Wife's tools? Need some kitchen knives. Good value?

[debo75]

I use Victorinox, Forschner, or F. **** mainly. Tramontina looks good but I haven't tried one personally.

For sharpening, if you have the technique down all you need is a sharpening steel and an Japanese water stone. Figure $50 for both of them.

I recommend the Spyderco Sharpmaker for people that just want something simple. It works well.

I REALLY don't recommend carbide sharpeners. They kinda-sorta work, but they chew through your knives.

 

[hdossett]

I have Wusthof classic kitchen knives. Pricy, but not tool truck pricy. What they don't tell you is that you don't need a 14 piece set to cook just about anything. I would say the number is closer to three to five:

- The paring knife is probably the most used knife in my kitchen.
- The second most used depending on your preference/skill level is either a chef's knife or a santoku. 10" or 9", respectively. It's nice to have one in the 7" range as well. But you can get by with a larger one. The chef is a versatile knife that with the right technique, is really all anyone needs. In fact, many line cooks have just one knife, and the chef is (usually) it. The santoku is more forgiving of technique, though, so if you're casual about that, it's the one for you. These are the most expensive knife you still buy. The Wusthof version is right around $100.
- Next, is the non essential tomato knife, or utility knife, about 5". Great for general slicing and is serrated.
- Also in the non essential but nice to have category, a bread knife. It's just nice to have one around.

Those are just food preparation knives. Only the first two need to be real high fallutin' brands, imo. And I didn't mention several other brands, because I doubt your wife needs a $300+ chefs knife. I like the Wusthof classics because they somewhat reasonably priced and very nice middle of the road offerings with good balance and a comfortable handle. They are one of the only styles that both my petite wife and I like the feel of.


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We also have the Wusthof. My goto knife is the Santoku. Very seldom use the Chef knife, but M loves it. They hold an edge very well. One thing I really like if the balance, they just feel good while holding them in your hand.
H

 

[rodsnratfinks]

So true. The balance is what sold me on them in the first place.

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[My Old Tools]

We have a set of Cutco probably 20+ years old. My wife called them a couple of weeks ago. They came to the house and sharpened them all, replaced two with broken tips, replaced one that was missing from the set, and traded our kitchen scissors for theirs because ours were loose. We bought one additional chopping knife. Otherwise, no charge.

 

[brum]

I have a Rada 5" santoku and 8" chef that are great for the price.

A victorinox 8" chef knife that is a great step up.

Steak knives are wusthof and are sharper than heck.

The rest of my knives are Shun. i received a lot as presents but I've really enjoyed them. I have the 8" chef, 5" santoku, paring knife, utility knife, hard shell fruit paring knife and the sharpening kit which has worked well for me.

The only other knife I would need is a bread knife which I'll pick up soon. If I buy anything else it'll be a filet or sashimi knife from a Japanese company.

 

[Adam.C]

Forget the knife. All you need is decent high carbon steel. Some prefer the non stainless steels.

The real key is learning to sharpen. You really must use a stone or maybe a belt sander. The little doohickey with the ceramic wheels is ****. I hone our knives just about every day on the unglazed bottom ring of any ceramic coffee cup. Beats the hell out of a steel.

I'd you can keep your knives sharp thru regular maintenance, they will stay sharp longer. Never put them in the dishwasher, or in the sink. Ours go from the cutting board, to the sink for a hand wash, then back in the block.

 

[d.mcfarland]

CASE! The same as the pocket knives. Made in USA and great value.

 

[K-Dog]

If you have more money than brains, you WILL NOT beat a Kramer Knife.
http://www.kramerknives.com

Just watch this five minute video.

There are other options. You can get a Kramer signature made by Zwilling, for a fraction of the real Kramers. My wife has three and they are pretty amazing. We also have four other custom carbon steel knives.

 

[Andrew LB]

I've always been a big fan of Forschner (Victorinox) knives with the rosewood handles. I grew up with them and currently own about two dozen in various shapes and sizes and they easily hold their own against knives 2-3x as expensive. The most important thing about Forschner steel is you must keep the edge at or above 25-degrees. Below that and they don't hold an edge for very long. I prefer the wood grips because of the feel, plus I always hand wash them and have no need for synthetic handles. A couple knives that are older than me and were previously owned by my parents were showing some age so I recently gave them a light sanding and rubbed in about 3 coats of Tru-Oil (gunstock finish) and they look brand new again.

Over the years my sharpening ability has been hit and miss and I finally got fed up with the inconsistency of free-handing on a DMT diamond hone and started looking at quality sharpening setups. After seeing the price for most wet-grinders and sharpening jigs, I decided to put myself to work yesterday and build my own based on the EdgePro Apex sharpening system. After a few hours of cutting, sanding, drilling, and occasional cursing while threading the ends of the rods... it was ready to have some SolarLux NGR Dye applied to the boring Poplar base and a couple coats of wipe-on poly (homemade), and set to dry overnight.

Here is the resulting sharpening jig... and of course Maverick gave it a thorough inspection.



I'm going to change out the clamp with a knife rest like on the EdgePro and get some longer hones... but other than that it works really well. It seems my hand sharpening had too shallow of an angle (under 20') which resulted in the edge not lasting, so I set this up at 25' and went to work on an old chef's knife from France (can't make out the brand). I had considered this knife "a lost cause" because it had a hollow area just forward from the heel due to decades of rod sharpening... and to my surprise I was able to fix the blade profile and get a killer edge on it.

My initial test was on a slightly soft black olive, resulting in 10 slices total. I would have fanned them all out but the soft olive wasn't holding up. Not too shabby.



Since it turns out this sharpener does an outsanding flat grind, the next knife to sharpen was my Emerson CQC-16 folding knife. And after going a little crazy with the depth of field and a 50mm lens....

 

[Marc Benjamin]

I'm from the Shun camp as well. Very very pricey but you only really need 2 for the average home cook. Also Shun owners get free Shun facility sharpening.

Rolex to timex analogy isnt really that simple. A cheap **** knife will more than likely slip when you cut staiht through say a tomato and go right into your finger. This is especially important to those who don't really prep that often since they don't really practice guarding against a slip.

I actively look for the pro line knives at g and e sales but so far nothing. I live in the Napa valley where theres a culinary institute and a gazzilion mid to high end restaurants with the normal aspiring next hot chef turnover. My experience, it's been easier to find Snap-on peices than say come across a Wustolf or above. Plenty of late night infomecial knives though.

 

[rustbucket5]

was a professional cook for 7 years (until last year) i have victorinox knives with a few others mixed in. victorinox are great knives, very inexpensive and easy to steel back to razor sharp. it is softer metal which is why it is easy to steel and sharpen but this also means it loses its edge faster(trust me, good trade off). also if you want a pricier but better knife, global is hard to beat. but besides brand recommendations ill give some advice on things to look for. Balance, go to a knife store and play with a few, put your finger where the blade and handle meet and it should balance or almost balance. Not too thick of a blade but not too thin either, a thick blade will wedge and crack hard veg before it cuts it and makes for more difficult and dangerous cuts. dont get a knife with a bolster for the love of all things holy, you will regret it instantly. unlike mechanics tools you dont need every different kind of knife to get tasks done. an 8-10inch chefs knife will do 90% of all tasks perfect and the other 10% can be done with it although not with great results. in reality you need 4-5 knives, chefs knife, paring knife, bread(serrated) and a boning knife if you cut or plan to cut your own meat. some people like to have a santoku, they find it more comfortable to use, to each their own. one last thing, like tools using knives at home and professionally are 2 COMPLETELY different things. unless you get a wicked deal its REALLY not worth it to buy the japanese knives. btw to all you japanese knife lovers, harder blade means brittle, worked with tons of guys with large chunks missing from their 250$ shuns from dropping them

 

[Andrew LB]

dont get a knife with a bolster for the love of all things holy, you will regret it instantly.

So that's what that stupid thing is called on the old french knife I tested my DIY sharpener on! (see photos above). My neighbor stopped into my garage today while I was finishing up sharpening the rest of my Forschner knives and asked me if I'd sharpen one of his. I figured if he was happy with a great edge, i'd move the discussion into me sharpening his whole set for a price per knife. So he shows up with some knife brand I've never heard of before that had clearly seen way too much sharpening on a diamond rod because the blade was concave just forward of the bolster due to it getting in the way while sharpening. I've seen the same thing also caused by electric knife sharpeners when the bolster is too wide. I told him i'd have to grind the heel down or thin the belly a lot, he opted for the heel. Now he wants 10 others done which is fine by me since it will pay for some better diamond whetstones that are longer.

 

[Notgrownup]

Rada, is what I have, they are good n sharp...not that bad , got them on EBay, fir my steak knives I have J.A Henckells

 

[Tdo]

Very good advice and pointers in this thread. I am on the market for some decent knives, and will definitely look into the brands mentioned. Thanks everyone for the input so far

 

[rob67]

Can you school me on sharpening? What do I need to buy?

My preferred method is hand sharpening on a water stone. Mostly because I prefer doing things by hand without powertools. There are lots of videos on youtube, you may want to search for "carter cutlery knife sharpening".

You can learn the technique with a cheap combi stone (~10$, 150-300 grit) and a cheap knife with a 5-7 inch blade. Later you may want to switch to more expensive stones, e.g. 1000 and 3000 that will cost 30-100$ each. The technique stays the same.

A cheap stone will not get shaving sharpness, but you can easily slice paper´(and actually cut tomatoes rather than smashing them...)

Other than water stones there are jigs and machines such as "Tormek" or "Lansky system". Youtube also has videos on these and others.

Regards,
Robert.

 

[rustbucket5]

yes, not only will a bolster create a gap between the blade and board after a few too many steels, it also hampers cutting objects longer than the knife itself. it was originally designed for safety in mind however.

 

[Jacobson]

Holy bejesus, these Wusthof's are like no other crappy knife I've used in my life.
It touches the chicken, and the chicken is sliced.

 

[hangfirew8]

Wusthof's are good, my Mom has had a set for, oh, about 35 years.

I went German as well, Zwilling J.A. Henckels. (Their cheaper line is Henckels International).

True story, recently wife hired a caterer for one ethnic cuisine while she cooked another (big party). He came over, set up his stuff, kicked her out of the kitchen and finished her cooking using our knives. He complimented her several times on what a pleasure it was to use nice knives.

I'm fairly confident he wouldn't have helped so much, if he didn't notice her using a fine knife.

Like Adam said, it's easier to keep them sharp then to get them sharp.

 

[absolutelybillsmood]

Warther's knives are my favorite. They are a small company inDover, OH

 

[ZRX61]

All you guys talk like you never sent away for the Chefs Catalog...

http://www.chefscatalog.com/

 

[mingus2112]

Another vote for Wusthof Classic. I use mine every day. One thing to keep in mind is that good knives don't need sharpening quite as much as you'd think. Most of the time, you will need to "hone" the knife with a honing steel. Blades get moved out of alignment, sort of. They edges need to be honed after every couple uses in order to straighten them back up again. After that, when they DO need to be sharpened, I would send them to Wusthof. What's $3/knife per year? They're not uber expensive, but they're not cheap. If you don't know what you're doing when sharpening them, you're not going to maintain the same angle on the edge as when they were made. That may not matter to you, and that's OK, but it's all part of the knife's performance. The reason why, brand new, some knives cut different than others is all of these "little" things that add up to the knife's performance.

In the end, the only thing to keep in mind is that, whatever you get, keep it razor sharp. A dull knife will cause you to use more pressure while cutting and lead to more injuries. Also, most foods don't need a serrated knife. Don't use a serrated knife for chopping, cutting meat, etc.

-J

 

[Jacobson]

If you could only own ONE knife for ALL your cooking needs, which would it be?

3.5" paring knife?
6" utility knife?
8" Chef's knife?

 

[Negen]

http://www.teruyasu.net/products/detail_10.html

I would buy something like this 180mm should be long enough. New world Japanese steel with old world hand crafting.

 

[d.mcfarland]

8" Chefs

 

[M6erfan]

OK, I'm the cook in our family so asking the wife would be useless lol. I have had many knives from the most basic to very exotic (expensive). Not knowing a lot of details, here's what I recommend:

Wusthof CIA 8" chef as your main knife (not very well known, but excellent steel, easy to sharpen & great ergonomics)
Victorinox Fibrox 6" Utility knife (non-serrated)

I would stay away from japenese knives only because they typically require more care. And forget the electric sharpeners! Get yourself a good 10" honing steel, 60 seconds with the steel every so often will keep both knives above razor sharp.

That's it, really. You & I can do 95% of any kitchen task with those two knives. Please don't go in for any "sets", you get a bunch of knives you'll never need to use, a waste of money...

If you find you HAVE to have a serrated bread knife, go for the 10" Fibrox.

Let me know if you have any questions, I could go on and on about this subject

 

[M6erfan]

If you could only own ONE knife for ALL your cooking needs, which would it be?

3.5" paring knife?
6" utility knife?
8" Chef's knife?

8" Chef, no question, end of story!

 

[mikebaker1129]

I have these from Sam's club. I use them now instead of the more visually impressive Henckels.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/bakers-chefs-cook-s-knife-set-2-pk/188139.ip

Bakers & Chefs Cook's Knife Set - 2 pk

About this item

The Bakers & Chefs 2 pk. Cook's Knife Set is constructed of a stain-free, high carbon German steel.

Description
The Bakers & Chefs 2 pk. Cook's Knife Set is constructed of a stain-free, high carbon German steel. This set includes one 8" knife and one 10" knife. The fine edge blade is fully beveled and fully tapered. The handles are a non-slip white sanitary polypropylene with anti-microbial protection. Made in Brazil, this Cook's Knife Set is NSF Certified and dishwasher safe.

Specifications
2 pk. Cook's Knife Set
8" & 10" knives
Commercial grade
Stain-free, high carbon German steel
Polypropylene, non-slip handles
Handles contain anti-microbial protection
NSF Certified
Dishwasher safe
Satin finish blades

Assembled Country
Brazil

Component Country
Imported

^ These are Tramontina knives and are a good value for the $.
German Henkles and Wusthofs are very good but more $.

 

[M6erfan]

The knives above are probably fine (I have no experience with them) but keep in mind that a chefs knife over about 8" is a bit large for most home kitchens. Unless you have a very large work surface and are doing a ton of prep, I always recommend an 8-9" for home use.

In a commercial kitchen however, 10" is my preference...

Plus, they seem redundant. Why would you need 2 knives of the exact same style with only a 2" difference in length?

 

[notlob]

It appears the OP has already made his choice, but, for other potential readers: I agree with the numerous other folks who have recommended Victorinox Fibrox knives because:

A. They are used extensively in the food and meat processing industries by workers who use their knives 40 hrs per week.
B. They are inexpensive and easy to sharpen.
C. They are designed to be cleaned via industrial dishwashing systems - a drastically harsher environment than any home or restaurant dishwasher.
D. Very low maintenance - no worries about damage due to sitting in water, etc.
E. Wooden handle kitchen tools cannot be completely cleaned and sanitized. That is why they are not allowed to be used in any USDA inspected food processing facility. Ask any USDA inspector, or sanitation or quality control manager in the food industry.

 

[Jacobson]

Wow, has anyone noticed the prices of Wusthof lately?
I had not checked since 2015

 

[bscman]

Yeah, way up. But what isn't?

I still scored a wusthof classic 8" chefs and 3.5" pairing knife from Amazon over the holidays for $130. Didn't feel bad at all about that!

 

[ecotec]

If you could only own ONE knife for ALL your cooking needs, which would it be?

3.5" paring knife?
6" utility knife?
8" Chef's knife?

One knife will not do everything.

At minimum I would say you need a chef’s knife, a serrated (bread) knife, and a paring or utility knife.

But this is GJ… who wants the minimum?

I have a pretty big collection of mostly Wusthof Classic, some MAC Professional, one Global, a bunch of Winco, a couple Mercers and a few other knives.

I have an $11 Chinese vegetable cleaver that is a joy to use.

The MAC professional are my favorite to use.

I took a picture of the ones in my kitchen… there are a bunch more in my bar.

 

[matthew]

I don’t think I’d read this thread before… interesting there’s so much Victorinox / Wusthof consensus.

There’s three pieces of advice I also would have expected, that I didn’t see a lot of trend of in the thread, but I’ve seen in a lot of other places and strongly agree with:

1. Don’t buy a $100 block with 10 knives - buy fewer, better knives.

2. Henkels makes a lot of lines. The bottom end ones aren’t worth having. The Zwilling (twin soldier) line is very good, and priced in-line with similar quality competitors. They seem to have a habit of continually changing the middle of the road offerings - but there’s sometimes gems there. My Henkels made in Spain with German steel chef knife is my favourite knife.

3. Knives are one of the most ergonomic hand tools there is. By which I mean the ability to handle and control it and transmit forces is very specific to the user. Handle some and find what fits your hand, and what length is suited to the movements of your arms and wrists.

 

[dchawk81]

Will you also be looking for a new ******** recommendation?

Sure, what do you use? No gas powered ones for the California folks.

 

[tamaraw]

My dad used to work in food industry so I grew up with Wusthof classic and Henckels Zwilling, both are great.

Since moving a few years ago, I currently own:

• Wusthoff classic (Solingen) 3.5" paring knife
• Henckels international 5" serrated
• "Kiwi" brand $5 special 6" Santoku

Also made my own HDPE knife block. I plan to replace the others with higher end stuff eventually but they work for now.

 

[minke]

A couple of days ago I spent ~25 minutes sharpening two knives. One was a 6½ inch Spyderco non-serrated utility knife ( https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/K04BK/Utility-Knife-6-5-quot-Polypropylene-Black/852 ) and the other a Dexter paring knife ( https://www.dexterrussellcutlery.com/dexter-sg104-3-1-4-inch-2-pack-cooks-parer-with-sofgrip-handle/ ). ⅓ of my time was spent on the paring knife and it is satisfactory. The other ⅔ was on the Spyderco and I was far from finished. You can chose OK steel which is easy to sharpen or good steel which can be difficult.

 

[Jsf721]

I sold cutco a little while in college, very expensive and over priced, but they really are great knives. I still have my set from 1990...I've added to it over the years whenever I find some mixed in at yardsales and flea markets.

Also have a set of Amway iCook knives. I like them better than the cutco, but again, they are expensive...

i've found knives are like vacuums, lots of hype on super expensive exotic brands, but a good basic set kept sharp and used properly will serve you better than the super expensive must-have show-off to your neighbor set...

ps, I process a lot of deer and use faiirly basic inexpensive knives of various brands and found that the average mid-priced knives work best, as long as they have comfortable handles and are fairly easy to sharpen, and are thick enough not to bend, and the tang extends to the end of the handle.

2 nd for the snap on of the kitchen. Love my Cutco original set from 1991 and my 2nd set I just purchased for the vacation home.

Buy once cry once and they are super sharp.

 

[seber]

I have one of every German knife available. I hate them all. I can't stand soft steel. For pure value, no one can touch Chicago cutlery. I have to admit I have not tried Japanese knives.

 

[dchawk81]

Any recommendations for knives that hold a decent edge but are cheap enough to dispose of after say a year or two if you're not interested in sharpening them?

 

[Packard V8]

Knives are one of the most ergonomic hand tools there is. By which I mean the ability to handle and control it and transmit forces is very specific to the user. Handle some and find what fits your hand, and what length is suited to the movements of your arms and wrists.

For true. There are wives I wouldn't want to arm wrestle and there are wives who can't open the mayonnaise jar.

For those who shop in the petite and for older gals, consider a design which multiplies arm strength. https://dexter1818.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/40033_40033__11922.1655935263.1280.1280-1.png