PSA: Good kitchen knives are worth their weight in Gold!

[Howard]

Why get a santoku when you're already getting a chef's knife? What can you do with one that you can't do with the other?

My list:

8" cleaver
paring (you already have this)
bread knife (<$10)
heavy duty all-stainless (no plated crap) kitchen shears
fine/coarse sharpening stone
steel

EDIT: Just checked the prices. HOLY FVCK! $70 for a bread knife and $55 for a steel? WHAT THE FVCK

 

[KillerCharlie]

I have a 9" Wusthof chef's knife. It's like the one you've shown, but it was "last year's model" (just an outdated model) so I got a good price on Amazon. I love the feel and weighting of the knife

I'm wondering... Wusthof suggests using a sharpening steel. However, I've heard some people say whetstones are better, but I believe those are only for certain types of metals. What should I use?

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
I have a 9" Wusthof chef's knife. It's like the one you've shown, but it was "last year's model" (just an outdated model) so I got a good price on Amazon. I love the feel and weighting of the knife

I'm wondering... Wusthof suggests using a sharpening steel. However, I've heard some people say whetstones are better, but I believe those are only for certain types of metals. What should I use?

If the steel is smooth, it can be used on any knife, though harder knives will require harder honing steels. If the steel is grooved, it will be too aggressive for the harder knives, like most Jap knives.

For Jap knives, I would recommend either a very fine stone for regular maintenance, or a leather strop with a compound like chromium oxide.

 

[Howard]

http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=3285433&postcount=14

 

[adairusmc]

I love my benchmade kitchen knives. They are by far the best I have ever seen (which is to be expected with benchmade's products).

 

[dug777]

:music:When i think about you,
I cut myself,
not anybody else:music:

Sabatier FTW.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
Back when I was 19 years old I sold Cutco for about a week. Going door to door was not my thing. Anyway, during that week I managed to talk my Dad into buying a set from me, as well as my Aunt. Dad has loved his, and still uses them to this day. Some people like the handles, some don't. I do know they last forever.

i hate the cutco chefs knife, meh to it. some of their other knives are ok, but nothing really special, and nothing id ever buy myself.

their stuff is ok though

I have a Sabatier set i bought a couple of years ago, love them. 8" chefs knife, sometimes i wish i had a 10", more often, i wish i had space for a larger cutting board

this thing will probably last me forever, id like a chinese cleaver though, but i dont expect ill get one anytime soon

 

[mooglekit]

Originally posted by: swimscubasteve
My Global is my favorite. When I used to cook professionally, most all the cooks had them.

Oh yeah and when I needed to do some serious damage, I would pull out the 10" Sabatier. That thing could lay waste!

I'm with you on the Global knives, that's what my wife and I have, and they are spectacular

 

[eits]

i know all about the importance of good knives.... i used to sell cutco knives... what a horrible job that was. i quit that bullshyt job. it was all immoral pressure sales.

with that said, the knives were pretty damn awesome.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
Back when I was 19 years old I sold Cutco for about a week. Going door to door was not my thing. Anyway, during that week I managed to talk my Dad into buying a set from me, as well as my Aunt. Dad has loved his, and still uses them to this day. Some people like the handles, some don't. I do know they last forever.

yeah, same. i actually still feel embarrassed about the job, though. i'm only glad that i realized how much of a bullshyt job it was a week into it. as soon as i saw the scripts taped to the tables in the office and recognized one of them from whenever i called for a job interview, i was like "ok, f this s... i'm outta here"

basically, the script was like "operator: let me see if there are any openings left for an interview *45 second pause* you're in luck! we have one more spot open."

 

[TheRyuu]

I decided to try some $20 Wolfgang Puck knives (set of 4 at Sams Club) and, IMO, they are the best knives I've ever used.

Maybe it's because I've mainly used sh!t knives in the past but still, I'm finding them REALLY sharp.

 

[ManBearPig]

we got a wustoff (it came with our expensive gas range), and the thing retails for like $190 alone. sweet knife though.

 

[Kanalua]

My brother has no good knives...all a hodge-podge of crap family left-over steak knives.

Couple of weeks ago he made a rotisserie corned beef. he asked me to carve it up. No problem, thinking he had a nice set of knives like I do. Nope...just a bunch of left-over decades old steak knives. So I had to hack the corned beef in pieces with his dual, serrated steak knives.

 

[ultimatebob]

I have a set of those Wüsthof knives as well, but I'm usually afraid to use them because they might get scratched

 

[CellarDoor]

Originally posted by: Rubycon

Originally posted by: CellarDoor

http://japanesechefsknife.com/ChineseCleaver.html

Very impressive blades there. :Q

Not only are the knives impressive, but the owner of the site is wonderful to deal with. I have no idea how they do it, my last order got shipped from Japan and arrived at my door in California within 3 days. It was unbelievable. The prices are also very good as well.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: dug777


Sabatier FTW.

qft

 

[ponyo]

Global 8 inch Chef's Knife

I love this knife and makes cooking and chopping really enjoyable.

 

[LS20]

Messermeister 8" meridian elite is all i need

WITH matching honing steel and a paring knife (i never really use the paring knife)

and a nice pair of heavy duty shears.


i could live with just the 8" and the honing steel

 

[Aquaman]

Originally posted by: silverpig

Originally posted by: Aquaman
Kershaw-Shun FTW

Best knives I have ever had

Cheers,
Aquaman

Good for scraping the poo of the car hood huh?

Oh no you didn't :Q [z-finger snap]

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[compuwiz1]

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
Back when I was 19 years old I sold Cutco for about a week. Going door to door was not my thing. Anyway, during that week I managed to talk my Dad into buying a set from me, as well as my Aunt. Dad has loved his, and still uses them to this day. Some people like the handles, some don't. I do know they last forever.

yeah, same. i actually still feel embarrassed about the job, though. i'm only glad that i realized how much of a bullshyt job it was a week into it. as soon as i saw the scripts taped to the tables in the office and recognized one of them from whenever i called for a job interview, i was like "ok, f this s... i'm outta here"

basically, the script was like "operator: let me see if there are any openings left for an interview *45 second pause* you're in luck! we have one more spot open."

Yep, that's what you call a blind recruiting ad. I fell for one again, 6mos later. This time it was for the Kirby Company. I actually made that work for about a year, til I got tired of it, but it paid me more than I made in a manufacturing plant, where I got laid off. What are ya gonna do in a recession, with a family to feed? Hell, I was ready to give anything a try.

 

[Apex]

After a lot of use, my favorite knives have been my Henckels Twin Cermax M66. They're built well, weighted properly, balanced, and use Japanese powdered microcarbide steel with Rockwell c66-68 hardness. The 7" Santoku is my facorite all around, though the 8" Chef's knife is useful too.

 

[glenn1]

Global 8 inch Chef's Knife

I love this knife and makes cooking and chopping really enjoyable.

My fiancee loves the Globals also. I just don't care for them the same way; the gripping angle of the handle feels wrong to me, the diameter of the handle seems too small, and the natural pivot point of the blade is too far back. They are definitely well-built and sharp knives, but probably more suited to her delicate asian hands than my big beloved patriot paws.

 

[cardiac]

Originally posted by: magomago
i'm waiting for someone to say cutco

Uh, OK, "Cutco". Actually, we;ve had their knives for about 20 years and I still love them. Send them back every few years to the factory for a free sharpening, since most of their knives are serrated. Cutco

Bob

 

[compuwiz1]

Ronco!

I was watching a couple nights ago, and that was a hell of a set for 3 easy payment of $13.33

Did anyone buy these? Even if they only worked for a couple years...still a hell of a deal.

 

[Nyati13]

I recently went through the same thing. I had always used crappy knife sets (like $29 for a set of 13 style knives) and just upgraded to better steel. It's actually noticeably easier to cook now, I was surprised how much difference it made.
I got the Calphalon Katana starter kit (block and 5 knives, lists at $299) for free from my jobs "rewards" system, and I was so impressed, I've been picking up the other knives in the series as I can.