My wife recently asked for a set of decent kitchen knives. At his point, whatever I buy is probably a step up. I looked in Consumer reports and their best buy is by Ginsu. I have to admit that this conjures up images of late night 1970s commercials but they now make higher quality forged knives. The other brands recommended were Wusthof and Henckels. I'd be interested in any opinions on these or any other recommended knives. I have to admit that my expertise is centered on eating, rather than preparing, most meals.
Kitchen Knives; Wusthof, Henckels or Ginsu
- Thread starter mdevine
- Start date
Hooked on Henckel here, came highly reccomended by a friend who has owned a top-notch restaurant since the '70s. No problems with them and hold a great edge, I will pass on the high reccomendation.
Don't buy a set; you really only need an 8" chef, a bread knife, a paring knife, and maybe a slicer if you're feeling frisky.
Wusthof and Henckel both make respectable knives with heavy steel that's on the softer side. If you treat them correctly they'll last for a decade, but they're going to require more consistent maintenance than a Global or Tamahagane. They're also 1/3 of the price. Just think of it as an opportunity to build your honing skills with your loved ones.
If you really want bang for your buck, check out the knives made by Victorinox, formerly Victorinox-Forbischer. They're consistantly ranked as the go-to knife by polls of caterers, and in America's Test Kitchen. While not pretty, they do get the job done. Webiste's here: http://www.victorinox.com/content/cutlery/category/2;jsessionid=3C2EF988404F318A2EF23B94A985BC81
Oh, and some "features" to ignore when picking out knives (because they don't mean anything and have zero impact on performance): forged, stamped, full-tang or full-bolster, precision edged.
Wusthof and Henckel both make respectable knives with heavy steel that's on the softer side. If you treat them correctly they'll last for a decade, but they're going to require more consistent maintenance than a Global or Tamahagane. They're also 1/3 of the price. Just think of it as an opportunity to build your honing skills with your loved ones.
If you really want bang for your buck, check out the knives made by Victorinox, formerly Victorinox-Forbischer. They're consistantly ranked as the go-to knife by polls of caterers, and in America's Test Kitchen. While not pretty, they do get the job done. Webiste's here: http://www.victorinox.com/content/cutlery/category/2;jsessionid=3C2EF988404F318A2EF23B94A985BC81
Oh, and some "features" to ignore when picking out knives (because they don't mean anything and have zero impact on performance): forged, stamped, full-tang or full-bolster, precision edged.
I am working on getting together a set of Wusthof piece by piece, and absolutely love them! I've had mine about a year now and my parents have had a steak knife set for about 2 years and they still look brand new!
The one thing to walk away from this post is that you should not buy a "set' of knives.
Like many things you get what you pay for with knives- to really sort this out the first question is who will and how will they be sharpened?
Like many things you get what you pay for with knives- to really sort this out the first question is who will and how will they be sharpened?
Any knife will last a long time. One thing you have to worry about is keeping it sharp. I don't like euro knives with the bulky choil. It causes a dip when you sharpen. Hence the Japanese knife. If you are a home cook I suggest a decent santoku... Even though I hate to say it. Also, forged, full tang and stamped do have an impact in performance. Blade shape and type of steel play a major part. Forged knives are generally stronger than stamped knives. Stamped knives are usually thinner than forged euro knives. Type of steel is also a Biggie. Stainless, vg10, carbon. It all depends on what your needs are. Also there are no knives that stay sharp forever. A steel is a plus, but make sure you know how to use it properly. Remember it's for honking not sharpening. Good luck on the search. And check our kitchenknofeforums.com for probably more information than you need, but its cool to see some great knives.
- Thread starter
- #10
Pardon my total ignorance on this matter, but is there a particular sharpening tool I should also get?
I never had a Wusthof but if they are as good as their straights, I should buy one.
I would say, start with a Chef's knife. I have a Henckels, very good knife, very good edge. I broke the knife after 10 years. I contacted Henckels and they replace the knife within 2 weeks with a new one. No bill, just mail it to them and they sent me a new one. Very happy with the service.
I would say, start with a Chef's knife. I have a Henckels, very good knife, very good edge. I broke the knife after 10 years. I contacted Henckels and they replace the knife within 2 weeks with a new one. No bill, just mail it to them and they sent me a new one. Very happy with the service.
Check out a restaurant supply store for a brand called "Dexter Russell."
Inexpensive, utilitarian, built for all-day, every-day professional performance.
Inexpensive, utilitarian, built for all-day, every-day professional performance.
Excellent thread!
Thanks to all who contributed.
Thanks to all who contributed.
Old Chicago Cultery non stainless steel and get a hone . Mine are over 20 years old and all are razor sharp and stay that way . Not the newer models in the big box stores .
I have a wusthof classic chef knife and i love it
I have and use some Victorinox/Forschner, Cutco, Dexter-Russell and Old Hickory.
All are decent knives and will do.
All are decent knives and will do.
I've been a Henckels user for years - the classic line is good but it is worth the extra $$$ for the Pro 'S' line. I also have some pieces of the Forschler-Victorinox series and really enjoy using them. I also advise against buying a set...just the pieces you need. I would also recommend a knife skills class (offered by some local cooking supply/gourmet store/etc).
After years of using some decent Chicago Cutlery knives... I did a lot of research when I wanted to step it up and settled on Messermeister Meridian Elites. Absolutely brilliant knives of the highest quality. While I think Messermeister is superior to Henckels and a little better than Wusthof (IMO), I will admit, I always like to be the "outlier" from the norm and having something that wasn't as ubiquitous as the "other" german knives that can be found at any Bed, Bath and Beyond held some appeal for me. I do believe high quality kitchen knives are very much a personal preference kinda thing once you're looking at the top brands.
As you can see, you've opened a can of worms!
I think there's universal agreement that buying a set doesn't make any sense and that deciding how to keep your knives sharp is an important part of the equation.
In terms of types of knives you "need", the general consensus is that you need a chef's knife (or other all purpose knife style such as a santoku), a paring knife and a bread knife.
If you're looking for high end European makers, I generally think Wustof is better than Henckels. If you're looking for a good value, I really like the Victorinox/Forschner line - you can get them with black plastic handles (which are comfortable, but utilitarian looking) or the same blade with rosewood handles. Here's a link http://www.chefknivestogo.com/fokn.html
They are not the sexiest knives, they won't impress knife geeks, but, with proper maintenance, you will get years of service from them. Interestingly, Chef's Illustrated consistently rates these as great knives and that they have several of the dimensional attributes of Japanese knives, which gives them very good cutting performance (but the steel of the Forschners is not as good or hard as that found in the majority of Japanese knives).
If I was on a budget, I'd buy the Forschners and would have my knives for under $100 and be happy with them.
In terms of a chef's knife, 8 inches is about as small as most people want to go - you can go up to 10 inches if you want, but bigger isn't necessarily better.
In terms of a bread knife, don't cheap out. I think this is a situation where bigger is better and you want a 10 inch knife with a decently stiff blade (no whippy dollar store special). You can get straight or slightly curved blades - I prefer the curved version.
In terms of a paring knife, I really like the Forschner versions with the plastic handles - cheap, thin, flexible - everything I want in a paring knife and basically so cheap they're practically disposable.
For sharpening, you can either keep it simple or go off the deep end. So, while the sky's the limit, I'm guessing that you want to keep this simple and want to find a way to easily maintain the edges on your knives without having to get into the science of free-hand sharpening on multiple stones. Assuming this is correct, I think Chef's Choice makes some excellent manual pull-through sharpeners with a coarse and medium/fine stages. While this won't get your knives as sharp as high-grit stones, when combined with a sharpening steel or ceramic sharpening rod (my preference) for touch ups, a good pull through sharpener is will do the job with no fuss or muss.
I think there's universal agreement that buying a set doesn't make any sense and that deciding how to keep your knives sharp is an important part of the equation.
In terms of types of knives you "need", the general consensus is that you need a chef's knife (or other all purpose knife style such as a santoku), a paring knife and a bread knife.
If you're looking for high end European makers, I generally think Wustof is better than Henckels. If you're looking for a good value, I really like the Victorinox/Forschner line - you can get them with black plastic handles (which are comfortable, but utilitarian looking) or the same blade with rosewood handles. Here's a link http://www.chefknivestogo.com/fokn.html
They are not the sexiest knives, they won't impress knife geeks, but, with proper maintenance, you will get years of service from them. Interestingly, Chef's Illustrated consistently rates these as great knives and that they have several of the dimensional attributes of Japanese knives, which gives them very good cutting performance (but the steel of the Forschners is not as good or hard as that found in the majority of Japanese knives).
If I was on a budget, I'd buy the Forschners and would have my knives for under $100 and be happy with them.
In terms of a chef's knife, 8 inches is about as small as most people want to go - you can go up to 10 inches if you want, but bigger isn't necessarily better.
In terms of a bread knife, don't cheap out. I think this is a situation where bigger is better and you want a 10 inch knife with a decently stiff blade (no whippy dollar store special). You can get straight or slightly curved blades - I prefer the curved version.
In terms of a paring knife, I really like the Forschner versions with the plastic handles - cheap, thin, flexible - everything I want in a paring knife and basically so cheap they're practically disposable.
For sharpening, you can either keep it simple or go off the deep end. So, while the sky's the limit, I'm guessing that you want to keep this simple and want to find a way to easily maintain the edges on your knives without having to get into the science of free-hand sharpening on multiple stones. Assuming this is correct, I think Chef's Choice makes some excellent manual pull-through sharpeners with a coarse and medium/fine stages. While this won't get your knives as sharp as high-grit stones, when combined with a sharpening steel or ceramic sharpening rod (my preference) for touch ups, a good pull through sharpener is will do the job with no fuss or muss.
