First set of Kitchen knives?

[ShredLA]

Im not very knowledgeable about knives and the steel used, with that said I was hoping I could consult the group and see what set of kitchen knives would be a good purchase.. im somewhere in the $500 on the low end, and around $1,000.00 +- on the high end.

I saw some at williams and sonoma, from Shun but after reading multiple reviews it seems they are not really worth the price.

Looking for a set of knives that will last as well as retain a great edge.
Anybody care to point me in the right direction?

Also I am located in Rancho Cucamonga of there are any knife shops one may know.
-thanks

[sacrvrrat]

Wusthof, henkels, cutco or any of the other mid-high end brands will be just fine. Biggest thing is find something in your budget that has a handle that you like.

[Tronite]

Buy yourself a set of Cutco knives. They're made in AMERICA, have a lifetime guarantee, and are a great set of knives in their look, feel, and performance.

[Sutcliffe]

Great quality knives with cheap wooden handles, but cut very well and feature good quality stainless blades.

[sealocan]

Some of the higher end knives have budget lines made in China using their good name to fake you out. I believe Henckels does that.

Also some high end knife makers and their users feel it sacrilege to ever put them in a dish washing machine.

I'm not telling you what to do with your knives, just two more things to know about.

[mtenenhaus]

while i love the way a nice, extensive and expensive knife set looks...in my opinion a more utilitarian approach seems prudent. unless of course you have particular needs

choose 4 knives that you like and use and expand the set if you find you are lacking a particular type. For most of us a thousand dollar set probably isn't all that beneficial or required.

For me, a good chef's knife, a boning knife, a carving knife and a paring knife are our workhorses. If you like to bake, then a nice bread knife perhaps.

If you are a meat eater, a set of steak knives

i just did a little search and came up with very similar conclusions to those advocated in this article (total cost $215 without tax or shipping): http://www.epicurious.com/archive/ki...entials/knives

[flyer898]

I bought this set as a housewarming present for my son. Solingen steel and forged. The same brand appears on stamped blade knives - these are not stamped. This set should last a lifetime.
Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I would never put good knives in a dishwasher - they are hand washed and dried immediately after use.

[rcslotcar]

Cutco

[Win231]

The knives I've been using extensive for the past three years still look & work like they did when they were new & I'm still amazed at the price. I've been using the Chef's & three of the paring knives:

"Mercer." Amazon has them. I prefer the rubberized grips.

[Snuffleupagus]

Buy individual Japanese knives. Start with a gyuto (chef knife) and a paring knife.

Tojiro is a good and inexpensive brand.

[slamfire1]

Buy individual Japanese knives. Start with a gyuto (chef knife) and a paring knife.

I think this is sound advice. I bought most of my Japanese kitchen knives from Worldknives.com but an examination of their web page shows they have stopped carrying Japanese kitchen knives. I looked at ebay and there are hundreds of Japanese kitchen knives. Even though my Japanese kitchen knives are all by different makers, as a general rule, they are superior to what anyone else is making. When I use a Japanese knife, it is my opinion that the little features the Japanese have added to the design make for superior knives, and are well thought out. Japanese knives are quite specialized, they must carry a big roll of knives into the kitchen, but each are excellent in the job they do.

This Japanese cleaver is a steal. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Full-Tan...item48555d4b29 I bought a couple, gave a couple away as gifts. This is a very useful knife pattern.

[omgwtfbbq]

If you can afford them, nothing beats a set of Victorinox kitchen knives.

[EXTREMEOPS1]

Get a nice set of Global knives you won't regret it You can buy a nice global block set for the price quoted at "Sur la Table " I have had mine for over 20 years

[Librarian]

Originally Posted by omgwtfbbq

If you can afford them, nothing beats a set of Victorinox kitchen knives.

Originally Posted by EXTREMEOPS1

Get a nice set of Global knives you won't regret it You can buy a nice global block set for the price quoted at "Sur la Table " I have had mine for over 20 years

Good choices, both.

But, like handguns, you really need to handle them to see how they fit. For example, I like the 'D' handles on many Japanese knives, but some people do not. And they make a knife 'handed' left or right.

I looked at/handled Globals - didn't like the handles.

Read around a bit for knife reviews; I like http://www.bestchefknifereviews.com/...panese-knives/ though it's a bit superficial; somewhat deeper is http://www.zknives.com/knives/kitche...stvsjapn.shtml

There are also rather polarized reviews ...

[castgold]

I have about $6K in kitchen knives and after using them all for food prep and processing whole fish and poultry, the sizes I use the most are the 5" petty and 8" chef's knife.

The brands I own or have owned are Henkels, Victorniox, Cutco, Harbor Freight ceramic, Bubba Blade, Global, Matsumoto (Kyoto), and Aritsugu (Kyoto). I'd definitely get a pair of Cutco shears, as they are very handy. Of the brands I own, I always suggest the Global to just about everyone. They hold an edge well, sharpen easily, and don't rust easily. A petty is good for quick things or working around bones, and a gyotou or santoku are good for general meat and vegetables to cut and shovel. If you are cutting sashimi and want to get good lines for presentation, a long 12-14" yanagi, sujihiki or takobiki will work well.

I'd start with a small knife and a mid size knife first, which can handle about 70-90% of what most people need to cut, and you can get that setup for $500 going Global.

[Librarian]

This thread is now the KITCHEN KNIFE STICKY!

Prior threads:
- http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s....php?t=1268115

- http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s....php?t=1243116

All contributions - opinions, use stories, your choice(s), places to buy - are on topic.

Manufacturer's web sites*:

Global - http://global-knife.com/

Henckels - http://www.zwillingonline.com/jhein1.html

Wusthof - http://www.wusthof.com/

Sabatier - http://www.sabatier-shop.com/

Victorinix - https://www.swissknifeshop.com/shop/kitchen

Cutco - https://www.cutco.com/

Shun - https://shun.kaiusaltd.com/knives

Mercer - http://mercerculinary.com/

Tojiro (sales site) - http://www.hocho-knife.com/tojiro/ (the Hocho-knife site has a lot of Japanese manufactured knives - see the list on the left margin)

* or, possibly, prominent sales sites that might not be the manufacturer. Hard to tell, sometimes.

[71MUSTY]

Originally Posted by Tronite

Buy yourself a set of Cutco knives. They're made in AMERICA, have a lifetime guarantee, and are a great set of knives in their look, feel, and performance.

No way, My Cutco's are way too sharp. I'm lucky to have fingers left.


Actually I still don't regret buying them even if I do nick myself from time to time.

[Snuffleupagus]

Another reason I like Tojiro is they have inexpensive Japanese carbon steel knives.

I normally use Grizzly paper wheels attached to a bench grinder to sharpen my blades.

I've started to use stones to hand sharpen my knives because Japanese bevel angles are asymmetrical. The angle is not even on both sides like European cutlery. Carbon steel is easy to sharpen. I chose a cheaper knife to get used to hand sharpening.

[jeffrice6]

When we got married we looked at all the knives ~ For price, quality, and a uniform set (wife OCD) we went with the wusthof Classic set.....

Pretty happy & decent steel! If it was just me, I'd own the perfect (for me) knife of any manufacture for any given task.

[fawndog]

Originally Posted by ShredLA

Im not very knowledgeable about knives and the steel used, with that said I was hoping I could consult the group and see what set of kitchen knives would be a good purchase.. im somewhere in the $500 on the low end, and around $1,000.00 +- on the high end.

I saw some at williams and sonoma, from Shun but after reading multiple reviews it seems they are not really worth the price.

Looking for a set of knives that will last as well as retain a great edge.
Anybody care to point me in the right direction?

Also I am located in Rancho Cucamonga of there are any knife shops one may know.
-thanks

First I'd buy a set of Henkels, and after your wife/girlfriend uses them on marble or plates then
graduate to Japanese.

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

Buy individual Japanese knives. Start with a gyuto (chef knife) and a paring knife.

Tojiro is a good and inexpensive brand.

[omgwtfbbq]

Originally Posted by omgwtfbbq

If you can afford them, nothing beats a set of Victorinox kitchen knives.

As an addendum, of the Victorinox knives, I like the Fibrox line best. They aren't super showy with basic black nylon handles, but they feel great in the hand, and are damn-near indestructible.

I worked in food service at a up-scale supermarket for a few years while in school and I loved them. Had a good friend who worked in the meat department there as a butcher who had a full butcher's set from them and he also swore by them.

[Archon_g24]

In hindsight, I would not have purchased a set of Globals.

I now use one knife daily: A Henckels 8" forged chef's knife.

Learn to maintain the edge and it will do everything you need.

I DO break out the Global slicing knife for carving turkey or ham since the thinner blade works well for that.

[Satex]

Some suggestions: Don't go all out on a set, most likely that you will find that you use only a few knifes that you like. Find a smaller set with the basic knife types sold with a bigger knife block (i.e. open slots). Over time - add one knife at a time based on what you learn you like. We have A Victorinox set that we purchased for < $300 that is great and we have added a few to it.

[randomBytes]

I have a bunch of wustorf knives - the good ones with full tang and bolster.
The 6" chief would be my preferred one.

As others said, handle before you buy.

I've seen some other knives that looked good and were decent quality but just didn't feel right in the hand.

[Fergi_B_Good]

I have a set of Globals...they're very well balanced and very, very sharp.

[naeco81]

I have a set of Wusthof Classic and they're excellent. If you're interested in their lineup take a look at the Ikon as well. Some people prefer the more ergonomic Ikon handles, but unless you're using them extensively (for long hours like in a professional kitchen) I find the better balance of the Classic's to be more enjoyable. One other thing to pay attention to between these options is the difference in bolster. Classic has a full bolster, Ikon does not. That makes the Ikon a bit easier to sharpen & lends some advantage to certain intricate work. Those weren't important to me, but if you're going to make origami out of some produce it might matter to you.

I would stay away from Cutco personally. It's mostly a MLM success story.
As others said, you should handle the knives personally to find what you like.
Also, buying a huge set is probably worthless because you'll really only use 3-4 knives regularly. If you find you need a knife you don't have, you can always add that to your collection later. Proper steak knives from one of these brands is a good idea though.

You mentioned retaining the edge; while these premium brands will be very sharp to start, they will all need sharpening. Some folks are really into that process too, with whetstones and such, but I wanted something simple and convenient so I researched the best electric sharpeners. Most of the brands will sell accessories that aren't up to their primary product reputation (i.e. Le Crueset makes some of the best dutch ovens but sources various branded kitchen accessories from China that aren't great), but the Wusthof electric sharpener is made by Chef's Choice - the very same model I dug up through my research on sharpeners & it works quite well.

Don't throw your knives in the dishwasher, please.

[Redneck Geek]

The best knife for you is the one that fits your hand and that you can safely use. You probably won't use an uncomfortable knife, and it certainly won't be as safe. Like lots have said, don't buy a set; most of it is useless.

My choice is Henckles. Make sure you get the German-made and you won't go wrong.

[iron330]

Victorinox fibrox. Tremendous value.

[Veyles]

It really depends on what/how much you cook. I went to Sure La Table and tried a bunch of knives and wound up buying Miyabi 8" and 6" chefs knife, 1 paring knife and a nice whetstone stone 1000/4000 grit. You get a bunch of extra knives you'll never really use when buying sets. There are also universal knife blocks or you can buy blade guards and toss them in a drawer. You can buy these knives and a knife block for well under 500$

Ive had these same knives for well over 5 years and will easily have them for another 5. I cook a lot pretty much every day and am still very happy with my Miyabi.

[Coolguy101]

I worked in a cutlery shop for a couple of years, so I learned a bit more about kitchen knives than the average person. I took advantage of my employee discount while I worked there, and got a set of Henckels Four Star kitchen knives. My parents got a set of the Wusthof Classic knives.

We've both owned our sets for over 25 years now, so I feel that I can say they were worth every penny. I've only had my knives professionally sharpened one time, as I was always able to maintain the edges myself with the ceramic crock sticks for about 20 years, but finally needed the edges re-done.

My $.02:

Definitely forged, especially Henckels and Wusthof. Made in Germany, not their "international" ones. I've owned stamped versions from both brands, and they just don't last as long as the forged knives, so I would avoid all stamped knife sets in general. In over 25 years, I've never had to replace a knife except for the stamped version. In each case, I replaced my stamped steel knife with a forged one, and that was last time I bought a knife.

Victorinox is good too, but again I prefer their forged over their stamped lines.

Mundial forged knives are a great knife that fly under the radar because they are made in Brazil. Great quality for the price.

Stay away from sets that has all the blades serrated (like Cutco used to). A serrated blade isn't appropriate for many if not most tasks.

Apply the same logic as buying optics for firearms: buy once, cry once. A good quality set will last you a lifetime.

[downdiver2]

Ive had shun knives (Set) for about 7 years now and they are great! You have to keep the sharp - as you do any knife, but the quality is there. My $0.02.

My scissors (Bolt) were coming loose and I sent the to the factory, they sharpened them and returned them for zero costs to me. I did this last year - so it was 6 years old. No questions asked, no costs - good customer service.

[Archon_g24]

I'd skip the set and get a good chef's knife and learn how to keep it sharp to start off. You can add specialty knives later.

Also get a pair of kitchen shears that come apart to clean.

That'll cover 90% of your cutting needs.

I recently added this to my collection:
http://www.zwillingonline.com/38401203.html

[NYT]

cutco is stamped crap and their service is god awful. i swapped my cutco shears for kershaw awhile ago but the cutco shears are their best product.

i have shun but i am meticulous with my knives. not many people are as anal as i so i dont recommend them unless i know how they are in a kitchen.

for something in the $500-1k range, i would just skip the set and instead, go with a few quality blades and learn to use them.

https://www.knifemerchant.com/produc...oductLine=1097

the minonokuni ume line is excellent but you have to take care of them, clean them right and obviously not throw them in the dishwasher. if you plan to just use them as you would your utensils, get something cheap like cutco.

[Coolguy101]

As someone mentioned above, you really only need about 4 knives, but I like having the block set (with empty slots available) as its convenient for storage (holds shears as well as a cleaver, which I DO use from time to time), and I had the room to add a couple of knives over the years based on preference.

My wife prefers to use a Santoku style chef knive vs. a more traditional chef knife, and I prefer the latter. I also added a birds beak paring knife to the set.
I use it, but she doesn't. So having room to grow in order to accommodate more than one person's preferences can be key.

[NYT]

blocks are bad news. there was a study a few years ago that found knife blocks in homes harbored more bacteria than the bathroom floor.

[GlockN'Roll]

Get a good set of Henckels Twins.


https://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-J-He...henckel+knives

https://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-J-He...A1S6914ST7IGDS

The are often on sale at places like Macy's at prices below Costco road shows...

They made my wife a believer.

[deckhandmike]

I got a set of global that anyone in the family can use. I find the globals to be very easy to use and forgiving if used with poor technique. The one off Japanese knives are forbidden. If it has a wooden handle you don't get to use it.

This is the reason I suggest you get a basic set to have laying around. If you go all high end Japanese knives you can't let anyone touch them as they take certain care and technique.

Don't get a big set, most knives you don't really need. My globals are a petty, utility, santoko, bread knife, chefs knife and honing steel. It's a perfect starter set I got on sale for like 300$.

One thing about really nice high end knives is that they hi light your poor technique. I got thousands of hours professionally cutting fish and I was kinda surprised when I felt how much roll I had to my cutting. These nicer knives are fragile and I have a few that I'm kinda taking it slow and working my confidence up.

[deckhandmike]

Originally Posted by omgwtfbbq

As an addendum, of the Victorinox knives, I like the Fibrox line best. They aren't super showy with basic black nylon handles, but they feel great in the hand, and are damn-near indestructible.

I worked in food service at a up-scale supermarket for a few years while in school and I loved them. Had a good friend who worked in the meat department there as a butcher who had a full butcher's set from them and he also swore by them.

I've used and abused these for years professionally and the ones from the boat a decade later are still in my kitchen. They are not pretty but damn functional. They only got retired since they were so ugly and didn't look good displayed in my new kitchen.

[Coolguy101]

^^^ Meat cutters aka butchers use Forschner knives, which are made by Victorinox. They used to say just Forschner on the blade, but now they advertise them under the Victorinox label to get better market share from the brand recognition.

They are great stamped steel knives, and butchers use them for a reason - durable, reliable, and hold an edge but are also easy to sharpen quickly. Being stamped steel, the blades are thin, which is conducive to the task they are performing - cutting meat or fish.

[L84CABO]

95% of what most people cut can/will be done with:

8" Chef Knife
5" or 6" medium sized knife

If you have limited funds, that's where I would spend my money. Whatever else you need will likely be used very infrequently. And you could easily get by with buying a much cheaper specialty knife. Or if there is another specialty knife that you need/use a lot, you can certainly buy a third knife of higher quality.

My point is that most people generally don't need all the knives that come in large sets. Although there is usually some pretty decent savings in buying sets...except it may not really be a savings if the knives just sit there and you never use them. Think about your needs carefully and buy accordingly.