Kitchen knife set
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Get this knife set:
Originally Posted By: ram_man
if you are wanting a decent set of knives made in America. maybe look into cutco? they have crazy business practices but they do make a good knife. my friends mom had some pretty impressive and a lifetime warranty.
My wife bought an $1100 set of Cutco knives some 18 years ago. I hate to admit it but they are fantastic knives. My main cleaver, a $13 Chinese vegetable cleaver and the 10" Cutco chef's knife we have are the only three in our house that'll take an edge sharp enough to shave my arm.
if you are wanting a decent set of knives made in America. maybe look into cutco? they have crazy business practices but they do make a good knife. my friends mom had some pretty impressive and a lifetime warranty.
My wife bought an $1100 set of Cutco knives some 18 years ago. I hate to admit it but they are fantastic knives. My main cleaver, a $13 Chinese vegetable cleaver and the 10" Cutco chef's knife we have are the only three in our house that'll take an edge sharp enough to shave my arm.
Wüsthof Gourmet 12 piece set is what we got - wife loves it.
I have a Henkels set and like them. I use a Santuku a lot. If I were looking at basic, no nonsense knives I'd probably build a collection of Dexter Russell knives. If you walk through a food processing plant or commercial kitchen you'll see Dexter knives more than anything else.
http://knives.dexter1818.com/
http://knives.dexter1818.com/
My family has been using Warhter knives for 40 years. Top quality and made in the USA with American steel.
http://www.warthers.com/Warther_Knife_Shop.htm
http://www.warthers.com/Warther_Knife_Shop.htm
I can only tell you what I have experience with.
Pre WWII Wusthof- great knives. Held up well for nearly 40 years of professional kitchen use. The 10" chef's knives are about 3/4 of the original width due to numerous sharpenings. Whats left of them is heavy. Cleavers, 10" I think, are just tough and will hack through any bone without a problem.
Later model Wusthof Classics- good knives, make that "very good". Overpriced for what you get. No arguing quality though. Hold edge very very well.
Tramontina Professionals (forged)- very good buy. About half the price of the big boys (Wusthof/Henckels)and deliver 95% of the experience. Avoid the cheap stamped stuff. That being said, their older stamped mid grade stuff is very good.
Ceramics- cheapie Rosewill 3 piece knife set with peeler. I bought 3 sets of these for presents a few years ago. Gave away two sets and finally cracked open the remaining set to see what ceramics were like. With a cople of caveats, I have been impressed. Hold an edge a long long time, very light, mediocre handles. They do break. Dropped one on the floor (tile) and it shattered. Was cutting some pork and chipped another blade on a piece of bone. They do sharpen with a diamond belt.
Get a set of good forged blades. Avoid stamped stuff just because of health/cross contamination concerns. Stamped knives are hard to clean properly, and some would argue impossible to clean properly. Nothing makes kitchen work more tolerable/enjoyable than a good set of really sharp knives that just work.
Pre WWII Wusthof- great knives. Held up well for nearly 40 years of professional kitchen use. The 10" chef's knives are about 3/4 of the original width due to numerous sharpenings. Whats left of them is heavy. Cleavers, 10" I think, are just tough and will hack through any bone without a problem.
Later model Wusthof Classics- good knives, make that "very good". Overpriced for what you get. No arguing quality though. Hold edge very very well.
Tramontina Professionals (forged)- very good buy. About half the price of the big boys (Wusthof/Henckels)and deliver 95% of the experience. Avoid the cheap stamped stuff. That being said, their older stamped mid grade stuff is very good.
Ceramics- cheapie Rosewill 3 piece knife set with peeler. I bought 3 sets of these for presents a few years ago. Gave away two sets and finally cracked open the remaining set to see what ceramics were like. With a cople of caveats, I have been impressed. Hold an edge a long long time, very light, mediocre handles. They do break. Dropped one on the floor (tile) and it shattered. Was cutting some pork and chipped another blade on a piece of bone. They do sharpen with a diamond belt.
Get a set of good forged blades. Avoid stamped stuff just because of health/cross contamination concerns. Stamped knives are hard to clean properly, and some would argue impossible to clean properly. Nothing makes kitchen work more tolerable/enjoyable than a good set of really sharp knives that just work.
Cooks Illustrated rates Victorinox very highly and I trust them. I've found these in a local restaurant supply store for much lower $$$ than elsewhere.
I bought mine individually years ago before CI did their report. I bought Chicago Cutlery and haven't been disappointed. The key, whatever you buy, is to learn to get them scary sharp. Being a woodworker, I already know how and have the tools. Having an expensive German knife with a cheap, dull edge is a real waste. Better to have a $20 knife with a $50 edge on it than a $100 knife that's dull....and dangerous.
Ceramic is very hard & brittle. As such, it's not easily sharpened when it needs it. Depending on where you buy it from, it may be anywhere from dull to decent to sharp. Then the question becomes: What to do when the edge eventually dulls?
My two cents....
I bought mine individually years ago before CI did their report. I bought Chicago Cutlery and haven't been disappointed. The key, whatever you buy, is to learn to get them scary sharp. Being a woodworker, I already know how and have the tools. Having an expensive German knife with a cheap, dull edge is a real waste. Better to have a $20 knife with a $50 edge on it than a $100 knife that's dull....and dangerous.
Ceramic is very hard & brittle. As such, it's not easily sharpened when it needs it. Depending on where you buy it from, it may be anywhere from dull to decent to sharp. Then the question becomes: What to do when the edge eventually dulls?
My two cents....
FYI the linked Victorinox Fibrox chef's knife is on sale from Amazon right now for $22. It's a limited time & stock "lightning deal" so jump on it if interested.
jeff
jeff
I wouldn't bother with a set. How often do you filet things?
8" chef, a pairing, and a bread knife. Most importance in that order.
8" chef, a pairing, and a bread knife. Most importance in that order.
I received the Victorinox knife discussed above the other day, $23 lightning deal from Amazon. It's technically a "gift" for my wife for Christmas (hold the jokes
) so I haven't tried it yet. I examined it, the handle has a nice shape that looks like it'll accomodate a variety of grips and an interesting firm yet supple texture (in contrast to the firm plastic grip on my Henckles). The blade certainly does not have the heft or thickness on the side opposite the blade of the Henckels, but the edge appears quite sharp. I'll file a proper report in a few weeks.
jeff
jeff
I have a mix of knives stuck to a magnetic Holder over the main work area in our kitchen.
The absolutely most used everyday knife is a 7" Offset serrated utility knife by F.**** http://www.amazon.com/****-Bread-Utility...keywords=F.****
Couldnt live without it.
By far the best knife there is for cutting soft vegetables, bread, Salad etc.
For meats and fish i have A variety of knives, Mostly by Zwilling J.A. Henckels.
Also an old unmarked Butchers Scimitar and two Chinese stainless cleavers bought from Chinese department stores in N.Y.C.
And of course, most importantly, Good Japanese whetstones and Irons.
The absolutely most used everyday knife is a 7" Offset serrated utility knife by F.**** http://www.amazon.com/****-Bread-Utility...keywords=F.****
Couldnt live without it.
By far the best knife there is for cutting soft vegetables, bread, Salad etc.
For meats and fish i have A variety of knives, Mostly by Zwilling J.A. Henckels.
Also an old unmarked Butchers Scimitar and two Chinese stainless cleavers bought from Chinese department stores in N.Y.C.
And of course, most importantly, Good Japanese whetstones and Irons.
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I've been using the $23 Victorinox knife for the past week, here are some impressions. The very plain looking handle turns out to be very comfortable and accommodating of a variety of grips. It's terrific, lack of rivets or a visible tang notwithstanding. In contrast, I also used a relative's Cutco knives in the past week, which have these ivory colored handles with elaborate contours. Uncomfortable and definitely not made for "choking up" on the blade, truly awful.
The Victorinox has a good sharp edge on it, time will tell how well it holds up. The blade has a taller profile than our Henckels chef's knife, but is much thinner throughout. I assume it's stamped rather than forged. Consequently it's much lighter, which is both a pro and a con depending on what you're doing. A key difference between the two is that the Henckels has a thick hilt so the edge ends short of the handle while the Victorinox' edge extends to the end. So there's more to hold on the Henckels when the going gets tough but the full edge on the Victorinox makes for some nice slicing.
In summary, I quite like this knife, it's not quite as nice to use as the much more expensive Henckles, however it's much nicer than that crummy Cutco. It's also better than similarly cheap knives I've encountered elsewhere. Certainly recommended for $23, probably still a good value at Amazon's usual $40.
jeff
The Victorinox has a good sharp edge on it, time will tell how well it holds up. The blade has a taller profile than our Henckels chef's knife, but is much thinner throughout. I assume it's stamped rather than forged. Consequently it's much lighter, which is both a pro and a con depending on what you're doing. A key difference between the two is that the Henckels has a thick hilt so the edge ends short of the handle while the Victorinox' edge extends to the end. So there's more to hold on the Henckels when the going gets tough but the full edge on the Victorinox makes for some nice slicing.
In summary, I quite like this knife, it's not quite as nice to use as the much more expensive Henckles, however it's much nicer than that crummy Cutco. It's also better than similarly cheap knives I've encountered elsewhere. Certainly recommended for $23, probably still a good value at Amazon's usual $40.
jeff
Originally Posted by ram_man
if you are wanting a decent set of chef knives made in America. maybe look into cutco? they have crazy business practices but they do make a good knife. my friends mom had some pretty impressive and a lifetime warranty.
A list of chef knives Please suggest!! Which knives are good for salad??
if you are wanting a decent set of chef knives made in America. maybe look into cutco? they have crazy business practices but they do make a good knife. my friends mom had some pretty impressive and a lifetime warranty.
A list of chef knives Please suggest!! Which knives are good for salad??
I recently bought two Victorinox kitchen knives, an 8 inch and a 5 inch. I already have a good wet stone and I just got a honing steel. I also have a cleaver-knife hybrid thing I bought for cutting things like turnips. My brother gave me some as seen on TV serrated knife that cuts bread perfectly.
I'm all set .
The 8 and 5 inch kitchen knives were a suggestion from a friend who's a chef. He seems to have hit the nail on the head.
I'm all set .
The 8 and 5 inch kitchen knives were a suggestion from a friend who's a chef. He seems to have hit the nail on the head.
Originally Posted by dave123
Wusthof classic the last knives you will ever have to buy.
Mom bought her set 4 years ago and loves it.
She bought future miss wifey and I a set for Christmas too. (This is the best time to buy knives btw.)
Wusthof classic the last knives you will ever have to buy.
Mom bought her set 4 years ago and loves it.
She bought future miss wifey and I a set for Christmas too. (This is the best time to buy knives btw.)
Well My wife bought a set of Cutco Knives 51 years ago. The paring knife they sharpened for free a couple times. We still have itj but also bought another one.
The rest are still razor sharp and the Cutco sharpener keeps it that way.
Yes..expensive, but you can't buy better.
The rest are still razor sharp and the Cutco sharpener keeps it that way.
Yes..expensive, but you can't buy better.
Originally Posted by Al
Well My wife bought a set of Cutco Knives 51
Yes..expensive, but you can't buy better.
You most certainly can... and cheaper too.
Well My wife bought a set of Cutco Knives 51
Yes..expensive, but you can't buy better.
You most certainly can... and cheaper too.
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Originally Posted by Mykl
Are electric sharpeners generally worth their weight?
I bought this for my knives:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UGUNFM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I won't ever be without an electric sharpener! This thing puts such a fantastic edge on the knife that even cheaper knives come out incredible. Well worth the money, IMO. Easy enough to use and the blade/edge holds up very well.
At this time, I am simply just using an Amazon Basics knife set and have absolutely no desire to buy more high end knives… I do a LOT of cooking as well, cutting/chopping daily and the blade glides through like butter. Makes me smile each time…
Are electric sharpeners generally worth their weight?
I bought this for my knives:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UGUNFM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I won't ever be without an electric sharpener! This thing puts such a fantastic edge on the knife that even cheaper knives come out incredible. Well worth the money, IMO. Easy enough to use and the blade/edge holds up very well.
At this time, I am simply just using an Amazon Basics knife set and have absolutely no desire to buy more high end knives… I do a LOT of cooking as well, cutting/chopping daily and the blade glides through like butter. Makes me smile each time…
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