Kitchen Knives
Mrs. Plaid wants a good set of kitchen knives. Cutting, pairing, and chopping. What should I be looking for in a good set of knives?
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We never had any problems with "Chicago Cutlery"! 0 -
quote:Originally posted by alledan
We never had any problems with "Chicago Cutlery"!
+1
We had some Farberware knives.....JUNK!
Tramonita knives are very nice, hold an edge really well and are decently priced.
I've only had a couple Chicago knives, but they have been good thus far.
Also..Kitchen aid knives are nice!0 -
Henckels $180 and well worth it! 0 -
get CUTCO! 0 -
Feel. One-piece forged preferrably BUT there are a few GREAT stamped knives like Forschner/Victorinox. Stay with stainless steel and dishwasher safe if possible. Carbon stell will always sharpen up better and easier but it stains terribly. Go with the low maintenance stainless instead.
Chicago Cutlery has good. basic knives with wooden handles that will give years of service. Wusthoff and Henckels are top-of-the-line and very expensive. Not recommended for the dishwasher.
I will tell you that dollar-for-dollar, the line of Forschner/Victorinox kitchen knives are truly excellent in the kitchen and their Fibrox handles are dishwasher-safe. They take a quick edge, hold it, have good balance and enough heft. And, they get the job done for a fraction of what the others will cost. You might be pleasantly surprised if you look more closely at their line of cutlery.
I have half a dozen Kyocera ceramics, a few Wusthoffs, a few Henckels, a Thiers-Issard carbon steel, a couple of Dexter-Russells, several Chicago Cutlery's and more than a few Forscher/Victorinox. Trust me when I tell you that price is NOT a good indicator of performance in the kitchen.0 -
Another vote for Tramonita. Also have Revereware that have lasted me 15+ years. Also when you store them in the block,put the back of the blade facing down so the sharp part is not touching anything..If that makes sense. Keeps the blades sharp by not cutting the wood every time you put them back.. 0 -
2 more votes for Henckels, my in-laws and I both have them and they are great knives. 0 -
Buy Wusthoff now, and you'll never buy another set of knives. 0 -
If you are in Britain, they have to have rounded tips. How's that for crime perversion?
We have a set of French steak knives, a present. The name escapes me.
Everything else is Cutco. Great customer service.0 -
Kershaw is now producing kitchen knives. They look really nice. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Slow_Hand
Feel. One-piece forged preferrably BUT there are a few GREAT stamped knives like Forschner/Victorinox. Stay with stainless steel and dishwasher safe if possible. Carbon stell will always sharpen up better and easier but it stains terribly. Go with the low maintenance stainless instead.
Chicago Cutlery has good. basic knives with wooden handles that will give years of service. Wusthoff and Henckels are top-of-the-line and very expensive. Not recommended for the dishwasher.
I will tell you that dollar-for-dollar, the line of Forschner/Victorinox kitchen knives are truly excellent in the kitchen and their Fibrox handles are dishwasher-safe. They take a quick edge, hold it, have good balance and enough heft. And, they get the job done for a fraction of what the others will cost. You might be pleasantly surprised if you look more closely at their line of cutlery.
I have half a dozen Kyocera ceramics, a few Wusthoffs, a few Henckels, a Thiers-Issard carbon steel, a couple of Dexter-Russells, several Chicago Cutlery's and more than a few Forscher/Victorinox. Trust me when I tell you that price is NOT a good indicator of performance in the kitchen.
I agree 100%, I own a restaurant and use Forschner's daily0 -
I'll also suggest Viking, but be prepared for sticker shock. Also, due remember you get what you pay for in the realm of kitchen knives. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Aspen79se
Buy Wusthoff now, and you'll never buy another set of knives.
+10 -
I worked for a meat purveyor and all the butcher's used Fauschner knives 0 -
I used to work as a cook in a pretty good restaurant.
I like the Wusthoff brand, but I'm a bit of a snob with respect to kitchen knives. Expect to spend at least $350 on a respectable kitchen set in this brand.
I've known a few people who claimed that Henckels is actually the same knife as Wusthoff under a different brand and at a (slightly) lower cost. That wouldn't surprise me. I've seen that brand used by other cooks I worked with and it seemed to perform just as well as the Wusthoffs that most of us snobs used.
Consumer reports rated Chicago Cutlery as the best value going, about ten years ago. I've never seen that brand used in a commercial kitchen, but have used it once or twice at friends' houses. It seems pretty good (and a whole lot cheaper than the two listed above), but I don't think the steel is as hard as a Wusthoff or Henckles. And they don't ship with as nice of an edge.
Edit: I'd forgotten Forschners until I read one of the posts above. I do remember that brand from the kitchen and it also performed well. It's not on the same level as the Wusthoff or Henckels, but it might be a much better value if cost matters. If the prices are comparable I'd take Forschners over Chicago Cutlery, any day.0 -
full tang, not cheap wood, other than that, just know good steel when you see it. I needed a good kitchen knife, picked up a really nice one from the goodwill (out of a pile of junk) first trip. 2 bucks. 
if you want a nice set... I couldn't say what brand. Benchmade makes kitchen knives too.
hey LocustFork! ya watching? picture from the other side.0 -
If price is no object- get Wustoff; If you can drop just a little and get a much lower price then F.Dick or Frederick Dick is the best deal. Course you could get a carving set from Randall. 0 -
I know there are a bunch of great knife brands out there now. I own Henckels and really like them. I would have a hard time giving them up. I have a friend that has Forschners and thinks they are great as well. 0 -
Right now I'd like to point out that the three names that have come up repeatedly are
Wusthoff
Henckels
Forschner
And if all of those are out of your budget, look at Chicago Cutlery.
When all else fails, as others have said, look for a full tang and stainless steel (I don't think it's so hard to hand-wash the knives, so I don't care if they're dishwasher-safe).
Edit (after pabooger and spider7115's posts, below): Let's add Cutco to that list of repeated mentions. I'd never heard of them before tonight but the several people here who've recommended them seem fanatical. I've looked at the Cutco website and still am very skeptical. But I've never touched a Cutco blade, I'm an admitted snob, and I might just be discounting the best blade ever to visit the planet. Or maybe not. I'd like to see one of these things in the 'flesh,' so to speak.0 -
THe finest knives in the world are Cutco!!!! Plain and simple!!!
But if you think, Wusthoff
Henckels
Forschner
Are expensive you can't afford Cutco!!!0 -
quote:Originally posted by pabooger
THe finest knives in the world are Cutco!!!! Plain and simple!!!
But if you think, Wusthoff
Henckels
Forschner
Are expensive you can't afford Cutco!!!
Made by the same company and in the same factory as KA-BAR!0 -
I guess it depends on what you have in mind for your knives? If you will be cutting raw meats stay away from anything with a serated edge. The ones I have "clog" with tissues.
Dont over look a way to sharpen them, I love my sharpening steel. I know if ya keep them sharp they work better. [:D]0 -
quote:The ones I have "clog" with tissues.
Then you have the wrong kind!!![:D]0 -
I like them little black plastic ones you get at Taco Bell [}:)][:D] 0 -
I have to jump in here and agree with the Cutco crowd. Excellent customer service, and great knives. Had mine since I got them (used) in 1984 or so. My mom has had hers since she got married in 1955. Just send them in, they get sharpened, polished and sent back. Break one somehow, they replace it. Even if you buy them used. But like someone else said, if you think that other stuff is expensive, you can't afford Cutco. (Not new, anyway) 0 -
I got a combination of Henkels and Kershaws, but working the sales at Smokey Mountain knife works http://www.eknifeworks.com In the end it cost less than $140. There was a tread yesterday about Old Hickory knives, they are also fine knives. 0 -
One other very important thing is that the handles on whatever brand of knives you gravitate towards fit your wife's hands (and yours if you cook) nicely and that she can easily hold onto them if her hands are wet or a little slimy as would be if she were cutting or trimming beef or pork.
Very often, folks will use a kitchen knife that has a handle which doesn't properly fit their hands and so they tend to grip it tighter and tighter, becoming quickly cramped or fatigued, losing any natural cutting stroke and possibly cutting themselves.
And I've found that a good set of kitchen knives may actually be comprised of several brands, each having a distinct advantage in one or more types or purposes.
Some of my knives have very flexible blades while others have rigidity and heft. Boning and filleting knives are two examples in which I have one of each style.
I have 6", 8", 10" and 12" chef's knives, again with each one used for different tasks. Truth-be-told, the 6" and the 8" get the most use. The French style of chef's knife is not designed for "rocking" through garlic and onion whereas the German style is. But the French style brings more straight blade length in contact with the cutting board for back and forth stroke type of cutting.
My long Granton-edged meat slicing knife compliments my serrated bread knife and my straight-edged carving knife - all of the same length.
Also,a good hefty cleaver is invaluable and they are very reasonably priced in the lesser brands, even those imported from China. Remember, you're hacking through bone, not peeling a peach.
Anyway, lots of great advice and recommendations throughout this thread. Have fun shopping for whatever knives you like.0 -
The only way I can afford Cutco is because I work there!!![:D] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Slow_Hand
One other very important thing is that the handles on whatever brand of knives you gravitate towards fit your wife's hands (and yours if you cook) nicely and that she can easily hold onto them if her hands are wet or a little slimy as would be if she were cutting or trimming beef or pork.
Very often, folks will use a kitchen knife that has a handle which doesn't properly fit their hands and so they tend to grip it tighter and tighter, becoming quickly cramped or fatigued, losing any natural cutting stroke and possibly cutting themselves.
And I've found that a good set of kitchen knives may actually be comprised of several brands, each having a distinct advantage in one or more types or purposes.
Some of my knives have very flexible blades while others have rigidity and heft. Boning and filleting knives are two examples in which I have one of each style.
I have 6", 8", 10" and 12" chef's knives, again with each one used for different tasks. Truth-be-told, the 6" and the 8" get the most use. The French style of chef's knife is not designed for "rocking" through garlic and onion whereas the German style is. But the French style brings more straight blade length in contact with the cutting board for back and forth stroke type of cutting.
My long Granton-edged meat slicing knife compliments my serrated bread knife and my straight-edged carving knife - all of the same length.
Also,a good hefty cleaver is invaluable and they are very reasonably priced in the lesser brands, even those imported from China. Remember, you're hacking through bone, not peeling a peach.
Anyway, lots of great advice and recommendations throughout this thread. Have fun shopping for whatever knives you like.
The Knife drawer.. Plenty of Variety here all sharp.0
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