Kitchen knife set

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ARB1977

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Looking for some quality knives sets. My wife mentioned ceramic knives but they seem to be limited to slicing only vs cutting meat. I don't know if I should get ceramic knifes or steel knives. Our cheap ones lasted for 6 years with one professional sharpening about three years ago.

What are your thoughts, thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: dave123
Wusthof classic the last knives you will ever have to buy.

This. I found the ceramic knives to be more of a novelty.
 
I purchased a J.A. Henckels, ice hardened set from one of those "high end" kitchen stores. The claim was that the Costco version was somehow lesser quality.

They are pretty good and have served me well for many years. They do hold an edge well, especially if I take the time to do a good job sharpening them.

After high school, I was a meat cutter in a production shop. We learned how to sharpen knives quickly and effectively. We flat out wore out knives. I'm of the opinion that any quality knife made of quality steel will do just fine. The way to ensure you get quality stainless steel that will hold an edge is to purchase a name brand set of knives. Wusthof or J.A. Henckles come to mind as good enough.

A quality knife maker has a wide variety of alloys to choose from. However, when you need stainless knives, the field narrows a bit. The better stainless knives may use unusual hardening methods to ensure a good blend of edge retention and toughness and corrosion resistance.

It's not likely you will find this in cheap imported knives.
 
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All depends on what you want to spend.

I find that only 2-3 knives get used regularly in the kitchen.

With that in mind I buy nice knives.

If you know what you want, or want to look at some higher end knives, check out chefknivestogo.com
I've used them in the past, and have always been very pleased.
 
I own a number of ceramic knives. Don't like 'em. They don't hold an edge all that well, and are really a pain to sharpen effectively. I need to use a Nikon stereo microscope to see if I've done a good job sharpening the ceramics. Even then, the edge becomes uneven as tiny pieces break off.

With the Henckles I own, I simply use a steel for quick sharpening, that leaves a rough but effective cutting edge. If I want a razor edge, I use a fine diamond hone, then a strap. Edge lasts for months done this way.
 
whats your budget ? I bought a butchers block full of Kitchen Aid full tang knives 7 years ago. They take and keep a edge reasonably well for casual at home use. Many guests have complimented my wife and i on our silverware and our knives durring meals.. others have raved about how sharp they are and how much more pleasant the meal was due to a good sharp knife.
I believe i paid $240.00 for the set 7 years ago. other than a few small scratches on the steak knives they all still look brand new.

And yes i know much better is availiable.. but i have been satisfied with them.
 
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Be careful that you know the country of origin of the knives you're buying. The fancy German companies now offer Chinese knives.

I have a couple 10" forged Tramontina chef's knives (made in Brazil) that I bought based on their Consumer Reports rating. I think they were part of the Professional line. They were decently priced and have held up really well.

I'm no knife expert, but for the small amount I paid for them I've been really satisfied. The retail was around $30-$40, but I got one of them for super cheap on ebay.

I don't go for the knife sets. The 10" knives do most of what I want and I have a few smaller knives for other jobs.
 
I was into fancy-pants knives for a while; and here it what I have settled on:

1) An excellent whetstone and honing steel (do not confuse the two). These things will make any knife way better than it should be. You cannot just throw money at a knife and expect it to perform in an outstanding way for extended periods of time without a proper sharpening and constant honing.

2) A $20 cleaver. When properly sharpened and honed I can shave my arm with it. I have a restaurateur friend with astoundingly expensive knives that are NOT oft sharpened (they are honed before each use; but not sharpened very often) and my cleaver is head and shoulders sharper. My cleaver can also smash stuff with it's spine and on it's side, and scoop up a lot of stuff like a bench scraper.

I have also seen reviews from sources like Consumer Reports and America's Test Kitchen that raaaaave over a ~$25 Victorinox as the best possible bang for the buck. My dad, PapaBear on these forums, has one.

EDIT: found the Victorinox on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Swiss-8-Inch-Fibrox-Straight/dp/B008M5U1C2
 
I have a number of different knives, but the knives that I use the most are my Rada knives. They keep a great edge, they're comfortable to use, and I like the fact that they're made in the USA in Waverly, Iowa (just a short drive from here). The company has been in business since 1948 and has never outsourced.

They're also priced well below the infomercial foreign made knives.
 
Wusthof or J.A. Henckles made in Germany are pretty good. I have both sets for more than 10 years and are still in excellent shape.
 
It's good to have one ceramic knife in the back of the drawer for when you need to cut frozen meat.
 
Originally Posted By: SuperDave456


I find that only 2-3 knives get used regularly in the kitchen.



Same here. With an 8-10" chef knife,and a nice paring knife I can cook 99% of my meals without wanting or needing any of the other 10 knives typically found in a set.
 
Plenty of good advice here already. Here are my somewhat repetitive thoughts:
- better to have 2 or 3 very good knives than a large set of OK ones. An 8-9" chef's knive, 4-5" utility knife, and maybe a ~6" serrated "tomato" knife will handle almost every job.
- The linked Victorinox Chef's knive is inexpensive and Cook's Illustrated consistently raves about it. I do not own one but I can't imagine it would be a bad choice
- Whatever you get, have them professionally sharpened from time to time. I recently had ours (Henckels "Professional S" series) done by Seattle Knife Sharpening and the results were astounding, they came back dramatically sharper. Even with careful honing, blades dull over time so you sorta don't notice it until you get a good edge back on them.


jeff
 
learn how to sharpen, hone whatever the other guy said,

Tramontina (walmart) is the best value out there. I have them and am happy.

side note:
1. Most knives are stamped steel
2. Quality of steel is important
3. forged knives (if you know a samurai sword maker) are my first choice but lack of funds keeps me away.
 
knives are vacuum cleaners, when you a new set you are blown away but lack of maintenance it goes downhill till you buy a new set.
 
Originally Posted By: greenjp

- The linked Victorinox Chef's knive is inexpensive and Cook's Illustrated consistently raves about it. I do not own one but I can't imagine it would be a bad choice


I missed the link the first time. That's the chef knife I use every time I cook.

You can't beat it for the price.
 
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