First set of Kitchen knives?

[dp2k11]

20171117_185137.jpg

just arrived 8 inch Miyabi... I cook for a living and these knives are being used daily, i rotate them so i dont beat them up as quick

[Oxnard_Montalvo]

If you want more of a conversation piece you can get/give the 'ex' knife set this festivus season :

https://www.amazon.com/EX-Kitchen-Knife-Set-Black/dp/B004JHXO6M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511741288&sr=8-1&keywords=the+ex+knife+holder

it will DEFIANTLY start conversations...

[9mmrevolver]

[ENTHUSIAST]

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.

...

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.

[HUTCH 7.62]

Cutco, Made in America. The butcher knife is my all time favorite

[Gooseman]

I was looking at the Buck kitchen knives.... What do you guys think?

https://www.buckknives.com/product/13-piece-cutlery-set/0938FAM01/

[Satex]

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

Victorinox often gets overlooked by the knife snobs. I have a set and I am very pleased with them. Unlike the Shun owners, I don't sharpen them 4 times a day and fondle them another 3 hours every day to keep them in good shape.

To the OP, get a knife block that has a few knives and a number of open slots. Then over time expand the set to knives you actually need. A good starting point is a Chef's knife, Utility knife, paring knife, and a carving/bread knife.

https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Swiss-Classic-15-Piece-Cutlery/dp/B005LRYSOQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1525558503&sr=8-4&keywords=victorinox+knife+set

[jdben92883]

Williams Sonoma is nice in that they have a lot of things in stock most other stores don't. But they are quite overpriced. I bought a "$3000" Shun Kaji 15+/- piece set on eBay for $1400 minus some incentives that I don't remember. I sold several of the pieces back to eBay and ended up with a nice set for around $800. Not everyone would want to go through the hassle I did. I agree that Shun MSRP is a joke.

With that said, you simply can't claim that Global's CROMOVA or Henkel's X50CrMoV15 is remotely comparable to the Kaji's SG-2 steel. That's saying a Kershaw SV30 flipper compares to a Reate M390 blade. It's not being a Shun fanboy, it's knowing what goes into a good knife. Have no idea what it means to "have to sharpen a Shun 4 times a day".

Part of what you need to decide is if you want a Euro angle or Japanese. The Kaji's are much more fragile than Henkels I've had in the past, but they hold a great edge and it's easy to get them paper-cutting sharp.

[deckhandmike]

Williams Sonoma is nice in that they have a lot of things in stock most other stores don't. But they are quite overpriced. I bought a "$3000" Shun Kaji 15+/- piece set on eBay for $1400 minus some incentives that I don't remember. I sold several of the pieces back to eBay and ended up with a nice set for around $800. Not everyone would want to go through the hassle I did. I agree that Shun MSRP is a joke.

With that said, you simply can't claim that Global's CROMOVA or Henkel's X50CrMoV15 is remotely comparable to the Kaji's SG-2 steel. That's saying a Kershaw SV30 flipper compares to a Reate M390 blade. It's not being a Shun fanboy, it's knowing what goes into a good knife. Have no idea what it means to "have to sharpen a Shun 4 times a day".

Part of what you need to decide is if you want a Euro angle or Japanese. The Kaji's are much more fragile than Henkels I've had in the past, but they hold a great edge and it's easy to get them paper-cutting sharp.

While I agree the high end Shun are better quality than say a global I find I need a mix of both knives. Beating on a Shun is going to cause breakage compared to a global. For veggies I use my Shun for breaking apart meat with bones I use my globals.

[Khromo]

I've been sharpening knives for folks to get my chops up and to put favors in the bank, and I noticed something.

When some one drops off their knives, you can look at the handles and immediately tell which ones have been used, and which haven't. The shiny handles were in service every day, and the handles with the less glossy finish hadn't been used that much.

I put a 30x scope on the edges to see where the angles are before I start grinding away, and it confirmed what the handles suggest. Some people used different knives here and there, but there was a very clear trend.

Almost everybody used their 3 1/2" paring knives a lot! The edges were usually the most worn.

There was a 6" to 8" "food processor" with some serious use as well. A lot of sets with a 6" chef and an 8" chef had heavy wear on one, not so much on the other. I got the idea that more people were using the 6" chef than the 8", but not that many. Almost everybody with a 7" Santoku brought them in very, very well used. I think 7" is a handy size for most folks who aren't waving a knife around all day, and the knuckle clearance is a beautiful thing once you learn to appreciate it.

The 5" utility knife seemed to get a lot of use. I think it does a lot of different jobs in the kitchen, and people seemed to like to use the shorter knives.

Bread knives got some use.

Boners not so much. Same with long carving knives. I get the idea folks are not boning out turkeys or carving big roasts very often.

When I bought my wife new knives, I watched her for a while, and I knew what she liked to use from sharpening her knives, so I bought her:

Two 3 1/2" paring knives
A 5" utility knife
A 7" Santoku
A 9" (?) bread knife

She dulls out a paring knife in half the time she dulls out anything else, so two parers it is. When I had almost thirty-year-old Burgvogels with thick blades, big bolsters, and blocky handles, she used the 6" chef to process food rather than the 8" chef, which is a handful. With the slightly lighter Santoku, she uses the 7" blade comfortably.

[Air]

My neighbor recently had a yard sale and was selling off some of his father in laws stuff who recently passed. Picked up an almost complete set of German Wusthoff's for 10 bucks. MAJOR SCORE. They replaced the cheap-a** knives I have at my cabin that I bought from Sportsman's Guide.

[SactoDoug]

I found this video very educational on kitchen knives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO35cdWL1MQ

// Copied from a different thread - nice find!
//
// Librarian

[BonnieB]

I have a set of Henkels Four Star kitchen knives, I've had them for 40 years. Every year or two, I have them professionally sharpened, and just use a steel on 'em between times. I got the best that Henkels made at the time, The Four Stars, well worth the money.

Nowdays, Henkel makes several grades. Buy the best you can afford, and there's no shame in saving up to buy one knife at a time, every few months. Remember, this is an INVESTMENT, so buy the very best you can. (Tell your family this is what you want for Christmas and Birthdays. Really.) Forget the sexy looking ones and you don't need Damascus steel to cut vegetables. I know this won't be a popular opinion, but don't get tied up in where the knife is made. Not everything made in the usa is world-class, sorry guys. Do NOT buy anything Walmart sells.

Go to Bed Bath and Beyond and get the staff to let you handle some of the knives they have there. Remember, if it doesn't feel good in your hand, it's not the one for you. Just like guns...

I use my 6" and 9" french (or chef's) knives most of the time. My 10" IKEA serrated knife comes in third. (Don't invest big money on a serrated knife, they cost a fortune to have sharpened, it's better to buy a medium grade new one.)

I have other Henkels knives I use occasionally, like a serrated tomato knife. I'm really hard on paring knives, so I gave up buying expensive ones and use an Ikea 4" Vorda https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10289265/.

If I could only have ONE kitchen knife, it would be my Henkels 6" french knife. https://www.zwillingonline.com/31071160.html

While you're collecting your really GOOD knives, make do with Ikea kitchen knives, like the Vorda. They might not last for 40 years (I don't know) but they are SHARP and have a solid grip. I've had two Vorda paring knives for two years and haven't had to sharpen them, not even had to take a steel to them.

If you're not used to quality knives, here's a couple thoughts.

• Keep them in a knife block, protect those edges at any cost. I don't like the magnetic strips, because I've dropped a knife using the mag strips more than once, scaring myself to death.
  
• Only ONE person in the household should sharpen the kitchen knives, or steel them. Different people inevitably hold the sharpening tools at different angles and botch the edges.
  
• Dry your knives before putting them in the knife block. Invisible mold will build up in the slot if you don't, and, well, yuck!
  
• Be willing to have them professionally sharpened now and then. Raleys or BelAir will sharpen them free, the butchers do them just like their own knives.
• Don't EVER use a really sharp kitchen knife if you are barefoot. My sister severed the tendon in her big toe one summer night that way, had emergency surgery and wore a cast for 8 weeks. Put your dang shoes on!

[BonnieB]

For those wanting new, high quality kitchen knives, WILLIAMS SONOMA has a great kitchen knife sale going on today, May 29 thru May 31, I think. Wusthoff, Shun, etc, up to 70% off. And don't forget, Fathers' Day is coming.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/cutlery/cutlery-values-new/?cm_type=lnav

[Librarian]

From the "10" to 12" Chef's Knife Recommendations" thread, found a link that wound up here: https://www.thespruceeats.com/knives-cutlery-4162177

Lots of useful, short articles to read.