Knives

[Lake_Travis_Horn]

I'd like to get a good quality knife set. Anyone have a brand they'd recommend?

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

Victorinox. Excellent quality, excellent price.

 

[Lake_Travis_Horn]

I'll check them out. Thanks.

 

[brntorng]

We've had Chicago Cutlery knives for 25 years or more and they've held up very well. Should easily last another 25. They are very reasonably priced and take and hold an excellent edge. Nothing fancy, but very good knives at a great price.

 

[hellbunny]

Victorinox / Forschner is pretty universally regarded as the best value out there.

That said, I'd try them out first if you can. A good knife that doesn't fit your hand is worthless.

From a few months back:The Link

 

[Napoleon]

I liked BigBoyDan's post from that thread:

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[brntorng]

I have no doubt BigBoyDan knows what he's talking about. However, a chef's requirements and a home cook's requirements may be different. If I were a chef and used knives all day I'd go with his recommendation. However, they're pricey for a lot of regular folks who don't have to use them all day long. You can spend a lot less and still get a decent set of knives that will last a lifetime at home.

 

[Smurfette]

I have a friend who has a set of Shun knives that I love. However, I can't afford them. They're also really hard to take care of b/c you can't put them in the dishwasher and stuff.

I have a Henckles that I bought from Target that are great, and they're not very expensive. I'd suggest buying the knives individually instead of a set though. I've had sets before and only used one of two of them.

 

[Perham1]

Dont' get a set, imo. Start with a good 10" chef's knife along with a paring knife and a serrated bread/tomatoe knife (or knives, one for bread and one for tomato).

It's important that a knife fit and feel good in your hand. That's hard to gauge if you buy off the web.

The Victorinox/Forschner (sp) advice above is good. A lot of magazines (Cook's Illustrated, iirc) picked that for best value. Chicago Cutlery is also good - hey, it's not fancy but it gets the job done.

 

[scottsins]

Smurfette:

it's not just Shun's that you shouldn't put in the dishwasher. The middle to high end Henkels, Wustofs, etc shouldn't either. As a matter of fact, you shouldn't be putting your in there either.

 

[Perham1]

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[brntorng]

I may need to withdraw my Chicago Cutlery recommendation. It seems they're not made like they used to be. I checked with Cook's Illustrated and the Victorinox knives consistently get rated at the top, even against very expensive knives.

 

[TigerPride]

I do an awful lot of cooking inside and outside and I cannot see myself paying 400 dollars for a set of knives let alone 1 knife.
I bought a set of Henkel at BBandB and have been very happy with them for a couple of years. The were regularly 360 on sale for 170.

 

[Napoleon]

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[stina]

My brother is in town. He thinks he's a really good cook but he prefers frozen vegetables and , when offered a choice, he used a boning knife to cut potatoes and onions, instead of a chef's knife. Then I made a meatloaf, seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg allspice and tomato sauce, and he put steak sauce on it.