Good Kitchen Knives

[Mitsu3000gt]

For the same reason I started the cheap vacuum thread (moving out on my own), I will need a decent set of knives. I don't want cheap knives, but I'm also looking for good value.

Are there any chef's here that can offer any suggestions?

I really only need 3 knives (bread knife, general chopping/carving & a small knive) but I'm not opposed to buying a block set if the price is decent.

Since I only use a few knives 99% of the time, I was thinking about buying seperately or in a small set from one of the better manufactuers. I know that it is ideal to have a well balanced knife, metal all the way through the handle, etc. but I know nothing beyond only a few brand names.

At home now we have Wusthof Classic's and they are really nice but it seems we need to sharpen them too often.

Browsing some other forums, I found these recommended places to buy, but I haven't heard of most of the manufactuers:

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/ (apparently this place is cheap for what they offer, but I haven't heard of a single brand name they carry)

http://www.paulsfinest.com/ (based out of Quebec, carries the Wusthof & Henkel's everyone's heard of but also a lot of stuff I haven't)

Do any particular model lines really stand out? Or are they all going to be very good? I liked Global knives a lot but I think they are stainless steel, which I hear is bad for keeping an edge.

I should add my budget is roughly $100-$300 for at least a bread knife, general chopping knive and a small knife, considering I don't plan on replacing a good set of knives anytime soon.

Thanks in advance.

[im2fst4u]

All we use in our home is Zwilling J.A. Henckels. Have been using them for years and they have proven themselves to be a quality product. Pricey but will last for years.

Zwilling (http://www.zwilling.com/en-US)

[bspot]

The absolute best knives are at Knifeware in Inglewood. I know chefs that have come here from Vancouver to buy knives there.

I was in there with a chef friend a few weeks ago and tried a $700 knife. It was insane.. it would be so easy to chop your hand off.

They also have stuff at a much lower price point than that, but you won't find anything cheap. Could squeeze in under $300 for the 3 you need.

[ExtraSlow]

Knives are pretty personal, since balance, weight and handle shape all need to fit your body.
the biggest thing most home users make is not keeping thier knives sharp.
Buy a steel and make use of it.

I also agree that you need very few knives. For myself, I can get by with a 10" chefs knife, which is my go-to knife, plus a 6" chefs knife, and a cheap paring knife. For the price of a pretty mediocre block set, you can get one or two pretty nice knives that will be a joy to use.

For bread knives, I find the crappy "laser" ones do fine. I have a henkels bread knife, but it's no better imo.

My in-laws have a drawer full of crappy knives that the dad sharpens on his bench gridner every couple years. When I cook at thier house, I bring my own knives.

[98type_r]

I have been using a set of Henckels twin cuisine knives and so far I am very happy with them. I also have a ceramic knife made by Kyocera, I love it because it's ridiculously sharp but very light, almost too light compared to my other knives.

Almost every other weekend the Bay puts their Henckels knives and blocks on sale, anywhere from 20-30%. Strange things is the sale price is almost the same as the regular price at Home Outfitters. eBay is another decent place to look, there are a few American sellers who charge decent prices for shipping.

Don't forget to factor in a decent cutting board or two if you're going to be spending up to $300 in knives.

[ExtraSlow]

I can highly recommend the Lee Valley Epicurean cutting boards.

[98type_r]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
I can highly recommend the Lee Valley Epicurean cutting boards.

+1 for Epicurean cutting boards :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Choice]

I've got a Cutco set that's pretty good the past two years.
Might want to consider them too. They're supposely on par with the Henckels.

[lint]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
I can highly recommend the Lee Valley Epicurean cutting boards.



Originally posted by 98type_r


+1 for Epicurean cutting boards :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

best place to buy them is at winners.

can't really go wrong with any of the high end knives. just try them out and buy the ones that you like best

[dj_rice]

I'm using Five Star J.A Henkels that I bought in Culinary School back in 2000 and they're still going strong and still sharp enough to slice through paper, it was good priced and back then was the industry brand standard, although I remember seeing this brand of knives called Global and was :drool: but theres so many brand of knives now its hard to choose, back then all I saw in class was Henkels and Wusthof's


For me, the 3 essentials knives are chef knife, paring knife and carving/boning knife and don't forget the steel

[barmanjay]

Originally posted by Choice
I've got a Cutco set that's pretty good the past two years.
Might want to consider them too. They're supposely on par with the Henckels.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I like to cook and I always like how my knives perform.

I've grown to like my santuko knife

I tried the cutco one and OMG!!! I can shave the hairs off my forearm.

Lifetime guarantee, if it dulls, send it back and they will send you a new one.

I just started giving these out to some of my clients

I think they are expensive (cost me about $130 ea) but DAMN! it's only knife I use.

I have a drawer full of crap knives that need sharpening now.

Cutco ftw!!!

[Pacman]

I've been using a set of Calphalon Katana knives for the past 3 years and have been happy with them. They were $200 for the set at a Calphalon outlet in the U.S....but I have seen them on sale at Home Outfitters as well.

They use VG-10 steel which is supposed to be good for holding an edge.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Thanks for the suggestions so far!

Sounds like that Knifewear place is a good place to start (they have a good website too). I'll also keep my eye open for sales at Home Outfitters, The Bay, etc. Based on my reading it seems that you can't go wrong with any of the German brands but some of those Japanese knives are pretty special. I'll report back when I finally buy something, but I research things to death haha.

[89coupe]

I have WÜSTHOF Classics myself. I ordered mine from this guy.

( Mark at 248-374-5600. )

3-in. Straight Paring Knife
3.5-in. Paring Knife
4.5-in. Utility Knife
5-in. Serrated Utility Knife
5-in. Boning Knife
8-in. Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
8-in. Bread Knife
8-in. Carving Knife
8-in. Cook's Knife
9-in. Sharpening Steel
Kitchen Shears
17-slot Deluxe Hardwood Knife Block

for $475


http://www.wusthof.ca/en/classic.asp

[black_2.5RS]

There's a japanese knife store in Inglewood (by Spolumbo's). It's awesome and knife prices in all ranges.

[barmanjay]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Thanks for the suggestions so far!

Sounds like that Knifewear place is a good place to start (they have a good website too). I'll also keep my eye open for sales at Home Outfitters, The Bay, etc. Based on my reading it seems that you can't go wrong with any of the German brands but some of those Japanese knives are pretty special. I'll report back when I finally buy something, but I research things to death haha.

If you like I can bring one of my cutcos to you,.. no you can't have it,.. LOL, but try it anyways.

[98type_r]

Whatever route you decide to go, look for something that is forged instead of stamped. Also look for a full tang, this is where the steel from the blade is visible all the way through the handle.

[Alterac]

Oh for bread i actually like my miricle blade 3 bread knife.. :D hah.

[diamondedge]

Related question : just steel or should you also get a sharpening stone as well?

[TurboMedic]

I use Shun knives exclusively, they're typically about $150-200 / blade locally (Williams/sonoma), I haven't looked online much, but they are amazing knives.....Only thing, its harder to get them sharpened locally (20 degree edge, vs 16 degree for german blades).....
Check em out, they're amazing

http://www.kershawknives.com/products.php?brand=shun

[98type_r]

Originally posted by diamondedge
Related question : just steel or should you also get a sharpening stone as well?

steel is more for maintaining/honing the edge.
you should sharpen your knives with a stone typically once a year

[JC522]

i've had a family member sell cutco knives and he bought a set for himself over 5 years ago and he still uses the same set. They seem pretty good. I personally use Henckel, but I was looking into this japanese set that is apparently made the same way as samurai swords, forget the brand though

[ExtraSlow]

Here are some knife reviews:
Cooking For Engineers - Chefs Knives Rated (http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/129/Chefs-Knives-Rated)

I use this website for many of my recipies.

[89coupe]

Another thing to consider is what knives you truly need. I bought a 12 piece set and the only knives I really use are these 4. The odd time I use the paring knife.

We pretty much use the Santoku knife for everything, other then bread.

Santoku Knife
Chef Knife
Bread Knife
Cleaver

http://www.skylandscutlery.com/images/pictures/wusthof-6-12-inch-santoku-knife-hollow-edge-open-stock.gif

http://www.paulsfinest.com/files/cache/de70acf7cd068af2f8925aabc9544666.jpg

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/images/WusthofBreadKnife.jpg

http://iweb.cooking.com/images/products/enlarge/154279e.jpg

[Ntense_SpecV]

Originally posted by 89coupe
Another thing to consider is what knives you truly need. I bought a 12 piece set and the only knives I really use are these 4. The odd time I use the paring knife.

We pretty much use the Santoku knife for everything, other then bread.

Santoku Knife
Chef Knife
Bread Knife
Cleaver


I will second this. I love my Santoku knife. I have a bunch of other knives that don't see even half as much use compared to it. I would think you could even drop the cleaver out of the list and add a good paring knife unless you are buying big cuts of meat and portioning them yourself. The only other thing I would recommend is a carving fork...it comes in handy the 5 or so times a year.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
At home now we have Wusthof Classic's and they are really nice but it seems we need to sharpen them too often.

That will be the case with most retail steel knives. Even the best steel knives are still sharpened on a regular basis by the chefs that use them.

Get a Henckels TwinSharp sharpener to keep your knives sharp when you need them and get them professionally sharpened on a yearly basis.

[JAYMEZ]

I love my Henckels , cant go wrong with them! I picked them up in the UK :thumbsup:

[Mitsu3000gt]

Thanks for all the info guys. I have a serious hate-on for anything sold door to door, and definitely will not be considering Cutco knives, even if they are decent. I had a friend that worked for Cutco as well and hated it. This article is very negative as well: http://www.petitiononline.com/vector/petition.html
Lastly, this particular website rated Cutco the worst out of several knives in every one of his tests: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/129/Chefs-Knives-Rated


I really like the looks of that "Santoku" style knife, and if I just had that, a bread knife, and a small knife, I think I would be just fine.

Shun knives look great, but I am looking to spend ~$100/knife rather than $150-200/knife....trying to keep this around $300 for 3 knives.

I thought these looked pretty good, and the comment is that "the performance for the dollar cannot be beat". They do look a little more expsnive though.
http://www.knifewear.com/knife-family.asp?family=8

I'm just not sure they had a bread knife, I can't tell.


Also some of you are making comments about the cutting board...I bought some cheap plastic ones from Ikea - are these going to ruin good knives?

[cooperS]

Cutco. sharp and lifetime warranty. once you start on it, you will never get back to the regular ones.

Global is also a decent one, but only good for a smaller hands and if u dont mind doing knife sharpening all the time.
The newer Japanese ceramic knife are perfect for slicing too.

plastic cutting boards will not ruin good knives. the only time you will ruin it is never sharpen it or put it in a dishwasher.

[ExtraSlow]

Honestly, I'd skip the bread knife. Cheap seratted knives do a fine job on bread.
And the plastic boards won't wreck your knives, but they are less sanitary than wooden boards, and uglier.
If you like the cooking for engineers guy, check out his review of cutting boards at:Cooking for Engnieers - Cutting boards reviewed (http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/17/Cutting-Boards)

[89coupe]

I throw my Wusthof knives in the dishwasher, they come out just fine.:dunno:

I also cut on plastic cutting boards, what fool would cut meat on a wooden cutting board?

I sharpen my knives about once a year.

A lot of those Japanese knives you have to be more careful with because of the high carbon count in them, they rust easily, so must be oiled and cared for more.

[Ntense_SpecV]

Originally posted by 89coupe
I throw my Wusthof knives in the dishwasher, they come out just fine.:dunno:

I also cut on plastic cutting boards, what fool would cut meat on a wooden cutting board?

I sharpen my knives about once a year.

A lot of those Japanese knives you have to be more careful with because of the high carbon count in them, they rust easily, so must be oiled and cared for more.

I only use a wooden cutting board (bamboo) for everything I cut. Meat, veggies, fruit. If you actually read the link posted above it explains how bacteria are not on the surface of wooden boards. There is absolutely no harm in using a wood board with respect to meat.

[Mitsu3000gt]

All good info. Sounds like I will be fine with my cheap Ikea cutting boards, at least for now.

This website seemed to have good prices on knives. Its in the USA but the exchange is only ~10% right now.

www.cutleryandmore.com

They sell Shun, Global, and the German brands.

I think this weekend I'll head down to Kinfewear to look around and compare that to what I can find online. Should be educating that the very least.

[89coupe]

Originally posted by Ntense_SpecV


I only use a wooden cutting board (bamboo) for everything I cut. Meat, veggies, fruit. If you actually read the link posted above it explains how bacteria are not on the surface of wooden boards. There is absolutely no harm in using a wood board with respect to meat.

I read through all the responses as well and I would rather use plastic.

They are easier to store and easier to clean IMO. You can't put a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher.

[89coupe]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
All good info. Sounds like I will be fine with my cheap Ikea cutting boards, at least for now.

This website seemed to have good prices on knives. Its in the USA but the exchange is only ~10% right now.

www.cutleryandmore.com

They sell Shun, Global, and the German brands.

I think this weekend I'll head down to Kinfewear to look around and compare that to what I can find online. Should be educating that the very least.

I almost orderd my knives from there as well but was given this guys name, his prices were even better.

Phone this guy. He sells all brands of knives and has wicked prices! ( Mark at 248-374-5600. )

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by 89coupe


I almost orderd my knives from there as well but was given this guys name, his prices were even better.

Phone this guy. He sells all brands of knives and has wicked prices! ( Mark at 248-374-5600. )

So does he work at that store? or is this something different?

Thanks for the contact.

[ExtraSlow]

I only have wooden cutting boards in my house. I wash them and air dry every meal. I have a small one that I can use if I need to cut something like veggies that are going to eb served raw after cutting poultry or anything.
Wood looks better, feels better, and is safer. I think I'll stick to it.

[Ntense_SpecV]

Originally posted by 89coupe


I read through all the responses as well and I would rather use plastic.

They are easier to store and easier to clean IMO. You can't put a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher.

These are all true points but I don't put my knives in the dishwasher either. I prefer to handwash them along with my pots and pans. Even though everything says it can go in there I prefer not to. I find that other than surface scratches everything looks brand new and is 3 years old and cooked with daily.

[89coupe]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


So does he work at that store? or is this something different?

Thanks for the contact.

He's a distributor from what I gathered, he sells to Restaurants and what not.

[szw]

Do you have to "oil" wooden cutting boards? How about bamboo?

I read a site once that said you should use some oil sealant on your wooden board once a week but that seems like so much work.

I bought some plastic ones from costco that supposedly have some antibacterial properties plus they feel quite nice compared to plastic ones I've had in the past. I like it but they are ugly compared to the wood ones.

[Ntense_SpecV]

Originally posted by szw
Do you have to oil; wooden cutting boards? How about bamboo?

I read a site once that said you should use some oil sealant on your wooden board once a week but that seems like so much work.

I bought some plastic ones from costco that supposedly have some antibacterial properties plus they feel quite nice compared to plastic ones I've had in the past. I like it but they are ugly compared to the wood ones.

I'll rub some oil onto the boards probably once a month. I just use regular canola oil - it's not too hard to do. Helps with appearance and might stop the bamboo from drying out...don't really know if it does much more than that but the packaging did say to oil it.

[redline]

this is a sweet deal

http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-Henckels-Four-9-Piece-Block/dp/B002DUDJ58/ref=combo_pack_i_2

[sputnik]

Use food grade mineral oil on cutting boards. You can get it at IKEA for $4 bottle.

If you use a cooking oil you run the risk of the oil going rancid on the board.

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by sputnik
Use food grade mineral oil on cutting boards. You can get it at IKEA for $4 bottle.

If you use a cooking oil you run the risk of the oil going rancid on the board.
this.

I use the danish oil "tried and true" finish from Lee Valley. It's FDA approved for food prep surfaces.
I've used the IKEA mneral oil in the past, with good results.

[redline]

Originally posted by 89coupe
I throw my Wusthof knives in the dishwasher, they come out just fine.:dunno:

I also cut on plastic cutting boards, what fool would cut meat on a wooden cutting board?

I sharpen my knives about once a year.



you never put good knives in the dishwasher.... it will dull the knife, use it, wash it by hand then put it away.

These are the only cutting boards to use...

http://www.epicureancs.com/#welcome.php

not really the brand but this type...

plastic and wood are both hard to clean "properly" and will get bacteria and crap

[89coupe]

Originally posted by redline


you never put good knives in the dishwasher.... it was dull the knife, use it, wash it by hand then put it away.

These are the only cutting boards to use...

http://www.epicureancs.com/#welcome.php

not really the brand but this type...

plastic and wood are both hard to clean "properly" and will get bacteria and crap

Meh, I use to do that, now I just throw them in the dishwasher...lol. Doesn't seem to hurt them at all.:dunno:

[szw]

Originally posted by sputnik
Use food grade mineral oil on cutting boards. You can get it at IKEA for $4 bottle.

If you use a cooking oil you run the risk of the oil going rancid on the board.
How often do you do it? Is it simply a matter of cleaning the board then rubbing oil into it?

[Ntense_SpecV]

Originally posted by sputnik
Use food grade mineral oil on cutting boards. You can get it at IKEA for $4 bottle.

If you use a cooking oil you run the risk of the oil going rancid on the board.

Thanks for the advice...I didn't know about that. I will go get some this week.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by redline
this is a sweet deal

http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-Henckels-Four-9-Piece-Block/dp/B002DUDJ58/ref=combo_pack_i_2

Amazon never seems to ship anything to Canada though, unfortunately. They wouldn't even ship me a coffee press. You go to the VERY end of the purchase process then it tells you that you can't buy it :banghead:

EDIT: It appears they will indeed ship those to Canada, but hey want $55 USD for shipping, and another $54 USD for import duties & taxes.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I went to Knifewear and bought a knife today. Extremely educational experience, and you get to try out all the knives. I wasn't in there 2 min and he put a knife in my hand and gave me tomatoes &potatoes to cut. I ended up with the Santoku knife from this knife maker:

http://www.knifewear.com/knife-family.asp?family=12

Unfortunately its the only knife without a picture, but its not hard to imagine what it will look like. I can take a pic of it later. The knife is hilariously sharp, you simply place it gently atop a tomato, and the weight of the knife slices all the way through by itself. They are entirely hand made, and each one is a little different. I liked this one because of the particular material it's made of, the way it was made, the way it looks, and how comfortable the handle was (I have very large hands and these had a larger handle). A bit more than I wanted to spend on 1 knife ($200), but after trying them, using anything else would suck lol.

Anyways thanks for all the help, and especially those who suggested Knifewear as I may not have heard of it otherwise. I HIGHLY recommend that place :thumbsup:

[ExtraSlow]

if anyone wants an in-home demo of the Cutco knives, PM me. I don't sell them, but a friends daughter does.
No pics of daughter, but she's in university, so she might be hot.

[logix]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
I went to Knifewear and bought a knife today. Extremely educational experience, and you get to try out all the knives. I wasn't in there 2 min and he put a knife in my hand and gave me tomatoes &potatoes to cut. I ended up with the Santoku knife from this knife maker:

http://www.knifewear.com/knife-family.asp?family=12

Unfortunately its the only knife without a picture, but its not hard to imagine what it will look like. I can take a pic of it later. The knife is hilariously sharp, you simply place it gently atop a tomato, and the weight of the knife slices all the way through by itself. They are entirely hand made, and each one is a little different. I liked this one because of the particular material it's made of, the way it was made, the way it looks, and how comfortable the handle was (I have very large hands and these had a larger handle). A bit more than I wanted to spend on 1 knife ($200), but after trying them, using anything else would suck lol.

Anyways thanks for all the help, and especially those who suggested Knifewear as I may not have heard of it otherwise. I HIGHLY recommend that place :thumbsup:

Here's an article about knifewear. Some tips at the bottom too.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article1137567.ece

Kevins got a booth at the Home & Interior Design show at the roundup if you want to check out some knives.
The knives he carries are sooo sharp and lightweight
:drool:

[Euro838]

Originally posted by redline
this is a sweet deal

http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-Henckels-Four-9-Piece-Block/dp/B002DUDJ58/ref=combo_pack_i_2

Yeah, that's a sweet deal, it's their double man set too!

[szw]

Originally posted by logix



The knives he carries are sooo sharp and lightweight
:drool:

I like knives with a good weight to it. I don't think I could use a really light one.

[bawlls]

I personally would choose no other knife then a Shun knife. I have the shun elite 8' chef knife and a couple other, but nothing compares to the 8". I suggest getting one knife that you keep for cutting non-acidic things (no tomatoes, citrus) or bread, as well as one knife you cut the acidic, and dulling things. If I had to choose something else then shun I would choose Global.

DON'T BUY LOCAL! unless you have some kind of ethical reason to. You will pay at least 10% more then you would online.

Either learn to use a wet stone with a shitty knife, or wait 3 weeks for your japanese steel to be sharpened properly. but what ever you do, don't let just anyone sharpen your knife, and always have the same person sharpen it.

As far as a honing steel goes, Japanese steel is far too dense for any steel honer, you are going to need a ceramic one. Dont even use a steel one on a japanese knife, the only change to the knife you'll be making is scratches.

Shun knives are bent everso slightly to accommodate a right or left handed person, so make sure your not getting the wrong curve.

Personally, I cannot stand the lack of feel and control I have with most german and domestic steels. IN MY OPINION, because its a very opinionated topic, nothing will ever compare to a shun or a global. The only issue with some global knives is some of them become uncomfortable after using for several hours.

Go to the mall, house of knives, and try as many as you can out. BUT for the love of god, don't buy from them. ONLINE!!

[Vagabond142]

I am a huge fan of Henckels. Only knife I use when I'm serious about cooking is my 8" henckel's Twin Pollux. When it's just slice/dice/general utility, I have a Henckel's International (the henckel's cheapy brand) chef's knife and a 4" kitchen knife. I also use a Henckel's doweling too; if you're gonna put down the money for a high quality knife, might as well get the doweling designed to go with it :D

[Criticull]

lol @ cutco's business model. I hear they cut well though.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Shun is a decent knife. According to Kevin at Knifewear, they are the low end of the high end, as I asked him specifically how Shun knives stack up to the rest. They do not sell Shun knives in Japan, apparently. Unless they are way cheaper online (and they might be), you can get better knives than Shun for the price - ones that are hand made in Japan, better steel, etc.