These are fine American made knives and utensils, I prefer their forged line of knives to those which are stamped, that's just me.
Kitchen Knives; Wusthof, Henckels or Ginsu
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These are fine American made knives and utensils, I prefer their forged line of knives to those which are stamped, that's just me.
I feel like I'm in another world when I talk to home cooks. I have a knife for every situation, but then again I come across a lot of different situations. Euro style knives vs Japanese single bevel knives are a hot topic. Euro knives tend to have softer steel than Japanese knives on the Rockwell charts. Hence the thicker blades. Truthfully, this is why forged euro knives tend to "wedge" (get stuck in food, mainly vegs like carrots and potatoes) more. But the way you cut also comes into play. This is why for the home cook who didn't want to show off their knives, a good quality stamped knife is the way to go. Wushtof, henkels, and even global and shun are a product of misinformation and good marketing. This is why a lot of euro knife makers all started a line of Japanese style knives. Sharpening your own knives is like opening up pandoras box. What level of sharpness is acceptable for you. What kind of edge are you looking to get? A lot of my home cook friends think a dull knife is safer cuz they won't get cut with a dull knife. It's kinda like shaving with a dull razor... It'll cut but you have to use more pressure and what not. And in the end the product suffers.
All in all... If you are about show (I know I am) then go out and get a nice euro from wustof or henkels or shun or even worse a global. But if you are more about function and ease of use and maintenance a decent stamped blade is best. Once a year i buy my cooks a new 10" chef. Guess what brand. Forshner fibrox... I do the offset serrated bread knives from Dexter russel. I do the plastic handles for sanitary reasons.
As for sharpening I guess a home cook could use a pull through sharpener... But I'm a sharpening snob and have a bunch Japanese water stones. 120, 220, 300, 600, 1k, 3k, 5k, and 10k then I hit it on rock hard felt stop then horse leather with a .25 diamond spray. Yeah I get obsessive about how sharp my knives are, and yes I tried to shave once with my Masahiro 240 gyuto... It was no feather but I think I liked it more that my first pass with a merkur razor blade.
To sum it all up, it really depends on personal preference. Every ine and their mother will say that their knife choice is the best. But ymmv. What to look for really is edge retention, weight and balance, and hand feel. A knife should be an extension of you hand. It should not feel awkward or uncomfortable. Most home cooks accumulate a bunch of cheap knives because they think it's cheap and I could just buy another. I suggest that people invest a little more on a better knife and a way to sharpen it...be it by doing it yourself or by sending it out. That way your knife will perform at it's peak every time you use it.
Hope my rant makes sense. Haha like I said I get obsessive over my knives.
All in all... If you are about show (I know I am) then go out and get a nice euro from wustof or henkels or shun or even worse a global. But if you are more about function and ease of use and maintenance a decent stamped blade is best. Once a year i buy my cooks a new 10" chef. Guess what brand. Forshner fibrox... I do the offset serrated bread knives from Dexter russel. I do the plastic handles for sanitary reasons.
As for sharpening I guess a home cook could use a pull through sharpener... But I'm a sharpening snob and have a bunch Japanese water stones. 120, 220, 300, 600, 1k, 3k, 5k, and 10k then I hit it on rock hard felt stop then horse leather with a .25 diamond spray. Yeah I get obsessive about how sharp my knives are, and yes I tried to shave once with my Masahiro 240 gyuto... It was no feather but I think I liked it more that my first pass with a merkur razor blade.
To sum it all up, it really depends on personal preference. Every ine and their mother will say that their knife choice is the best. But ymmv. What to look for really is edge retention, weight and balance, and hand feel. A knife should be an extension of you hand. It should not feel awkward or uncomfortable. Most home cooks accumulate a bunch of cheap knives because they think it's cheap and I could just buy another. I suggest that people invest a little more on a better knife and a way to sharpen it...be it by doing it yourself or by sending it out. That way your knife will perform at it's peak every time you use it.
Hope my rant makes sense. Haha like I said I get obsessive over my knives.
Agree. Forged knives just look nicer to me; doubt that they function better.
When I buy a new knife, the first thing I do is sharpen it. Am I a freak or what. I'm not into the original factory edge... I make sure to put a proper convex edge on it in order to increase the performance out of the box. Hey if anyone is interested I'll start a knife sharpening PIF. Something like the winner will send me their knife(s) and I'll sharpen them for free and maybe I'll include a surprise in the return package? If I get enough interest consider it done. ( sorry if this is a thread hijack.
Joe
Joe
This is a great thread and there are some awesome knives that have been mentioned. We went with GLOBAL Knives and have loved them for 7+ years now. Bought a ceramic water sharpener that is so simple anyone could use it to get a perfect edge. And yes, they look as fantastic as they work.
Check them out here.
Check them out here.
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- #46
I appreciate all the input so far. Honestly, if I bought my wife whichever budget knife is on sale at WalMart, she would probably be appreciative and it would be an upgrade from the 25 year old knives that are in the drawer now. I am fortunate that, although I make a comfortable living, my wife is one of the least materialistic and status conscious people I know. I am sure that she will care about function and be unconcerned with either their appearance or snob appeal. That said, I do believe that buying quality products is often less expensive in the long run. Furthermore, she is an excellent cook and we eat in far more often than we dine out. This may be sacrilege around here, but has anyone any experience with the Ginsu knives? Believe it or not, they are Consumer Report's "Best Buy" in the March 2009 issue. I don't want to waste time looking at something that is likely to end up as trash within a couple of years, but I have found CR to be pretty reliable though the years.
Yes, I have used the Ginsu knives; still have one I believe. Not particularly elegant but certainly sharp and worthwhile. The one I have I bought to cut through packaged food containers, including orange juice cans. And it works well!!!
User preference I guess. I would whole heartedly fight you on ginsu knives. Its the same as saying Cutco has the sharpest knives in the world. But like I said that's my opinion. A decent handheld pull through sharpener and a decent knife would win out in the end. Form and function could be had at a low price... If you really want a decent brand of knife to get I would pick up a tojiro dp santoku 165 mm. A Forschner parer and a Forschner or Dexter Russell offset serrated knife. I could PIF you a parer if you want.
You never stated a price on how much you wanted to spend. That also make a difference in knife choice. And i hear you on CR. But you have to understand the amount of items tested. When it comes to cars and electronics I trust them without a doubt, but when it comes to smaller items that have way too many manufactures, CR tends to lose it's credibility because of the lack of testing on the vast array of choices.
You never stated a price on how much you wanted to spend. That also make a difference in knife choice. And i hear you on CR. But you have to understand the amount of items tested. When it comes to cars and electronics I trust them without a doubt, but when it comes to smaller items that have way too many manufactures, CR tends to lose it's credibility because of the lack of testing on the vast array of choices.
Excellent post. I've been doing more cooking lately. I have a set of Henckels (not sure which models) and my "chef's knife" of choice is the Santoku, although I tend to use the traditional chef's knife for slicing meets.
I have found that proper use of the sharpening steel has eliminated the need for me to actually sharpen my knives, which is good because I've never been able to get a good edge with a sharpener (like the Chef's Choice).
Thanks for the thread!
I recommend buying a set. My reason, though, might not be all that kosher. I bought a set and only use three of the six knives.
I don't want to be the only idiot here. Go buy a set!
Same here.
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- #53
These are the Ginsu knives that are the CR Best Buy;
They also liked these by Henckels;
And finally these by Wusthof;
I'm open to any of these as options. After reading the advise here, finding the three or four knives she would actually use seems the way to go. I am torn between taking her to somewhere like Williams-Sonoma to see what she feels most comfortable with and having her pick them out, or surprising her with a relatively inexpensive set like the seven piece Ginsu or three piece Wusthof and having her play around with them for a while. If these are insufficient, at least I should be able to deduce from that which knives actually get used routinely. Whichever way I go, a decent two stage knife sharpener and a sharpening steel would seem to be in order. I should have known that when I asked a group experienced in handling sharp blades about selecting knives, there would be no shortage of well informed opinions.
They also liked these by Henckels;
And finally these by Wusthof;
I'm open to any of these as options. After reading the advise here, finding the three or four knives she would actually use seems the way to go. I am torn between taking her to somewhere like Williams-Sonoma to see what she feels most comfortable with and having her pick them out, or surprising her with a relatively inexpensive set like the seven piece Ginsu or three piece Wusthof and having her play around with them for a while. If these are insufficient, at least I should be able to deduce from that which knives actually get used routinely. Whichever way I go, a decent two stage knife sharpener and a sharpening steel would seem to be in order. I should have known that when I asked a group experienced in handling sharp blades about selecting knives, there would be no shortage of well informed opinions.
Totally agree. This is what you will actually find most kitchen staff using. Sure, the Tony Bourdain types carry around a roll of Japanese steel, but the guys/gals that actually cook your food use Dexter Softgrips. I dumped all my expensive steel (save for a few Forscheners) and only use Dexter Russell now. Thing is-- they last, and seem to hold a better edge when compared to all the expensive knives I have owned.
Oh, someone mentioned the Forschener Fibrox--they are excellent.
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A 1000k water stone is a good starting point for sharpening. I concur with other folk here on the chef knife and paring knife idea. Perhaps a bread knife and a salmon slicer. I've got more than I need . . . means I can cut raw chicken and set that knife aside and use another for veg.
I'd hazard a guess that if you actually used a 1000k stone you would be using sharper knives than 95% of folk you know.
Mike
I'd hazard a guess that if you actually used a 1000k stone you would be using sharper knives than 95% of folk you know.
Mike
if you look at the heel of the knife on the euros you posted you'll see the issue i have with them. when you sharpen the knive metal is removed, but the heel of the knife(the part where your index finger rests on if you hold your knife that way) is super thick. That part is alomst impossible to grind down on a whet/water stone with out runining said stone or basically wearing it out prematurely. If you get a stamped blade, you can run it through fromheel to tip and have an even sharpness. Also as i stated before, as time goes on and the continue to sharpen, metal is removed and you will begin to get a dip in the knife. when that happens that thick part hits the board and the shrp part of the blade near the heel will not be able to cut all the way throught the product.These are the Ginsu knives that are the CR Best Buy;
They also liked these by Henckels;
And finally these by Wusthof;
I'm open to any of these as options. After reading the advise here, finding the three or four knives she would actually use seems the way to go. I am torn between taking her to somewhere like Williams-Sonoma to see what she feels most comfortable with and having her pick them out, or surprising her with a relatively inexpensive set like the seven piece Ginsu or three piece Wusthof and having her play around with them for a while. If these are insufficient, at least I should be able to deduce from that which knives actually get used routinely. Whichever way I go, a decent two stage knife sharpener and a sharpening steel would seem to be in order. I should have known that when I asked a group experienced in handling sharp blades about selecting knives, there would be no shortage of well informed opinions.
When was the last time those 25 year old knives had a good sharpening?
If it's been more than a year, that may be all that is needed to have them cutting like new.
And keeping cutlery in a drawer probably isn't best, as the knives slide and bounce around every time the drawer is opened or closed, it's very hard on the cutting edge.
Why not stop and look at the knives your interested in while shopping with your wife for something else, that way she can get a feel for the handles. then buy them for her at a later date?
That way you'll know which are the most comfortable for her hand, and you can still surprise her with the gift.
Having an assortment of Shun, Wüsthof and pre-WWII Sabatiers in my kitchens, a great steel is an essential to any kitchen for knife "tuning." The line of steels from F. Dick is highly recommended. The exact type is a matter of personal taste and requirements.
+1 on getting a couple of essentials rather than a set (chef/santoku, bread, paring).
+1 on taking her somewhere and seeing what she likes. Looks, handle size and shape, weight, and balance all vary. As an example my hands are much larger than my wife's and I have taken knife prep classes (and thus use a different grip and technique). I like and use bigger knives with bigger handles, favoring a 10" Henckels chefs with a more ergo style poly handle that I bought NOS. It fits perfectly in my hand and I love the weight and balance. My wife's favorite knife is a 5" tomato knife that has a riveted style handle that is in general smaller. Henckels replaced it promptly and for free last year after my wife was using it to carve pumpkins and broke the blade in half trying to pry the lid out.
As with the many aspects of shaving, knife sharpening can be turned into a hobby unto itself and taken as far as you want to invest the time. I landed on a spyderco knife sharpening set with a couple of ceramic stones and a couple of fixed angles. Is this a compromise - yes. Can one do better sharpening/honing yourself as well as customize angles etc. - yes. I also do not take apart my DE after every shave and clean everything or strop my DE blades or deep clean my shaving brushes every month. There is no judgement, just an observation that incremental improvements come with a cost in tools, building skills, and investing time in the process. There is a point of diminishing returns that we all have to decide on and manage.
+1 on taking her somewhere and seeing what she likes. Looks, handle size and shape, weight, and balance all vary. As an example my hands are much larger than my wife's and I have taken knife prep classes (and thus use a different grip and technique). I like and use bigger knives with bigger handles, favoring a 10" Henckels chefs with a more ergo style poly handle that I bought NOS. It fits perfectly in my hand and I love the weight and balance. My wife's favorite knife is a 5" tomato knife that has a riveted style handle that is in general smaller. Henckels replaced it promptly and for free last year after my wife was using it to carve pumpkins and broke the blade in half trying to pry the lid out.
As with the many aspects of shaving, knife sharpening can be turned into a hobby unto itself and taken as far as you want to invest the time. I landed on a spyderco knife sharpening set with a couple of ceramic stones and a couple of fixed angles. Is this a compromise - yes. Can one do better sharpening/honing yourself as well as customize angles etc. - yes. I also do not take apart my DE after every shave and clean everything or strop my DE blades or deep clean my shaving brushes every month. There is no judgement, just an observation that incremental improvements come with a cost in tools, building skills, and investing time in the process. There is a point of diminishing returns that we all have to decide on and manage.
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