Knives

[GreyhoundsRUs]

So we have 1 knife in the house - a paring knife...I mean one knife besides the ones from our silverware set. How have we gotten by, you may ask? I am not really sure Well - we decided the other day, after I asked DH to pass me "the knife", that it's high time to purchase a set of knives.

I have a few questions about all of this:
1) What is a reasonable amount of money to spend? We were thinking $150??
2) Is it better to by a set or individually?
3) What should we be looking for in a knife?
4) Do you have knives that have held up well/that you love?

[scrub-jay]

This is a tough one. Yes, you can get great sets within your price range. I think we paid WAY more and got a Shun Classic knife set. My DH is a total foodie and the kitchen is his domain - with all of his toys. He really wanted the knives, so we got the best around that felt good to both of us.

If you can get access to Cooks Illustrated online (not sure of the cost), they have amazing reviews of cooking products. For example, the best chefs knife they found actually only costs around $20-30. They'd have great reviews on the knives (like Consumer Reports for cooking). I do recommend trying to go to Williams Sonoma or similar store to get a feel for different types of knives. I did not like the way some of the brands felt - and although you could buy online or elsewhere, getting a feel of the knife is important.

There are amazing sets out there, I do recommend getting a knife block if you end up buying individual pieces. We also have a cuisinart Chefs knife that has served us well also (I almost prefer it to the fancy-shmancy knives because it isn't as intimidating!!).

Good luck!! Having a knife set really is useful, and you will be spoiled by having a different knife designed for each task!

ETA: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=580&f=13905# Here are the knives we have. But you should ask about maintenance, since ours our Japanese (made like Samarai swords), we have to find a knive sharpener that specializes in Eastern knives. Luckily, they have stayed very sharp and haven't needed sharpening, although DH does use the steel after cleaning every time (he LOVES his knives).

[MrsK]

With knives, you really do get what you pay for. I've paid up to $150 for an individual knife. If I was only going to get one knife, it would be a high-quality 7" Santouku. We got this one for our wedding and I use it every day: http://www1.macys.com/catalog/produc...xx.esn_results

One important factor is to look for one where the blade and handle are one piece -- for instance, in this one the metal part between the wood handles is part of the blade. If the blade is just attached to the handle, it can break off.

We got this set for the wedding too (several relatives bought it together) http://www1.macys.com/catalog/produc...xx.esn_results I've used every piece in this set and really like it.

And we bought the steak knives ourselves -- they come in sets of 4 and the block is designed to hold 6 so it's sort of a nusance. Also, someone got us the carving set. The carving knife fits in the block but the fork does not. Overall, the block has some limitations. I don't like that it's so bulky but it functions well to protect the knives and keep us safe from injuring ourselves rummaging around in a drawer for them. They are very sharp.

[SuzySunshine]

We have the Wusthof Classic knives, I'm not sure how many you would be able to get for $150 - ours we were wedding gifts 7 years ago and are still going strong, we love them.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/sear...c&dim=1&nty=1&

[DCJenn]

Knife blocks dull the blades. We use magnets on the wall which also does two other important things- give us back counter space formerly occupied by a knife block AND gets knives out of drawers and therefore away from small hands/small people.

Jenn

[SoonerTexan]

Shun Classic knife set

This is what we registered for at WIlliam-Sonoma and I believe the whole set is $450 (see Useless Wedding Gifts thread)

If you want to spend less, you might try TJMaxx--they sometime have really nice sets that are relatively cheap

[scrub-jay]

This is what we registered for at WIlliam-Sonoma and I believe the whole set is $450 (see Useless Wedding Gifts thread)

If you want to spend less, you might try TJMaxx--they sometime have really nice sets that are relatively cheap

I think we did ultimately get ours at W-S. They are pricy, but amazing. They also have a good selection of choices of sets and individual knives. We got the set with gift cards (and some $ from duplicate returns) and then a few people gave us some of the individual knives that do not come with the set. Good choice!!

[poky]

Can you share a picture of this or of something similar on the internet? I can't picture what it would look like.

[MrsK]

Oh, I have that spice rack. Funny it takes up as much space as the knife block if not more. I've found that the spice rack works well if you lie it in a drawer.

[spotty_dog]

I find (influenced by several sources I think) that the three essential knives are a chef's knife, a utility knife, and a paring knife. My favorites are my Wusthof Classic 16 cm, 12 cm, and I think 3". Like Cheri they were wedding gifts, so over 6 years of regular use and they hold an edge well and feel great in the hand. (I also have some Henckels low-end at 8", 6", and 3" that have served me well for over a decade since I bought them at Fred Meyer, but they are a little the worse for wear and I don't like the sizes quite as well.) At Cheri's BB&B link it looks like those three knives would run you $140.

[SoonerTexan]

At W-S, they told us Shun (at least I think it was Shun) sharpens your knives for you every year for free--that was kind a nice perk

At W-S, they told us Shun (at least I think it was Shun) sharpens your knives for you every year for free--that was kind a nice perk

I don't know about that particular brand (and am sure it's awesome), but don't let a "free sharpening annually" thing seem like a big perk when deciding between one brand and another. Taking or sending your knives in to get sharpened is a big PITA, you shouldn't need to do it annually, and if you do have to shell out for it, it's not cost-prohibitive or anything. I got my set of 7 sharpened for $22.

I agree with spotty dog's suggestion. I have an 8" chef knife, 5 or 6" utility, and 3" paring. Oh, and a serrated bread knife. I use the 8" and 3" most often and would give up the 5" if I could have only two.

I second the Cook's Illustrated suggestion. They have a chef knife review in the current (Nov) issue, I believe. Yes, I just found it. Their favorite bargain knife is the Victorinox Forschner Fibrox 8" Chef's knife for $25. They say it "lacks the extreme precision that makes cutting with hybrids so much fun..." The hybrid is a blend between a classic chef's knife and the Japanese style. For the expensive ones, they like the Masamoto VG-10 Gyutou 8.2" ($136) and the Misno US-10 Chef's 8.2" ($156).

If you are going to go with a pricier one, I really recommend going to a store where you can hold it your hand and get a feel for it. I took a knife skills class at Sur la Table a few years ago and got to test out a bunch of different knives. Some just feel better than others no matter the review or reputation.

I have a steel to hone my knives and get them professionally sharpened about every 2 years. The steel is nice to have. I learned how to use it by watching an on-line video.

[medpedspouse]

I was all over the Shun knives until a friend told me about Cutco(sp?). They seem comparable but cost less.

[Michele]

We (I) have the Wustoff Classic. My college roommate had a cooks knife and I just really liked the way it handled. They feel right in my hands.

In my block, I have:

2 8" cook's knives
1 8" carver
1 8" serrated bread knife
1 5" boning (never used)
1 5" sausage knife (serrated - works awesome on tomatoes!)
1 4" paring knife
2 3" paring knives

I used the cooks and paring the most (that's why I have two of each). We have a block and I plan to get a magnet when I get "my" kitchen. I really want a Santoku knife too though.