Knives

7,044 Views | 30 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by marco
rjwellman
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When my wife and I got married, one of our wedding presents was that standard sort-of-ok knife block with a bunch of knives we'll rarely use. I'm looking to upgrade my knives and only have a few really good ones. Depending on where you look, there's an infinite number of suggestions on which knives are really needed, where to spend on quality and where to go cheap, and various brands that meet the need.

Curious if anyone on here has gone the way of individual kitchen knife buying and what you like.
CTCBear
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Knives are 100% something you should feel before you buy. That being said, there are some great online shops that allow you to get great quality for much better pricing that the typical kitchen supply stores.

Couple of questions....

Do you know what style of knife you are looking for?
Do you know what style handle you like?
What brands have you tried and liked? Tried and didn't like?
Do you plan on sharpening these yourself, use a service, or prefer something with less maintenance?
What is your general price range?
Ashley Hodge
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Staff
I sold Cutco when I was in college and still using them daily 27 years later. Free sharpening and rust replacement guarantee that I have used multiple times. They will cost you some money but I definitely can vouch for how durable and quality the product is.
Ashley Hodge
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to follow up on the Cutco comment. We use the trimmer and petite carver almost every day (dang just those two are now $170). Still worth it but it was probably around $80 combined when I was peddling them.

https://www.cutco.com
CTCBear
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I know plenty of people who do enjoy their Cutco knives and have utilized their customer service numerous times.

Not the biggest fan of them however. They use pretty cheap steel (440A) that tends to be a little too soft. It comes in rather low on the Rockwell scale compared to other chef knives. While they can be very durable, they don't always perform as well as other knives.

Ive added a few links that have reviews and options for other good brands.

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/129/Chefs-Knives-Rated
http://www.knifeart.com/rockwell-hardness.html
http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/12/equipment-the-best-chefs-knives-gift-guide.html
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/
rjwellman
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CTCBear said:

Knives are 100% something you should feel before you buy. That being said, there are some great online shops that allow you to get great quality for much better pricing that the typical kitchen supply stores.

Couple of questions....

Do you know what style of knife you are looking for?
Do you know what style handle you like?
What brands have you tried and liked? Tried and didn't like?
Do you plan on sharpening these yourself, use a service, or prefer something with less maintenance?
What is your general price range?
Probably looking to pick up 1 or 2 chef's knives (8" and 10-12"). Maybe something Japanese instead of one of the chef's knives... A good serrated knife. And a paring knife.

Most of the knives I've used are the typical handle like a Henckels or Wusthof. Haven't tried any with more rounded like Shun, but am curious. Would like something that's comfortable for me or my wife.

Mainly tried the kind you'll find at Crate and Barrel or Sur la Table. Never really handled a high-quality knife.

I plan to sharpen on my own.

Haven't settled on a set range. I'm a firm believer in quality, so I'd rather buy something once and maintain it versus buying something, having it wear out, then replacing it.
CTCBear
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rjwellman said:


Probably looking to pick up 1 or 2 chef's knives (8" and 10-12"). Maybe something Japanese instead of one of the chef's knives... A good serrated knife. And a paring knife.

Most of the knives I've used are the typical handle like a Henckels or Wusthof. Haven't tried any with more rounded like Shun, but am curious. Would like something that's comfortable for me or my wife.

Mainly tried the kind you'll find at Crate and Barrel or Sur la Table. Never really handled a high-quality knife.

I plan to sharpen on my own.

Haven't settled on a set range. I'm a firm believer in quality, so I'd rather buy something once and maintain it versus buying something, having it wear out, then replacing it.
If you have a Sur La Table or William Sonoma near you, go there and try a few different styles out. They all have cutting boards and vegetables ready for you to play with.

If you are serious about more of a Japanese style, I would recommend the Chef Knives to Go site I listed above. Have great value and many different options.

Also, reddit.com/r/chefknives is a great subreddit for knives and questions.
cms186
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As a Chef, ive used Wusthof knives almost exclusively and i heartily recommend them, ive used a friends Global knives (they are the all in one piece knive with a rounded handle and i got a blister on my fore finger from the handle
CTCBear
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cms186 said:

As a Chef, ive used Wusthof knives almost exclusively and i heartily recommend them, ive used a friends Global knives (they are the all in one piece knive with a rounded handle and i got a blister on my fore finger from the handle
I love my Wusthof for 90% of the work I do....I enjoy Japanese for their precision with veggies and fish sometimes.

The only global ive enjoyed is their boning knife. That is the most flexible blade ive ever touched.

Where do you cook?
rjwellman
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cms186 said:

As a Chef, ive used Wusthof knives almost exclusively and i heartily recommend them, ive used a friends Global knives (they are the all in one piece knive with a rounded handle and i got a blister on my fore finger from the handle
I've never really liked the look of the Global knives.

I recently ran across these (https://www.misen.co/) and thought I'd give them a look.
CTCBear
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If you buy the Misen let me know how you like it.

It got rave reviews after their kickstarter, but they had to make a couple of changes for full commercialization.
cms186
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CTCBear said:

cms186 said:

As a Chef, ive used Wusthof knives almost exclusively and i heartily recommend them, ive used a friends Global knives (they are the all in one piece knive with a rounded handle and i got a blister on my fore finger from the handle
I love my Wusthof for 90% of the work I do....I enjoy Japanese for their precision with veggies and fish sometimes.

The only global ive enjoyed is their boning knife. That is the most flexible blade ive ever touched.

Where do you cook?
hotels mainly, im a Pastry Chef, for all purpose work, i love my Wusthof santoku knife:

deemus
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They really are not good looking knives like you may want. But I have been using Dexter knives to hack up my critters. I have four different ones, and they are good knives. They come sharp, and hold an edge well, and resharpen easily. But they have the white plastic handles that don't look right in a kitchen. My wife makes me keep them in my hunting gear.
rjwellman
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deemus said:

They really are not good looking knives like you may want. But I have been using Dexter knives to hack up my critters. I have four different ones, and they are good knives. They come sharp, and hold an edge well, and resharpen easily. But they have the white plastic handles that don't look right in a kitchen. My wife makes me keep them in my hunting gear.

Haha. I have a couple Dexter knives. One is a big slicer and the other is a boning knife. They're definitely nothing to look at! They stay in the drawer.
RebelT
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Posting to remind myself to come back and read this at some point. I've been looking for a good set myself.
Hubbs
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We received a full set of Cutco for our wedding and they are fine, but I don't think they hold an edge long. I have a Wusthof like the one above and it's a great knife. Also have a dexter that I use for trimming briskets...nothing to look, but stays sharp.
SoTexBear
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My go to is a Ken Onion designed Shun. Aside from that we have the Henckels set from Costco. Not great, but very good for the price. My favorite knife aside from the Shun was a Miyabi Kaizen little prep knife. I have no idea what happened to it.
RebelT
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I bought the "Awesome Chef's Knife" from Kenji's list of kitchen essentials.

I am going to use it when I cook tonight, but I can already say that I've owned a number of knives and handled dozens more in various professional kitchens, and this is, without question, the best feeling knife I've ever picked up. By a lot.

Hopefully it performs as well as it feels in my hand. I'll report back later.
RebelT
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Update:

It's even better than I expected.
rjwellman
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As a slight (not really, I guess) update, I ordered the Misen for a start. Should be shipping any day now and I'll post the most amateur thoughts ever once I get it.
ATXBear
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Got married a few years ago and started getting into the whole cooking thing and was in need of major knife upgrades. One of the first upgrades I made was a Shun Chefs Knife and it has been great for everyday use.
To me it's all about your grip preference (I prefer a classic grip with some brands and a modern with others). Then bought a Whustoff set of both Kitchen and Steak Knife's which I'm overall very pleased with. I hear a lot of debate between Whustoff and Henckel's which are both German and both are high quality. Before purchasing, I'd recommend spending some time at William Sonoma or Sur La Table on a Saturday and testing out anything you're interested in.
J.R.
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I'm a knife **** and have many. Knives are like pots and pans. You should buy individual pieces, not sets. To me, it's all about quality of edge i can get and feel in hand. Generally speaking, if you are into cooking you need : 8"-10" Chefs Knife, pairing knife, serrated knife, boning knife, slicing nice. A good Japanese knife that is scalloped is great, but not necessary.. Your chef knife is you go to, daily tool. Generally speaking a carbon steel knife will get a better edge, but will need more care. (keeping dry, no dishwasher, needs a whet stone for sharpening). A stainless knife is also good and requires less care. Again, the key is how it feels to you. I use a Bob Kramer (not cheap) which is carbon Steel with a wooden handle. Also, I just ordered a Swiss Army 8 inch Vicronox Chef's knife which America's Test Kitchen has rated as the best frugal knife on the market for 20 yrs. It's really , really sharp and about $45. It's a winner for those who don't want to break the bank.
rjwellman
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J.R. said:

I'm a knife **** and have many. Knives are like pots and pans. You should buy individual pieces, not sets. To me, it's all about quality of edge i can get and feel in hand. Generally speaking, if you are into cooking you need : 8"-10" Chefs Knife, pairing knife, serrated knife, boning knife, slicing nice. A good Japanese knife that is scalloped is great, but not necessary.. Your chef knife is you go to, daily tool. Generally speaking a carbon steel knife will get a better edge, but will need more care. (keeping dry, no dishwasher, needs a whet stone for sharpening). A stainless knife is also good and requires less care. Again, the key is how it feels to you. I use a Bob Kramer (not cheap) which is carbon Steel with a wooden handle. Also, I just ordered a Swiss Army 8 inch Vicronox Chef's knife which America's Test Kitchen has rated as the best frugal knife on the market for 20 yrs. It's really , really sharp and about $45. It's a winner for those who don't want to break the bank.
Heard good things about that Victorinox and have seen it in a few kitchens here and there. Got notification that my Misen knife is on the way. For $65, I'm hoping it's quite a steal.

Totally agree on not needing the set and wanting individuals. The set we got when we got married has so much waste.
CTCBear
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Which Bob Kramer do you have?
J.R.
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CTCBear said:

Which Bob Kramer do you have?
I have an 8" and 10" chefs from the carbon steel collection which is is partnership with Zwillig. A paring knife from that collection also. I also have an 8" Medji.
CTCBear
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Ive always been curious about the Zwilling made Kramer. Ive heard good things.
J.R.
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I really like the handle and the carbon steel. Sometimes hard to convince wife and kids not to leave them wet. I like them.
BaylorGrad&Dad
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I'm sorry to report that we have Henckel--steel is far to soft, won't stay sharp. I've been told that Wusthof uses a similar soft steel.

If I was buying today, I'd go Shun. Daughter has a small set, and they hold their edges much longer than Henckel.
AceThedic
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I like the Calphalon Contemporary line for minor jobs and sharing with my "don't really cook that much" family members who still like to chop veggies on plates and think paring knives are perfect for opening packages.

They're fairly cheap and can be tossed in the dishwasher and easily replaced and hold up well with an electric sharpener.

Tucked away in a drawer I keep my Wusthof Ikon knives which I love and don't let anyone touch. I use a parer, santoku, bread knife, and brisket slicer.

For me it's balanced really nicely and doesn't ever feel heavy or cumbersome.

You could always go to a BB&B and "try" some out, just by feel and heft alone. You'll get an idea of what you like and don't like. For example, my hand likes to cramp with traditional handles like on the picture of the santoku CMS posted. Just personal preference.
marco
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I had a roommate once who was a meat cutter at HEB. He had probably 3 knives at the house that were his go-to's. A 10" chef's knife, an 8" boning knife and a paring knife. All were fairly hard stainless. I don't think I ever saw him sharpen them, he'd just run them up and down a steel and then go to work. I'm pretty sure they were all from a restaurant supply type store. None of them were over 40 dollars I'm guessing. But he got years and years of service out of them.

All that to say that I have followed his lead when it comes to knives. Nothing expensive, nothing that I'd be afraid to let someone else put in their hands. I don't buy Snap-On tools, I buy CraftsMan, same sort of approach with knives. They're tools and a decent one will do just as well as the most expensive under most circumstances.
deemus
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The steel is key. I use mine almost every time I use them.
marco
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That's what I'm tombot. Whip it across the steel a few times and you're good to go. Just don't abuse the blade and it should stay sharp.
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