Pocket Knives

What type of kitchen knives should I get?

I have always had the crappy, cheapo knives. I want to splurge a little and get a good set of knives. I don't mind spending enough to get quality, but I still don't want to shell out big bucks just for knives. Any suggestions?

Public Comments

1. I have Victronix - they are quite good and not so expensive like other brands
2. I've always heard that Chicago Cutlery is good. I have knives that I bought in China at a knife shop, and they are VERY good. One is ceramic, even. Cuts like a razor, but only used on fruit and veggies. The best thing to do is look at some Restaurant Supply stores, ask at a Cullinary Academy, or kitchen speacialty store. A good knife will last more than a lifetime.
3. Anyhting Japanese, believe me, they are the best!
4. Your best bet is going to be any steel forged (rather than stamped), full-tang blade, with a bolster, and solid rivets. They are going to be more expensive than stamped blades, but they are ideal for a long lasting set of knives. You're going to want five pieces. A nice chef's knife, long enough to be handy, but not so long as to be cumbersome. A paring knife. A bread knife. And. lastly, a honing steel. The fifth piece is dependant on the type of work you do. Anything from a slicer to a boning knife, just a specialty knife that fills in your need. If you NEED more knives, then by golly, get more knives. The honing steel will be important for keeping the edge of your knife crisp and aligned, but keep in mind this is NOT a sharpening tool. When your knives actually do get dull, have them sent out to be sharpened by a knifesmith, this is not a DYI project. You may also want to invest in a cheap stamped blade that has a little tooth (serration) to it, for applications that require little to no contact with a cutting board, and that extra 'oomph' you wouldn't want to bother breaking your bread knife out for. Handy when cutting tomatoes, for instance. Slippery, rubbery skin is a bane. The main thing is to avoid a bunch of extra knives that just add cost and headache. Sure, for 15 bucks extra you can get the "Super Deluxo Awesomely Spectacular Cheese and Flambe Knife!", but that's still 15 bucks you didn't need to spend. Keep in mind what knife work you do, and look for quality construction and materials. And finally, I can not stress this enough. Buy a knife you are COMFORTABLE USING. It doesn't matter if it costs $185 dollars, if it stays in the drawer, it's of no use to you. You're better off with a sharp cheap knife that's comfortable than an expensive knife you can't stand. That means no buying knives over the internet, phone, or catalogue. Get into a kitchenware store and put your mits on the product.
5. Henkels makes good knives. I think at the end of the day, getting any kind of decent knife is good. You just have to take good care of them. Sur La Table sells good knives, or Williams Sonoma. You need a Chef's knife, a vegetable knife, and a paring knife. That's it. You can splurge on three really good knives that wil last you a good long while. Get a sharpening steel too, if you can. As long as you treat the knives with respect and care, they'll last a long time.
6. Visit a kitchen supply store. Even better is a commercial kitchen supply store that sells to the public. You want to feel the weight/balance and shape in your hand. All knives aren't equal, I use stainless steel and basically only 4 total. Williams Sonoma has a great display in our area. Not commercial; retail--but you get to see some of the things out there. My chef's knife is Farberware with a blade case purchased at a retail chef supply store. I like a good stainless steak knife for disjointing chickens, etc. I use a curved paring knife. A small serrated knife about the length of the steak knife for regular things like cutting toast, tomatoes. Won't say what I have is the best, but they work for me. Of course there are other knifes--the long thin knife for cutting cakes, the electric knife for cutting turkey. The point is I have a drawer full of knives but only use a certain few. As a matter of course; quite a few will be joining freecycle when I get the time to purge.
7. just go out and buy the cutco brand because they are sharp and they cut throuh many kinds of things!
8. there a few sets depending on what you use in the kitchen the most, a basic wooden block set is nice to have, with the larger carving knives to the smaller paring knives, http://www.chinatraderonline.com/Kitchenware/Knives/Kitchen-Knives/8pc-Kitchen-Knife-Set-002340197/ http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/yjyuxin/product-detaillbqnUuoKXJcj/China-13pcs-Kitchen-Knife-Set-CK-229-.html then theres are some self sharpening sets that are handy, for general use, and independent storage, http://www.global-knife.com/main.html and also the option of get a complete kitchen set including peeler, carving fork, and here showing pizza cutter, http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp09131-0439.html no name specific brand , whatever is available in your area, ..
9. Cooks Illustrated magazine, who I trust implicitly (I have 18 yrs experience in the F&B industry-15 yrs professional cooking) recommends victorinox /forschner. Great value for dollar. You can get them at any restaurant supply house. As far as a "set" all you really need is a 8-10" chef's knife, a straight blade paring knife(not a curved "bird's beak") and an offset serrated knife. Get a diamond steel and have the sales person show you how to use it and you'll have sharp knives for a long time. If you want to get a little more advanced, you can get a "santuko" style Japanese cleaver-MAC is a very good inexpensive choice.
10. Yes - Go to a store that will let you handle the knives. The balance and feel to the knife are the most important issue. I bought a set of cheepie knives and fell in love with one of them as it felt great to hold, cut like a dream and I had control of it even when wet.I went through several years culinary school with that knife. Then I thought I would buy an expensive one and the other one was not any different except in price. Also learn the proper way to hold and use the knife. Different knife for different uses.
11. I use the Japanese Global cooks knife- v v sharp. Also have a set of Victorinox knives which are cheaper a bit heavier and good value. Which ever knives you buy you will need to sharpen them regularly. There is no such thing as a knife which holds its edge forever.
12. If you wish to get a couple of knifes, there is a few that are really necessary in my opinion; a chef's knife, a paring knife, and a slicing knife. the chef's knife should be about 8 inches long, the paring knife blade should be no longer than 4 inches from tip to beginning of the handle, and the slicing knife blade should be serrated and about 10 inches long. any knife that you purchase should be comfortable for you to hold and (in my opinion) be forged knifes that are triple riveted with a full tang (that means that the metal part that makes up the handle should run the entire length of the handle).
13. Your best bet would be to go to your local restaurant supply house. They should have an asssortment of different brands that you can pick up and hold to asses the "feel" of the knife. Having worked as a cook for the past 8 years and also for another 6 some time back my personal favorite has been Forschner/Victorinox knives. Although they tend to be blade heavy it's usually not a problem. Also, the Forschner knives tend to cost less than a lot of the "professional" brands and hold a decent edge and the blade is easily brought back with mimimal sharpening stone work.
14. I have tried several different kinds over the years and Rada knives have worked best for me.
15. Just get 1 good Henkels Chef Knife. Or go to Chinatown and get a full squared-off Stainless Steel Chinese Chopper. I use the chopper. It is very useful from chopping, cutting, crushing and even tenderising. I have a Henkels Chinese Chopper (yes! they make those too!) but I have not yet had a chance to use it because my SGD$10 Chinese chopper is still in great shape. It is very hard to get a poor quality Chinese Chopper because even the cheapest is pretty good. You made the right decision. Go for quality. Start with 1 knife. Do not get a set.
16. Henkels are solid. Global makes really nice all-around knives. I'd go with a 7 or 8" santoku knife (kinda a knife of all trades. It's a type not a brand.), a carving knife and a paring knife. Then just take care of them. Sharpen. Clean. Dry. Etc. If you take care of a decent set they'll last forever.