Kitchen Knives

[GigaBuist]

Anybody here have some solid recommendations on getting some quality kitchen knives?  I see that Cold Steel makes a set but I don't know if they're of the same quality that their other knives are.

Looking to spend about $300-ish on a total set.

[Hutch]

I have an old set of Gerber Balance Plus.  Okay kives.  I inherited a set of Henckels 4-start, a very good set.  I currently use a set of Cutco my wife bought from a door-to-door salesman.  Start out GREAT, then become fair/okay with use. I can send the Cutco back to be sharpened, but I just haven't.

[erictank]

Dad gave me a set of Henckels for Christmas a couple of years ago - don't remember the name of the set off hand, but the kitchen knives - large carving and bread knives, med. carving knife, small carving and paring knives, plus sharpening steel - came with black handles and were set in a wooden butcher's block (I think that's what it's called), and the steak knives (six one-piece milled steel knives, ~4" serrated blades) have their own separate, smaller block.  I love 'em.

[dogmush]

Another vote for J.A. Henckles, Great stuff.

How much do you want to spend?

My set cost me about $400, and they're awesome.  I'v also seen some sets in Target in the $80 range that looked OK.

This collection will set you up well for years to come.

[Monkeyleg]

We also have a Henckels knife. It was a prop from a photo shoot, and is a 6" chef's knife. Cost was over $30 for one knife, which is why we only have one.

Great knife. Good balance, and stays extremely sharp.

[209]

In a former life, I sold housewares and grew up around a bunch of professional chefs so I was in kitchens a lot.

Henckels are good.  Get the carbon steel blades with straight edges (Classic was the line I recommended back then- they may have introduced another line with the same blades).  Their cheaper serrated stuff lasts well, but in the long run, their top of the line stuff lasts longer and holds up better.  If you treat them right, your kids and grandkids will have them.

Wusthof is comparable to Henckels.  Most of what I said above applies to them as well.

I have some knives that were sold by Victorinox under the name of RH Forschner Co.  Another carbon steel blade with a straight edge.  They have stood up to more than 35 years of use.  They are great knives.

Interestingly enough, the best bread knife I found is marketed by Betty Crocker.  It's made by Diamond Edge Cutlery.  I've had it for about 20 years now.  We only use it on bread and it still cuts like new.  That one is a serrated stainless steel blade.

If you plan on treating them extremely well, look at some of the better ceramic blade knifes.  Those things are awesome... and very sharp.  They'll cut through the back of your finger and sever a tendon with no problem at all.  You won't even know you did it, until the customer points out you are bleeding all over the floor.  

[GigaBuist]

How much do you want to spend?

I figure about $300.  They're not for me, they're for my mom.  We were over at her house the other weekend and my wife noticed that her knives all sucked pretty bad.  She probably got them 20 years ago I bet.

Figured I should get her a good set.  And since I hang around a bunch of gun and knife nuts I could probably get some good advise on what's actually good quality.

[SADShooter]

I have a set of Henckels 4 Star that I love. America's Test Kitchen recommends a lot of Forschner models as 209 suggests, which are a balance between quality and price.

[Northwoods]

My wife grew up with her mom using Henkels.  It's all we've used since we got married.  I got a set for my sister when she bought her house.  She is thrilled with them.  Your mom will never use any other knives after she gets used to a set of Henkels.

[Jamisjockey]

I have a set of Pampered Chef knives and love 'em.

[brimic]

Henckels or Spyderco.

[MillCreek]

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11544405&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|89|56625&N=4017663&Mo=5&No=0&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=54920&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

I have heard several people speak highly of this set.

[Tuco]

If you go with Henckels, go check out the professional ones at the "Butler Pantry" in Sugatuck

A MUCH better item than the Henckles items sold at Target, etal.

[Marnoot]

Yes, Henckels has a few lines. They have their excellent high quality lines, and they have some cheaper Chinese (or somewhere similar) made knives that just happen to bear their name.

[charby]

I have collection of Chicago Cutlery that I put together in pieces. Mine are the forged carbon steel ones and they hold an edge forever. I can bone out two deer just using the boning knife and not have to sharpen the knife during the process.

This is close to what I have

[BrokenPaw]

If you act fast, there's a 7-piece set of Shun knives in a bamboo block, for $350 on woot.com.

I have several Shun knives, and I love them to death; the 9" Santoku and the Chef's knife are my two go-to knives.

[Azrael256]

Definitely be careful which line you buy.  I have a couple of Wusthof knives (the starter set with a chef's knife and a paring knife. It can be had for around $100) that I love.  They also sell a line called "Wusthof International" that are rather enticing when you see the ad because they're so cheap, but they're just that... Stamped knives, not the nice forged ones.

[sanglant]

if looks don't matter there are these. if you really want something nice, lurk here.

[Tuco]

+1 on Chicago Cutlery
I remember a couple of CC knives in the house I lived in while at college. 
The knives were older than anyone in the place.

They were well balanced and after meeting the stone, DID hold a nice edge

[zxcvbob]

The best stamped knives are R.H. Forschner (sometimes branded Victorinox), but Russell-Dexter "Sanisafe" and that Brazilian knife company (Tramontina?) are almost as good and are real bargains.  If you want forged knives, look for F. Dick.

Best place to buy is open stock at a local butcher's supply store or restaurant supply store.  Sam's Club sells the Tramontina(?) knives under their own brand "Bakers and Chefs" now for ridiculously low prices.  I bought a pair of their Santoku knives a couple of years ago and kept one for myself and gave the other to my daughter.  Mine is still scary sharp (not as sharp as when it was new) even though it gets used a lot; I just steel it occasionally to dress the edge.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i've got double stacked mechanics tool box filled with knives and kitchen toys.  all of the above in it and they are some good knives.  this is the best i've ever used

http://www.fdick-cutlery.com/

order of magnitude better at taking and holding edge

http://www.125west.com/p-3484-fdick-premier-plus-wales-set.aspx   find a pawn shop near a culinary school   i got mine for 125   school in baltimore issues em to all students

[Ryan in Maine]

Building a set is the way to go.

Old Hickory. 1095 steel.
Shun (Onion series). VG-10 steel.
Fallkniven (K series). VG-10 steel.
Boker (Gorm series). 440C steel.

Throw in an easy to use sharpener.

I recommend Old Hickory for hard use blades. You might have to put a proper grind/edge on them when you get them, but that sets you up for life. In my opinion, for the price, a little elbow grease is a no big deal.

One or two high performance blades from Shun, Fallkniven, or Boker are good investments. Look for great all around utility characteristics.

Just my opinion. I've found that building your own set always works best.

P.S. Also, if your experience here mirrors mine, your mum will not care as much as you do. My mum and my grandmum don't even like sharp knives. They prefer cheap, stainless, serrated blades that I generally think are junkers. When I explained that sharp knives are safer to use, they disagreed and/or ignored me! ha ha So watch out for that!

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

I use Wusthof classics.  Any of the top tier forged knives work well, though.  It's just a matter of finding the ones that fit your hand well.

If they're for yer mum, it's probably best to take her to the store and let her try out a bunch in her own hands.

[lupinus]

Henckles is good stuff. I personally have a set of K Sabatier knives that are nice. Shun and various others make Japanese steel/style knives that are the in thing right now. Very nice stuff.

First though, give a ride to a local restaurant supply shop and see what they have in stock. Like so many things, you will get good quality stuff at "industry" rates. They will often have basic kitchen knives, the type with molded handles made to be used and abused by kitchen staff. Generally reasonable quality as a spare set of knives. But they will also normally have a few higher end stuff at good prices. My local supply shops carry great knives far below "kitchen store" prices. Little more then internet but well worth it to see how they feel in the hand first and support a local business.

Save money by sticking to what you will need and use most and that will work as multi tasking. Rather then a 6 8 and 12 inch chefs knife for example, get an 8 or a 10. For most people, it's a good size for everything. Get yourself a good boning knife, a good slicing/carving knife, a good bread knife, and a good paring knife. With those five you can do damn near every kitchen task the home cook will do.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Henckles is good stuff. I personally have a set of K Sabatier knives that are nice. Shun and various others make Japanese steel/style knives that are the in thing right now. Very nice stuff.

First though, give a ride to a local restaurant supply shop and see what they have in stock. Like so many things, you will get good quality stuff at "industry" rates. They will often have basic kitchen knives, the type with molded handles made to be used and abused by kitchen staff. Generally reasonable quality as a spare set of knives. But they will also normally have a few higher end stuff at good prices. My local supply shops carry great knives far below "kitchen store" prices. Little more then internet but well worth it to see how they feel in the hand first and support a local business.

Save money by sticking to what you will need and use most and that will work as multi tasking. Rather then a 6 8 and 12 inch chefs knife for example, get an 8 or a 10. For most people, it's a good size for everything. Get yourself a good boning knife, a good slicing/carving knife, a good bread knife, and a good paring knife. With those five you can do damn near every kitchen task the home cook will do.

QFT  you can do 99.9 percent of what a hotel chef does