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]

Try the new opinels

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]

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

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.