other hand as a guide for the blade which increases accuracy, speed and, safety.

 

[UglyCasanova]

You won't use a set, spend the money on a good knife.

 

[dr150]

OP, do a search for old knife threads. Tons of information there.

My opinion for your situation is to just get an all-rounder 8" Chef's knife and a good ceramic or diamond rod to keep it in good shape. Toss in a hard wood cutting board and you have a system that'll do 95%+ of everything. A good long bread knife is good too if you cut a lot of fresh bread and/or paring knife for smaller/delicate jobs (though the Chef's can handle this task as well).

I would shy away from hard steel Shuns as they require more tender care (and money). They can chip as the steel's hard. You'll need to send it in for sharpening or learn how to use a $50-$100+ whetstone.

My advice is to save money and get a good shitkicker knife. Get a softer steel German knife that's more forgiving.....when sharpening or tossing it in water.

A top-rated knife that's budget friendly and gets raves for shitkicking is the famous and oft-mentioned/recommended Victorinox:
http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-405...ictorinox+8%22

This will serve you well for many years and won't break the bank. :thumbsup:

 

[nsafreak]

You should also get a decent stone and learn to properly sharpen a blade if you don't already know.
Any of the big manufacturers will make a decent blade, Wusthoff, Henkel, Gerber etc. Get a large enough blade. The old wisdom saying, "it's easy to get a blade too small for the job but, hard to get one too large " is accurate. I recommend a 12" blade. Of course, you'll also need a decent size cutting board. I recommend at least 18 x 24.

Any reason to go for a whetstone as opposed to sharpening steel? Not saying that you're wrong I'm just wondering what difference it makes when it comes to sharpening the blade. I will have to learn how to properly do it since my current knives are serrated which aren't supposed to be sharpened (at least as far as I'm aware) although I do know some of the basics when it comes to maintaining a knife like just doing a brief rinse under cold water and then drying the blade.

 

[lxskllr]

Any reason to go for a whetstone as opposed to sharpening steel? Not saying that you're wrong I'm just wondering what difference it makes when it comes to sharpening the blade. I will have to learn how to properly do it since my current knives are serrated which aren't supposed to be sharpened (at least as far as I'm aware) although I do know some of the basics when it comes to maintaining a knife like just doing a brief rinse under cold water and then drying the blade.

You don't really sharpen with a steel. The steel is meant to realign the edge, and you sharpen with a stone. I never really got the hang of using a steel, so I use a hard stone for aligning, and that works ok for me.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

I like my 4stars a lot. I'd buy more if I needed more. I'd prefer piecing it together myself though. I don't use a steel, and I'd like to see a santoku in there. I'd probably exchange the large chef knife for that.

To each his own -- I've always preferred the chef to a santoku. If I had to pick 3 knives to start with, it would be the chef, a boning knife, and the paring knife, so in that regard even the set I suggested is less than ideal. They seem to do the bundles in such a way as to move certain knives that probably don't often get picked by themselves.

I lucked out getting a scorching deal on CraigsList for my set (I'm showing off now):

$250.

 

[silverpig]

I've come to realize that the cheap Chefs mate knife set that I purchased a few years back just isn't cutting the mustard, so to speak. And I've decided to actually get at least a decent chef's knife or a good knife set. The only issue is whether to shell out a bunch of cash on just a chef's knife like a Shun DMO706 or if there are actually any decent knife sets that are actually worth the cash. I'm trying to keep it somewhat reasonable since I am by no means a professional chef so about $150 would be my max budget. I do at least have a decent cutting surface with an Epicurean cutting surface that has done quite well over the years.

That's the exact knife I have and it is great. Had it for 6 years now. You won't go wrong.

 

[nsafreak]

OP, do a search for old knife threads. Tons of information there.

My opinion for your situation is to just get an all-rounder 8" Chef's knife and a good ceramic or diamond rod to keep it in good shape. Toss in a hard wood cutting board and you have a system that'll do 95%+ of everything. A good long bread knife is good too if you cut a lot of fresh bread.

I would shy away from hard steel Shuns as they require more tender care (and money). They can chip as the steel's hard. You'll need to send it in for sharpening or learn how to use a $50-$100+ whetstone.

My advice is to save money and get a good shitkicker knife. Get a softer steel German knife that's more forgiving.....when sharpening or tossing it in water.

A top-rated knife that's budget friendly and gets raves for shitkicking is the famous and oft-mentioned/recommended Victorinox:
http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-405...ictorinox+8%22

This will serve you well for many years and won't break the bank. :thumbsup:

Thanks for the info, I'll keep it in mind. I think the cutting board that I have already should be fine, I have one of these so I think I'm set on that front. I searched for previous knife threads but only managed to find one from quite some time back so I put up a new thread as prices may have changed.

 

[Chocu1a]

I use these daily in my professional kitchen.
Incredible value, super light & balanced. Sharp as the devil himself.
http://www.cutleryandmore.com/tojiro-dp/deluxe-starter-knife-set-p117061
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/tojiro3pcset.html

 

[sdifox]

http://www.amazon.com/Tramontina-Dam...amontina+knife

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Any reason to go for a whetstone as opposed to sharpening steel? Not saying that you're wrong I'm just wondering what difference it makes when it comes to sharpening the blade. I will have to learn how to properly do it since my current knives are serrated which aren't supposed to be sharpened (at least as far as I'm aware) although I do know some of the basics when it comes to maintaining a knife like just doing a brief rinse under cold water and then drying the blade.

Steels do not sharpen the blade. They straighten the edge. Serrated blades certainly have a place (bread, tomatoes etc.) but, make poor all purpose blades.

 

[JulesMaximus]

You don't really sharpen with a steel. The steel is meant to realign the edge, and you sharpen with a stone. I never really got the hang of using a steel, so I use a hard stone for aligning, and that works ok for me.

Steels put such a nice edge on a blade. I've had our Henckels knives for decades and never had them sharpened once. The steel is all I use and I can slice through a tomato with no effort after a few swipes with the steel.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Many people shy away from cooking and one of the common complaints is the amount of time it takes. One of the reasons for the amount of time it takes is the equipment people buy. I'm not advocating everyone go out and buy commercial equipment, what I am saying is that, most home use kitchen equipment is too small.

People without any culinary education assume the dimensions and ergonomics of kitchen equipment sold by big name companies is based on efficiency or utility. That is wrong. The size and dimensions of kitchen equipment you see every day in stores and homes is based entirely on manufacturing costs and profit margins.

I don't mean to lecture but, the OP 's 9x11 cutting board is a perfect example. Think about how you use a cutting board. You cut things up and then transfer them to something else. If your making soup for instance, you'll most likely chop carrot, celery and onion. Then add them to a pot. With a tiny 9x11 cutting board that can barely contain one diced onion, you'll make at least three trips to the pot. You've just tripled your time and gained what, the ability to put your cutting board in the top rack of your dishwasher? The general point is, getting the right size equipment will save you time and frustration.

 

[HTFOff]

I've come to realize that the cheap Chefs mate knife set that I purchased a few years back just isn't cutting the mustard, so to speak. And I've decided to actually get at least a decent chef's knife or a good knife set. The only issue is whether to shell out a bunch of cash on just a chef's knife like a Shun DMO706 or if there are actually any decent knife sets that are actually worth the cash. I'm trying to keep it somewhat reasonable since I am by no means a professional chef so about $150 would be my max budget. I do at least have a decent cutting surface with an Epicurean cutting surface that has done quite well over the years.

http://www2.knifecenter.com/shop/kitchen-knives

 

[Ksyder]

Steels do not sharpen the blade. They straighten the edge. Serrated blades certainly have a place (bread, tomatoes etc.) but, make poor all purpose blades.

Yes the serrated blades aren't good for chopping many things because the serrations catch into the cutting board and prevent the sliding action of the knife.

They also will tear up a cutting board from the sawing action much more than a sharp chef's knife.

I've added a couple 10" serrated blade chef's knives in my kitchen at work and they are everyones' go to knife for alot of things but if anything requires precision its the 8" chef or a paring knife.

With a tiny 9x11 cutting board that can barely contain one diced onion?

yeah i hate this, I think I have an 18 x 24 at home.

Another thing that people should know is to put a damp towel or board mat underneath the board to keep it in place. Otherwise there is a much higher likelihood of injury.

Also cheap cutting gloves are available to protect your hands but wear the correct size latex/vinyl glove underneath and on top.

If you are going to chop with your hands unprotected be sure to curl your fingers away from the blade while holding the item you are chopping.

 

[madoka]

To each his own -- I've always preferred the chef to a santoku.

I suppose it's personal taste. I always reach for a santoku first because the rocking motion is so much easier.

I lucked out getting a scorching deal on CraigsList for my set (I'm showing off now):

$250.

Wow that's a good price! I paid around $1800 for my Henckels Pro S set, but I went kinda nuts on it using a buy-once-cry-once philosophy.

 

[biostud]

It's what you get used to. Other than paring knives, I've never owned a blade smaller than 8". Also, the longer the blade usually means the greater the height of the blade over it's length. This aids in using the knuckles of your other hand as a guide for the blade which increases accuracy, speed and, safety.

yeah. I've got a Zwilling twin profection 8" which has a pretty wide blade. (And a pretty small kitchen )

 

[Howard]

yeah. I've got a Zwilling twin profection 8" which has a pretty wide blade. (And a pretty small kitchen )

The point on that is amazingly high.

 

[Cerb]

Any reason to go for a whetstone as opposed to sharpening steel?

A sharpening steel doesn't give you a fine edge, but sawtoothed mess, that is best left to infomercials slicing bell peppers and tomatoes. If you take a look at it under high magnification, v. a well-formed edge, you'll go D:.

Your edge gets smushed up and rolled over, over time, and may get little burrs formed on it, too. After some time, you have a weak edge, even though you might align it with a non-sharpening steel, or any straight smooth hard edge. So, you then need to remove metal, to form a strong edge again, by going down into the metal that hasn't been damaged. Practice with a knife that's easy to replace, and you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly. It's not the black magic people like to make it out to be.

If using oil stones, like is common for Western knives, make sure to clean them often, as they can clog up with bits of stone, and metal removed. It seems common, and certainly makes sense, to also use only plain mineral oil, for sharpening blades that will touch things you are going to ingest (I went w/ Asian knives and water stones, msyelf).

Water stones are good for harder steels. They abrade softer steel very fast, though, so I'm not sure they'd be better, if buying only softer knives. I definitely don't get the level of feedback w/ my Victorinoxes that I do my CCK and Shibazi (and the CCK is soft enough to be workable w/ oil stones).

You can find people that really know what they're doing showing you, all over Youtube, how to use various stones and strops. In short order, getting a factory or better edge will not be hard at all. I still have plenty of wobble in my strokes when I sharpen, and can barely keep the angle, but I can make a fair edge without much work.

I got a lit magnifier to start out. Now I just feel for what I'm doing, but it was great for learning. Some people like to get a nice loupe(sp), since it can be used for other things, too.

A big plain wood cutting board will be much nicer on your knives than the epoxy/fiber/whatever one you use now, plus you won't want to go back to such a small cutting board, once you use a larger one. Your primary cutting board should be about the size of a typical carving board, so you have room to work with.